Chương 47: 46. Into the Dark

"Calli," Tavian said.

"I like your idea. Pack your tools. We're going down into the dungeon tomorrow at first light. We need to find Cormath and the infuser before the Karath Amon arrive." Calli started scrambling to pack a bag with coresmithing tools.

"Bring the daggers too," Tavian said as he left. Tavian entered the tower the next morning. There was a prisoner he needed to talk to. Someone who might be very upset with him. Braun was locked in a cell on the first floor. Out of respect for Braun, there were no Anarvians locked up on the floor with him. As Tavian climbed the flight of stairs, he heard voices. He lightened his steps, and paused on the threshold, looking down the hall.

A young woman sat outside of Braun's cell, talking to him through the grate in the door. Tavian smiled as he recognized her. Anella Tiren. Her voice echoed on the stones, but he couldn't make out the words. As she noticed him approaching, she sprang to her feet, looking guilty. Then she recognized him, and scowled even as she gave him a bow.

"My lord," she said.

"Lady Tiren," Tavian said, returning the bow. The girl seemed to be softening in her anger toward Tavian. Could that be the influence of Braun? Or perhaps Valliroth? She opened her mouth as if to explain herself, then decided against it, and brushed past him, heading for the stairs.

"Who is it, Anella?" Braun asked from inside his cell. Tavian pressed his face to the grate.

"Surprise," he said.

"Ah, my captor," Braun replied, rising from his seat and smiling.

"Come to torture me for information?"

"They've been treating you well?" Tavian asked.

"Not enough food," Braun said.

"But I expect that would be the same out there." Tavian shrugged. He glanced down the corridor, to make sure that Anella was gone.

"I'm glad to see the two of you talking again."

"Yes," Braun declared.

"I was afraid… After the temple…"

"I know," Tavian said.

"My point is, I know what you did for me," Braun said.

"And I accept that you had to put me in prison or risk undermining your rule. So I'm not upset about it. I'm happy to sit here as long as I need to."

"I appreciate it," Tavian said.

"I'm afraid Anella will never forgive me, though."

"No," Braun said.

"She probably won't."

"Be truthful with me Braun. Is she carrying your child?" Braun choked. His face turned bright red.

"Who said that to you? Our relationship… I… My courtship… We have been most chaste."

"Good," Tavian said.

"Keep it that way."

"Hard to do much when I'm locked up," Braun said, ruefully.

"How long do you think you have to keep me in here?"

"I was just coming to let you out," Tavian said.

"I need you back."

"Oh?" Braun brightened.

"I know people do unusual things when their world is falling apart," Tavian said.

"When it comes to Anella, promise me you'll keep pretending you're in prison. Talking only. I'll not have any children until you're legally married." Braun furrowed his brow.

"You're the ruler, Tavian, you're not my father."

"It's important, Braun," Tavian said.

"Your behavior reflects on me."

"My relationship is mine," Braun said.

"I don't intend to do anything. But I'm not going to be reporting to you." Tavian hesitated as he produced the key to the door. He could put pressure on Braun, to get him to agree… If he used the Mandate Perk, Braun wouldn't question his authority. He decided against it. He needed to trust Braun. Tavian unlocked the door, and Braun stepped out. He rolled his shoulders, stretching.

"I thought this would feel better," he said.

"I have a new class for you," Tavian said. He triggered the class assignment in his system interface.

"Regent," Braun said, reading the class title.

"One strength, one constitution, and… what's the Mandate Perk?" The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

"It means that subjects of my kingdom won't challenge your commands," Tavian said.

"I'm putting you in charge." Braun's face darkened.

"Where are you going?" he asked. As they walked to the core courtyard, Tavian tried to explain the plan. He could tell he was losing Braun as he began discussing leaking mana wells and miasmic infusers. Calli was there, wearing a pack of coresmithing tools and supplies. She was standing with her hands on her hips, staring at the kingdom core. The sack of black daggers lay at her feet.

"Ready?" Tavian asked. Calli shook her head.

"We need something to infuse," she said, pointing to the daggers.

"These can hold a lot of miasma in them. A lot more than the condenser can contain. But if the plan is going to work, we need to bring stuff that can hold miasma." Tavian followed her gaze. She was looking at the pile of siftables that Vanal had stored against the wall, which he occasionally sifted to maintain their influence level.

"You want to infuse the statuettes of Ishtoran?" Tavian asked.

"They're gold, and silver, pure metals. Some even have gemstones in them; won't that contain a lot of Essence?"

"Something like that," Calli said.

"We'd have to bring a lot of them, to be safe, and I don't know what effects they'll have when infused."

"Coins then?" Calli made a sour face, like she'd eaten bitter herbs.

"Anything too small is going to be limited," she said.

"We need something bigger." Tavian eyed her.

"You sound like you already have an idea in mind."

"I had a thought," Calli said.

"I… I'm not sure I like it though."

"Spit it out," Tavian said.

"What?"

"Please don't mock me," Calli said, walking over to the trove.

"But I think this is the ideal container." She pulled a cloth off of the Aegis of Tavirost. Snarling griffins glared out of the shield through gemstone eyes.

"We know it can hold its form even when tainted. It's the best thing we have, I think."

"So much for respecting our history," Tavian said, mocking her.

