Chapter 9: ~Escape.~ (1/2)
I was asked about reading my work on other sides.
The answer is simple: Currently I am not active in any other networks than royalroadl.com. Only here, I correct mistakes and errors.
If you read it anywhere else and have to pay for it, or have to deal with an annoying amount of advertisement, You Are Being Betrayed.
You would do good if you make other people in that network aware of it. This is a free project of mine for the purpose of having fun. And if people try to make money with it you shouldn't bother visiting their website.
The only one whom I actually allowed to have my work on his website is Armaell who invested the time to compile them into pdf.
()
“An angel, especially according to Abrahamic religions and Zoroastrianism, is a spiritual being superior to humans in power and intelligence. Angels are typically described as benevolent, dreadful, and endowed with wisdom and knowledge of earthly events, but not infallible; for they strive with each other, and God has to make peace between them. Most of them serve either as intermediaries between Heaven and Earth, or as guardian spirits. They are studied in the theological doctrine of angelology. In Christian Science, the word ”angel” is used to refer to an inspiration from God.”
- The Journey to the Afterlife
***Dedessia, the Sea of Souls, Clan: Inanimatum***
***Shade, 9 years old***
I follow my daily routine with a solemn expression on my face. Since the slavers sent us on the race they also used us for duties outside the facility. Today's task is cleaning the outer walls. There is nothing that's more infuriating. We gathered and stole as many supplies as possible since we lost Manticore and Aswang. But we have nowhere to go. One might say that anywhere is better than here, but anywhere else means death as far as we know.
What we are lacking is information and the slavers know that. They don't even bother to guard us because none of the free citizens would bother to talk to us. We have nowhere to go.
And on top of it all, our time is running out. From observing the other age groups I am very sure that they will put the expensive version of the slave collars on us when we turn ten. Those won't need our names. Once we have those around our necks we have lost our chance.
Frustrated by the hopeless situation I kick away a damaged bowl which was lying in my way. Once the dirt is off the street it isn't my business any longer. The bowl lands in one of the side-streets in front of an old man. He is sunken to one of the walls and looks like death itself. I recognize his face! It's the slave who saved me a year ago. I burned his face into my mind and it simply has to be him! He is even more haggard than when I first saw him, but that remarkable edgy nose and the slightly tilted eyes are hard to forget.
My head snaps back to the wall. If I am right, then the slaver shouldn't be back from his round for at least another five minutes. I drop the bucket with water and the towel, then I hurry to the slave. “Old man, what are you doing here?”
“Who is an old man? And can't you see that I am busy with dying?” asks the old man.
“You? And why are you here? Didn't you have a job when we last met?” I ask confused.
“Child. We are all immortals in this world. Do you really think that my outer appearance counts in any way? My master worked me to death and then he threw me away and bought a new slave. Oh, forget it. You are one of the child soldiers, aren't you? Of course you know nothing.” He coughs and spits blood on the ground.
“Yes, please help me. I need information to flee from this place. I need to know where to go,” I beg.
He opens one eye to look at me. The other is swollen shut. “A funny one, eh? You will never make it through the wilderness.”
I clench my teeth. “All I want is the name of the clan which offers the greatest hope and a direction. I don't care about the possibility of dying. I just need a chance.”
“Go north-west to where the ice titan resides. He will know that you entered his territory as soon as you leave the swamp. Maybe you can persuade him to let you live?” His opened eye wanders over me. “And then again, maybe not.”
“What's that supposed to mean?” I hiss. Is he joking with me?
“You wanted to know where you have the biggest chance and I told you. Nothing more, nothing less. Does it matter that the chance is still a zero with a few decimal places afterwards before you get to see the first number? At least you will probably see him before he kills you. He likes to talk to the ones whom he kills. The other clans will be hard to find or not much better than this one,” the old man mumbles.
I glance back at the wall. “Old man, do you want to come with me? At least a part of the way?”
He coughs again. “Now you are the one who is joking. Do you want to carry me?”
I shake my head. “No. I am sorry, but you will die and your body has to stay here. All I can take with me is your soul.”
His one good eye widens and he looks at me for a long time. “A shade and a soul-mage, eh? They confused you with a low? The slavers made a grave mistake when they let you live.”
I ready myself to finish him off in case he screams, but he does nothing of the sort. “Fine. I am just a low, but I know a few things. I'll guide you a part of the way. At least until you need me. I am done with this world anyway.”
“Until I need you?” I ask baffled.
“Hurry. The overseer is coming! We can talk later.”
The old man reaches for me and I take his hand, sending my mana into him. Strangely his soul separates easily and without trouble from his body. Apparently there is a difference if I take someone against his will. Or I am getting better. The old man's body slumps to the ground and is still. I hurry back to my bucket and try to look as inconspicuous as possible while I try to listen to the voices in my head.
The other two are still screaming out their guts, but the new one isn't doing so.
The first thing you should do is getting rid of the two idiots you have in here. Did you intend to put their cages above a fire-pit?
What is he talking about?
Oh, gods. I joined hands with soul-mage who has no idea of his powers. At least you do it instinctively right. Listen well to what I have to tell you...
I listen intently to the little knowledge my new lodger has about soul magic. Apparently I have two choices when I steal another soul. Either I can incorporate it into my own, or I can simply bind it to me.
The first case is bad. Very bad. Doing it that way will gain me all the soul's memories and a huge mana boost. It's possible to lose your identity inside the foreign memories and at the very least it will drive me crazy after a while. It also makes the soul unavailable for other purposes. Though upon death the souls should separate and be released.
The second way poses less risk. If they are simply bound to me I can talk to and interrogate them if necessary. It's like shutting them away within my mind. I can create any environment I want for them. It will grant me access to a part of their mana capacity and I'll be able to use them to perform a summoning or other sacrificial spells. If I put a stolen soul into an object and infuse mana into it I can create a summoning with all the soul's abilities until it uses up my mana and releases the soul.
Either way, if I die the souls get freed.
What's much more interesting though is the information about the various clans and their locations. I decide to trust the old man's words. He seems to have a good heart and already saved me once. In addition his survival is currently tied to mine. I can't see why he would want to betray me.
If the old man is right, then the ice titan is my only chance. Going to Parle is as bad as Inanimatum. Carissimi is somewhere in a desert and on top their home is mobile. No chance to find them.
Draconis is too far away and even if I reach their lands I still have to find their floating city. If the dragons don't eat me.
Further south are a few clans which get frequently raided by Inanimatum, but there is a deadly mountain-range between us. Did I already mention that they frequently get raided?
On top I would need a higher immortal to open a portal or fly me over.
Imothep is also out of the question for the same reason. No chance to cross the acidic sea.
That means the only direction that's open to me is the ice titan. An old hermit whom everyone is afraid of... great! Why not? Let's throw ourselves in front of him and kiss his feet. Maybe he won't squash us.
I finish my round around the facility by the evening and return to the barracks where Legna is already waiting for me. When I enter the room I find her updating our list of supplies.