Daggers and the Soul Ambry

29. Into the Sanctum

"Governor Cross, we have to get you out of here, NOW!"

Her bodyguard, Myrick, held the back of her coat, waiting for her to slip into the sleeves. Servants scampered around the room, gathering her valuable belongings and stowing them in a traveling chest.

"No. I've nothing to hide and will not leave Brightbane!" She stepped away from the receiving help of her trusted soldier and strode to the double lattice windows, looking out at the distant snowy peaks of Avonhelm. "Director Thangalier's Daggers have no authority here and I'll be damned if I'm bested by them."

Myrick approached her, still holding the back of the brown fur. "It isn't just the drow to worry about! King Greyvine's own guard, along with the marshals are coming as well!"

"What?" This news alarmed her, sparking a sense of urgency. "The Crossguards failed in their task and that pathetic mage gave them what? His word?" She paused as if waiting for an answer, which Myrick didn't have. "They're looking to arrest a Governor based on the statement of simple wizard?"

Her guard's shoulders slumped, the coat touched the floor. "Crossguard spies show he had a Recallit stone that gave the drow information. Information that will sink your appointment as the leader in this territory, if not place you in shackles." He held the coat back to her. "Now put the coat on and let's get far away from here. You know how this works. They have already seized your monies and many of your holdings. Now, they come to seize you!"

She turned to him and cocked an eyebrow. "Did they get my place in the east?" She slipped her arms through the waiting sleeves and he pulled it over her shoulders.

"No ma'am. That one is off the books. You and I are the only ones who know of its location."

"Good. Is the lab packed up?" She grabbed a few belongings from her desk drawer and shoved them in her pockets.

"Yes, we started packing it up after the mage escaped, just in case."

"Wonderful. Make sure all of that is loaded up and we'll board my ship in the northern strait. They'll be expecting us to move south, so hopefully they'll focus their efforts there. We'll continue my work from there." She looked at the staff that remained in her office. "Thank you all for your service." She stepped inside the opened door frame, then turned. "We were never here and if you speak of this, I'll find you and kill you."

They looked at each other as she disappeared and hoped they would never see Governor Belarian Cross again.


***


"Well, are we going through or what?" Maarko peered through the stone entryway into a lit corridor stretching through the rock.

"Yes, old man. In a moment." Saffron put her hand on Thulaeth's shoulder as he stared into the void. "Can you sense anything, Thu?"

He shook his head. "No, not yet. I'm wondering what this is?"

Punia stepped forwards and shared the view. "I can tell you that this passage isn't on the architectural plans. To make it clearer, this area was here before the University, and if I had to guess, it's a gnome Sanctum."

"A what?" Dayne stared at the gelf.

Maarko answered. "Of course! For centuries, gnomes dug and carved these secret tunnels and storage areas all over Tamrien. They were designed as a contingency for their survival, should their treacherous ways ever show themselves."

Saffron drew her weapons. "Are you saying that there might be a whole gang of gnomes waiting for us down there?"

"It's possible," Punia pulled a crate over and sat. "Or it's empty."

"Either way, we have to check it out. Putting the Ambry beneath the largest and most prestigious magic university is something that both Belarian and Lumsoft would do." Saffron started through the passage with Thulaeth behind her.

"Let's get this over with. I'm hungry." Dayne pushed into the darkness.

"I'd love to go with you and catalog this new information." Punia stood, but Maarko put his hand out to stop her.

"No, not yet. Let us clear it, then you can walk around in there all you want, yeah?" He smiled at her. "Maybe I'll come with you, sound good?"

She returned with a warm grin and a sparkle in her golden eyes. "Sure, I'd like that."

"Great. Now go inform the city guard we may have found it. Thanks, bright eyes." He vanished to join the rest of his team.

Gas lanterns lit the passage every twenty feet, and iron beams supported the heavy stone above them. The rock walls were shaved smooth and glistened with condensation, dribbling to the tiled floor at their feet. While they expected it to smell musty and damp, it was the opposite. A clean, sterile odor mixed with the dull stink of oil. Thulaeth's skill heightened and forced him to stop so he could catch his thoughts.

