Hell's Bane (COMPLETED)

Chapter Fifteen: Heavy Words

Hugo woke up just as dawn began rising through a crack in the window beside his bed in the pub.

Grumbling unintelligible words, he got up from his bed, changed into a fresh set of clothes, and then noticed several sheaves of paper sticking out of his backpack. Curious, the explorer took it out and read the neat handwriting that covered the entire page with ink.

Hugo

I'm leaving this in your hands as I depart to the

Claimant, trusting that you would handle this the most

responsibly. There is only one copy of this, so please do

not lose it. It'll tell you everything about what you're

looking for and how to get there. Preferably, memorize

this too.

That wouldn't be a problem if Joss was reading this, Hugo thought, thinking of the hermit's photographic memory.

The explorer had to restrain himself from peeking at what Davis wrote, telling himself that it would be better if Drea and Susan were also there to see. To pass the time, Hugo wondered how Davis managed to get the papers in his backpack in the first place – knowing that the door into Hugo's room was locked. Or was it?

Minutes turned into hours, and finally, impatiently, Hugo wondered:

Should I wake them up?

Davis had said that the Scavenger wouldn't be bothering them in a while, but how long was that? At any time, Kazim would be sending his soldiers after the final artifacts that stood between the crazed warlord and the object that he sought. Nevertheless, the explorer waited. They had some time at least, perhaps one or two days of peace before all the gunfire returned.

The hours soon became countless, and Hugo at last decided to leave his room, waiting at a wooden table on the lower floor of the inn. Only two other people sat in the massive room, each one of them with their back slumped and a beer in their hands.

The others came quickly one by one after that, almost all of them groggy. Only Joss seemed unfazed, though he was the last to arrive.

"What's that in your hand?" Susan asked, looking at the papers that Hugo began to put back into his backpack. The others began to crowd around him, and the explorer finally took it out and said, waving it: "Instructions from Davis."

"What's it say?" The other three explorers strained their necks to read the words scrawled on the page, and, giving a slightly-agitated sigh, Hugo recited: "Oswin's Chest is a magical artifact handed down to the Brimstone Faction before they disbanded. It is said to possess a map, (Oswin's Map), that will lead to an artifact of such immense power that the original bearers-"

"We know already," Joss interrupted, rolling his eyes. "Without the map, nobody knows where the artifact is hidden, the artifact is powerful, control hell, so on, so on, so on."

Hugo skimmed the next parts, turned the page, and then continued skimming until he finally found information that they never knew. "...Oswin's Chest is said to be located inside the Tolan Nest, an amazing 'nest' built entirely out of wooden stairs. The Nest is highly flammable, and inside the giant piece of woodwork, Oswin's Chest resides. However, the Tolan Nest spans thousands of feet high and wide, making the Chest a needle in a haystack. Additionally, the Chest is also made of wood, making it harder to spot out. Once you have acquired the Chest, don't try opening it. Get back to the Claimant, then find out how, because nobody knows. Not even the Faction leaders."

"Well, that's helpful," Joss grumbled. "The brothers who first hid these things really need to decide whether they're using this as a failsafe or just tucking it away. All these we-know-pieces-of-information-but-not-any-of-the-important-ones is just ridiculous."

Hugo nodded, though unsure whether to be bothered or grateful for the hermit's commentary, and then continued reading the parts he found important. "To reach the Tolan Nest from Jarek, go through the hills of Aulin until you enter the bay of the Gathering Lakes. This time, take the route to Ara'anskt River, where you will travel all the way down to the Field of Jaiaal, which is just a several hours walk to Fael-Anon, part of the province of Palin.'

"I've also included a sketching of the path on the last page if you're confused."

To confirm, Hugo flipped all the way to the last page, where a crude sketch of the road to Tolan's Nest was drawn. "It makes a bit of sense, I guess."

The explorer swallowed something down his throat and continued reading. "Once you've passed through Fael-Anon, take the ship to Chandler Island, located in the middle of the Karlin Circle. After reaching Chandler Island, take the ship again to the other end of the Karlin Circle, where you will reach the Vermigan Province... wait, what?"

"Vermigan?" Drea asked softly.

Hugo didn't say anything, just continued reading, although both Drea and Susan noticed he was speeding up with every word. "Go to the center of Elenora, where Fort Vermigan-"

"Vermigan!" Drea suddenly exploded, recognition finally slapping her in the face, before she looked around and lowered her head, quietly saying again: "Vermigan!"

"Vermigan?" Susan asked.

"Hugo's hometown," Drea briefly explained, and Hugo nodded, glad that she didn't add any other details.

"...At-" (Hugo seemed to have a coughing fit there) "-Fort Vermigan, find the Bazayuk Pagoda, the only pagoda in the entire fort, and go to the furthest wall from the entrance. Once you pass the trials, the door will be opened to you, and the tunnel will lead you to where the Tolan Nest lies, in the underground lair of Kardod."

"Does it say anything about the trials?" Susan asked.

"As a matter of fact, it does," Hugo answered. "When you reach Fael-Anon, find the house with the blue sparrow, and ask for the people who live there. You should see a man named Digby Yemalyan, wife Elise Yemalyan, who possesses one of the three sets of the password that will grant entry to Kardod. I do not know what the password is.'

"At Chandler Island, you'll find a tower where a man named Rowan Chandler resides with his wife, Katilyn. He possesses the second set of the password.'

"And finally, at-" (Another coughing fit) "-Fort Vermigan, the owner of the Bazayuk Pagoda, also my wife, Amandalin Linwood, has the third set of the password. Once all three sets are found, once again, go to the furthest wall from the entrance and enter it in. To enter the password is the same as entering the answer to the riddles in the Dustillow Mountains."

Hugo cleared his throat.

"Good luck, all of you, and stay safe. The burden of the world is on your shoulders."

Hugo sighed and put the papers back into his backpack.

"Is that all?" Susan asked. With a sudden spark of determination, she added: "We'll be ready. The next time Kazim comes, I'm going to show him how it's like to have a flurry of bullets pelted at his face."

Hugo nodded, smiling. "Notice how the things that guard the Chest challenge the mind, while the ones that guard the Blade challenge the body?"

"We've got this in the bag," Drea said, slinging her backpack and briefly clapping her hands together. "Davis has agents scattered in every nook and cranny of this thing, and after all, it's his artifact. Certainly this can't be worse than the Blade..."