June Teaser 2008: Dispatch

[Keebler]

Dispatch

Adso crested the hill and looked out over the valley. Wary of being spotted from below, he crouched down and made himself part of the scraggly brush covering that topped this hill. Far beneath him, the ruined Empyrean graveyard brooded in its own darkness. Even from this distance, hidden by the valley’s perpetual black fog, he could make out the movements of the many unnatural denizens of the graveyard.

Roving patrols of the tormented dead and packs of huge rats, twisted by their exposure to the unnatural grounds… He knew these enemies well. He’d made numerous scouting expeditions into the heart of this graveyard to seek out an artifact or to track down some long-dead noble that his Master sought news of. He’d gained more than a few scars to show for all his trouble, and he was not looking forward to the next trip. The target of his new search was known to be powerful and unpredictable, and Adso hated dealing with such a degree of uncertainty.

From ten paces behind him came the sound of a rustling branch, too loud to be caused by wind. He spun, blades out and ready to confront an enemy, when Sabithra stepped out of brush cover. He relaxed slightly, but not completely, as she approached with a grin on her face. Though she had risen in Master’s estimation and trust, Adso still didn’t trust her, and wouldn’t put it above her to knife him in the back to smooth her own path to advancement within their small organization.

“At ease, Adso,” Sabithra smirked when she noticed his tension. She raised her hands and wiggled her fingers to show she was not carrying any weapons. “We’re all friends here.”

“You are no friend of mine, acolyte,” Adso muttered. He pointedly did not sheathe his blades. “Your fieldcraft still wants improvement. I heard you coming.”

Sabithra bowed with false modesty. “I am ever willing and eager to receive training from my betters,” she said. “But I got close.” The glint in her eyes showed the delight she took in tweaking his nose this way.

Adso grunted, upset that he’d let himself show his irritation to Sabithra. “Why are you here?”

Sabithra pulled a thin, rolled-up dispatch from her belt, sealed with red wax and a device he knew well. He took it from her without a further word, and read it.

Without being asked, Sabithra began to elaborate. “It seems Master got word that some other players seek an audience with Lord Rytheran. Master wishes for you to suspend your original mission and take me with you to find Rytheran to ensure that we get the item Master seeks, before servants of some other interested party cozen it out of the undead lord.”

Adso grimaced and looked up at her from his letter. “And did he tell you what my mission is?”

Sabithra shrugged. “He told me the details were not important to me, but scuttlebutt among the younger acolytes said that you were off to find the Jester. That you were supposed to… talk to him. Get a story out of him. We wondered what you’d done to get such a… choice assignment.”

“Prying into missions that are not one’s own responsibility will eventually get one killed,” Adso warned, as he finished reading the letter.

“Provided one is an inferior fighter to one’s killers, one supposes,” Sabithra quipped.

Adso ignored that obvious bait and rolled up the letter. Unwilling to burn this letter while he was attempting to maintain some cover, he settled for ripping it into a few small pieces and eating them, chewing each piece thoroughly and methodically.

Sabithra watched with amusement, as if their Master’s very strict security instructions were nothing to her. It didn’t make the letter go down any easier.

Finally, he was ready to set out into the graveyard. He scanned the horizon one last time, then turned back to Sabithra. “Can you control your cockiness long enough for an audience with Rytheran? I promise you he will not suffer your impertinence. If you bungle this mission for us, I’ll send you back to the lifestone myself.”

Sabithra nodded seriously. “You know I am dedicated to the Master’s craft, as dedicated as you are, Adso. I may joke around, but I remember myself when the knives are out.”

That would have to do. He nodded. “Fair enough. Follow me, then…”

He led them by a side path off the hill, and towards the graveyard. He relied on his past knowledge of the site to steer them past the most dangerous concentrations of rats and undead. They moved low and quietly and ducked behind cover as much as they could. They spent half an hour cautiously making their way into the heart of the graveyard, and soon Adso began to feel comfortable with Sabithra as a hunting partner. She was a competent sneak and she had good reflexes and seemed to anticipate his own moves, working in harmony with his leadership.

He was so pleasantly surprised that he allowed himself to get complacent. As they passed one set of ruined stones, she reached out absent-mindedly to touch one stone in particular. He noticed her motion but didn’t think about it… until her fingers left glowing traces on the stone’s smooth surface.

He felt the blood drain out of his face as high-pitched laughter boomed out above and behind them.

“Joy! Someone’s come to help me clear my head!” The sound of jingling bells had never sounded so menacing…