The cool night air seeped away as the twilight sky gave way to the approaching warmth of dawn. Perched on a roof, Rickard watched the horizon as the sun broke over the dunes.
He contemplated Balzarsa's desert landscape, recalling the history books he had read about this land.
Once, the dunes were green and fertile hills, ruled by a kingdom called Balasa.
They built great wells that tapped into the land's mana. Enabling them to create magical marvels, be it weapons, armour or wonderous machines.
Their access to vast amounts of mana also caused many gifted mages to be born. The kingdom's understanding of magic and their education of potential mages, no realm could compare, until the war with the Eastern Tri Caliphate of Sahareli.
On the eastern continent called Sahareli, was where the eruption of mana first flowed in the explosive event called the Mana Storm. Mana poured across the continent and spread around the world, causing a rare few to be born with the talent to harness it.
Sahareli were the first to understand and control these new powers, while the rest of the world feared and persecuted anyone with the talent. They founded colleges to study magic, creating spells and rituals, delving even deeper into its mysteries.
But divisions over the ethical use of their powers polarised the Sahareli mages.
Experiments on slaves and prisoners, the creation of monsters, necromancy, forcefully harvesting the mana from the lands, causing desertification, and the abolition of the Celvaric faith in favour of Divanic, pushed the concerned mages to act.
The moralist group of mages and Celvaric priests fled westward across the seas and founded Balasa. Over the centuries, they built a powerful realm of their own and set out to teach others their arcane knowledge.
The Sahareli's were furious that their arcane secrets had been given away, losing their advantage over other realms. Over the centuries, the two realms skirmished, using their magic and technology, but eventually the Sahareli had the upper hand.
The invading Sahareli, led by three powerful saltan sorcerers, unleashed their devastating wizardry on Balasa, stripping the land of its mana and leaving it barren, causing a famine. Necromancy turned Balasa's dead against them and unleashed their monstrous creations to assail them.
Balasa had built powerful defences and well-equipped troops, but could not stop the sultan's unrestrained use of magic that obliterated them.
The Sahareli sultans spared no one; Once the defenders were slain, they ordered the kingdom razed to the ground, along with its inhabitants. The bones of that civilisation still exist, dotted around Balzarsa's desert. But the Sahareli Sultans were not satiated. Confident in their mastery of magic, the sultans looked to other realms. Conquering most of the realms and destroying those who did not submit.
But they overreached as they attempted to conquer three realms at the same time, Xindil, Nisakahon and Naht-Seko. It was at Naht Seko by the combined armies of Taurosi and Salixia that the sultans were killed and brought an end to the Sahareli Tri Calphate.
After a few centuries, the mana returned to Balasa, but never regained what it once was, nor did the land become fertile again.
All of Balasa's arcane knowledge was lost, and nothing but the gold dunes that towered over the horizon remained.
Rickard hoped the group's excursion to the tomb would yield fresh leads, a rediscovery of that knowledge, but the rooks' immolation of the tomb site may have dashed his hopes.
However, the artefact they recovered was older than the tomb, older than Balasa. Rickard wondered how it came to be there.
Was it put there by the vampire to lure victims? Or were they the guards of that artefact?
A question he would have to ask the client, or rather, his handler.
Below him, he saw the people of Balzarsa leaving their homes early; mostly, they were burly dock workers heading for the eastern port, hauling goods from the eastern lands of Sahareli.
Women heading to wash houses with their linen or heading to market square with their children tagging along beside them. The children ran about carefree to the displeasure of their mother, who swore at them to stay close.
He had left the group early to scout around to make sure no one else was waiting for them. He didn't see anyone from the rooftops or waiting in ambush in the alleys. Perhaps the bodies he had left caused them to back off? He doubted it until they were far away from Balzarsa. But the "why" and "who" sent them still nagged at him.
Looking towards the city centre, he could see the blue dome of the Balzarsa Celvaric temple, which was a fair distance away. His contact was there, along with Makkito. He thought of going to wish her farewell before departing Balzarsa.
