Open Chronicles From the Slums

[Kolvar Vayra]

Kolvar wasn't even close to being "the might." He was frail. Fragile. And the sight of him struggling to get back on his feet must have been one full of humour.

He shot a hand up to cling onto the side of the bed and pull himself up, letting one foot hold all his weight before propping himself up onto the other. Still holding onto the bed, he let himself stabilize, this time making sure the blackness in the side of his vision had left him completely.

"I'll be fine," he told the man. Kolvar was confused over the man's worry toward him.

He wondered why it was the man was still in front of him. He wondered where he was exactly. There was obviously more than one person in the shack, but Kolvar's mind was still spinning and trying to think only made him feel sick. So instead, he asked.

"Where is it that you've taken me?"

 

[Naghi]

"Safe house outside of Vel Anir." He wasn't about to disclose exactly where.

He wasn't an idiot.

"You cost me quite a bit of money." He told the other man, a frown flickering on his feature for a brief moment before he let it slowly fade away. "Those swords would have made a pretty penny with some rebels outside of Alliria."

Men and woman who were fighting the Merchant Council. Some might have called them bandits, but Kellen knew that they were too idealistic for real bandit work.

They refused to attack farms, small towns, really anyone that couldn't spare a few bit of supplies. "I'm going to need you to make up for that."

Kellen said with a smile.

 

[Kolvar Vayra]

“Make up for that?” Kolvar laughed, “I refuse to help you with your underground activities and if you can’t tell I’m in no position to be doing anything right now.”

Kolvar hurt. His whole body ached. All he longed to do was go back to sleep and forget about everything that had happened to him. His chilhood. His military career. The useless man in front of him.

He wanted it all to end.

“What the hell did you even do to me?”

He decided he didn’t like this man. No matter how much they had in common, he wanted to get away from him. He didn’t want him to figure out who he really was. He had come close enough already.

Instead he wanted to be back at that inn. The one where he grew up. He wanted to see his mother. He wanted to finally meet his father.

Kolvar just wanted to be young and fearless. For now all he could call himself was a coward.

 

[Naghi]

Kellen seemed to gloss over the first response, deciding to address that later.

"I'm not sure." He said in all honesty.

There were some who had tried to explain his gift to him in the past, but the truth was none of them had known the whole of it. Kellen had never blamed them for that, he himself did not truly understand it. He wanted to, but doing...tests was almost as dangerous as playing with firebricks.

"You are a mage, yes?" He mused. "Of sorts anyway."

That much he could tell. "Shouldn't the Dreadlords have scooped you up?"

The Mages Order of Vel Anir. Their name reflected the emotion they instilled within their enemies. Unlike Elbion or Alliria, mages in Vel Anir were trained for one thing and one thing alone; war. The men and women who became Dreadlords were pressed into service, trained in using their magical gifts to kill as quickly and as effectively as they could.

Terrifying, every single one of them.

 

[Kolvar Vayra]

Kolvar couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

"The Dreadlords?" he started, "The Dreadlord would take one look at me and laugh."

His magic was weak. As much as Kolvar hated to admit it, his practice was making slow progress. His greatest feat was the one he made last night and it took such an extensive toll on his body that he could barely stand the next morning. Any normal mage would have been able to do it fine.

"I am hardly a mage."

He let his mind wander to the hand that balanced him on the bed. It gripped at the wooden bedpost and his nails began to scrape away at the detailing. Did he really want to continue his life in the military? He had to if he wanted to survive. If he wanted to make enough money to formulate a plan and get his sorry ass out of this dreadful city. So he continued to contemplate.

"On second thought," he smiled, "What is it that you need me to do?"

 

[Naghi]

"That's the spirit." Kellen said with a smirk.

Apparently this boy thought himself too weak for the Dreadlords. Odd, considering what he'd been able to do. Then again, Kellen knew very little about actual magic. He knew about his own power, what it let him do, but when it came to Sorcerers and the like he was near clueless.

Probably a failing. "Due to my...friend."

He began.

"I'm aware that the Anirian Guard stashes weapons all over the city." A practice done in case the great Bastion ever fell under siege. Most of the armories were hidden, disguised as everything from butcher shops to tailors. "I need access to one of them."

No one made weapons quite like Vel Anir after all.

 

[Kolvar Vayra]

"Why not just pick up the swords from the alley," Kolvar forced his fingers away from the bedpost and stood up straight, "I'm sure they're still there."

He was beginning to feel slightly better. The heavy weight pushing down on his chest started to lighten and while every muscles in his body still ached, he didn't feel as stiff as he did a few minutes ago.

"That is, unless you are trying to get something more than just a few swords."

Now that his mind was clear and his emotions had started to regather behind his mental wall, Kolvar began to like the man more. He knew they were the same. It would be easy for him to go down the same path this man did. He didn't know if he wanted that or not. He didn't know what it would mean for his goals.

