The Mimic Becomes a Merchant King

"There's a reason why we don't go into Elbrinth, even if it has entrances on Arcadian land. It's suicide to go down there," said Ladoss, glaring at Illyana.

The elf nodded. "I am aware. But I don't particularly care, either. I consider that girl a friend, and I intend to rescue her," she said. She turned, trodding away from the older man with Varis in tow.

Ladoss grunted. "Could have you two done for desertion, you know. You were signed up for a long tour by the Archchancellor."

"Indeed. And you can tell Velasco to shove that fact up his rear if he has a problem with that." She looked to the older man from over her shoulder, her eyes narrowed. "I joined up specifically to fight the goblin threat, and this is the best way to do it."

Silence fell between the group. Then suddenly, the old man was smiling. "Ha. Gotta admire that backbone of yours. It'll be a damn shame to lose an actually decent swordswoman." He reached for his belt and tossed over two small leather bags of black powder. "Go on, get moving. I'd send the lads with you, but there's no shortage of work to be done in the city."

Illyana nodded. "Thank you, Ladoss. I hope we meet again, under better circumstances." Frankly she was struggling to remember the last time Arcadia had had 'better circumstances' to speak of.

The two set off, making for the plaza where Coin and the others were waiting for them. "Well," said Varis, "I suppose I've quit worse jobs."

"You know you don't have to come with me, Varis. Elbrinth is already one of the most dangerous places in Arcadia, and now it's apparently home to the worst criminals around."

Varis shrugged in his usual carefree way. "Nothing I can't handle."

They reached the others after a brief walk, standing in front of Colony's 'wagon.' Coin nodded at the two, a pained smile on his face. "I appreciate you coming with me. I'll... admit I'm wary about putting other people in danger, but... I need help for this."

"Of course. Essine is my friend too. I want to see her safe."

Colony nodded stiffly at the elf. "I can sense some magic in you. I imagine you must be decently powerful, if Coin insisted on bringing you."

"Oh yes, we're the most dangerous adventurers in all Arcadia," Varis said, grinning.

Colony paused. "Sarcasm?" she eventually asked, raising one brow.

"Come," Scylla said. She raised her hands, motioning the group closer. "We don't have time to waste." Shadows rose at her command, swirling and churning, until a sphere of opaque blackness surrounded them. Umbral purple light shone from Scylla's body, their only source of illumination as the bubble lurched and took off skyward.

Varis grunted, swaying his arms for support. "Damn," he huffed. "Never was a fan of travelling via magic."

Coin glanced across the sphere as it hurtled eastward, to the border with Eldergard. Already he could see her brow furrowed with exertion, her breathing slow and steady. She couldn't have made the flight to Colony, he knew. This magic was too strenuous for that.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"Hiding in Elbrinth of all places." Illyana folded her arms. "It's one of the most dangerous places in all the human lands. They must be desperate to hide down there."

"The resources are too good to pass up, I suppose." Scylla huffed and slowly shook her head. "To think they even got their hands on a working void cube."

"Void... cube?" Cricket asked, cocking her head.

"The device our mysterious assassin used to teleport away. I would have thought them all either destroyed, or rendered inert by time."

Coin and Illyana exchanged a glance. "You seem to know a fair bit about Elbrinth. More than many scholars, I would wager."

"That's because... I'm Elbrinthian," Scylla said.

"Eh?" Cricket's jaw dropped a bit. "Didn't those lads all die out hundreds an' hundreds of years ago?"

"The majority did, yes," Scylla said, her eyes still closed. "We were a people who predate all others, even elfkind. Though we look human, at a glance, we would not have considered ourselves such. And while the humans roamed the steppes, and the elves toiled in the frozen north, and the gnomes wandered the untamed forests, we found comfort underground. And underground we were able to make contact with the plain of Sheol, the realm of dark and entropic but near-limitless power."

Coin nodded slowly in understanding. She had had plenty to say when Essine first got access to her magic. Still, as he looked at Scylla, he had to wonder how old she was. Even at a glance, and taking in her scent, he could not tell any difference between her and a normal human.

"Sheol became the basis for our magic, and our technology, and we learned to mold and shape the earth to our whims. Our void cubes could open holes between space, allowing for instant movement across the expanding vastness of Elbrinth. And, indeed, we learned to draw animus from Sheol, giving life to our golems."

"What's... a golem?" Varis asked warily.

"Clay, or stone, or metal, brought to life by animus. You should be wary, there will doubtless be some wandering in the dark," Scylla replied. There was a faint strain to her voice, her breath coming slow and steady.

"I have heard Sheol is a dark realm of decay. How do you give life from that?" Illyana asked. She did not seem too wary of Scylla's story. She had heard stranger things, at this point.

Scylla smiled, her eyes still closed. "My dear Illyana. Life itself is entropy. To live is to die, second by second, where every second of that existence ripples through the universe to hasten its death. Harnessing that essence from Sheol to animate matter, while difficult, was still possible. But that same power is, ultimately, death and decay. That deathlight turned on my kin, wiping us out in one cataclysmic plague unfurling from the heart of Sheol."

Colony stood statue still, her eyes fixed on the nearby darkness. "And how did you survive?"

"I, and a few others, were away from Elbrinth when the worst of the blight tore through the corridors and caverns of Sheol, exploring other planes. It was too late to do anything when we returned. And all we could do was leave our home behind. Something had happened, and I do not know what, that rendered many of the mechanisms and golems hostile to us."

They pressed on in silence for some time, all present trying to comprehend all that they had just learned. The more they knew of Elbrinth, the more hostile it sounded. The goblins surviving down there at all seemed like an impossibility, and yet they had managed it.

"How old are you?" Coin asked, cocking a brow.

Scylla let out a strained laugh. "Do you not know it is rude to ask a lady that?"

"I'm being serious."

"And I am not?" Scylla's smile flickered. "In truth, I do not know exactly. I have spent much time in worlds beyond ours, where the flow of time is different than here. And we Elbrinhians are naturally long-lived, to say nothing for the arcane rites I have used to prolong my life. I suppose I must be over six hundred years old, factoring my time in foreign planes. Though I stopped keeping track some time ago."

"Cripes." Cricket glanced to Varis. "You and me might be the only ones here with normal lifespans."

"Oh no, I'm actually the wandering spirit of Old King Sentinel himself."

"A wise guy, huh?" Cricket grunted.

The shadows began to lurch around the group, and there came a rushing sensation as the orb of darkness descended. It unfurled to reveal they had landed on a hilltop, overlooking a vast field beneath the shadow of the mountains that bordered Eldergard.

Coin stared down toward a small row of roadside encampments, populated by merchants, soldiers, and adventurers. Beyond that sat a great plaza of weathered brown stone, the center of which housed a vast staircase that plunged into an impenetrable blackness.

"That's it, then?" Coin asked. He had expected more of the entryway.

"I would, ordinarily be against using the tourist entrance. But it is the safest bet, since we have no idea where those monsters are hiding." Scylla sagged against a tree, catching her breath slowly but surely.

"Are you alright?" Illyana asked, setting a hand on the witch's shoulder. The shorter woman gently waved her off.

"We must hurry," she said.

Coin nodded, his face set in a grim mask of determination. "Essine... we're coming."