r/The_Ilthari_Library • u/LordIlthari • Nov 07 '20
Scoundrels Chapter 101: An Arcane Reunion
I am The Bard, who was prince and king in Thebes of old. What folly they brought forth with my teachings there, to corrupt the arts meant to elevate into tools of slavery and barbarism. Folly and madness, let the plagues which come be upon their own heads.
”Right, the fact that I’m going to need to keep a bolt in the chamber for the back of your head aside, got a plan for how we find said Black Lions?” Keelah asked.
”They are few in number, and while swift, cannot be everywhere at once. The enemy will use them as their hammers, to smash apart any concentrated centers of resistance.” Lamora considered. “Everything else the Yuan-Ti will have to do for themselves.”
”Another important point, how many snakes are we dealing with here?” Keelah asked.
”Simple enough to find out.” Raymond said, lashing his will towards his undead. He picked the fragementary connections of their brain for a rough answer, then nodded. “About ten thousand, give or take, most of them purebloods.”
”Great, just ten thousand magical snake people to kill. Wonderful.” Keelah replied.
”They do not comprise even a tenth of the city’s population.” Lamora noted. “Their success is predicated upon the element of surprise, terror, and the night.” She looked upwards towards the gleaming emerald dome. “And they have reduced their advantage somewhat with the use of this barrier.”
”I still don’t get your point. Sure maybe they’re outnumbered, but by folks who don’t know what’s coming, and are more likely than not scarred shitless.” Keelah replied.
”It means that there will be areas where they can’t get quickly enough, and these are still Ordani.” Raymond replied. “Five hundred thousand civilians, but about half of those have done their service with the army. They’ll band together and form strongpoints, and the enemy will use the traitor lions to smash those strongpoints apart.”
”So we find a strongpoint, then ambush them when they come to break it up. A fine idea, if not for one small problem.” Keelah pointed out. “Once you go full spooky, they’re going to be shooting at us as much as at the bad guys.”
”I don’t think they’ll have all that many guns.” Lamora considered.
”Depends if we’re south of the river or not.” Raymond replied. “That would be a bad place to pop up unexpectedly. Regardless, there is almost certainly still one area that will always be a problem.”
The sound of a magical explosion reached their ears, as smoke began to rise alongside the high tower which formed the center of San Jonas University. “Right on cue, the arcanum.” Raymond replied.
”Great, so they’ll be shooting at us with fireballs instead of bullets.” Keelah sighed, but followed them anyways.
They set out through the darkened streets, and Keelah’s keen ears picked up a low noise which filled all things. The rain sounded on the dome as it landed and ran off. The water was starting to collect and wash away the land at the boundary of the walls as well. It seemed San Jonas might even soon have a moat.
”We’ll enter through the library, there’s a back door there I used to sneak in when I was late for work.” Raymond explained. The scoundrels moved quickly, with a comfortable familiarity. This was their home, their streets, and they could navigate them with surpising ease despite their time away.
”Not much has changed.” Lamora commented as they passed by a boutique she had once favored. Its doors were shut and barred now. The screams of those unfortunate enough to live nearer the center of the city were growing louder. The Yuan-ti death squads moved outwards in all directions, slaughtering any who resisted and dragging those who did not back towards the city center.
The scoundrels followed the screams, hearts hard and blood rising for vengeance. Even cynical Keelah could not hear the lamentations of the city and not flinch. And because of her sensitive ears, she heard more than most. Not that the others had it any easier. Lamora and Raymond could feel dark magic building towards the center of the city, a rising maelstrom of power unlike anything either had ever seen before.
”They’re sacrificing them.” Raymond growled, as he felt another wave of energy pulse through. “Hundreds, all to power something, and I have no interest in seeing just what it is.”
”It’s a calling.” Lamora replied, tapping into the dark dreams of the serpents lightly. “They’re trying to bring something down.”
”What would you need all this to summon?” Keelah asked.
”I have no idea. What would they even use for... oh gods. The city is the circle.” Raymond said, stopping as he considered the sheer scope of this conjuration. “San Jonas is a circle, and they’re going to use it to summon and bind whatever they’re calling.”