Then he remembered something.

"I don't think I've introduced myself yet," they would be needing to know each other's names if they would be working together, "My name is Kolvar, second lieutenant for the Anirian military."

He held out a hand, "Pleasure to do business with you."

This feeling was odd. Kolvar hated the military, of course, but he'd never felt such a strong urge to betray them. He needed the military to stay alive. Now adrenaline pumped through his veins at the thought of seeing them crumble.

 

[Naghi]

He smiled for a moment. "Kellen, Smuggler."

That was what most knew him as. They had no insight to his actual designs, what he wanted, what he intended. Not that they needed to, not until he was ready.

"The swords were just the first part of the arrangement." He explained. "They were to be used in another part of the plan."

A plan that would now go smoother if he had actual access to the armory. "As I'm sure you're aware there's many people out in the countryside who aren't exactly...pleased with the Great Houses."

Putting it lightly.

"These people are of stout heart, but hardly armed." Kellen further explained. "The weapons in the armory will go to them."

For a hefty price.

 

[Kolvar Vayra]

"What?"

This man was insane.

"You want to arm to people of Vel Anir? Are you crazy?"

There was no way in hell Kolvar would get away with assisting a revolution. There would be bloodshed, betrayal, anger. Kolvar wasn't even sure which side would come out victorious.

"Every single person who lives in this damned city is mad. You really want to start a war? In Vel Anir?"

Shifting back and forth, Kolvar couldn't help but pace around the room to think. He rubbed at his ears. They were still sore where the pins were tugging at the tips. He considered for a moments taking them out. For a moment. The man probably wouldn't care much. If anything it would work in his favor.

Kolvar eventually gave up thinking. His head hurt too much. Rolling his head to work out the kinks in his shoulders he sighed, "Well, where do you need me to go first?"

 

[Naghi]

"I don't want to arm them." He told Kolvar. "They want to arm themselves."

Kellen wasn't in the business of starting revolutions, just facilitating them.

It was a thin line...one that truth be told he never had really stuck to in the first place. Suze would have pointed that out to him, the fact that more often than not Kellen would want to wave the banner rather than just stand behind it as some sort of quiet little sycophant.

He frowned a moment, then went on. "I just need you to open the door to one of the armories."

Kellen explained.

"Make sure there's no Dreadlord's lurking around." His expression changed for a moment. "Then I'll take care of the rest."

In theory.

 

[Kolvar Vayra]

There were plenty of hidden armories that the Vel Anir military thought were so cleverly hidden they didn't need to protect them. While they were cleverly hidden, Vel Anir enver considered traitors. If one was caught betraying the military, the punishment was certainly death.

The very thought sent a shiver down Kolvar's spine. He didn't know why he was doing this if would only lead to inevitable death.

He could run away.

It would be a cowardly move, but he would be out of the city. In fact, he could just run away from everything right now. Twist around Kellen and improvise his way out of the shack. Run until his feet hurt.

No. He couldn't do that until he'd made his mark on the city that took his childhood from him, that tainted his past.

"RIght. I can get you there."

Kolvar went to retrieve his belongings, slipping his sword around his waist.

"Follow me."

 

[Naghi]

Kellen nodded in response, though his hand flickered through a range of motion for half a second.

It was thieves cant, a language developed by robbers, smugglers, and obviously thieves in order to communicate with one another quietly. Kellen was motioning to one of the other men in the safehouse, telling them to follow at a safe distance just in case.

He was heartened by Kovlar's change in opinion, but one couldn't be too careful.

Especially in Vel Anir. "Lead the way."

Kellen told the man, not taking visible weapon with him. The Underlord knew that he was no match for any soldier of Vel Anir in an actual fight. All he could hope was that a Dreadlord wandered close enough for him to leech their magic.

Desperate really, but all he had to match.

 

[Kolvar Vayra]

Kolvar took turn after turn after turn until the streets of Vel Anir would seem like a maze to anyone not familiar with the path. He avoided the alleys. He knew they would be quicker, but he didn't trust the man following him not to stab him in the back. It was better if there people around the stop him from doing so, if that was still his intention.

He took a flight of stairs down to a dark street, barely lit by lanterns and covered with a canopy of bridges. They were in the slums. It was a depressing sight, the minorities that littered the streets, hobbling with their diseased bodies and crowding around any sight of hope. Kolvar was more terrified of living in the slums than he was while living in the alley.

Nothing good could ever come from down here.

Taking a right turn at an abandoned bookstore, he found himself in a narrow path. There was a door at the end of it that led to an underground armory. It was small, but unprotected. Kolvar was sure there were many soldiers who didn't even know it existed.

"Through here," he said, motioning to the door when he reached it.

