Sorcerer's Shadow

"I like it, boss."

"Alright. I'll stick with it. Naming a piece of chain strikes me as a bit silly."

"Let's get moving, then," Drevolan suggested.

I agreed, rewrapped SpellFoe around my wrist, and rose. We moved towards the falls, the sound of our voices once again muffled by the cascading water. As we approached, I noticed a pedestal near the edge, adorned with an engraved Lurivox. Drevolan fastened one end of his rope around the pedestal, which some might find distasteful, I wasn't sure.

The rope was slender yet extended a great length. He hurled the other end over the cliff. My mouth felt dry as I asked, "Is the rope sturdy enough?"

"Yes."

"Alright."

"I'll descend first," Drevolan offered.

"Good. You go down and keep them at bay while I set up the ballista."

He turned his back to the falls, gripped the rope tightly, and began his descent. I had a fleeting urge to sever the rope and flee, but instead, I held onto the rope, preparing for my own descent. I turned and hollered over the thundering waterfalls, "Any last-minute advice on this, Drevolan?"

His reply was faint, but I'm fairly certain he said, "Be careful, it's slippery here."

* * * *

I left my remuneration for the job at my flat and strolled towards Fedya's. On my way, I pondered what my approach would be. Initially, I considered locating him there, waiting for him to exit, and carrying out the task. In hindsight, this wouldn't have been a terrible strategy, as the chaos caused by death often leaves observers disoriented about the perpetrators. But my worry was that, as a Terran, I'd stand out in the crowd, which would inevitably draw his attention—an unfavorable situation. Upon my arrival, I hadn't yet decided on my approach, so I positioned myself within the shadows of a nearby building, contemplating.

Two hours later, I was still bereft of a concrete plan when I observed him leave with another Imperion, both donned in Vorgan attire. Almost instinctively, I tapped into my link with the Imperial Orb and registered the time. Allowing them a block's head start, I trailed them to a building which I assumed was the friend's residence.

My target.

The words seemed to reverberate within my mind.

Shaking off the eerie feeling, I noticed that Lynn and his friend seemed to part ways. The friend ascended the stairs, leaving Lynn alone on the street. This could be a fortunate turn of events for me, as now Lynn would have to journey back to his dwelling alone, giving me ample opportunity to approach from behind and eliminate him.

I absentmindedly fingered the dagger adjacent to my rapier. Suddenly, Lynn appeared to hesitate before becoming transparent and disappearing.

Naturally, he had teleported. That was incredibly discourteous.

Teleports can be tracked, but my magical skills fell short. Hire someone else? Who? The Left Hand of the Vorgan had capable sorcerers, but their fees were steep, and Liora's cautionary words about them still lingered in my mind. Additionally, this would mean another instance of standing out in wait for him, since no wizard could work with a trail so stale.

I concluded that cursing was an appropriate response, and I silently did so. I had hoped to complete the task today, a naive thought in hindsight. However, I felt as though the money wasn't truly mine until the job was done, and I could certainly use the money. I could move to a more comfortable flat, I could afford fencing lessons from a Terran master, magic lessons from an Imperion, which were always pricey, and—

No, not now. Now was the time to think about how to earn it, not how to spend it. I returned to my flat to ponder on the issue.

* * * *

Next time I find myself climbing down from a location using a rope, I hope to ensure it's a dry place. Ideally, I would also like a clear view of the bottom.

Upon reflection, I would rather avoid the situation altogether.

I won't venture a guess at how long the descent was. I suspect it varied for Drevolan and myself, a notion I'd rather not explore. I confess to a curiosity about what might have happened had we marked the rope, but we hadn't.

The descent was no joyride. The damp rope made me prone to slipping, and I feared I'd tumble onto Drevolan, causing both of us to plummet. Initially, my hands tingled from the strain of holding onto the rope, then they throbbed, and finally they went numb—a sensation that frightened me. Next, my arms began to tire. The hits and scrapes my body and legs took from brushing against the rocky face don't even deserve a mention. I managed to protect my head from severe bumps, which I thought was quite an achievement.

Well, let's just say I endured the ordeal.

The problem was, it was challenging to ascertain where the base was, as my first point of contact was a slick, angled, massive rock slab. Hence, my descent continued.

The subsequent part was somewhat easier, and soon I found myself submerged in water, with Drevolan beside me. The water was incredibly cold. My teeth chattered, and so did Drevolan's, but the cold was too intense to feel any satisfaction about that. Opal climbed onto my shoulder in annoyance. Every bit of me was drenched, the noise was still overwhelming, and my hands were throbbing from gripping the rope.

I yelled into Drevolan's ear, "What's our next move?"

He indicated a direction with his head and we began swimming. It was challenging to let go of the rope that had been my lifeline, but I did, and started paddling after him. Opal flew right above my head. The mist caused by the waterfall obstructed my visibility beyond a few feet. Despite the strong current, it somehow kept Drevolan and me together, so I never lost sight of him.

My focus on battling the current and keeping up with Drevolan prevented me from panicking as I should have. It wasn't long before I felt the riverbed under my feet, and then we were hauling ourselves onto the bank, collapsing side by side.

I don't think I'll ever witness so many cadavers at once again, nor do I want to. Each was in a distinct and fascinating stage of decomposition. I'll spare you the gruesome details. I've seen dead bodies before, but the sheer quantity and variety here didn't make them any less disturbing.