6: Plan

Waking up was a slow process for Vanemar. His body ached in every limb. It was only upon realizing that he felt unusually comfortable that he pulled himself up. He was within the dark red hull of Jioh’s ship, between a row of identical beds lined from one end of the room to the other. Directly ahead of him was an open common room where cultists and the woman named Ama sat on sofas, dressed in plain clothing instead of the armor and robes that he had seen them in the day before. Jun sat across from another younger cultist playing a strange game on a table.

In the very back was a staircase which led both up to the deck and down to the lower floor. Jioh was nowhere in sight, likely manning the wheel. “Good to see you can still move after all that.” Jun said to him. “We left your clothes hanging on the deck. Weighed almost as much as you when we took them off. How did you manage to get all that dust in them anyway.?”

Vanemar attempted to remember what had happened to him the day before. His tired mind was fuzzy and had difficulty remembering. “Dust storm.” Was all he managed to say before letting out a long yawn.

“Dust storm?” Ama said in disbelief. “In Hillspeak?”

“High Mage did it.” He stood up and began to slowly drag his body across the room. “To stop the mercenaries from getting to me.”

“That’s better.” Jun said with a grin. “Tell us the whole story later, you don’t look quite up to it right now.”

“Yeah.” Vanemar responded as he lumbered up the staircase. His mind no longer paid attention to the cultists. He only wanted his things. Especially his sword, which made him nervous in its absence. He still couldn’t trust the cultists. Couldn’t trust anyone with how the last few days had gone. Letting him on their ship did not mean that they won’t slit his throat the next chance they had. He had a very high price on his head and they knew it. For an organization like theirs, a big payment was a blessing.

A cool wind blew over the deck and Vanemar shivered as he approached the quarterdeck. Jioh was there, hands on the wheel and eyes looking out far into the horizon. A large crossbow sat at the center of the ship, with a bolt the size of a spear already loaded. He looked at the weapon in awe for a moment realizing that it was not meant for humans, but for other ships. “That is not a weapon you usually see on civilian ships. Pirate ships more like.” As he began to ascend the steps Jioh was slow to notice him, still in deep thought.

“Your clothes are hanging on the rack behind me. The ship left a trail of dust when it left port.” Jioh smiled at the memory. Vanemar nodded and found his clothing held up by a dainty wooden jack that had been nailed to the floor. It shook like it was on the verge of flying away. He was happy to see that his sword was still clipped to his belt and pulled up his pants, the tear from the arrow still clearly visible.

Vanemar quickly put on the rest of his clothing before looking over the railing of the ship. They passed over a great green expanse, where the occasional tree appeared beside rolling hills that stretched too far to see the end of. There was a small village as well, enclosed by many patches of farmland. The sight prompted memories of his own home in the Yalutara plains. A life that he missed ever since he first joined the small mercenary company that passed through the village. A life that he wanted back above all else. It was like a dream, a dream that he wished his current adventure would fulfill. He continued to look outward, stuck in his thoughts. “You hungry?” Asked Jioh, pulling him back into reality. “There are leftovers from this morning. We have a stove below us too so you don’t have to worry about it being cold.“

Vanemar held his stomach as pain manifested there “I don’t remember eating anything since I was in Hien.” He said, suddenly realizing the reason for his tiredness. “Where is it?”

“In the kitchen, you’ll see it as you step into the floor below us. The food was left on the stove. Don’t leave it on for too long if you decide to heat it.” Vanemar was nearly out of sight as he thanked him and headed downstairs.

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The meal was devoured in a nearly inhuman amount of time. A glass of water was brought to him by Jun. “We have a meeting at midday.” The cultist informed him. “Jioh wants to discuss our plans for when we arrive in the kingdom.”

Vanemar nodded and stood up. “I’ll be there.”

Jioh was back in his trance at the quarterdeck. The man seemed like a statue from Vanemar’s angle, only moving to make slight adjustments to counter the wind. “Ever been on a ship before Raven?” Jioh asked, moving nothing but his mouth.

