Upon a Star: Karyana's Journey: Chapter 9

A Chapter by Sebastien B.

Time flies as friends become men-at-arms, a lone girl breaks her former mentor out of prison.

Laurinya walked the corridors of Wizardbane, the rattling of a key ring at her side. Taking it from the soldier while they were busy gawking at her was a cinch. Without her cloak, every prisoner could see the young woman taking confident strides along the stone floor, her riding boots resonating through the tortured screams of those who even tried to touch her, whether physically or magically. Sure, there were the occasional whistles and rambling from the jailed wizards and warlocks, but she paid those little mind.

Walking over to a large door, held close by a large poultice and guarded by two guards wielding halberds, she paused to look at them.

"No visitors allowed." one of the two guards spoke. "Be on your way."

"I have come to see Rauz Grayheath." she answered, ignoring the man's warning. "I am a former student of his."

The second guard let out a deep laugh. "…and you think he's in there? Woman, you don't know what's in that room, and if you did, you wish you hadn't."

Laurinya took a defiant pose. "Then tell me." she replied. "What is so special beyond these doors that I should be weary of?"

The first guard looked back at the second and shook his head. "Only the higher-ranked guards are allowed in here. No civilians may pass."

The young woman ran a hand through her golden locks and looks at the two guards. "So, you don't know, then."

"Of course we do, but this isn't information that would be granted to tresspassers." The first guard replied, holding his halberd out to keep Laurinya at bay, the tip of the spearhead inches from her chest. "So, I warn you one last time: leave now."

Laurinya ignored the guard's warning once again, this time picking a broken hair off from the fingers than ran through her locks. "I only came to see my former Master." she replied, taking a more innocent tone. "Is there something wrong with that?"

The second guard let out a sigh. "Fine… I'll take you to him, but no funny business! I'll be keeping an eye on you!"

Laurinya placed her right hand behind her back for a moment, crossing and uncrossing her index and middle finger. "Of course. I wouldn't want it any other way." she said before turning around, moving her hand to her side.
The first guard returned to his guard duty, holding his halberd defensively, as the second officer walked in front of the young woman. To the officer, it was simply a formal way to show authority and to protect the civilian. To the guard now alone at the door, it was a good way to see a scare sight in these stone-cold walls.

For Laurinya, it was the perfect way to leave a spell woven in the man's back, in case her plan was to backfire.

-----

Rauz was left to sleep on a rancid-smelling bed after another regimen of tortured exercise. The alchemist, whose black hair clung to his scalp while a sweat-dripping beard hung from his face, looked relatively well… if such a thing was possible in Wizardbane.

Although he had lost much weight from his ordeal and lash marks still showed on his back and legs, there was still determination and hope in his eyes, even after six years of imprisonment. He knew of his innocence, and he knew that Vokram was to blame for his current condition. The jury had been well-fed with the old man's lies and deceits, and they bought his story of 'human experimentation' and 'mana extraction' hook, line and sinker.

However, he also knew that his old Master used to have connections in Wizardbane… in the form of the prison's caretaker. Even though the caretaker was now the high authority of the prison, no offense was taken from his more lenient approach to Rauz's punishment.

The old orc, an avid book-reader and former soldier of Ravenhold, was an exception to his race, as he preferred the quiet of a good book to the horns of war. The caretaker actually was smart enough not to buy Vokram's accusations towards the young alchemist and, rather than sign the papers for such blasphemies, chose to write 'magical misconduct' as the reason to the man's incarceration.

Had Laurinya dispatched of the two guards, she would have met the caretaker himself, but would have likely suffered from the orc's temper and ended up thrown in a cell herself. Still, the caretaker knew little magic, aside from what the late Lord Medai had taught him… and what Rauz was teaching him during their 'private interrogations'.

Even though Rauz's cell was as bare as the rest, it lacked the stench of decay and rat feces, as the caretaker came by often to see that the prisoner was taken care of. The guards who didn't comply were easily bribed by a paid day off, which was probably one of the best rewards they could get, or threatened with demotion.

The former alchemist heard three taps against the steel door, followed by the clinking of keys in the lock. "Looks like it's your lucky day, Fellheath." the cell guard spoke. "You got a visitor."

