Chương 17: 16. Chalk on the Walls

"Jarden, lead the way," Tavian said.

"We're going to go through the chokedamp." They progressed carefully through the darkness, following Jarden's lead again. This time the man carefully examined the chalk marks on the walls at each intersection. He seemed much more nervous traveling in this direction. Tavian tried to understand the man's system of chalking. Xs seemed to mark directions not to go, while circles indicated safe passage. But in some places circles had been brushed out or X'd over. The darkness was oppressive.

Having nearly a hundred people with them this time, Tavian became aware of every whisper, cough, and crying baby. Suddenly movement became more difficult, and Tavian realized that they'd stepped into an Anarvian tile. He checked his map, and discovered that all the tiles around this tile were shaded in a darkness: They were covered by a fog of war. He checked the other Anarvian tiles, and discovered that they were marked in faded colors on his map.

It had been some time since he'd seen them, so things could have changed. This meant that this Anarvian tile was newly claimed. They were up to something; Tavian needed to get back to his kingdom and see what they were doing. After weaving through a series of corridors, they reentered the huge open room, this time, apparently, on the opposite side. The floor here was as Jarden had said; crumbling into darkness. Several large holes gaped like devouring mouths, consuming all light.

Tavian kicked a loose brick which fell into the void, and listened for it to hit the bottom. He didn't hear anything. He crossed over another plank, feeling the air around him tugging him downwards. The echos of breathing and footsteps crowded the hall. He prayed that nobody would fall. A doorway in the wall beside him attracted his attention. It had once been grand, but the door had been smashed in, and now lay in pieces on the ground. A set of stairs descended into darkness. Tavian peered down the stairs.

He thought he caught a glimpse of something sparkling there, and took a few steps toward the portal. He felt a little woozy. Was that gold?

"Get back from there!" Jarden hissed.

"It's dangerous!" Tavian sneered at Jarden.

"It is dangerous!" Jarden insisted.

"Miasmic!" Tavian rolled his eyes. A likely lie. Exactly the kind of thing designed to keep his hidden treasure trove concealed. Tavian would reclaim his family's stolen treasure. Jarden looked strangely confused.

"What are we doing here? We shouldn't have come this way." He scratched at the puffy spider bites on his neck. Tavian ignored him and took a step toward the portal. A series of bold crosses had been scratched into the ground across the front of that portal, clearly warning him off. If Jarden had sequestered treasures stolen from the vault here, he would obviously try to hide them. Tavian stepped forward, crossing over the danger markings.

"Tavian." A firm hand gripped his arm, pulling him back. Tavian angrily shook his arm free as he reached for his sword. Cormath stood there, looking concerned.

"Look," Cormath said, pointing at the hole in the ground that Tavian had nearly stepped into. Somehow he had crossed a dozen feet from the marked safe zone on the ground. Tavian shook his head and looked again. He would have sworn that the ground had been solid there an instant before. He looked back toward the black portal, still convinced he could see glittering gold beyond. A chill ran down his spine. A child cried out in the darkness as Tavian hurried back to the front of the column.

If Jarden was hiding something—and he felt certain now that he was—he would have to find it after he brought these people to safety. They reached the edge of the great empty hall when Tavian caught a glimpse of someone moving in the darkness up ahead. He stopped Jarden, grabbing the man. The captive guide swayed unsteadily, his eyes glossy, like he'd been drinking. The spider bites on his face had swollen, grotesquely distorting his features.

"Nearly there, my lord," Jarden said, voice slurred.

"Stay here," Tavian said, tracking the movement of another shadow. There were definitely people up ahead. The air tasted of wet copper. Tavian drew his sword, a fist of soldiers falling in with him. They advanced slowly, scanning the shadow. Tavian prepared to use his [Projectile] spell. A single man shuffled down the corridor, seemingly unaware of their presence. He walked from one wall to the other, like a drunk man in a stupor. In the orange torchlight, his garment appeared black.

"Anarvia," whispered one of the men beside Tavian. With alarming speed, the man spun and charged toward the sound. Tavian released a magical blast. The projectile struck the man square in the chest, knocking him to the ground in a shower of flickering lights. He groaned as he tried to rise, but Tavian was on him in a flash, slashing with his blade. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. The corpse flopped to the ground. A few shouts echoed in the distance.

A page ran up along the file of people.

"My lord," he said, approaching Tavian.

"There are men following us."

"Move quickly, then," Tavian said. He crouched, examining the man he'd killed. In the torchlight, the dead man's face was gaunt, his eyes hollow. His clothing was tattered and torn. The body lay still on the ground, no blood spilling from wounds. Tavian shuddered. The body twitched. He lopped the head off, and they continued forward. An oily skein slicked the stones beneath their feet as Jarden led them. Tavian's legs began feeling heavy, and his eyes watered. Jarden mumbled something.

"What's that?" his guard snapped.

"Speak up, man." Jarden swayed to one side, then the other. Then Jarden collapsed. Tavian crouched beside him. His torch wilted, the flame flickering.

"Bad air!" he gasped, trying to work out how long they'd been in a chokedamp.

"Which way do we…" he trailed off as his eyes rested on the unconscious form of Jarden. A soldier beside him collapsed.

