The Necromancer’s Daughter – Chapter Eightteen

To the Zargahal mountains

Layla III
It took multiple days of underground traveling during which Layla’s sense of day and night slowly became distorted but the tunnels eventually widened into the first dwarven village on her road towards the capital city of Zargahal. The worst part of the journey was done. Mainly because this confirmed to her that she went the right way. Etched into a marvelously smooth slab of granite was the name of the town: Trenfel.
Layla took out her map to make sure this was the right place, but she only did so out of habit. After putting the map back, she made her way into the town proper. Contrary to the larger dwarven cities that Raze told her about when they were both students at the academy, this village looked much different. At the entrance to the village, it split into three different tunnels. These tunnels came together again once more at the other edge of the village. Between each tunnel were buildings carved into the stone and the outer wall was used for homes as well. Following the middle road, Layla promptly made her way to the few public buildings that the village had, which included an underground bath and an inn. Marveling at the public bath, which used the dwarves’ runic magic to heat the groundwater and then used other runes to transport the steam coming off the heated water somewhere else, so it wouldn’t hang around in the tunnels, she stepped past it to head to the inn first. The ceiling had dim lights that Layla knew were also made with dwarven magic. Reading about the way how dwarves expertly used magic that didn’t require a constant flow of energy for their everydays was one thing, but seeing it in action was much more interesting. There were even runes set up that drew in air from the grassy valleys far above, to make it so the air in the villages didn’t get as stale as it did in the tunnels. Her cough reminded her of how not used she was to this environment as she made her way into the dwarven inn.
“A human lass, that’s not something we see every day.” A friendly looking dwarven woman greeted her as she entered.
Layla smiled. “That doesn’t surprise me, I’m here to visit a friend in the capital.”
“I see, I see, is this your first time in our kingdom?” The woman started pouring Layla some ale without even asking and put it in front of her.
“It is, and so far it’s been mighty impressive.”
The woman grinned. “We do our best to impress you surface dwellers, but to us it’s just business as usual.”
“Well, I’m sure you’ll be equally impressed by the harbor city of K’tapur if you’ve never seen it before.”
“That would be a sight to behold, but who would run the inn in my absence?”
“No partner or kids?”
She spit on the ground next to her. “Bah, that good for nothing ran off ages ago, chasing wealth above ground. If I ever see his sorry ass again I’m chaining him to the hearth so he never escapes again.”
Layla chuckled. “At least he’ll be nice and toasty.”

