A Legacy of Blades - An Epic Tower Fantasy

Anilith didn't wake so much as return to a world of agony. One moment, she was blissfully unaware of discomfort, the world around her, or any fleeting aspect of life; the next, all she knew was pain. More bruised than broken, although she was undeniably broken too, she gained a new appreciation for just how much more a bruise could hurt after the fact. When the bruise was all-encompassing, except for perhaps one of her toes, it was hard to say for certain, and that pain was only compounded.

In time, as her mind adjusted to sensory overload, she became more aware of her surroundings in stages.

Scent came first, but it was only the metallic smell of blood that flooded her sinuses. Taste, so intrinsically linked with the sense of smell, was equally unpleasant upon its return.

Her eyes, swollen to the extreme, noticed little. Eventually, she noticed subtle differences in the darkness, almost as if…oh. What light hit her eyelids filtered through in reds of varying intensity, all dulled to nigh unseeable from the journey through her body.

Touch, well, she felt. Any jostle, brush, or prod brought with it a wonderful, localized sensation of pain, on top of the more general agony she knew. Identifying what touched her, now, was far beyond her.

Sound swept around her consciousness, muffled and vague, its presence defined by the lack of clarity. It was, perhaps, the most disorienting and useless experience, being aware on some level that things were happening around her but unable to identify the source. She could be in the middle of a battlefield or listening to stories around the campfire for all she could distinguish anything; the head trauma after being used as a skipping stone really wasn't doing her any favors.

Thankfully, these wondrous phenomena were intermittently pacified by involuntary returns to oblivion. It would have been a maddening experience if not for the balm of familiar presences that lingered at the edge of perception.

"…isn't taking the way it should. Her wounds are healing faster than normal, undeniably, but the effects aren't what we'd expect from this level of treatment."

"Perhaps her injuries are more severe than they appear on the surface."

"Perhaps…but that doesn't feel right. I'm sure with your station, sir, you have some familiarity with our practices, but if that were the case, we would expect to see almost no change in her condition, while her body was repaired from within, before a rapid and visible return to normalcy."

Barely comprehending the conversation taking place, it took everything Anilith had just to hold on to consciousness. A soul-deep fatigue lay over her like a shroud, sapping her strength.

"No, it's more as if she's limiting the effects of our efforts, although that doesn't feel quite right either. To resist our efforts would be to resist the call of life itself, for we only enhance what comes naturally."

"It would seem she is, as she has always been, a unique and marvelous individual. Of that, I have never held any doubt."

"Only befitting of one claimed as your pupil. Regardless, her condition is improving by the hour. We expect her to make a full recovery before we reach the Holy Grounds, barring any other…unforeseen circumstances."

Anilith felt the smile upon her master's face at these words. She knew it with a certainty she didn't understand and yet couldn't deny the feeling of its presence.

"As it should be. Already, I feel her gaze upon us: weak and yet aware."

Nearby, dwarfed by her master's calming presence, she felt a comforting sturdiness she knew from countless hours relying on its solidity. She knew, beyond a doubt, that there stood a bedrock of reliability, a foundation that never left throughout her stay of bedrest.

"Rest, child. Your gifts will only hinder your return. Rest and save your strength."

A weight settled over her mind, soothing as a summer rain, and oblivion claimed her once more.

Anilith's eyelids fluttered, disturbed by the light of the sun. Any other day, she would have lamented the awakening, but today she rejoiced in the light's harsh touch. There is a certain timelessness to injury that seems unending in its presence, while hindsight makes it seem but a blink in existence. Some things must be overcome to appreciate their fleeting nature, even if their effects echo through nightmares for a lifetime.

She struggled to sit up from an instinctual reaction, as if waking from a dream of falling, finding herself still weakened.

"Slowly, Ani. Slowly."

Temperance's voice brought with it a welcome surge of relief, dispelling innate fears of her condition's perpetuity.