Rickard was also a bit curious about her travelling companions, the two Nisaka warriors. He would like to gauge their measure. No, mostly he wanted to make sure they could be trusted with her. Although the story of their journey together was encouraging, he had to make sure.
Satisfied that there is no immediate danger, Rickard began to make his way down.
"Hmm, interesting design." Rook looked at the market square fountain, particularly the seraphim statues.
Mampai and Ordin were busy filling up water skins and placing them in their packs. While there were other water sources outside of Balzarsa, the water from this fountain was imbued with mana and guaranteed to be safe to drink.
Annabella sat on the rim of the fountain next to Ordin, running her fingers in the water.
"I'd prefer it were wine", said Ordin.
"The wine would kill you in the desert heat, silly." She pointed a finger at his snout, "Don't think about taking any booze with you until we arrive at a more temperate place."
"Hah, fine, my little sand dancer" Ordin cupped her chin and kissed her, making her coo.
Flunging his pack over his shoulder, Ordin walked towards the travel cart. As he passed Rook, he nudged him hard in the back, causing his flask to fall out. Clanked and bounced towards Annabella's feet. Rook gave Ordin a hateful look "What the fuck?" Rook said, scrabbling for his flask, checking if the fall scuffed it.
"No Booze Cat!" Ordin replied,
"I-It's not!" He rubbed his fingers over the ornate silver craft of the flask.
"Rook? Is there booze in your magic flask?" Annabella softly said, "No… well, I dont th-"
"Please empty it, friend, even if its magic chills its contents, it will not parch your thirst. Trust me."
Rook sighed. Undoing the top, he slowly tipped the contents of his flask into the glowing water, the bright red wine diluting and disappearing.
"That was the best wine from the merchant city", he said, imagining the wine as gold coins melting away to nothing.
Annabella patted him on the bum. "Good kitty, we will booze up once we reach the next civilised town, okay?"
"Yeah," He said as he filled his Flask with water.
"Oh, be a dear and carry my pack to the cart?" Annabella pointed with her slender vulpine foot. Rook looked over her well-toned and shapely leg, which began to arouse him.
He quickly snapped out of his stare and hastily picked up the pack "Oh, course!"
He turned to walk away but asked, "You're not planning to walk all the way barefoot, are you?"
"Hah, of course not, I'll be riding in the cart", she smiled "Don't worry, Rook, I'm not new to travelling away from home, it's how I met Ordin"
"Really? I first met you frozen half to death, shivering next to a campfire," Ordin said
As he gestured Rook to the cart and continued, "Your attire was unsuitable for northern weather, Fancy silk robe over thin revealing clothes with not a scrap of fur to ward off the chill. If I hadn't carried you to safety, you might not have made it"
"And you sold off my lovely silk robe if I remember correctly?"
"I only had coins for one bedroom for myself, and I had to buy warmer clothes for you"
"Those smelly furs you bought, urgh! Smelt like a sweaty boar"
"Haha, kept you warm till I got you back to Balzarsa girl, no?"
A clash of supplies fell out of the cart as Rook panicly picked them up again.
"Hálfviti! What the hell are you doing, cat!" Ordin stormed after Rook, berating him as he did.
"Ordin! Don't hurt him, it's just an accident," she said. She wasn't sure he heard her.
"Mi betta go an mek sure Ordin nuh hurt im" mampai said
"Thanks, friend", Annabella nodded.
She watched as Mampai strode over to Ordin, swiftly stopping him mid-swing to punch Rook. She was tall but fast for her size. She admired the Jall'narian's strength and athletic speed. She had seen her in action a few times, leaping and dodging with aerobatic grace.
Although she wondered how Mampai could move around so quickly with such a huge rack on her. Magic? Magic containers! HAHA! Divas know. She thought as she watched them argue.
"Yu nak 'im outta? Yuh a guh bi picking eh up yuhself! Mi nah guh bi helping yu eff yu duh."
"What? Speak common, damn it!"
"She said, ' You knock me out, you pick it up yourself" said Rook
"Fine! Then pick this shit up, cat!" With that, Ordin walked away cursing. Rook continued to pick up the supplies with Mampai watching over him.