"What is it, Thu? You feeling something?" Saffron turned to him.

"I just need a minute. My head is throbbing and I see faint traces of energy everywhere. Nothing dangerous, but just... existing. It's weird."

"Remember what Marcrumm told us about deep riverium? You've been out of the ground for so long, maybe since we are so close to the actual lines, you are feeling more of it." Maarko moved nearer to his friend. "Makes sense that the Ambry will be extra powerful down here, if it is here."

"Try to focus and see if you can notice the device." Saffron glanced down the passage and saw that it went around a turn.

So many colors danced in front of Thulaeth's eyes. Swirls of red, orange, violet, and blue performed a ballet of wild movements, but he tried to narrow his attention on one particular hue. A brilliant violet shade twisted and turned the corner in the distance. The same color of purple he had seen in the crystal at Port Behlego. "Let's go. Follow me."

As they neared the edge, a faint KA-CHUNK of levers and gears hummed through the walls. Loose gravel bounced on the floor with a steady vibration. The air became heavier with scent of oil, so heavy that they could taste it on their tongues. "Gnomes man. I swear the nasty creatures bathe in grease.".

The corridor ended in twenty feet with two marble columns surrounding a white stone door. Strips of bronze wound up the carved reliefs depicting spanners, screwdrivers, tubes, and gauges. A copper plate over the door had the same indiscernible slants and dots of a language no one here knew. "Sure would be nice if someone knew what that said." Maarko stroked his tangled beard.

"Well, the other entries in this corridor weren't labeled, and since this is the fanciest of doors, I'd guess this will be the one we should go through."

"Yeah, but what about that?" Dayne pointed at two strange covers on each side of the door. "My money is on those being locks." He nudged Thulaeth in the ribs. "Good thing we brought a locksmith, yeah?"

He pulled a canvas roll from his backpack and laid it on the stone floor. After pulling the two rawhide straps keeping it together, he unrolled it, revealing an assortment of steel picks and tools. "Sure, lucky me." He looked up at the Inspector. "What's bad is, these are gnomish locks."

"So?"

"I've never picked these kind before, so I might need a minute."

"Well, figure it out then, rogue." She ran her fingers over the intricate carvings while the others examined the previous doors they had passed. Each one secured tight and without sound from the other side, which was desirable. They were all nervous as it was wondering what they might find on the other side of this door. The world of tinkers was unknown to many, but in their time the creatures were the best at creating weapons unlike any the world had seen. It was a shame that it turned the way it did, as their technology was poised to send the world into a new age. The airships were evident of that along with their steamships sailing the great oceans. Their greed became their downfall, and they started selling arms to the highest bidder, whatever evil that might be.

When the Greyvine and Arioford Kingdoms refused to buy the same weapons, their enemies were buying, the gnomes decided they would use their technology to pose as a new threat and attack towns and colonies hoping the nations would come to their senses, thinking there was a new menace. They did, but not in the way the gnomes hoped for. After a very long world war, most of the gnomes were captured and killed. It was decided that their technology would be outlawed, except for the transportation methods. To this day, operating any existing gnome tech will cause imprisonment for an indefinite amount of time.

"Got it!" Thulaeth replaced his picks in the leather roll and tied it up. "Sorry it took so long, but they were using reverse thimbian tumblers on a sixty-degree plane which I was forced to adjust-"

"Alright lock-nerd. Are there traps?" Maarko nudged his side.

"Ah, no. Don't sense any, but with these creatures, who can tell."

Saffron gripped the giant pearl-handled wheel and spun until she heard the metallic clang of connecting latches. The heavy stone door must have easily weighed 100 stones but glided open with the push of two fingers as if it floated.

A great chamber awaited them, as large as the halls of the Kingship. Slabs of rock created a walkway to the middle of the circular room and the same white stone columns staggered the walls. Layers of white mist drifted fifteen feet from the landing, hanging in the moist air like lonely clouds on a summer day.