"Let your eyes adjust. The light will not hurt, but no need to rush yourself." She felt a rhythmic bumping, realizing she was lying in a wagon and on the move. "We are closing in on the Holy Grounds, but we have hours still to go. Plenty of time to ease back into the land of the living."

"It wasn't that bad," she coughed in attempted laughter, "quit being so dramatic."

"…we watched you bounce across the swamp after being drop-kicked by an algae-laden beast of legend, only to be picked up by its angry lover, in a hand that dwarfed you twice over, mind you, and all but slammed into the far less forgiving ground before our shield wall like a ragdoll. I am not sure how much worse it could have been."

"Well, why didn't you tell me it was so bad? Feels like I just finished some light training here. Up for a spar later?"

"You are an ass, Anilith. Your habit of taking nothing seriously as you should is going to bite you one day."

"Thanks for worrying about me, big guy. I am sorry you had to see that…far better if it had happened where only Master could stand witness."

"You are just lucky to have one such as him watch over you. Not everyone evaded the jaws of death so narrowly as you. We lost many in the ambush."

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No joke sprang from Anilith's mouth following Temperance's statement. Some things, it turned out, were beyond even her irreverence.

Temperance broke the silence first, adding, "I would not worry too much about what I saw. Olina witnessed the scene herself, and Willett has been hard at work keeping her occupied and away while you recover."

"What was she doing near the shield wall?! She should never have been so close to danger, if anything had happened to her, I…"

"Breathe, Ani. I know." Shaking his head, Temperance continued, "That girl is a force, you know. Willett confessed she distracted him with feigned concern for Owen, only to make a break for it. She claims to have only wanted to keep an eye on you from a distance, but fate had other plans for her."

"She managed to, with an astounding lack of grace, lose her balance and tumble over the barricade while taking a quick look, as she said. She landed, buttocks in the breeze, grabbing the attention of the Aligo assaulting the shield wall. If I am honest, we are lucky she did. The beast's strength was beyond most of the men, and I could not bring it down quickly, even with their support. We would have started taking losses at any moment. Her distraction let the men score crippling hits on the beast before she was in danger of anything beyond embarrassment."

"The gods smile on that girl," Anilith murmured through her teeth, "they're going to be so disappointed when I kill her."

"Be gentle with her, Ani. She is a sister to me, too, and I understand, but she is the girl you raised. When grown men cowered, as they should, she acted only out of concern for her sister. You are that girl's hero, you know."

"…and that means I shouldn't put the fear of the divine in her?"

"Yes, Ani, it does. Maybe another day, but today perhaps let her simply enjoy your company: company she nearly lost, might I remind you. I am not standing here reprimanding you for your display of bravery, after all. Our people have no need of any more dead heroes. Maybe let that temper your hot-headed drive for glory."

"Gods, you're infuriating. You know that, right? Not saying you're wrong, but I don't know if I'll ever be able to let someone else fall when I might have made a difference, my life on the line or not."

"I know, Ani. That is why you will always need friends to watch your back."

Silence hung between them, a comfortable companion they knew well. "Does anyone know what caused the attack?"

"No. The advance teams have concentrated their efforts now, but nobody saw the threat until it was too late. It hit too many points in the caravan at once."

"An attack like that seems planned, planned in a way mere beasts, no matter how intelligent, shouldn't have been able to coordinate. It feels like more than wandering into marked territory. Surely, Master has some ide.."

Temperance held up a hand, cutting Anilith off. "Enough of that, I think I hear your siblings coming."

Hardly a breath later, Olina came barreling into the wagon shouting, "She's awake, Will, she's awake!"

Her fervor lasted moments before the tears started flowing. Between breaths, she muttered something that might have been, "I was so scared," but the words' meaning remained lost in the folds of Anilith's blanket.

Watching from a small distance, Willett stood with a small smile, relief etched on his face, and tears in his eyes.

