Aldrend, The Serpent Isles - 16th day of the Sardonyx Moon, Year 24 AH
The gates of Aldrend loomed above, high enough that Regis needed to tilt his head back to see the top of the metal bars. The Serpent Isles tended to favor shorter, squatter architecture, but it seemed its capital was more heavily influenced by the designs of the mainland.
The demon’s eyes shifted over to the armored guards standing by the open gates, their faces obscured with gleaming helmets. There stood eight on each side, and there were likely more within the guard posts. From his current position, he could see additional guards spaced out further along the length of the city walls. Regis frowned. Though he certainly wouldn’t consider himself an expert on the Serpent Isles’ guard rotations, the number seemed rather high—directly at odds with the open gates allowing a free flowing of citizens.
Perhaps this was a result of the System, he thought to himself. Aldrend seemed to have maintained its order thus far, if the peaceful streets and lack of ruined buildings were any indication, but it stood to reason that the leaders of the city would take extra precautions to ensure things stayed that way. Doubly so if they’d already heard of places like Canedge.
“Good afternoon,” Regis greeted amicably as he and Hal passed by the guards. None of them gave a response, though he hadn’t expected one. He could feel their gazes assessing them as they passed, but no guards moved to stop them. From the outside, they appeared like two everyday travelers and nothing more. Satisfied, Regis directed his attention ahead as they crossed through and entered the city proper.
Aldrend’s streets were filled with people. Merchant stalls and booths lined the wide, stone-paved road, and the wooden buildings were constructed side by side with precious little space between them. Regis spotted a few pointed ears and unusually tall statures within the mass of people; Aldrend, it seemed, was a bit more diverse in terms of species than the smaller villages they’d encountered thus far. Still, the number of humans far outweighed the few elves, half-elves, and half-giants. Further proof that the otherworlder’s vision of a “united Elaren” had not come to fruition.
Regis continued scanning the streets, noting that there were at least four guards every city block. Compared to the chattering crowd, the guards stood with stiff, straight backs.
“A little overkill, if ya ask me,” Hal muttered, his own gaze sweeping over the guards. “Poor saps look like they’re about to shit themselves.”
“Perhaps, but I can understand the city’s caution. These are rather unusual circumstances.” Regis peered over the heads of the passersby to make out the store signs. There were likely more people on this single street alone than there were in all of Magburg or Canedge, he mused. He found himself enjoying the bustle of the city. The air was alive with a certain rush of life that could only be found in places as densely populated as this.
“Hey, what’s that?”
Regis turned to where Hal was pointing, the angel’s taller height giving him a better view of the area. Further down the street, a crowd had gathered around some sort of cloth-covered contraption set up in the center of the road. A few tables had been laid out beside it with shining wares that he couldn’t distinguish from a distance, and he could see a line had formed beside what appeared to be a thick canvas stretched out like a curtain in front of the device. Regis raised an eyebrow. He didn’t recognize that contraption, nor could he begin to piece together its purpose. Was it a new creation of the past twenty years?
Curious now, Regis stepped closer to the gathering, Hal behind him. Up close, he could see that the tables had small pieces of glass and metal laid out atop their surfaces. A human worker was busy arranging the odd pieces, metal and glass clinking as she moved them into perfect rows.
“Excuse me?”
The worker jumped, nearly dropping the current metal plate she was holding. She quickly set it down before looking up.
“Oh! Sorry, I didn’t see you there, I—“ Her voice halted as her gaze landed on the two. Her eyes flitted between them, simply staring for a moment as if she didn’t know where to look. Regis watched in amusement until the human seemed to catch herself in the act and quickly cleared her throat.
“Sorry, er, how can I help you?”
Regis gestured to the odd device. It was fairly tall, a little shorter than a human, and he could now see that the line of people was waiting to step in front of it. One person, a half-elf based on his ears, moved to the front and stood perfectly still.
“Forgive me for disturbing you, but I was wondering if you could tell me what that is. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen anything like it.”