The center of the massive room is where their attention was focused, and rightfully so. A large mechanical device, similar to the smaller ambry they discovered in Port Behlego sat anchored to the rough stone floor. Several brass "hooks" traveled up the side of the obelisk towards the top, each one had a clear pale crystal affixed to the end filled with swirling purple gas. From their vantage point, Saffron counted five of the stones, plus the largest one on the tip. Those are souls in captivity. Drow souls.

Huddled in front of the device, a short, cloaked figure crouched low to the floor. It was busy adjusting dials and monitoring gauges attached to the stone and iron creation while mumbling to itself. Saffron leaned in towards Dayne, who busied himself with locating any strategic points in the chamber. "That's him, the Gnome!"


***

"Flint Lumsoft, initiate the Ambry! Start it now!" Belarian's voice rang through the Dialspeak on his head, startling him.

"What? It isn't ready!" He paused from his work, concentrating on the sound in his head.

"I don't care! Overload the device and prepare the final phase, do you hear me?"

"Where are you?"

"It doesn't matter, just activate it and get the hell out of there. I have reliable information that the Daggers are coming to stop you, so we have to begin immediately!" The urgency in her voice forced him to realize that if he was to see his part in this operation, he should heed her words.

"I hope you're right about this Belarian, but it will take some time for the Ambry to exceed optimal capacity."

"Then you better get started, Lumsoft!" Her voice went silent.

Sills are almost as bad as humans! I'll take care of them when the time is right. He removed two jeweled keys from his pocket, studied them, then inserted them in separate locks at the base of the Ambry.


***


"Are you sure that's our target?" Dayne returned his focus on the huddle figure.

"Well, he's the only weird looking guy standing in front of an Ambry, yeah? Let's get him!" Saffron drew her blades and prompted the others to do the same. "STOP!" Her voice echoed through the great room. She witnessed a sparkle of jewels at the end of his fists as they turned.

The device sprang to life first with a low rumble and a whispering hum. Soon, the shaking became violent, and the crystals glowed with the brilliance of the sun, illuminating the room and casting dancing shadows against the dark stone.

The creature spun around and faced the quartet of drow. "Oh my dear, I can't stop now. The keys have turned and the Soul Ambry will be online." His dirty beard flopped around his crooked mouth, revealing stained, broken teeth. His heavy robes turned with his movement and puffs of dust drifted in the air.

"Shut it down or we'll shut you down, gnome!" Dayne drew his weapons free from their sheaths, along with Maarko who revealed his gleaming blades. Saffron glanced at Thulaeth who had pulled his crossbow to his shoulder. She noticed the fiery glowing tip of a Fire Fang arrow glistening and ready.

"I don't think so. The Ambry is the gnome's last laugh and you're at ground zero." His foot kicked open a hinged wooden box on the floor, revealing a carved orange rock embedded in the stone. "This must be the first time you've been in a gnome sanctum. I've been waiting for you long before you've been expecting me!" He brought his heavy metal boot down and stomped on the carving.

The whole cavern lit up from flashing red lights that were had been unnoticed along with a shrill klaxon banging in their ears. Iron panels in the ceiling slid open and two giant armored figures dropped to the floor near the gnome.

Their faces obscured with full steel helmets painted crimson and yellow, with slits cut in the face-plate. Thick sheets of armor covered them from head to toe, brass gauntlets extended down their forearms with tubes lining the exterior. In one hand, a segmented whip of iron topped with spikes coiled around their feet while the other hand gripped a strange bar wrapped with hide. On their back were two red steel containers with ducts stretching from their brass nozzles to their armored gauntlets. Emblazoned on their metal chest was an insignia of a boar's head encircled with flames.

"Boar Tanks! I haven't seen those since the Uprising." Maarko was breathless. "I remember one time in Orkslasch-"

"Not now, old man. How do we kill 'em?" This was Thulaeth's first experience with the fiery soldiers.

Dayne answered. "Before they kill you would be best. Work to cut the hose to their tanks of liquid fire, but watch out for the whips. They're slow, but tough."