"Fall back?" one of the men asked, but Tavian didn't think he could lead everyone all the way back through the circuitous route they'd taken. Jarden's guard picked the man up, untying the spear and tossing the man over one shoulder. He examined the chalk markings on the walls. Then he opened up his system interface, examining the map. A grid of tiles glowed in his vision, against the black backdrop of the tunnels. They were close. He didn't know how long they'd been breathing bad air for.

If they pressed forward, they might all suffocate to death. More shouts echoed in the distance, then the clash of steel on steel. Someone was fighting in the rear guard. They could fall back; find fresh air, figure things out with more clear minds. Tavian had an idea. He claimed two tiles, including the one where he stood. He felt a rush of strength, and clarity of mind as his kingdom gained influence here. ⬣ Kingdom Status ⬣ Core Essence Tiles Claimed Influence 95 18 5. 3"Tavian?"

Lea said, appearing beside him, not quite standing in the mucky water.

"Gahh," she said, flapping her wings and floating a few inches higher. She looked around, as though she couldn't see him.

"Tavian? We have a concerning matter to discuss," she said. Then, like a cork popping, the tile flipped. Lea disappeared. Essence swirled in colorful rainbows, which faded to a black fog that sank to the floor. Tavian was nearly dragged to his knees, and he found himself standing on a neutral tile once more. ⬣ Kingdom Status ⬣ Core Essence Tiles Claimed Influence 90 17 5. 3"By Ishtoran!" Tavian exclaimed. He'd just lost 5 essence.

"Claimstakes?" asked a nearby solder, who'd felt the change.

"Or a miasmic surge," Tavian said.

"We need to hurry and get out of here!" Tavian examined the chalk markings again, and made his best guess about the right direction. If the Anarvians were attacking, they had no time. The chokedamp might claim some, but they would all die down here if Tavian couldn't hold the vault entrance. A little girl was crying nearby. Tavian picked her up.

"Don't worry," he muttered.

"I'm getting you out of here." Following the chalk markings as best he could, Tavian wound through the maze. Soldiers coughed and staggered as they followed after him, and Tavian prayed that the children would be unharmed. The weight on his body continued increasing, and he started to panic as he felt like he was moving in a circle. But that couldn't be true; if he was looping in a circle he'd run into the people he was trying to lead. He felt his eyelids growing heavier, and his body starting to slump.

He came to a junction. The chalk marks swam in his vision; he couldn't read them. Since when had Jarden started using squares? Forcing himself to focus, Tavian stared at the markings. He couldn't make sense of them. Better to act than die. Was that a faint breath of air, coming from the left? He chose that path, and pushed forward down a long, damp hall. The child in his arms sagged. His foot hit something. A stone, or a step. It was a step! He dragged his leaden feet up, arduously climbing each step.

Growing lightheaded, he swayed for a moment, before he realized that he'd made it out of the chokedamp. A few moments of heavy breathing later, and his mind returned to full clarity, his limbs recovering their strength. He held an unconscious child in his arms, her chest heaving shallowly. Others were pouring out of the hole now, dragging unconscious friends. Tavian let them pass him, as they headed for the exit. He breathed heavily of the good air, clutching the child to his chest.

She gasped, and looked around with wide eyes at the light of the courtyard around her. A frightened looking woman ran up to Tavian, and took the girl in her arms.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," she breathed, tears of relief running down her cheeks.

"Mommy!" The girl exclaimed, holding the woman tightly. Tavian smiled at them, breathing deeply of fresh air, hearing the joyful cries of loved ones reunited. Once his head cleared, Tavian jogged back into the tunnel, making sure everyone was making it out safely. There was no sign of the mysterious force that had attacked the rear of the column. The new arrivals filled the courtyard. They breathed deeply, sipped on water, and fanned the faces of the unconscious. A system notification distracted Tavian.

⬣ New Subjects ⬣ ⬣ Kingdom Population: 126 ⬣ The courtyard was starting to feel crowded.

"Thank you, Lea," Tavian breathed. Squad Lieutenant Zael delivered his report to Tavian.

"We lost three men, when they attacked our rear," he said.

"Anarvians?"

"They wore purple," Zael said.

"But there was something wrong with them. It was… like they were already dead." Before Tavian could process that comment, Calli approached. She was holding the chained books that Tavian had recovered from the dungeon.

"Where did you say you got these again?" she asked.

"In the tunnels?"

"Yes. They were just sitting in a room. It looked like someone had been studying them. Do you think it was Jarden?"

"I doubt it," Calli said.

"Unless he somehow learned the old language and kept it a secret."

"Can you read them at all?"

"I can't read them, but I think I know what they are," Calli said.

"They seem to be manuals discussing the process by which Ishtoran created the world hexgrid, see?" Calli flipped through the old pages, scanning the strange calligraphy. She excitedly pointed out a few symbols which she recognized, and which backed up her theory. Then she tapped the chain.

"They were clearly chained up in the library at some point."

"Hmmm…" Tavian wondered why someone would be sitting down in a dark tunnel under the fortress studying the world hexgrid. There were plenty of more comfortable places to do that.

"There's a book that deals with the translation of this language," Calli said.

"It's in the library of the Temple. A big, red codex, also chained up."

"Well, if we ever get a chance to browse the library, maybe we can pick it up," Tavian said.

"I do wonder why these were down there."

"I'd love to know what they say," Calli said. Tavian had an idea.

"Lea?" he asked.

"How old are you?"