The woman’s eyes immediately lit up. “Oh, that! It’s a camera!” she exclaimed giddily. She held up one of the metal squares. On closer inspection, an image appeared across its surface, though it did not appear to have been engraved or painted on. Regis wondered if some sort of magic was involved.
The human pointed to the second table, where a few trays and bottles of liquid sat. “It’s all the rage right now, Sir Henry’s a master at the art!” She reached below the table, pulling out a pamphlet and handing it to the demon. “This goes over all the steps. If you want, you can line up to get your photograph taken too!”
Regis immediately scanned the paper. There was no magic involved at all, it turned out, the process instead involving various combinations of liquids that resulted in the images appearing on those metal and glass pieces. He was impressed; the entire thing seemed quite complex.
“Fascinating,” he said. He nodded at the images laid out on the table. “I’m afraid we’re in a bit of a hurry, but would I be able to purchase one of these?” Though he was admittedly curious to see the process done in person, he suspected Hal’s [Beyond Perception] trait may not apply to these “photographs,” if it functioned by altering the viewer’s perception. He’d rather not test if that applied to secondary sources as well.
“Of course!” She stepped aside and gestured to the table. After a quick scan, Regis selected one of the glass images and, after hearing the price, took out the corresponding number of coins to pay.
Once the purchase was done, Regis bid the woman farewell and continued down the road, still studying the glass piece in his hand. He’d liked them more than the metal ones, enjoying the way the image shifted depending on its background. This particular piece depicted a bird surrounded by a few stray feathers.
“So?” Hal asked, attempting to squint at the glass image. Regis handed the pamphlet over to the angel, who quickly read through it. He frowned. “Huh, that’s it? You could do the same thing with magic. That thing’s not even in color.”
Regis chuckled and carefully placed the piece in his bag for safekeeping. “Perhaps, but I find it quite charming.”
Hal didn’t seem convinced, but he shrugged and let the topic go. Instead, the angel peered around the busy street. “Where’re we heading, anyway?” he asked.
“I’d like to purchase a few more supplies while we’re here,” Regis explained. They were very quickly running out of undamaged clothing to wear, and their current attire did not match their falsified backgrounds. “After that, I was planning on visiting the city archives.”
“What for?”
Regis smiled. “A bit of futureproofing, you could say.”
Aldrend’s archives were situated in the center of the city. Here, the buildings grew taller and narrower, stretching upwards towards the sky. Separate smaller paths were paved along the sides of the street, freeing up space on the road for passing carriages.
The archives themselves were located in a solid stone building constructed with wide arches and narrow stained glass arrows. A few guards stood outside the entrances now that the building was closed, but it had been fairly easy to slip inside during the day, when the doors were open, and linger inside until after dark. From there, they’d simply needed to navigate to the room containing the information Regis wanted, and a simple use of [Rot] was enough to break through the locks.
The demon flipped through the current book he was holding. Its cover was old, the pages worn and coated with a layer of dust. His eyes rapidly scanned the words inside before he shut it, set it down, and reached for the next one. Hal sat at a table across the room, lounging back on his chair. They’d been there for at least two hours already.
“This is taking forever,” the angel complained. Regis raised an eyebrow, shutting his current book and reaching for the next one.
“If you’d like it to go faster, you could assist me.”
“I don’t even know what you’re looking for. And I can’t see in the dark.”
Regis paused at that. He glanced up, peering at the angel through the darkness. His wings appeared particularly stark in the thick shadows of the room. “You can’t?”
“Nope.” He pronounced the ‘p’ with a pop. “Stopped being able to a few years back. I guess if you regrow your eyes enough times, eventually they come back in a little fucked up.”
The demon was quiet for a moment, processing the words. “I see,” he finally said. He turned to the next page, cocking his head in thought. “Did the System not provide you with some sort of darkvision trait?”
“Nah.” Hal squinted at Regis. “What, did you get one? Aw, that’s no fair.”