"Thu, I want you to use that bow of yours on the gnome! Try to keep him alive, but do what you have to do!" Saffron yelled to him. "Maarko, you're with me on the left one. Dayne, you run interference on the other. Keep him off of us until we get rid of our first, then we'll join you!"

"Copy that!" Dayne started pounding the stones in a full rush at his target. The Boar Tank howled and extended his left arm, which shot out a brilliant stream of fire at the charging drow. Despite the overbearing heat which singed his eyebrows, even from this distance, he fell to the floor and slid under the scorching flames towards the soldier.

"Thu! Kill that gnome!" Saffron screamed as she and Maarko charged the other adversary who was winding and twirling his massive iron whip over its head. An ominous WHOOSH-WHOOSH every time the metal completed a turn sung like the wings of an angry dragon swooping on its prey.

The whip crashed to the floor, sending chunks of stone into the air as Saffron ducked and rolled to the side. Maarko headed around to the left of the behemoth, keeping wide from the nozzles of his flamethrower. The Tank's attention, now split by separating foes, remained on her as his gauntlet opened and the tips of five gleaming blades were visible. She held her sword out in front of her as the beast shot the weapons in her direction. Her instincts forced her to whirl away and swipe at the razor edges hurtling towards her. Knocking three away, she was caught by a fourth while the other missed entirely. She howled out in shock as the blade struck her in the shoulder, burying itself deep in her flesh.

"Thulaeth! Now!" Despite her pain, she swiped her sword at the soldier's arm, sending sparks from metal on metal. The trick to fighting these monsters is to get in close. They are so massive, their movements are restricted by the weight of the steel plating.

The young drow aimed his bow at the gnome who threw his ragged cloak to the side. His body was covered in similar gnomish armor that the Boar Tanks were decorated in. Staring down the sights of his weapon, the tip of the Fire Fang sizzled red hot with a thin trail of smoke drifting from the razor edge. He squeezed the trigger and felt the soft jolt as the bowstring released the fiery missile. Sparks and cinder whizzed through the air and to Thulaeth's astonishment, the gnome changed.

A rattle of machinery embedded deep in the iron armor sounded and segmented plates of steel rose from the gnome's back. Each one pushed up higher and higher, clicking into place before encompassing the front of him. Even more astonishing, his flaming arrow hit the armor with a disappointing CLANG, a flash of embers and ricocheted, leaving only a smudged scorch mark.

"Ha, Ha! Wasn't expecting Gnomish Tortoise Armor, were ya lad?" He hollered from behind the metal faceplate, his sneering voice was hollow against the thick sheet of steel.

No, I don't suppose I was! That was the only thing Thulaeth could think as he chambered another bolt into his bow.

Saffron caught the sight as she climbed up the leg of her enemy, just missing the angry swipe of the Boar Tank's fist. "Thu, forget about him! Hit the crystals on the Ambry! We don't have much time!" She knew with his prowess that wouldn't pose a problem for him. They could take care of Lumsoft once they've disabled the device. That was the priority at this point.

The gnome took off running as quick as his little feet would carry him. His Tortoise armor didn't cover the legs, so Thulaeth aimed his next shot carefully. The missile sang through the humid chamber and struck the beast right above his knee, sending him tumbling to the floor. Smoldering flares broke out over his tattered pants as the arrow turned and drilled its way deeper into his flesh. He attempted to pat the blazes out, but Fire Fangs don't burn like normal flames. As the drow chambered another bolt, he heard the sizzling of meat along with the noxious stink of burning hair.

Ignoring the howling, thrashing gnome, his next target were the crystals just as his Inspector had ordered him. Five crystal targets, six if you include the large one on the top. He removed the magazine of Fire Fangs and replaced it with standard tips. That should be enough. The box slid into place with an affirming click, and he pulled the charging handle back on the bow to load the first bolt into place.

Flint continued to scream and had Thulaeth not been busy with lining his shot up on the pale glass diamonds perched on the brass hooks, he would've seen the creature bringing his arm up. He also may have detected that at the end of his wrist, a small crossbow was attached and pointed right at him. Thulaeth was so focused on achieving his target, he barely noticed a sharp pinch right below his left breast, in-between the padded leather strips that should've protected him.