"You want us to infuse the legendary shield of Tavirost with death Essence?"

"It's better than sifting it," Calli said.

"And… We might be able to get it out, later."

"You're going to try to create a miasmic weapon out of an ornamental shield?" Braun asked, still trying to wrap his head around the plan.

"Not exactly," Tavian said.

"Calli thinks that if we can reduce the amount of miasma in the dungeon, we might be able to…" He glanced back to Calli.

"Shrink it," she said.

"As far as I understand, these daggers were once regular weapons. They have astonishing amounts of miasma compressed and infused inside them. If we can find the infuser, we can pair it with this condenser. We'll drain as much miasma as possible from the dungeon, and infuse it into the shield."

"Like repairing a dike," Braun said, nodding.

"You have to drain the water before you can fix the leak."

"That's right," Calli said. Tavian hefted the ancient kite shield, and slung it onto his back, staggering beneath its weight. It was huge, broader than his shoulders, with its point reaching down to his knees.

"It's heavy," Tavian grunted.

"Want a little wagon to put it in?" Calli jabbed, piqued from Tavian's earlier harassment. Tavian shook his head.

"Where are you going to go?" Braun asked.

"How are you going to find anything in that maze?"

"We're going to the shaft, where Jarden pulled Cormath down," Tavian said.

"We have ropes. We'll go as deep as we can."

"I know that Jarden was working on the infuser," Calli said.

"He would put it in the place where it could collect as much miasma as possible. That means down." Braun nodded grimly. Lea appeared beside Tavian.

"I don't like this plan, Tavian," she said.

"You're the one who's always complaining about miasma," Tavian said.

"If this works, we won't have to deal with that problem for a while. We might even be able to find a way to fix the well."

"You don't have to go," Lea said.

"Send someone else."

"I can't," Tavian said.

"I'm the only one who has a connection to Cormath. Thanks to you, I suspect."

"What do you mean?"

"I never had visions of being in someone else's mind until you linked with me. Now they're happening all the time, it seems." Lea exhaled through her nose, her antennae quivering.

"Can you at least make me a promise?" she said.

"What?"

"Miasma can be mind altering. You've felt it. It can be hard to tell what's real, and what's not. I'll watch for you. When I tell you to withdraw, will you withdraw?" Tavian hesitated before answering. He didn't feel confident that Lea had his best interests at heart. But… It would be good to have someone watching him. Making sure his mind was working correctly.

"Yes," Tavian said.

"That would be good. Keep an eye on us. Let me know if I'm slipping." Lea didn't seem relieved, but she nodded slowly. Her wings quivered behind her, and she turned, then vanished. Tavian left Braun in charge, and brought a fist of soldiers with him, led by a blunt man called Fist Captain Toral. He wanted to give these men Tier III classes, but thirty-six Essence per class for six men was more than he could afford.

He settled on a basic [Soldier] Class, Tier II, with one point in magic and one point in constitution. He showed them how to use the [Mana Armor] spell.

"Well, that's a nice piece of kit!" Fist Captain Toral exclaimed, twisting his torso and examining his [Mana Armor]. He rapped his knuckles on it.

"Careful," Tavian said with a grin.

"It can only take a hit or two." He glanced at Calli. She currently had the [Extractor] Class, which didn't benefit her at all when it came to surviving a dark dungeon.

"I'm giving you a new class," Tavian said to her as they prepared to enter the dungeon. He took the [Fortify III] Class, which granted the bearer +4 Constitution, and changed the name. He briefly considered trading the constitution for magic, and letting her use the [Mana Armor] spell too, but decided against it. A breast plate was about keeping a front line fighter in the fight. Constitution would serve Calli better. He assigned her the class, and she laughed.

"[Favorite Sister]?" she said.

"Come on, you should have given me [Favorite Sibling]."

"You'll have to fight Braun for that," Tavian said with a smirk. They entered the dungeon through the larder and navigated as best they could to the place where they'd lost Cormath.

"I'm sure it was here," Tavian said. In the distance, the ray of light shone in the darkness, marking the place where they'd escaped the tunnel through the gardener's shed when seizing the walls. They'd searched the entire corridor over the course of the last half an hour, and no sign remained of the platform that had carried Jarden and Cormath down into the black pit.

"It couldn't have been in a different corridor?" Calli asked.

"There aren't any other corridors," Tavian said, setting the heavy shield down and leaning it against a wall.

"It was here. It's gone now." Even his Darksight Perk was not helpful in these blinding mists.

"Then we look for stairs?"

"We'd get lost. We need something else." He reached for one of the black daggers. He'd been afraid it would come to this.

"Are you sure?" Calli asked.

"We don't even know—""Cormath is near her," Tavian said.

"The voice, I mean. I'm sure of it. And you said yourself that the infuser would work best at the darkest point of the dungeon."

"I just don't think that—""Lea promised to help me," Tavian said.

"It's our best chance."" I can't help you when you're touching those things,"Lea said in his mind." I don't like it. But if you must do it, make it short." Calli gave in. Tavian reached for a dagger. He hesitated for just a moment, before seizing the hilt in his hand. His connection to Lea disappeared. A soothing, feminine voice whispered in his mind, felt more than heard. I missed you, Tavian. Are you coming to see me?