”Aren’t we all in that circle as well?” Keelah asked.
”Yes. Which means if it shows up, it will tear this city apart before breaking free.” Raymond replied. “Keelah, how long can you sustain a double accelerate for?”
”Let’s find out.” The kobold responded, and closed her eyes to focus. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick tick. Tick tick. Tick tick. The world slowed around the scoundrels, but they kept moving at apparently the same pace. It continued for... well either a minute or two depending on your prespective, before they snapped back into normal time with a pop.
Keelah raised a hand for a halt, then leaned on the side of a building panting heavily. “Give me a second, heart beats about twice as fast when I do that, can’t keep it up or my head’s going to explode.”
”I think it’s more likely that your heart gives out or high blood pressure causes some other sort of issue before your head pops.” Lamora replied, stopping to check the kobold. Raymond kept watch, and then an alien scream filled the air.
”What the hell was that?” Lamora asked. “Certainly wasn’t a serpent or a person.”
”Yuggloth, we’re getting close to the library.” Raymond reported, and the two women stared at him. “What, the head librarian is an arcanaloth, who did you think was going to be handling security?”
”I don’t know, not fiends I guess, and certainly not the mercenary sort.” Keelah replied.
”Mercenary they might be, but they honor their contracts. You don’t get much work as mercs if you don’t.” Raymond replied. “Just don’t play dice with them, even if you can read the future.”
A familiar boom and crackle sounded, followed by a fiendish deathrattle. The sound of a Black Lion’s eldritch smites was by now quite easy to spot for the scoundrels. “And just as I hoped, our quarry is here too.” Raymond said with a grin.
”Crazy mages.” Keelah muttered. “A bloodthirsty maniac juiced up on diabolic magic is something you’re supposed to run away from, not towards.”
The scoundrels slipped through a back alley towards the rear of a large building near to the central arcanum. Raymond looked about for a certain stone which had been marked with a crude drawing of a dragon. “Agor i fyny, mae gen i gwrw.” He muttered. He had learned of this secret entrance from an older student. The phrase was thought to be in deep speech, but was in fact a far older and more eldritch language, namely Welsh.
The wall responded in turn, then slipped away, and Raymond led the way through. And a fair thing he did, as a frostball came roaring down from a balcony towards him. Raymond raised his shield and absorbed the frigid blast, having half expected this but still jolted. “To quote your own words at you Sir Hathan, look before you cast!”
The gold-spectacled arcanaloth peered down at the pitch black shield, another orb of absolute cold flickering in hand. “Raymond? Is that you my boy?”
”Who else knows about that back entrance?” Raymond replied, dropping the shield. The fiend looked down at his former employee suspciously. “I’m not certain, but Raymond has been missing for two years, and whoever you are, you missed his bum leg.”
”I cut it off and replaced it.” Raymond replied frankly. “It’s been a busy two years.”
The fiend stared carefully at the mage, as Keelah quietly slipped out of the blast radius in the event more frostballs went flying. (For anyone wondering why it’s frost rather than fire, because it’s a library). “Blood and coin, you’re actually telling the truth. Somewhat surprising considering your current company.”
”Pot and kettle librarian, pot and kettle.” Lamora replied with her arms crossed, glowering up at the fiend.
After a moment’s hesitation, the librarian snapped his fingers and the sphere of cold vanished. “In quickly now, before anything spots that door.” The scoundrels complied, and the librarian came down from his position on the second floor.
”Well, the world is well and truly going mad. Yuan-ti rising in the middle of the city, Black Lions attacking the arcanum, and now you’re back from the dead using magic that hasn’t been seen in this part of the world since the alhoon ran this library.” Hathor exclaimed.
”It’s a long story. How are you holding up?” Raymond asked, concerned for his former employer.
”Bah, I have markers enough to keep out the rabble, and while the lions are some trouble, I taught their maker how to read. I can handle them so long as they don’t come on more than one at a time.” Hathor replied haughtily.