The tunnel was humid and Kolvar felt sick being trapped in it. Eventually, it took them to the armory. It was a small room with a dirt floor, but no one was there, as he expected. Rows of swords and axes lined the walls, glinting dimly in the darkness.

"Take whatever you need," he told Kellen, "I doubt anyone will notice it's even gone."

 

[Naghi]

Kellen let out a whistle, and so did two of the men he'd brought with him.

"They don't spare any expense, do they?" He mused for a moment, perusing the wares of the armory with the trained eye of a killer.

Vel Anir made good stuff, quality only failing that of the elves and dwarves themselves. He supposed it was because of their culture. Fighting wars for the last thousand years or so would make damn sure you knew how to make weapons. Good ones at that.

"Gather it up." He ordered his men. "Take everything you can."

It would make a dent, though it would hardly be enough.

His gaze swept over the swords, then landed on Kolvar. "You'll likely want to get out of the city after this."

It was half a question, half a statement.

 

[Kolvar Vayra]

Kolvar stared at the man.

Get out of the city? Of course he wanted to get out of the city. He just didn't know if he could. He didn't know if he had the chance. One slightly wrong step and his head would be paraded on a spike. Kolvar knew how to stay hidden. He was an expert at that, but running away? He didn't know if he knew how to without getting caught.

He'd never successfully escaped anything.

"I'm not sure I'll be able to just waltz out of here," he chuckled, trying to seem as though he wasn't deep in thought, questioning every aspect of leaving Vel Anir.

"Once you're done here, I can give you the locations of the other hidden armories," Kolvar said, "And I'm sorry if there is any trouble getting to them."

He was beginning to feel claustrophobic in the small chamber.

He shivered, "I'll listen for the sounds of manslaughter to know you've achieved your goal."

 

[Naghi]

Kellen chuckled. "Slaughter isn't my style."

Not when he didn't have to anyway. Plus, he knew that any action which raised a ruckus would mean the law would come down hard on them. The objective here was stealth, getting in and out of Vel Anir without making too much work.

Of course what would be done once the weapons were distributed would be another story, but Kellen wasn't considering that just yet.

"I can help you." Kellen offered. "Leave, disappear."

A fair trade for what he'd been given. "This city is a fortress, but it's not impenetrable."

Hell, Kellen was pretty sure he could sneak into the palace itself if he really tried. Vel Anir held enough corruption and political infighting that the right amount of bribes and idealistic talk could get you pretty much anywhere you wanted to go.

At least that's what he'd been told.

 

[Kolvar Vayra]

Kellen continued to tempt him. He had unfinished business in Vel Anir. He wanted to see it carried out. Part of him just really wanted to see Vel Anir crumble from a civil war.

"I-," he began, his thoughts jumbling together to the point that they were no longer coherent, "I want nothing more than to get out of the city."

The smell of the rats in the alley never left him after all these years. The touch of the rats in the alley were marked in his skin. The way they looked at him was burned in his memory. No matter where Kolvar went, he would always carry the rats from the alley with him, but escaping meant he wouldn't fear that they were around every corner anymore.

Escape meant that he would no longer sleep with his eyes open or fear death if anyone were to find out he wasn't entirely human.

Kolvar knew he should have put more thought into his decisions; they always led him to bad places.

"I'll accept your help."

 

[Naghi]

"Excellent." Kellen remarked with a smile. Peering at the other man for a few seconds as he mused on just what to do.

All around them the men that he had brought with him were practically unloading the armory, taking every sword and bow that wasn't nailed down. They did quick work, and it seemed while Kolvar and he were talking they practically emptied the entire armory of it's contents.

The Smuggler smiled, clasping the other mans shoulders.

"Where would you like to go?" He asked. "Elbion? Alliria, The Falwood?"

He spoke quickly, his voice tempting. "I can make sure you have enough money to survive for a shortwhile wherever you choose. Or..."

Kellen trailed off for a moment.

This was a moment of truth. "Or you can join me."

 

[Kolvar Vayra]

"Join... you," Kolvar thought on it.

Join him? He still didn't know if he could trust Kellen. Yet the thought of joining him was intriguing. For once in his life, maybe Kolvar could find a place he belonged. He could be with people he would know how to work with. Misfits. Outcasts.

Or he could be joining a group of people that would force him to do things he didn't want. And then he would be trapped in a cycle. He would escape one place only to find himself back where he started.

"If I were to join you," he started, standing a bit straighter, "what would that mean? What would you have me do?"

Curiosity swirled in his probably concussed head. Joining Kellen meant he would get to leave. That was at least a start. If he needed to improvise his way out, then so be it.

 

[Naghi]

"Right now?" Kellen said, frowning for a moment. "Right now I'm just a criminal, a smuggler."

He wasn't going to lie.

His gang of miscreants wasn't much more than a bunch of outlaws right now. They stole what they could, bought illegal goods and sold them, wasn't much more to it than that. For now at least.

