Chapter 83 – Darkness Within
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Chapter 83Darkness Within.

Tsugua had said that there were more security measures in the undercity, the half of the city that was inside the mountain itself, but from where she was standing, Fairweather couldn’t see much indication of that at all. Sure there was a guardhouse built into the rock on the side of the mountain overlooking the point where four other small roads merged with the main road at the entrance, and another just inside, but both were dark and empty, the doors closed and bolted. Why even a sliding bolt in the first place? The guardhouses of Brightswater were much more advanced than this, and both cities were built amongst the ruins of a previous age city. It was a little disappointing to be honest. Not that she’d gotten a good look at the rest of the city yet. Even with her night vision, she was limited to what she could make out as they’d snuck through the city thus far. Nor could she see any indication of the security cameras that had been common around Bowser’s domain or in the CBD of Brightswater. Misplaced expectations she guessed.

The entrance itself to the undercity was fairly impressive. The apartment building that they’d owned in Brightswater, well, previously owned by now in all likelihood, would have easily fit within it with space to spare. Large stone slabs with metallic supports running through them ran along it’s entire length, the one at the apex shaped like a keystone with the image of a talon carved out of it that shone in the moonlight. It didn’t look worn or weathered either, but in pristine shaped, unaffected by the passage of time, a man-made structure that stood in stark contrast to the natural mountainside against which it was fused.

The road going into the mountain was split into four lanes, flowing past the guardhouse in the middle and into the depths of the mountain. It wasn’t in the best shape, showing obvious signs of wear that had been patched up so many times that she couldn’t tell which sections were part of the original, and yet it still all looked smooth, the painted lines sharp and defined. The team responsible for that knew what they were doing, even if they used different methods to Brightswater, the roads there looking more like what she expected the original roads to look like. A small cluster of trees sat behind them at the side of one of the side roads, stunted and weathered, and the only instance of them that she had seen thus far in the city. She hadn’t quite realised the lack of greenery inside the city itself till she had seen them, yet another aspect cloaked by the night.

Fairweather could just make out the forms of the buildings near the entrance of the cavern, similar in design to what she could see outside in the surrounding area, the ones closest to the entrance merged into the rock of the mountain itself, and burying themselves in ceiling that quickly rose up, very much like the ones on the slopes as they had walked down from the upper reaches of Caylinhold. According to what the channellers had said, while the cavern itself was large, it actually only held a portion of the undercity, the rest of it burrowing into the rock of the mountain itself, connected by passages and alleys between the building from the original ruins, and tunnels that had been carved since its discovery. A complex warren that was only partially populated and of which Catlin had admitted that they weren’t sure of the actual extent of. Not that that was common knowledge. They did send teams down regularly to explore, further expanding their maps, but each time they thought that they’d found an edge, they’d find another passage that went further. The only constant was that they’d yet to find any other exits out of the mountain, both from inside and out.

That of course then raised the question of how people in the warren actually managed to survive. Sure, the city itself had its farmland on the peninsula, but what about the air that people needed to breath. If there were no other exits, then there was no airflow, and unlike the technological marvel that was Odinsphere, there was no ventilation system. Something that Fairweather had only just learned about when the aspects of Odinsphere had brought it up. At that Catlin had just shrugged. It apparently had yet to be an issue, though she did mentioned that there were some fungi that grew in some parts of the warrens that might contribute to all of that. But they’d never needed to find out. Myne added in that being on the leyline might also be a factor, Crystal laughing and saying something about being a world of magic as well as science. To be honest, the how didn’t really matter to her. And of course, given a choice, she’d much rather spend her time outside of a cave system than within.

The left side of the cavern seemed to slope down, the buildings quickly dropping below the height of the entrance, while the rest was flat, stretching into the darkness. The interior of the cavern was dark however, the occasional light in a window facing them the only indication that there were buildings beyond what she could make out. Sure it was night time, dawn still a little way away, but even so, given that the undercity would lack any sourse of natural light, she had expected it to be artificially lit. Lightbulbs and floodlights were a thing, and rather easy for channellers to repair, even if the tungsten filament or whatever other necessary internal part was broken.