Once he took his first shot and saw the satisfying sparkle of glass shatter of the first crystal, that was when the pain struck him. As the purple gas once imprisoned in the clear prison drifted away, he looked down and saw the black end of a small bolt sticking out of his chest. Then he heard the whiny cackle of the gnome. The creature dragged himself across the floor, away from the drow. "Oooh, you're in trouble now, lurker!"

"What did you do?"

He grinned, the stink of his burned flesh filled the area. "Nailer poison."

"Thu! What are you doing? Hit those crystals!" Dayne yelled to his partner as he grabbed the flame-throwing gauntlet of his foe. The Boar Tank dropped his whip and reached over to brush the drow off like a fly on a sandwich. Dayne hung himself below the tank's arm, missing the swipe from the spiked iron glove. A glowing red and yellow hose he followed from the tip of the weapon to the crimson tanks on its back. He slid the razor edge of his bladeand sliced through it with ease, letting the viscous fluid flow to the floor. Dayne grabbed the tubing and sprayed the flammable liquid at the tank's plated feet, creating an oily puddle seeping through the cracks in the stone. The behemoth slipped and stumbled, a deep-throated howl erupted beneath his armored mask.

Dayne took the cue and released his grip, falling to the floor, then rolled to the side. The tank remained busy, clomping and sliding to pay attention to his wayward foe. Saffron and Maarko heard the resounding boom of the metal beast when it crashed and tumbled, the slick oil streamed from his flailing gauntlet like a courtyard fountain. "I got you now, you bastard!" He grabbed the hose and jammed the end between the thick plates of steel, sending the gushing, flammable liquid into its armor. The Boar Tank thrashed like a turtle trapped on its back, whipping its arms at the heavy drow. "Careful with those sparks, mate!"

His weighted arm slammed the floor and just as Dayne had predicted, glints crackled off the stone, igniting the puddle. Great licks of orange and yellow fire traveled to every spot soaked in oil. As the flames shot up its body, they wrapped around the curves of steel and inside the suit. Screams of torment reached Dayne's ears as he rolled some distance from the danger. The Boar Tank pulled his iron helmet, revealing the scorching visage of a diminutive gnome who struggled to free himself from his fiery prison. Shafts of fire poured from under his chin and the drow heard the cracks and pops of boiling fat deep within the suit. Dayne glanced over to see the progress Saffron and Maarko were having, then pulled himself from the floor to join them.

Thulaeth watched the wispy violet dust, the shadow elf soul, as it swooped through the air. Doing his best to ignore the pain, the cackling insane gnome at his feet, and inevitable poison coursing through his blood, he brought his bow up to finish the job. PLINKRACK, PLINKRACK! His impeccable aim hit his targets every time. The crystal cages the souls drifted in cracked open, spilling more purple wisps who joined the others. Why aren't they moving on, like the one in Port Behlego? They're free now!

"Almost there, boyo! It won't matter, though. You may be able to stop this one, sure!"

The drow was unsure if it was the pain the gnome was in, causing him to spew the nonsense from his cursed, cracked lips or if he was simply insane. Either way, he ignored him and continued his task. PLINKRACK, PLINKRACK! The last one burst open and all six shadowy forms performed a ballet of movement before crashing into each other with a brilliant white blast of power. Thulaeth wasn't sure, but he thought the dreamlike visage of an elf was visible buried in the light.

"But you'll never get to Arioford in time!" The gnome pointed his crooked fingers at him, and when he opened his mouth to laugh, the ball of energy swarmed into his gaping maw and deep into his body. He shook and convulsed from the power coursing his body.

Thulaeth took a step back from the unbelievable sight, woozy and unsteady. He glanced at the others, finishing the remaining Boar Tank. Maarko climbed on the back of the beast and pried the helmet from its gnomish head. Saffron jabbed her blade deep between the plated armor, hoping to pierce something, anything, while Dayne clutched one of its legs and held on like a toddler to its mother.