The alchemist let out a sigh. "Is it time for Old Whitelock's class, already?" he asked. "I thought he came by two days ago."

Whitelock was the orcish caretaker's nickname, as most people had trouble actually pronouncing his actual name.

"Not this time. Gotta say, though… if she's really an old student of yours, she could beat me around anytime." the guard answered, making jest of the situation, as he knew quite well that Old Whitelock's 'interrogations' were anything but.

Rauz got up in a hurry from the straw bed, wiped the broken straw from his back as best he could and got up. Although the prison did provide prisoners with clothes, his were changed at every wash, which was more often the most other incarcerated wizards were allowed.

As the door opened, he stared in absolute wonder when he noticed the young woman, dressed in the Order's travel robes. It didn't take him long to figure who she was, for her golden hair, emerald eyes, and confident demeanor reminded him of what happened almost six years ago.

"Lauri… Laurinya!" he spoke, his tired face expression shock. "I can't believe it!"

The young woman walked into the cell, but stayed a few feet from the former alchemist. "You look well, old man." she said before swatting her left hand before her face. "At least, you smell better than Vokram did…"

Rauz' surprise seemed almost painted on his face. "V-Vokram? He's here? In Raemu's name, I knew there was justice in this world…" he replied, relief appearing in his eyes. "But tell me… what happened to you? Why are you here?"

"Well, the old rat tried to use me like some toy puppet, but that's all in the past. He's not going to leave this place alive, anyways." Laurinya replied, making the old man's punishment sound like it was as obvious as the dirt on the man's face. "Besides, I've come here under the authority of the Order-"

Rauz let out a heavy sigh before Laurinya continued. "-to get you out of here."

The alchemist's eyes couldn't have been any wider than they were now. "What? The Order… is setting me free?"

"Um… not really." Laurinya replied, folding her arms. "You see, since Vokram got sent here, well… there's been a vacant spot in the Arch's council. I didn't mind taking the old coot's office and using his supplies, but talking to the same old warblers all day? Not for me. So, I tell you what: you can have my place at the Order, as long as you do something for me in return."

Rauz let out a long sigh of relief before looking at the young woman. "Anything… as much as I enjoyed Old Whitelock's company, I'm getting tired of these four walls…"

Laurinya made a devious smile. "Once we get you back to the Order... you'll draw me a map to Starfall."

----

Pison didn't care anymore.

Hundreds of different possibilities to play out that same day. Thousands of ways to approach the situation. Endless possibilities… all leading to the same outcome. No matter if he walked away, turned his blade against himself or even against the other cathars…even against Lady Alphea herself… it would only end up with the wheels of time receding back to the moment he would awake as his formerly was, a cathar whose fate was to be cursed for eternity to save the life of the woman who touched his heart.

Hate welled up inside of him. He detested his fellow cathars for leaving him a doomed man. He hated Lady Alphea's father for entrusting him that mission. He abhorred the bandits who took her life. He cursed Xelnos' name again and again for forcing his hand. Worst of all, he hated himself for being unable to turn away, to let her die.

Even as his demonic body was slowly reforming in the hourglass that contained his ashes, the only thing that steeled his resolve was that one day, he would be free Lady Alphea from her fate as one of the tormented souls that dwell in the Underdeep, and that for all the suffering he experienced, he would see Xelnos fall before him.

Outside of the glass walls of the prison, the obsidian-skinned Planar-demon gazed into the firey pit that acted like a looking glass. He could see the Jeweled City's siege being broken by a handful of Academia warriors, led by a warrior who held such ferocity that the undead forces Xelnos himself had rose from the dead were being slaughtered one by one.

He could see his unholy army slowly break as the small team ripped through segments of the hold like an arrow through paper… and this enraged him.

----

Alban was glad to be out of the Academia, and even though the stench of decaying corpses was all around, he couldn't be happier.

Not only had he passed the selection tests with flying colors, but he had been chosen by Lord Xenethil himself to undertake his almost-overbearing quest: to break the siege and to lead the forces of the Jeweled City to reclaim it.

Having only a skeleton crew was probably fool-hardy for some, but to the young ranger, it was probably the best possible method. He had actually hand-picked his team from some members of the Academia, and was impressed at how well the team held together.