“Not normal?” she more stated than asked as she crouched beside the wall of a three story building on the corner of the main road, unhappily putting the guard helmet back on. Even at the thought of it her ears had started protesting, and weren’t giving up. She’d need to be wearing the helmet for the next while. Hopefully not too long though.

Tsugua shook his head. “No. While I’m not surprised, I would have thought that maintaining the background lighting here would have been a priority, even at night. It’s going to make life rather difficult for those who live in the undercity. Less so for the tunnel dwellers.”

“A pain for us as well,” Fairweather said.

“Indeed,” Tsugua agreed. “At least it’ll reduce any chance of an ambush, as they won’t be able to see us either.”

I’ll be able to detect any threats before they become an issue,’ Hope proudly declared to her. The fox arkchild was certainly rather powerful in a number of areas, which Fairweather was actually quite grateful for. However she couldn’t let herself get lazy either. She’d still be remaining on full alert as well. The guards were still patrolling the main road, but it wasn’t going to be an issue for them. Even ignoring the curves in the road that meant that the entrance was out of view for a good portion of the time, they were still in uniform.

Checking to make sure there weren’t any guards in their immediate vicinity, just to avoid the slim chance of any complications, they extracted themselves from the side of the building, moved to the centre of the side road, and them marched towards the entrance as if they belonged here. While she half expected that something would go awry, that someone would yell out at them, systems would switch on, or a shambler would appear and attack them, nothing did. They quickly crossed into the main street, past the guardhouse, and into the undercity with nay a problem. It was almost a tad disappointing.

Had she been hoping rather than expecting?

Since when had she gotten so edgy, with a thirst for challenges and the unknown at every outset? This wasn’t the first time that she’d done an infiltration mission with Clocky, and it was always a good thing when things went smoothly. You were happy, and relieved, when everything went to plan without a hitch. The less complications the better. And that was the case with every mission. Less injuries that way. Less loss, less death.

But things had been different since Crystal had joined them.

Not that she blamed her at all. The stakes were so much different now. What they were involved in. They had all changed too. Fairweather shook her head. It wasn’t the right time to be distracted.

They walked past the empty inner guardhouse, not even sparing it a glance, Tsugua taking the left fork as it sharply sloped down and dropped below the first block of buildings of the undercity. The few flickering window lights visible from the buildings above them quickly disappeared from view. Candles, or some other form of flame she realised. Made sense given the current situation. The little background light also quickly faded, and soon enough they were blanketed in pitch darkness, leaving her unable to see. And given that they couldn’t wear the goggles with the helmets, Tsugua and Clocky as well, their progress halting. Had it been different circumstances, it wouldn’t have been an issue. The flames that danced around her ears could provide light if she wanted, taking on a more illuminating quality, and even if they were covered, she could also just summon some to her hand. Not an option at the moment however.

Tsugua sighed, the light from his arm flaring to life again, it’s wide beam clearly illuminating a patch of the road in a harsh white light, and providing enough ambient illumination that Fairweather was able to see again.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve had to do this here,” He mumbled, mostly to himself as he set off again, Fairweather following and Clocky close behind.

It didn’t take them long to reach their destination, a warehouse that was tucked away into the wall of the upper layer, it’s front half looking no different from all of the warehouses that she had seen in Brightswater, before it merged with the sheer rock. The had completed a half circle, and Fairweather was pretty sure that she was facing back towards the entrance of undercity as Tsugua stopped in front of it, looking at its dark expanse. There was no sign of any lights in the windows of this place.

“Is he even going to be awake?” Fairweather queried. It was still the early hours of the morning after all.

“Oh no worries there,” Tsugua replied. “He’ll be awake.”

He placed his hand on the large steel door, muttered something to himself, and then pulled it open. It groaned and squeaked, the noise so loud to Fairweather that she was sure that it would wake up the entire neighbourhood. But there wasn’t any immediate reaction, everything seeming to stay quiet. They then stepped inside, Tsugua closing it after them, before he held his hand against the wall, the lights of the warehouse flickering to life, bathing it in a soft orange glow. It was messy, a mind boggling amount of large crates stacked precariously in the centre, heavily laden tables against the left wall, and overflowing selves on the right. A series of doors dominated the wall on the other side, along with stairs and a walkway that ran along the second level, which had even more doors. The bales of hay stacked in one corner didn’t actually look quite out of place either.