Vanemar nodded as he went up the steps. “I owned one. A small clipper with its own cargo hold. It’s stuck in Hien now, don’t think I’ll ever be able to get it back.”

“So you’re a man with nothing to lose.” Jioh said sympathetically.

Sitting down on the steps, Vanemar unsheathed his sword and began to get a feel for it. “Nothing except for myself. Never actually really needed anything else. Shame it took me so long to realize it. A quiet life is all that I really want.”

“Once this is all over with, you’ll get that quiet life you want. Hopefully my boss can lend a few funds...”

“You mean the leader of the Honean sect?” Vanemar and the man now faced each other.

“Yes, unfortunately he is quite a secretive man, I could be punished for telling you too much about him.” Jioh frowned.

“I’m guessing that he got where he was by being a cutthroat.”

“Not exactly. He is quite a cutthroat yes, but he also has other qualities… Listen, I know a few things about him, but he hides too well for me to really know anything. Don’t try to dig deep into his past, I’m not lying when I say he can punish us for it.”

Vanemar went back to looking over his weapon, finding it to be decent enough compared to what he used to carry. “I like to know who I work for, but there isn’t much need to in this case.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Jioh swung his arms around trying to think of his response. “You may have to see him eventually, I imagine there would be more in it for you if you did.”

“I suppose that’s fine as long as I get what we agreed to.”

“You’ll get it, no excuses from me.“ He took his hands off the wheel. “I think it’s about time we plan, you coming?”

Vanemar got up and slowly sheathed his weapon. “I imagine I’d be quite important.”

Jioh smirked. “From what I’ve heard, you wouldn't have a problem either way.”

Vanemar shook his head. “Well, nothing ever does go to plan.” The phrase had become more and more apparent over the last few days.

After Jioh called for the lounging cultists to join them, Vanemar and the others met inside a room below the staircase. It was made up of plain wooden boards with a single equally plain long table in the center. It reminded Vanemar of the warehouses’ basement but cramped and surprisingly darker. He sat next to one of the cultists farthest from Jioh who was busy laying a map of Deskaly on the table. “Now that we're in session.” He said as he sat down at the head. “Anyone know any translators of the Old Standard?” The group thought in silence for an answer. Vanemar laid back in his chair, deciding not to publicize his lack of knowledge in the matter. He had seen Old Standard before on ancient buildings and books but couldn’t care less about understanding it.

“Perhaps we should try one of the minor Brighthawk archives,” Ama said. “From what I’ve heard they always have at least one mage who is familiar with it.”

Jioh thought for a moment and shook his head, “They don’t just let anyone into the archives.” Said one of the cultists before Jioh could open his mouth, a young woman with jet black hair. “Even if we snuck in, it would be useless if they decided not to help us.”

“I would listen to Kim.” Jun said to them. “We tried to visit the archives the last time we were in the Brighthawk capital, they only let those they trust inside.”

“Well that is out of the question for now.” Jioh said. “While we do have someone here who may know alternative ways to enter the archives, the first guard who sees us will likely not hesitate to cut our heads off on the spot. Especially if it is a Brighthawk guard.”

“I bet the mages would cut our heads off themselves if they saw us with an artifact.” another cultist said with assuredness.

“You may not like this one.” Said Jioh with a slight frown. “But I believe the Brighthawk sect would have at least one translator with them.

“Slightly less dangerous.” Jun said nodding. “But still dangerous. The Brighthawk sect is controlled by the government. They might take the artifact if we show it to them.”

“That may be just as bad.” Ama said. “This isn’t something we can do by force.”

“But we are not dealing directly with the Brighthawks.” Jioh said slowly as he was still in thought. “They are controlled only by law.”

“Don’t make your choice based on random ideas.” Ama responded arrogantly. “I don’t want to end up hanged because you thought something would happen.”