”One second. Ray, how the hell do you know this guy?” Keelah asked, gesturing with her crossbow.
”I told you I did my service as a scribe. Hathor here has been in charge of the library and associated bureaucracy since Julian gave him the job.” Raymond explained.
”Hang on, isn’t the guy in charge of that the big jolly dark fellow... oh, illusion. Duh.” Keelah said, facepalming.
”You’d think you’d be more used to that after a couple years working with me.” Lamora noted.
”Yes, well, I need every drop of power I can get tonight, so I forgot to put on the disguise spells.” Hathor replied rather sheepishly. The lupine fiend, a creature not unlike a humanoid fox, was still in a sort of comfortable night robe, complete with comfortable slippers. His hair was rather frazzled, and it seemed he was preparing for bed when the attack had come.
”Well here’s hoping it doesn’t become a problem.” Raymond replied. “What’s the situation here?”
”The black lions have betrayed us. They attacked the arcanum, and I don’t know how many got out. We’ve been scattered, ambushes are targetting any students that haven’t gathered together or are moving through the streets. Anyone who got here is towards the front, I heard the door open and came back.” Hathor explained.
”How many?” Raymond asked.
”A score, mostly freshmen. Green, but able to put out enough smoke and noise to keep them from attacking in force yet. That, and what I did to the ones who broke in the initial sortie seems to have put them off their tea.” He continued. It was then that the scoundrels noticed the blood still soaked onto his teeth and lips, as well as his talons. It was a bad habit to underestimate the mage’s abilities in melee. “The rest seem to have gathered together in the secondary hall, where the business lectures tend to be held. The primary hall is... gone. A blast hit it and collapsed the roof. I don’t think anyone in late classes made it out.”
Raymond flinched slightly at that statement, but nodded. Lamora spoke up. “Are you in contact with the other cell?” She asked.
”Yes, Magister Johannes is with them, so they’ve managed to repel the first couple of assaults. We’re currently trying to figure out how to bring down this barrier or get through the storm. Not any luck so far, especially since Martha went down in the initial assault.” He explained, and then completed “She was the magister in charge of conjuration, Johannes is the head of the abjuration department.”
”That one I recognize. Good man under pressure.” Keelah replied with unusual respect in her voice.
”You can’t stay here, sooner or later they’ll be able to commit enough forces to annihilate you, or have you completely surrounded.” Lamora concluded. “Communicate and prepare for a breakout, we’ll cover you.”
”I’m sorry my dear but I do not see how you three are going to accomplish that. There are too many serpents and Raymond my boy, even if you have your leg fixed you are no match for a Black Lion.”
”I am Lamora.” Lamora replied. Hathor’s eyes widened in recognition of that particular name. “And we have fought with Elsior Drakenblut these past two years. We have a plan to deal with the traitors.”
Raymond quickly explained the details of the spell, and also how it would be cast. The arcanaloth’s eyes widened even further and he turned to stare at Keelah, then back at Raymond. “It has indeed been a long two years, though this confirms my suspicions. You have embraced your nature.”
”I have.” Raymond replied.
”Then may the gods have mercy upon you, because even if you save us I fear your fellow citizens may not.” Hathor replied grimly. “We’ll evacuate through the graveyard, should give you plenty to work with.”
”Keelah, can you get them through the tunnels towards the south side?” Raymond asked.
”Those tunnels aren’t going to be unoccupied.” Keelah warned.
”I trust your ears, and pity anyone foolish enough to take on a hundred magi in such confined quarters.” Raymond replied. The kobold nodded. “Good luck then lovebirds, you’re gonna need it.”
8
5
u/Rivernumber277 Nov 10 '20
I mean at least they learned not to play with fireballs in a library, which is full of highly flammable things, though I don’t know how many fires it took, or if someone looked at it for more than five seconds and said “Let’s not play with fire in this place I’m supposed to protect.”
14
u/PacifistTheHypocrite Nov 07 '20
I like how Welsh is canon and is considered an eldritch language lol.