There was a clattering from one of the upstairs rooms, before a door burst open and a crouching figure shuffled out, eyes peering over the railings as they pointed a rather bulky crossbow at them, the additional attachments and extra bolts already loaded in it shouting out that it wasn’t a normal model. Short greying and thinning hair, leather armour, and another smaller crossbow on the ground beside them rounded their appearance out.

“I told you to go away. I don’t have anything more for you,” the man barked out, sifting his aim between the three of them.

“Not laying as low as I’d hoped them,” Tsugua said with a sigh. “And here I thought your preservation instincts were still as sharp as ever.”

“I don’t take to threats,” the man growled. “I’ll quite happily fill you full of holes, your boss be damned.” He then paused, his eyes narrowing. “Who exactly are you? Your squads too small, and... naked.”

Tsugua cocked his head to the side. “And here I thought you’d recognise me Quincey.”

Quincey’s eyes narrowed even further, confusion on his face. “Tsugua?”

Tsugua removed his helmet, a wide grin on his face. “In the flesh.”

Quincey relaxed a little, but remained crouching, his weapon still trained on them. “No one else calls me that,” he said shaking his head. “You know I hate it. That explains the lights at least. And here I was thinking that they’d finally decided to put the power back on, in time with an attempted raid, but it’s just you. I heard that you’d died in the explosion at the hands of the Odinsphere demons.”

“As you can see I’m very alive. Well, mostly. I did lose part of me in the explosion, and it probably should have killed me.”

“And these two?” Quincey asked, shifting his aim between her and Clocky.

“Demons of Odin...” Tsugua started, before he started waving his hands as Quincey looked ready to loose a bolt. “They’re not enemies,” he stated quickly. “Delegates. Friends. Clocky Erswyrescale and Fairweather.”

A look of recognition flashed across his face. “The channeller?”

“Her son,” Tsugua replied as Fairweather removed her helmet, Clocky doing likewise. Her ears happily perked up, happy to be free again.

Quincey’s bolt trained on her again. “What are you,” he asked, fear evident in his voice. “Another form of cursed? You don’t look like a touched.”

“A catfolk,” Fairweather stated, trying to look taken aback. At least he’d seemed to recognise that she wasn’t just a touched, but she wasn’t so keen on being labelled a cursed. She’d had enough of that when she’d become a touched from the first pulse.

“They’re friends,” Tsugua stated again. “Anyway, I came to see you as I need answers as to what’s going on. We need to work out who is behind it all before I bring Catlin back.”

Quincey’s eyes opened wide at that. “She’s alive too?”

“You think a mere explosion is going to kill her?”

“No. Not under normal circumstances. But the last few weeks have been anything but.” Quincey stood up, and motioned to them as he made his way down the stairs and to a desk. “And put out the light, least the real guards pay us a visit.”

Tsugua waited till Quincey had a couple of oil lamps burning before he turned off the lights and left the wall, the three of them joining the scavenger at the desk. The man was as tall as Clocky, but significantly more padded. Not overweight though. He still looked heathy. And old. He sat down on one of the chairs, the crossbow on the table, and indicated for them to do the same.

“Delegation huh. So the girl had her meeting with Odinsphere then?” Quincey took a good look at her and Clocky. “I can see the resemblance. Everyone here is terrified of the floating sphere, especially since the pulse and the arrival of the cursed.”

“Yes we did,” Tsugua affirmed. “Not in quite the circumstances that we wanted, but it went rather well all things considered. You’d have a heart attack if you saw what was there. We’ve reached an agreement, in part due to the attempt on our lives.”

“We felt the explosion from here. Well, not quite here, but in the outer city. You look to be in one piece.”

“This is new,” Tsugua said, pulling back the sleeve on his left arm, revealing the metallic surface underneath. Quincey just stared for a bit.

“How do I know it ain’t controlling you,” he said, making the obvious gesture of reaching for his crossbow.

“Just my word, and that I showed you in the first place.”

“True.” Quincey pulled his hand back, folding his arms across his chest. “So, what’s this agreement?”