The first thought that came up in Kaylirr’s head when he saw Bardoc waiting for them outside of his stone hovel was that the weird old man looked somehow taller and younger now. Not only had he cut his beard short, he also wore nicer clothes, proper boots and the hunch in his back seemed to be mostly gone. It was a noticeable transformation.
“Good morning friends,” Bardoc said with a wide grin on his face. “Lovely weather to set out, isn’t it?”
Kaylirr looked up at the dark gray clouds and blinked as a raindrop hit his eye. “It’s definitely been better,” he agreed.
Behind him, Sairoc was walking in a daze, still half asleep. He’d never been a morning person, but the past few days had clearly taken a toll on the dwarf who was getting up there in age. Right now he made Bardoc look like a spry young man in comparison. Despite Kaylirr’s worry for his old friend, he would be crucial in leading them to their destination or at the very least to the capital city of the dwarves. His friend had told him many years ago that even with a proper map it was a tough place to navigate. Kaylirr wasn’t terrible with directions like Kate was – one of their former associates – but he wasn’t great either. Usually he would leave that to Jarsen, but that was no longer possible. Luckily, Sairoc spent his youth in the dwarven tunnels and although much time passed since, he was confident he could still find his way home. Still, they first had to traverse a small corner of the empire and make their way through the dangers of the Celeran Canopy. Sairoc mentioned that new entrances to the kingdom might have popped up since he was last there, but he only really knew of the one he exited through all those years ago.
“Are we all ready to go then?” Kaylirr asked Bardoc, who had a large backpack sitting in front of him. The old man nodded. “I’ve packed everything I can’t do without and I’m leaving everything else behind for whoever decides to loot the place first.” He smiled. “I bet it ‘s that butcher, he’s always been vocal about me being a nuisance.”
“Does it really matter?” Kaylirr asked.
“Well, there’s some volatile substances in there so I reckon the first person to try will have a good scare and the real valuables will end up going to whoever is brave enough to go in next.” He chuckled. “I wish I could be there to see it, but alas.” Bardoc shrugged. “Oh well.” And with that, the trio made their way east, towards the edge of the Celeran Canopy that was only two days from here. The first part of their journey would be easy and although the sky had looked threatening when they first left the village behind, the weather didn’t turn unpleasant at all.
“So, are there any more villages or cities between here and Zargahal?” Kaylirr asked his friend.
Sairoc shook his head. “There’s Larania, but it’s a little bit away from the path we’re taking. There are some weird tribes and wild beasts that roam the area so it’s not particularly safe to settle down in the forest. At least it wasn’t a century ago when I traveled through it. Like I said, it’s been a while.”
“I often forget you’re that old.”
“Hmpf.”
They set up camp just beyond the treeline, so they were out of the open, but not too deep into the forest immediately. The huge trees that covered the sky above them gave them a sense of protection from the elements but there was also something eerie to them. Kaylirr had never been to the Celeran Canopy before but he had definitely heard stories. It was by far the largest forest on the continent after all, not even rivaled by the pine forests far to the north, beyond even the Zanian Kingdom. The forest covered the entire region from the eastern part of the empire to the Zargahal mountains and it followed that mountain range all the way to where the mountains met the ocean. What lay beyond the mountain range itself, no one knew. Well, someone probably knew, but it sure wasn’t Kaylirr. After setting up camp and leaving most of the difficult work to the others, Kaylirr sat down on a fallen log. If there was one lesson he’d learned in his years of traveling the empire it was that the best campsites were those that had a good place to sit down.
The sun had already gone down as the trio finished their dinner. Bardoc had mostly been quiet today, taking in the surroundings but not saying much. Breaking a rather long silence, Bardoc asked a question. “I talked to the spirit in your weapon, Elet, and she guaranteed me that you were on a path that aligned with my interests. Familiar as I am with spirits and their world, I decided to accept the request as it interested me personally, but I know scarcely little about what brought you folks to my door and what exactly you’re planning to do. A little bit of a backstory wouldn’t be so bad if I’m honest. As long as it’s not a real tearjerker, I don’t deal well with those.”
Kaylirr smiled. “I suppose we owe you at least that much.” Over the course of the next hour or so he told the old man about his work as a mercenary and how they were hired by a local nobleman to protect his collection, only for the mission to go poorly. He told him about his first contact with Elet and how that led them to Bardoc’s homes. Kaylirr also explained that he hadn’t really used any magic in his life, so this was all very new and very strange for him, but they were now fugitives in a large part of the empire, so now was as good a time as ever to leave on a dangerous journey into the dwarven mines.
Bardoc listened intently, drinking from his wineskin every so often.
“I see, so you’re amateurs in this world. I suppose it’s a good thing that Elet sent you to me. I know a thing or two about spirits and their world, and as your sword friend rightly guessed, I’ve not exactly been all that busy lately.” He smiled. “I see now, you’re here for a reason and not just because a spirit is dragging you along on a whimsical journey.” He looked at Sairoc who shrugged.
“Well, then that’s enough for me.”
“Do you feel the need to share a bit about yourself too?” Kaylirr asked.
Bardoc pondered the question for a moment. “No.” He took another drink from his wineskin and wordlessly got ready for bed.
The next few days of travel were mostly uneventful for the trio as they traveled the sleepy edges of the Fyrston Empire. Although Kaylirr had been in this region once before, many years ago, he’d spent most of his time in the core of the empire so none of the sleepy roads were familiar to him. Bardoc seemed confident in the direction he was leading them in, so they followed the old man. Only once they started reaching the edge of the forest did their journey slow down.
“What was this place called again?” Kaylirr asked.
“The Celeran Canopy,” Sairoc said. He’d let the old man take the lead on the journey, but he was the one who would have to lead them through the forest and towards the actual mountain range. “It’s been a long time since I last journeyed through this place.” he looked at Bardoc. “Been here before?”
“Once, I spent some weeks traveling with a friend in the forest. That was much further south than where we’re going though.”
“Further south, so deeper in the forest?”
The old man nodded. “There’s some nice folk living down there, but they’re not quick to trust outsiders. I spent a few days locked up in a cage before I finally convinced them to let me out.” He laughed. “Good times.”
Sairoc looked at Kaylirr who just shrugged. They hadn’t traveled with Bardoc long enough to know if the old man was pulling their leg or fully serious. All they knew is that he possessed some interesting knowledge about magic and he might be their ticket to finding out more about Elet and the assassin, so they weren’t going to take umbrage with any weird jokes. The weather had completely changed to sunny by now and the humidity was slowly fading as well, making their journey a bit more comfortable. The thick foliage however was quickly becoming a problem. It was clear to Kaylirr that both Sairoc and Bardoc knew the direction they were supposed to be traveling in but they weren’t familiar with any trails at all.
The next few days were spent hacking away at the plant life that blocked their way until eventually they stumbled upon what seemed like an old hunting trail. Glad to finally have some more freedom to move around, they ended up following the trail for the better part of a day, veering off from their original direction slightly, but not enough for it to be a problem. They finally set up camp in a clearing they reached. There under the stars, Kaylirr decided to speak to Elet once more to get some more answers about where they were headed and what exactly was going on. He just hoped that the spirit would answer him.
After dinner was finished and the fire was lighting up the clearing, Kaylirr found a quiet spot towards the edge and sat down cross legged. He then pulled the weapon from its sheath and closed his eyes, focusing on the sounds of the forest. When he opened his eyes again he was no longer in the clearing but instead in an unfamiliar space. 