Yet he wanted something else. Something more. "But..."

Kellen began. "I don't plan to be a criminal forever. I don't plan to run around hiding from the guard for the rest of my life."

"I want to push back."[/color" He told Kolvar. "I want to show the rich merchants, nobles, that we won't be stood on for much longer."

There they were again, those cryptic words of revolution. Kellen knew what he wanted, he knew how to build it, but it would take time.

 

[Kolvar Vayra]

Seeing the streets of Vel Anir crumble would be a glorious sight. In that moment, Kolvar lost his sense of morality. He was just given an opportunity to tear apart the people who belittled him. Who continue to belittle him. Kolvar wanted so much for them to look him in the eyes as he killed them, only to see that he was killed by their very enemy: an elf.

He wanted to see how all the wrongdoing the military had forced him into doing would bite them in the ass. Kolvar was one of the people who was crushed by the rich people of the city. Even if the military gave a comfortable bed, it didn't lessen his anxieties or fears.

"I'll join you," he said, "As long as I get to see my sword through the general's throat."

Kolvar wasn't sure where this anger was coming from. He'd survived for a century in the city, but now he was breaking. The walls he'd put up were threatening to break once more. This time, it wasn't water that was pushing to break free, it was fire.

His chest tightened and his throat burned. He wanted to see his enemies suffer. He wanted to see them pay for what they'd done to him. He wanted to see the city burn.

"I'll take you to the next armory."

As he led Kellen from the room, his fingers curled over the hilt of his sword, tightening into a fist. He would get his revenge.

 

[Naghi]

Kellen considered for a moment, lingering in the room and glancing after Kolvar.

One of the other men stopped besides him for a moment, leaning in and whispering something in his ear. The Underlord lingered a second longer, then nodded slowly before he followed Kolvar out the door.

"The General." Kellen began as they walked at a brisk pace.

The others would deliver what they had taken from the armory back to the safehouse, another group of rebels would be sent out soon after to meet up with Kellen. It would be done quietly, by relay so that everyone stayed hidden and secret. No one being lost or left behind.

That was how this worked. "Whats his name?"

 

[Kolvar Vayra]

Kolvar stopped at the door.

"Heinrich Rakhom," he replied, "He lives near House Luana."

The General was a wretched man. Kolvar had seen many executions in the short amount of time he'd been with the military. Every single time Rakhom would smile as the head would roll past his feet or the body would swing lifelessly. Every time Kolvar wanted to vomit while Rakhom would chuckle.

He thought killing those in opposition of the city was justice. He thought it was vengeance. Kolvar thought it was cruel and chaotic. Yet the city functioned well under such traditions. The square would fill with nobles cheering for the death of their neighbors. Kolvar had seen non-humans executed solely for existing. He'd come close to being exposed too many times. When the only friend he ever knew saw him taking out the pins and when he'd been nearly killed in a massacre in the streets not too long ago. When soldiers nearly saw him helping an orc child escape the city. When he cried after the General slapped elf ears down onto his desk in triumph.

The General had always suspected him of being villainous. Kolvar wanted nothing more than to see his face after knowing the truth right before he killed him. It was a glorious dream.

"I can lead you to him, if you wish."

 

[Naghi]

"No." That would be foolish.

Killing a General in the middle of his own city was asking for trouble. There was a better way of doing such things. A way that didn't end up with both of them being dead.

"What are his duties?" Kellen probed further. "Prisoners? Running the Armories? The Guards?"

He knew the Generals of Vel Anir tended to do different things depending on which House they served. It was an odd and rather complicated system. "I can promise you his head."

Kellen told Kolvar.

"But it can't be inside the city." They had to do better than that. "We have to lure him out."

 

[Kolvar Vayra]

Lure him out? Kolvar supposed it couldn't be helped. How to do so was the question and it was one that required time and planning. The elf attempted to clear his mind of his sudden anger to think of a plan, but his mind was reluctant to clear itself of its rage.

Kolvar had never been outside the city. He's sure he could figure a way to get past the walls. There had to be a tunnel of some sorts that led outside. He'd never seen any tunnels, but if Vel Anir could hide armories underground, then it could hide escape routes.

He was sure he'd overheard discussion of stealth routes for military purposes. They could leave that way. And they could use bait.

Kolvar turned to face his comrade, "I'm almost certain that there is some sort of tunnel system leading outside the city. There has to be. We can use them to leave without being noticed."

Now that he was formulating a plan, Kovlar felt stupid for never considering the idea of tunnels, "As for luring the General out, he has a daughter, I believe her name is Lydia. He cares for nothing more in this world than her. We could kidnap her and leave a note for Rakhom with a location."

It was a cruel idea. Kolvar had met Lydia a few times and she seemed like a sweet girl. She was no more than seventeen and treated him as if he was human. Then again, she didn't know he wasn't.

"He would definitely come after her."