“Cooperation. I think we benefit the most out of it all, even if we have the least to offer. It is a discussion for another time though. There is much that we didn’t know about the world, and much that has changed. Fairweather here for example is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the members of Clocky’s team.”

Quincy gave Tsugua a confused look.

“You’ll understand soon enough.” Tsugua paused. “We need to know what’s been going on here though,” he continued, tone all serious.

“You owe me,” Quincey said, before sighing and frowning. “Let’s see. It’s been a bit of a mess. I’d say that people had been sceptical about the delegation to Odinsphere. It is, was, a thing of legend, and hearing that it was moving was enough to cause people nightmares. I think you made the right choice there though, as not doing anything at all would probably have been worse. Sure, we could have all just hidden here as we always do, but it’s potential impact couldn’t be ignored. Especially with the fluctuation and surges in power that I think everyone felt, and blamed on the cities movement.”

“And it was actually responsible for as well, though I don’t think you know even a portion of what we saw happen,” Tsugua interjected.

Quincey shrugged. “Makes little difference to most of us. Fuel for the fire though. Everyone heard, saw or felt the explosion though. Heck even I did, way back here. We were told that you and Catlin had been killed by the demons of Odinsphere as part of their nefarious plans to take over the city and more, the explosion the final successful attempt out of a number that you had managed to thwart or evade, the battle fierce. It had taken something that powerful to take you both out.”

“And you believed that?” Fairweather asked, shaking her head, the reason still seeming just as ludicrous as when Catlin had first suggested it.

“Yes and no. It matters little in the end when two very powerful people are killed by something as terrifying as Odinsphere. I’ve seen a lot in my time, but no one had ever expected it to start moving. Not to mention the level of destructive power that was used, and the rumour of dragons. Evrik came out denouncing Odinsphere, and did a rather good job at preventing panic, focusing on bolstering the defences of the city. Said he’d find out who had sold out our channellers, as they wouldn’t have fallen for such an obvious trap, and that they’d do everything they could to keep it away from our city.”

“Matt...” Tsugua grumbled, looking dark.

“You saw the cage huh? That was three days later. Said that he was the one who had sold you two out to Odinsphere, lusting for power and control. That he’d been sabotaging the network that keeps the city running. It had been rather hit and miss since the assassination, though not as bad as it is at the moment. Nights are always the worse. People were starting to complain and getting restless. Made a real show of it. Matt protested his innocence, but it fell on deaf ears. Things were better for a few days after that, but then he died, and things just went back to how it was before. Lots of promises, bolstered guards and the like, and it all seemed to fluctuate. Except at nights.”

“That doesn’t sound like Evrik,” Tsugua said, frowning. “As much as Matt had the habit of rubbing Evrik the wrong way at times, and doing the occasional stupid thing, Evrik would never consider a public execution. Especially one as barbaric as that. We aren’t some frontier town.”

Quincey shrugged. “Desperate times. When people are scared, nothing seems out of place. Evrik is popular with the people as well, though even that status has been worn down over the last few weeks.”

“Things just settled after that,” Quincey continued. “It became obvious that Odinsphere wasn’t coming directly for here, and people relaxed somewhat. Life returning back to normal as it were, albeit with someone else at the helm. Granted, there were still those who wanted revenge against Odinsphere, those who questioned why there were still issues, and those who weren’t happy that Evrik was in charge, but even the noises from the dissidents quietened down. But... then there was the pulse, and the cursed started showing up.”

“I’d say that everyone felt it, and the power that was behind it. Some say it was the sign that the Dawn Angel had returned, but as to how they’d know, I have no idea.” Quincey shrugged again. “From my end, just raw power tearing through you. Terrifying is what it is. People got scared again, on top of what they’d previously been feeling or trying to bury. Would there suddenly be mutations again, like there was for the first pulse? Sure, those apparently took years to appear, but this one was magnitudes stronger. Or had it stolen part of our lives and our souls. Plenty of people who seem to believe that, especially with what followed. What made everything worse was that it seemed to have come from the direction of where Odinsphere had gone. Even those who were certain that the pulse was a good thing couldn’t dispute that and the possible implications that that held. And then that night the shamblers appeared. The cursed of Odinsphere they were coined. Mindless abominations that proved rather difficult to stop. The first one slaughtered over thirty people before the guards got to it, and a number of them died before they finally managed to put it down. It just kept on rising up again, fire apparently the only feasible option, and that was discovered by accident. They’ve been appearing every night since, and most sensible people are locking themselves in. The guards fight them when they have to, but I do wonder how many are still roaming, uncaught.”