Maarko dragged his sword across the grimy neck, forcing a gaping tear in its skin. He dropped to the floor as the crimson blood leaked from this new opening. Hoarse gurgles and scarlet foam vomited from his mouth as the fight left its enormous body. Once Saffron and Dayne saw what he had done, they leaped away, knowing the tank was going to crash and didn't want to be anywhere near him when he did.

Thulaeth collapsed to the floor and turned his attention back to the gnome. His tiny body jerked and twisted on the stones, streaks of energy traveled under his gray skin. Shafts of brilliant illumination streamed from his still opened mouth and his body swelled. The young drow backed away but found it difficult to remove his gaze from this curious sight. Lumsoft's stomach grew like a child's balloon, while his limbs shriveled and coiled into his body. He glanced back over and saw his team coming to join him when he heard a shrill whistling sound emitting from the rotund corpse. At least I think he's a corpse, now!

He brought his arms to his face and scrambled away, but it was too late. The body reached its capacity and violently burst free. The balloon popped! Streams of bloody gore and tissue flew through the air, coating him in a slick sheen of blood and bile. He turned his head and spit some of the viscous fluid from his open mouth when he heard the clatter of boots nearing him.

"What the hell, Thu? I kind of wanted him alive, yeah?" Saffron hadn't seen the events prior to this and scolding him always seemed the natural thing to do.

"I... I didn't do that! It was the souls!" He sat, dripping in gore.

She looked at the Ambry and became satisfied at seeing the once active device shut down. Cold and lifeless, just like their gnome friend. Or what was left of him. "What do you mean? Did he say anything?"

"Once I broke the containers, the spirits swarmed around, slammed together, then dove into his body." He tossed his hands up. "Then he exploded!"

From the extended ribs poking through torn flesh, a smaller sphere of violet energy floated up to meet the team at eye level. It bobbed up and down, as if nodding to them. A dreamlike, ethereal voice sounded through the room. "Thank you, Izzara's children, for freeing us." The orb rotated, jounced again, then shot up to the ceiling where it disappeared into a burst of sparkling light.

The four of them stared, trying to make sense of what they had witnessed. The hum that had been present in the room since the Ambry was activated slowly quieted down, then stopped.

"Well, that's that, right? Bad guys are dead, the machine is shut down. I guess we did it!" Maarko was quite pleased with himself, but he usually is. Dayne wiped the flammable oil from his blades on his trousers.

Saffron reached out to her young soldier to help him up from the floor. Chunks of tissue spilled from his lap and splattered to the damp stone. "Did he say anything before he died?"

Thulaeth nodded and mopped his face with a kerchief. "Yeah. Told me we'd never make it to Arioford in time, whatever that meant." He looked down at his chest. "He hit me with nailer poison. Am I gonna die?"

"Maybe." Dayne told him. "But we need to slow your heart down so we can get you back to Drowchard."

"How are you going to do that?" His complexion paled and fat beads of sweat dripped down his forehead.

The heavy drow drew his fist back and blasted Thulaeth in the face, knocking him to the floor, unconscious. "Like that." He picked up his friend and slung him over his shoulder. "We have to get him to the clerics!"

The color ran from Saffron's face. "Oh, Izzara! There was a second Ambry!"

The cavern they stood in shook with great force, sending them all to the landing. Slabs of loose stone fell from the vaulted ceiling, crashing near them. It felt as if the entire island of Aire Nexbridge was thrown into a violent earthquake and a wave of nausea passed through them.

"We have to get out of here, now!" They picked themselves up and sprinted from the room back into the hallways then out of the storage area where Punia had brought them. The shaking ceased by the time they reached the grassy quad of the University, but they had a perfect view of the southwest from their vantage point.

While Arioford was too distant to be seen, the damage done to the land was obvious. A large white pulsing force of energy traveled out in waves from what they guessed to be the capital city far to the south. Plumes of smoke and fire were common in a 360 degree view along with the screams of the wounded and dying.

"Son of a bitch. A second Ambry! We need to get back to Drowchard!"

The Daggers scrambled to the carriage to assess the destruction. Their mission was complete, but the damage was already done.

The End.