“Hello Kaylirr, it’s been a little while since we last spoke.” Elet’s voice came from a dark corner, where he couldn’t quite make out her shape. Her tone was almost sickeningly sweet and Kaylirr was still confused as to where he found himself. Was this a space inside his own mind or inside the weapon, or were the two of them somewhere else.
“I’ve come to ask you for some clarity.”
“Then ask away, we’re a team, aren’t we?”
Kaylirr still had his doubts about that statement, but so far Elet seemed to have been helpful so he didn’t question it in this moment. He was prepared to ask her some questions at least. “Where exactly are we headed to?”
“A small village in the Zargahal mountains, it’s where a dwarven runesmith lives. I need his expertise on something.”
“And what does that have to do with finding your brother?”
Elet fell silent, as if looking for an answer instead of answering honestly. Eventually the sweet voice spoke once more. “I do not mean offense when I say this, but without some increased prowess you are no match for the assassin that wields my brother. The device on your shoulder allows me to manipulate the energies inside my vessel as well as your own energy. We need to power up the device significantly and to do so we require this runesmith.”
“And what is this runesmith’s name?”
Elet smiled. “Raze. You’ll find him, I trust in that much. Have some faith in me Kaylirr, I won’t do you wrong, I promise that.”
“I believe you.”

“You dozing off boss?” Sairoc said to him when he returned back to their camp in the forest.
“Something like that. I’m not the boss anymore, you know that.”
“Force of habit.” Sairoc shrugged and put another piece of wood on the fire. The smell of their dinner – which was long gone – still lingered near the camp. The sky was getting darker and it was time for Kaylirr to go to sleep.
“I’ll take the first watch as per usual, go get your beauty sleep,” Sairoc said jokingly.
“I think I should have started taking those many years earlier.” He looked at his friend. “And so should you have.” They both laughed.