“Evrik hasn’t been doing anything to eradicate them?” Tsugua asked.

“He hasn’t been doing much of anything. Rather quiet on everything since the pulse. Sure the guards are now armed to the teeth, but that’s been as much their initiative as Evrik’s, from what I’ve heard.”

“That’s odd. Not like him at all.” Tsugua looked around the warehouse. “And you’ve been the source of some of the guards upgraded weaponry I assume?”

“I didn’t really have much of a choice.” Quincey looked sour. “Four squads showed up, unhappy and on edge. Someone must have told them what I had stashed away, as they knew exactly what they wanted. Took all of it too, as well as ‘requiring’ me to instruct them how to use them. At least they gave me some money in return, though well below what it was all worth. Wasn’t in a position to argue. Had a couple of visits since, but usually by single squads or individuals. Much easier to handle, and as you’ve probably guessed they left empty handed.”

“That does and doesn’t clarify things.” Tsugua ran his hand over his face, failing to wipe away his frown. “More a murky mess.” He then started, looking around him, before turning to look in the direction of the door, the darkness in the windows suddenly being replaced by a dull ambient glow. “They’ve activated the security network for this sector.”

“What does that entail?” Clocky asked.

“Mostly cameras, lights, and a few sensors.”

“Another visit I’d wager,” Quincey grumbled, reaching for his crossbow.

“No. More than that,” Clocky stated, a brief glow in his eyes. “When have all the other visits been previously?”

“During the middle of the day...” A look of realisation dawned on Quincey’s face. “They’ve been keeping an eye haven’t they?”

“Probably,” Tsugua agreed with a nod. “But for what? We’re meant to be dead.”

Irrespective, your other half is right. We’ve got two squads of guards just entering within range, definitely heading this way. And three shamblers have appeared. His ability is uncanny.’

“We’ve definitely got company coming,” Fairweather interrupted, the flames around her ears intensifying. “Including the nasty ones. Have we learnt what we need?”

“As much as I can. We can take our leave.”

“You’re not letting this place get destroyed.” Quincey stated matter of factly, staring at Tsugua.

“Fine, fine.” Tsugua stood and stretched. “It’s probably time that the others joined anyway.”

They’re already on their way.’ Of course they were. Fairweather chuckled, and passed the information on.

“Take it outside please. I’ve seen how you fight,” Quincey said as he picked up his crossbow.

“It’d be easier if my rifle hadn’t been destroyed,” Tsugua grumbled. “They could still be here for you, you know,” he added.

“Doesn’t matter, does it,” Quincey stated with a grin. “Sounds like you have decent friends here though.”

“You don’t know the half of it. You haven’t even noticed her pet.”

Speaking of the arkchild. “Can you do anything about the cameras?” Fairweather asked Hope as they made their way to the entrance of the warehouse. It was worth a shot. She really had no ideas as to its true capabilities.

Looking into it now.’

“What the...” Quincey paused, taking a step back as he stared right at Hope. “It’s been there the entire time?”

“Yup.” Tsugua laughed, placing his arm over Quincey’s shoulder.

Okay, I can mess with the feeds somewhat, due to the models of the cameras. Make us seem just like normal guards.’

“Demons of Odinsphere might not be far from the truth,” Quincey muttered as he shook off Tsugua’s arm. “Oh, and a point of clarification, since this one always seems to forget. It’s Quin, not Quincey.” Quin gave Tsugua a glare.

Not much to say for this one, other than some questions answered, and probably as many made. The stealth part of the mission looks to be over though as things come to a head.

As always, thanks for reading. Comments are always appreciated.

The next chapter (84 - Proof of Power) will be out in a weeks time.

NB: for people who saw the first version of Ueana's picture, with the dark red clothes, it has been updated, and the clothes are now brown (along with a couple of corrections).

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