The first man picked was a friar battle-priest named Korgan. The man was perhaps a year or two younger than Alban, but was an ardent follower of Raemu's teachings. Though Alban preferred the ways of the forest to the ways of the faith, he knew from the first moment he crossed swords with the priest that he was meant for greatness. His raven hair was kept short and under his battle coif, while his strong body was draped in the war garments of the monks that taught the will of the Lawbringer, his war mace broke through undead bones and skin with relative ease. Alban had chosen him to cleanse the battlegrounds, and it was a welcome sight to see a healer that could fend for himself.

The second man of the team was a barbarian man from Winterhold, named Baratus. Though the warrior was from the north, his skin had a copper tan that made his fiery hair seem even more ablaze. Though he was wearing a steel breastplate, gauntlets and reinforced boots, Barthalus blazed through the ranks with even greater ease than Alban would. Given the proper axe, the hot-headed man would charge in the fray, roaring the name of the War-Shaman, a lesser Planar whose aspect was, as stated, the more primal aspect of war and nature. Not always on the best terms with Alban, who preferred the stealthier approach, the barbarian wouldn't let anyone tell him how to fight, as his immense war axe left little doubt of the damage he could do.

The third person to join the ranks with a silver elf that resided in the Emerald Sea before wandering north. Of the group, he was the oldest, but in elvish standards, he was also the youngest. Knowing that his name was difficult for the common tongue to pronounce, he asked people to simply call him Yu Shaia, a misplay of his second name that became, to his fellow colleagues, his name. Though some questioned his use of two blades and his odd choices, as he did not have the strongest arm or the tallest build, the elf's skill with twin swords was no laughing matter. Both his blades had been enchanted to cleave through undead, whether spiritual or cadaverous, and if he ever executed one of his many elvish sword dances, it would be the very last thing they would see.

The last member of this crew was not chosen from the Academia's members, but rather by Alban himself, as a sign of friendship. Onyx has started adventuring on his own for the past two seasons, trying to find the Motherforge. Though this quest did not end in fruition, it had led him to amass an almost unfathomable amount of treasures and gear of all sorts. Though his axe was not as impressive as Barathus, he knew how to repair fortifications, reforge broken weapons and armor in a hurry, and knew how to dismantle enemy barricades with such ease that it was a wonder he did not study at the Academia.

It might have sounded strange for a group of four men to be enough to turn the tides of a siege, but the City still waged on with their own men… as well as with the help of an ally on the inside.

That ally was Meilin, the only member of the group that had not been chosen for her strength or skill with the blade, but rather for her skill with mana. The young woman was born in the city of Lhos and fled north-west to escape from the undead army. It was through her battles with a group of skeletal pursuers that she met Yu Shaia, and it was he would asked her to volunteer. Though her manaweave was mostly around the skills of the mind and illusion, she had been able to snare Xanaris the Defiler, the leader of the siege, into believing she was a fellow adept of Xelnos. Her phantasms were so real that even Yu Shaia thought she was a turncoat, until he remembered her role in the operation: to give away the enemies' movements and break their hold from the inside.

Already, it had been a month since the mission was given, and the allies were gaining ground on both sides… to Xelnos' discontent.

Xelnos slammed his fist against the body-strewn wall of his keep, causing Pison's prison to fall to the ground and shatter. Raging blindly, the Planar-demon didn't notice the assassin's body reforming itself.

"I will have Raemu's head for this insult!" Xelnos bellowed.

As Pison's body reformed completely, the demonic assassin stepped into the shadows and vanished from the Underdeep before his master knew he was gone.

"Fight your meaningless battle, Xelnos…" Pison said to himself. "I have some old prey that need to be dispatched…"

Pulling out a shard of polished onyx from his worn cloak, the mercenary gazed into it. The mirror-like surface of the black gem showed Laurinya and Rauz outside of Wizardbane Prison.

Pison could only see the back of the girl, but the mirror resonated her words. "Once we get you back to the Order... you'll draw me a map to Shardfall." her voice echoed.

"Shardfall…" he said to himself before putting the gem away. "I never heard of this place before… but no matter where it is, I will make sure that it will be you will never make it there…"

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