The Ember Seeker

Chapter 3: The Serpents Conspiracy

Canteen
The Profaned Airship

Three prisoners fell in line, chained by the guards. The first one to sit for interrogation was a cryomancer. He stared at me, smiling in a creepy manner.

"Tell me about yourself," I asked the cryomancer. "They said you tried to impale a young boy with an ice spear bec-"

"Yah all those flummery," he interrupted, rolling his eyes. "The story of the impaled lad is all I can tell about my story. Don't even bother asking my name. I know you wanted me here to get information about the Darkin Magus."

"Yes. Without complaints, can I know your insights regarding the issue?"

"Keh.... As if I could have knowledge about it while being locked in a heated cell," he said, chilly air coming out of his mouth.

"You are imprisoned at the Arcane Confinements, the same location of the Darkin. Surely you must have witnessed what happened the night he escaped."

"Ah... The Darkin. Such a clever man. He's not really a popular figure, but escaping a cell in the Profaned Airship, daaah .... a proof of deception. Lucky bastard should have been locked up in the Null Tower-"

"Those compliments for him are great, but have you at least seen him?"

"-where all magic is nulled. Let him try and-"

"Have you seen him? I'm not going to ask thrice."

"No. I'm temporarily blind when I'm placed in the heated cell. It's torment. I don't want to even-"

"How come? Get to the point!"

"Arlon," interrupted Abigail. "Act like what you are, a professional bounty hunter. Getting consumed by your rage again will lead to some tragic things.

Cryomancers are usually placed in heated cells because most of them have frigid eyes, and yea, they melt as well. It causes blindness, but they have naturally regenerative powers, which the null field doesn't have to block. The idea originated from the Duchy of Mutagen to imbue suffering on cold-hearted criminals, no really, cold-hearted criminals." She chuckled.

"Boiii... I may have not seen what happened, but my ears still work. I have heard fire and burning that night. There.... There was a man screaming "SEVENTEEN, SEVENTEEN, WHO IS SEVENTEEN?"

(Seventeen.... Huh...)

"Fair enough, thanks sharing your story," I said. "It's probably the marking we saw earlier. Do you assume that's the Ember Seeker?"

"Ah the rogue sentinel. Heard of him, but never personally seen. Maaaan there quite a number of pyromancers in the airship, *coughs* but I doubt someone with the powers of the Ember Seeker could be confined in a flying prison. Could be some other guy. I'm locked up in here for years. The only way I get to know what's happening down there is from hearsay of the guards passing through my cell."

"That's noted. Thank you. It's all I needed to know. His tone seemed straightforward. Bring him back to his cell."

The next one was an old lady, guards murmured she's a witch from the duchy. The Crone of Mutagen, they call her.

"This is strange," I asked. "Aren't witches in the duchy publicly lynched when found guilty?"

"Nyaha," she giggled, oddly making me uncomfortable. "You are not aware of the purpose of the airship, son. They keep--"