Annabella watched ordin as he kicked a pebble, cursing in his Nordic tongue. Ordin really had a bad temper but never showed it to her; he was always sweet and loving.
Since Rook joined the group, his temper seemed to flare often and was directed towards him. Maybe it's a cat and dog thing. Or maybe she pitied and comforted Rook too much. Jealousy?
Rook was not even half the man that Ordin was; why would he be jealous?
Rook is somewhat cowardly and poor at fighting if he isn't hiding behind a shield; however, he does surprise her with his reliability and never runs when the group is in combat despite his fears. However, he does some strange and impulsive things that get him in trouble more than once.
Sneaking about like a thief, eavesdropping on people, caught him peeking at me and mampai bathing. Wasn't he surprised when I pulled him into the water with a magic hand?
Though Mampai didn't seem to care and was confused why he was skulking about rather than joining them in the pool, guess her homeland, Jall'naria dont have perverts. Maybe they killed them all?
Annabella then noticed where Ordin had stopped. It was the spot where the bodies were left last night. Not a trace of them remains. The blood had been cleaned from the stone-cobbled floor. Perhaps the night watch had found them and had cleared them away, or body snatchers had taken them to unscrupulous clients.
She thought of people who had gone missing overnight, prompting the Celvaric Temple to pressure the city guards to double their night watch and impose a curfew.
Which she broke last night. A cold sliver went up her spine as she realised she could have been a victim.
Is that why she was targeted? They wanted to take her alive; they couldn't be thinking of cutting her up while she was alive-
"Annebella, are you okay? You look stressed" Ordin held her hand "What's wrong?"
"Oh, it's nothing." She gave a little giggle and stroked his hand, assuring him, "Just thinking too deeply over nothing." Annebella realised she had not told them what had happened here last night. Rickard didn't tell them either. Did he?
"All prepared?" Rickard said, who was looking over both of them. He seemed to have appeared from nowhere, which made Ordin jump.
"Icemare's tits! I wish you didn't do that."
"yuh fi open yuh ears, Norse hound", said mampai as she gathered in with rook
"Mi hear seh im a come fram yards aweh"
"Oh, you're here", said Rook ", where are all set to leave Balsarza once we get Annabella's things?"
"Good, escort Annabella to the college and help her"
"And what are you going to do?" asked ordin
"I must visit the temple and contact our client regarding our job". Rickard held up the amulet.
"Also, if Makkito is still there, I'd like to see her before we leave."
"Oh, I'm sure you do", winked Annabella ", give her my warm regards."
"No bada worry, Rickard, mi ago keep har safe," Mampai said
Rickard quickly pointed towards Rook, startled by Rickard's sudden attention to him.
"No messing about this time, Rook. Don't touch anything and don't get distracted, keep your wits about you and stay with her"
"Could we leave this useless, deadbeat at the inn?" Ordin gestured to Rook
"No, He's good at keeping our coin but not so much as his own! He would drink it all away if we let him"
"Good! We will leave him here. What do we need an accountant for in this group? By the Diva's, he can't swing a sword to save his life"
"Hey, I was with the Merchant city guard, you know", Rook said
"And you were thrown in jail and kicked out for leaving your post to go drinking and whoring!" Ordin said, he jabbed his thumb into his chest, "I can look after the coin, we dont need him!"
"He's the only one here who bothers to keep count of the group's expenses; the last time I left you in charge, our funds mysteriously vanished" Rickard gestures with his hands closed, then spreads his fingers out.
"That wasn't my fault! A thief stole our gold! If I had my hands on them-"
Rook interupted, "You kept all the gold on your personal coin pouch, no wonder if got pinched. you could have deposited it into a merchant guild bank in exchange for a writ of credit" he unfurls a note showing a neat writtern and stamped parchment with strange gold runes that glowed around the border of the letter "plus you didnt take account of the gold you spen-"
Ordin lifted Rook by the Collar and growled, "Shut up, cat!"
"Enough! Just look after Annebella! Now get going!"
"You heard him, ducks, let's go!" said Annebella cheerfully as she took Ordin's arm and pulled him close to her.
With that, the group departed, and Rickard headed to the Celvaric temple.