Jioh sighed and looked at her with indignation. “You think of any better ideas and we’ll go with it but if it involves the Brighthawk Magikaynium it is out of the question. The last thing they’ll think of when they see us with an artifact is helping. Remember that Raven has a price on his head, anything that involves him being seen by someone who knows his face is also out of the question.”

“Fine, then leave me out of it.”

“I’ll leave it to me and Raven to see it through.” He looked at Raven. “Are you fine with a little bit of risk?”

Vanemar finally sat up in his chair. “We wouldn't get anything out of this without a little bit of risk.”

“Well put.” Jioh said with a reaffirming nod. “I doubt you’ll need to worry about your bounty in Brighthawk territory so we can go straight there. The rest of you can stay put.”

“Any clues on where their headquarters is?” Jun asked while trying to remember.

“It’ll be somewhere in the city, asking around should help us get there.”

"I am fine with this plan.” Jun said with a smile. “I doubt that you’ll run into any issues with Raven at your side.”

"We will need at least one person to stay on the ship if something goes wrong. Since the whole city could be out for our blood, we will need a quick getaway just in case."

“I’ll take care of that.” Jun said with a raised hand. “I could also use some extra hands.”

"Then we’re good to go. If you have any ideas that won’t lead to our deaths feel free to share." Jioh directed this towards Ama who harrumphed in response. "You are all dismissed. If we ever have another meeting I will alert you. For now you can relax before the hard part starts." It took less than a minute for the cultists to disperse and go back to what they were originally doing. Vanemar, having no interest in interacting with them, decided to stay with Jioh.

"That Ama girl." He said. "Doesn’t seem like she wants to be here."

"You're spot on actually." Jioh said, impressed as he began to roll up the unnecessary map. "She’s only here because she wants to be put somewhere else.”

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Jioh stopped moving around and folded his arms as he faced Vanemar. "She originally joined the cult to become an apprentice to one of the actual mages at headquarters. But instead of letting her have what she wanted, my boss gave her a position with me. Spidon said that if she wants to be an apprentice she must first prove herself. Although with that attitude of hers I'm not sure whether he’ll even give her the chance. She's been with me for quite some time, and while she has been resourceful she has not shown her magical knowledge to an extent with which it can be noticed. I bet that’s why she’s even more cranky now. She just wants to prove herself and be put with someone who will actually help her. She’s trying to do that by giving me what I want, which I honestly think is a bad idea..”

"And what is it that you want?"

"Many things, but I’ll tell you one. Have you ever heard of the Collapse?"

"Only from overhearing yelling preachers."

"Let's have a seat then. The Collapse is our concept of the end of the world. One caused by the rebirth of a magic used by the Emperor of Mankind. Magic that can cause Highlands to rise or fall. A magic that can be used by human hands to kill a great many people."

"And you believe this?" Vanemar asked as if he were hearing a joke.

"It was not until a few years ago when there would have been no doubt that what I say is false. Are you aware that after hundreds of years a new highland appeared out of the ground without reason?"

"I've heard of it."

"Then how do you suspect that happened? Do you think it sprouted out of the earth like a tree? There is a reason for everything, especially in the matter of the Highlands, a new one appearing is something that goes against the rules of all four magics. It is impossible to fight gravity with magic, if one uses their magic to lift an object they will eventually tire out as if they lifted it with their own hands. But with Highlands, they stay in the air as if gravity does not affect them. This is the abnormality the cult has described as the fifth magic. The opposite of all others was used by the Emperor of Mankind to create all of the Highlands that appeared before the fall of the empire. Do you understand now, why that is not just a fantasy?"

"That’s outrageous,” Vanemar said with bewilderment. “What does that have to do with your goals anyway?"

"One of my goals, Raven, is to prevent the end of the world. How I achieve that goal is only for me to know. Do you understand now?” Jioh’s face was filled with indignation. As if everything he said was the utter truth.

"Good grief." Vanemar said with a sigh. He was surprised at how well the cultists had proven themselves to be absolutely crazy.