The militia redoubled its efforts after the ambush. While a final death tally was still unknown, the loss was sorely felt, even before factoring in the wounded who were no longer fit for duty. Only the elite units cleared the way now, but they worked tirelessly. The journey was in its final hours, and no amount of haste was worth any further loss of life. The caravan moved slowly, taking time to find the most sturdy and secure pathways, but each passing moment brought the people closer to their destination.

Anilith, Temperance, and the children whiled away their time in idle conversation. The waterworks passed quickly enough, leaving everyone feeling refreshed and cathartic. No one could put the events of the past days entirely out of mind, but they played simple games to entertain the children. In this way, the last leg of their journey finished more pleasantly than anyone could have hoped.

Having kept their eyes peeled for any sign of a grand structure, none of them were prepared when the caravan abruptly drew to a halt. The makings of a massive nomad-style encampment, not unlike paintings of their tribal ancestors' homes, spanned a vast, clear, dry space.

More caravans trailed into the clearing from all directions. Evidently, there was truth to the rumor that many other villages chose to relocate like their own village. The boundaries between camps were clearly delineated, but not in a militaristic manner.

The merchants took the opportunity to set up impromptu markets near the edges of their respective camps, each junction between camps creating an alley straight towards the center of the clearing like countless spokes on an immense wheel. Candles, snacks, and more were sold up and down alleys to any interested party. A startling variety of currencies changed hands, at least where merchants had established a system of exchange.

Everywhere, lines of crumbled stone spoke of a settlement lost to time. Moss grew heavily on sunken blocks, rounded from countless years in the elements.

"Let's take a walk, you two," Anilith chimed excitedly, "we can set up our bedrolls later!"

"Yeah! Yay! Hooray," cheered Olina, "let's get some snackies? I'm starving."

"I don't know if I'm more hungry," started Willett, "or excited to see what foods other villages brought!"

The boy looked towards the front of the wagon.

"You coming, Temperance?"

"No, you three go ahead. Owen needs a place to rest after the journey. He is a lazy beast, far past his usual limits. Come find us later, I will have a place ready for us all."

Nodding in thanks, Anilith jumped from the wagon. Her body ached from the landing, but she didn't let it show. She helped the children down, and Owen plodded slowly on, carrying Temperance forward.

Strolling towards the clearing's center, they couldn't help but notice the disparity between the goods offered on either side of their chosen alley. Both had cheap fare this far out, but Anilith could already tell the quality of everything improved greatly as they traveled closer to the center. Grabbing a quick snack for her siblings, thankful to find a merchant accepting her coin, they continued inwards.

Nearing the head of the alley, closest to the center of the clearing, they began to see real delicacies on display. Simple weaponry was displayed all along the way, but now the arms on display appeared more works of art than utilitarian tools of battle. Anilith couldn't help but scoff at the garish waste of good metal.

"Really," she muttered under her breath, "what proper soldier is going to be taken in by such gaudy tools. Probably break before you could even hit your stride, for all the value those gemstones add."

They had been closer to the tail of the caravan than its head, but they couldn't help but be amazed at the speed her people had set up camp. At the head of their camp, the siblings could see their elders' tent pitched near the most expensive wares their people had on offer. This trend repeated all around the center, with the most expensive wares hinting at what might be found further down the alleys.

The amount of cultural exchange taking place was staggering. Even if the Moors lacked large cities, each village displayed a unique snapshot of its people's growth through the ages, like a fingerprint.

At the very center stood a wall, short by all accounts at a mere four feet. Unlike the ancient stones scattered throughout the clearing, this wall appeared more recently constructed and maintained. No taller than a livestock pen, this wall would not bar access for anyone larger than Olina. Strolling up to the "wall", Anilith peered over the top.

Before her eyes sank the largest hole she had ever seen. Peaty brown earth gave way to deepest shadow as the pit yawned ever deeper.

Anilith exclaimed, unable to believe the sight or hide her shock, "This is the fabled Tower?"