The next morning, Kaylirr woke up for his watch. As he would sometimes do, Sairoc didn’t wake him up when it was time but let him sleep longer. Although he would never admit it to his friend, he did appreciate the gesture a lot as he’d felt exhausted ever since the attack. About an hour before sunrise, Bardoc woke up as well, stretching broadly and letting out a big yawn. He looked around confused for a few moments, seemingly forgetting where he was, before it seemed to all come back to him as he went about his morning routine as Kaylirr had seen the old man do a few times already. Bardoc would do some stretches and then a strange exercise in which he carefully seemed to stretch each part of his body individually. Kaylirr couldn’t quite figure out if it was stretching or a massage of sorts, but he’d settled for stretching. It almost looked as if the man was trying to figure out if his entire body was still in its place. The joke made him immediately grimace when he thought of his own missing arm. He took a second cup from his bag and filled it with tea. “Want some?” He asked the old man, who gratefully accepted it and sat down opposite of Kaylirr.
The steaming tea slowly trailed upwards in the crisp morning air as the duo sat in silence for a little while, only interrupted ever so slightly by the snoring of their dwarven companion who – as usual – had managed to fall asleep within seconds of laying down. Kaylirr envied that skill as he was often plagued with laying awake or having rough nights, even before he lost his arm. After a while, Bardoc spoke up.
“I know what it’s like to feel lost in the world. I was like you once, wandering and following an uncertain path that I didn’t really believe in myself.”
“I’m not sure what you mean?” Kaylirr replied. He hadn’t really opened up to the old man at all and neither had the old man opened up to Kaylirr before. This caught him a little bit off guard.
“I’ve been traveling with the two of you for only a few days, but I can feel hesitance in your every step. You walk as if you desperately want to find a purpose that isn’t there. I am definitely curious about what you can accomplish with this surge of magical power that surrounds you, but I worry for your health.” Bardoc pointed at Kaylirr’s arm. “I’m guessing that’s recent?”
Kaylirr nodded. “Only a few weeks ago. It still hurts whenever I move it.”
“May I ask what happened?”
“We were protecting some expensive merchandise when a thief came in and managed to best me. The thief ran off with one of two weapons, the second of which is hanging from my belt. You’ve met, I believe.”
Bardoc nodded. “They’re a capricious lot, the spirits. I’ve encountered quite a few in my years, and although many of them do not harbor ill will, their concepts of what is good, evil and most importantly of what is important are very different from ours. Make sure you don’t let yourself get swept up in their pace.”
Kaylirr smiled. “I appreciate the advice.” Aiming to move the topic away from his own wellbeing he followed up with a question. “How come you have so much knowledge about spirits?”
Bardoc scratched his knee absentmindedly while he stared off into the distance. “I grew up building things and tinkering. Eventually I realized I had a real talent and working with some of the spirits that were living in the village – not the village where I met you – I started making powerful artifacts. Not the kind of powerful that legends are written about, but definitely things that would be trouble in the wrong hands. I made a device that will pick any simple lock, I made a coin that would eventually corrode, damaging all the other coins in your purse, that sort of stuff. I was led along by the spirits for quite a bit as they seemed to find these things hilarious and although none of it was done in bad faith, I learned my lesson when one of my more potent creations fell into the wrong hands. I had to flee the village and I was a wanted… man for a while. Eventually I managed to escape the guards for long enough that things quieted down. Ever since then I’ve been trying to build my artifacts in peace, hoping to make some useful things.” Bardoc pointed at Elet. “I can sense that the spirit sleeping in your weapon isn’t just your average village spirit. She could see right through me when I touched her and that scared me. That’s why I’m warning you not to be too trustful. I’m sure she has good intentions, but her good intentions and your wellbeing might not align.”
“I appreciate the advice. Truly.” Kaylirr put his hand on the weapon and felt the soft leather on the outside of the sheath. There was definitely a presence to the weapon whenever he touched it, but Elet herself did not appear. He wondered if she could hear their every conversation. He returned his attention back to Bardoc. “Have you been living in this village for a long time then?”
Bardoc shook his head. “Couple of years. I’ve gone from place to place for a while. I’m not much of a people person, so I don’t make connections. When the two of you showed up I figured I would be of more help assisting the two of you than staying there, so that’s why I offered to come with you.”
“Well, we’re glad to have you Bardoc.”
“Thank you, I appreciate that.” By the time their conversations came to a close, Sairoc seemed to be waking up and the trio continued their journey towards the Zargahal mountains shortly after they ate breakfast together.

The trek through the forest was a relatively quiet one and although Kaylirr hadn’t expected anything big to happen, he was a bit surprised by how easy it all went. But this was the easy half as they now had to not only find the entrance that Sairoc didn’t really remember all that well but then they also had to navigate the tunnels of an ancient underground kingdom and find this dwarven runesmith that was somewhere in there. It wouldn’t be an easy task. The first hurdle appeared in front of them when they reached the edge of the forest and saw that towering mountain range in front of them. Kaylirr and Bardoc turned to Sairoc. “Lead the way,” Kaylirr said.
Sairoc looked at the surroundings, inspected the ground and measured the peaks of the mountains with his fingers before turning around and saying. “Well I have no idea where we are in relation to the entrance.”
Kaylirr sighed. “You had one job.” They both laughed. “Now what?” He added.
“I’ll see if I can figure out if the entrance I’m thinking of is further north or further south, that way we know which direction to head.”
“I think I can be of some assistance with that.” Bardoc said. He took off his rather large backpack and rummaged through it for a little while before pulling something out. The strange mechanical contraption looked almost birdlike in its design. Bardoc drew some runes on the ground, put the contraption in the middle and then tapped several spots in the runes with his walking cane before the metal contraption started to make a whirring sound and then slowly lifted up into the air. “If you can give me some landmarks that I might be able to find, Taka here will have a look around.”
“What in the world is that?” Sairoc asked.
“It’s one of my inventions, it allows me to ask a spirit of the wind for help in searching for something. The only downside is that Taka asks for some gold in return and I’m quickly running out of my supply, but besides that it’s very convenient.”
“It looks very impressive, that’s for sure,” Kaylirr said.
Sairoc thought for a few moments. “So the entrance into our kingdom that I’m thinking of is built into the side of a cliff. At the top of that cliff are three large trees that grow horizontally. That’s probably your best bet.”
Bardoc nodded and sat down cross legged. The invention, Taka, took off and disappeared beyond the canopy. After waiting for a couple of minutes it returned and landed in Bardoc’s hand before it ceased movement. The old man nodded a couple of times and then smiled. “We go a few hours north.”