“It’s likely based on species, though I can’t begin to understand how it picks and chooses what traits to assign.” He set the current book down as well and glanced around the room. A thin stream of dim moonlight filtered in through the single narrow window, illuminating the space in a hazy glow. At this point, he’d nearly gone through all the shelves on his side of the room. Once he was done with them, he’d move on to the other half.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“As for what I’m doing,” Regis continued, “I’m searching for noble families that fit a certain set of criteria.” He pulled out another volume from the shelf. “As we gain influence and renown, our backgrounds will likely be scrutinized more heavily. Our current excuse has worked thus far, but I do not want a situation to arise where our identities are compromised simply because we did not put enough forethought into our false backgrounds.”
“Huh. Makes sense, I guess.” Hal cocked his head. “So, what, we’re gonna pretend to be nobles? I thought we were gonna stick with the scholar thing.”
“The two aren’t mutually exclusive, and a noble background will give us access to more spaces in the future.” Regis finished looking through the last book on his side of the room and turned to face Hal. He nodded at the angel, gesturing to the stack of books on the table beside him.
“Could you hand me one of those?”
In response, Hal promptly grabbed the topmost volume—a thick leather-bound book that was nearly the size of his head—and raised it up so that its pages were parallel to Regis. He then opened it and flipped through the pages rapidly, giving the demon just enough time to absorb the information on the pages. Regis paused, taking a moment to mentally sort through his memory of the text.
“Please turn back to page 437.”
Hal raised an eyebrow, but did as asked. The demon stepped closer to study the page in depth. On one side was a family tree with a noble house crest inked in the corner. The adjacent page, on the other hand, contained a few lines of text detailing the history of the family, their manor location, and a few of their accomplishments. Regis tapped the page. “This one,” he said.
Hal leaned closer, squinting to try and make out the text in the dim moonlight. “Sinclair,” he read out loud. “Looks like some minor house.”
The demon nodded. “That’s what makes them ideal.” He moved his finger over to the brief history, painfully sparse compared to some of the other houses listed in the volume. “They held more influence in the past, but fell to ruin as they suffered continuous financial losses. Four years ago, the manor was attacked by bandits and the entire family decimated.”
“Which means no one around to call our bluff,” Hal finished. Regis smiled.
“Precisely.” He tilted his head, studying the noble crest and committing it to memory. “This will be particularly useful once we reach the mainland. The people there likely will not know much about a minor house from the Serpent Isles.” He reached into his bag and pulled out the pen he’d taken from Cyrus’s home. “I doubt they will question the grieving sole survivor and his personal bodyguard.”
Regis carefully pressed the tip of the pen to the page to edit the family tree and history. Hal shot him a grin. “What, am I not good enough to be a noble too? Not even a buddy from the academy or whatever?”
The demon smiled at that. “I simply thought it would match your personality more.”
Hal raised an eyebrow. “Aw, Reg, you calling me dumb?”
“Not at all,” Regis said smoothly. “I would not enjoy speaking with you so often if you were not intelligent. But you seem to enjoy acting more foolish than you are, and this will allow you to maintain that preference.”
A few beats passed as the angel processed the words. Finally, he snorted. “Well, you got me there,” he said.
Regis chuckled and made the last few necessary adjustments to the page. If, in the future, someone did decide to dig deeper into their false identities, they would find records of them here in the capital of the Serpent Isles among other records of noble lineages.
Now that his task was done, Regis glanced outside the window. The sky was dark outside, only a sliver of the moon visible through the narrow gap, but he guessed it was fairly deep into the night. He nodded at Hal. “Would you please help me place these books back? Once we’re done, we can leave.”
“Aye aye,” Hal said with a lazy salute. He rose from the chair, wings fluttering a few times behind him, and moved over to the first stack. Regis had set them down in the same order as they were on the shelves, so it was simply a matter of transferring the books over.
“We heading to that Reginald guy’s place tonight? Or are you gonna test your new official identity and send him a letter or something.”
The demon shook his head as he carefully set the books back. “I did some reading on High Mage Reginald. In addition to being a collector, he seems rather prideful and reportedly enjoys attention a fair bit. I imagine it wouldn’t be difficult to send a letter to him requesting a meeting, but that would leave behind a paper trail.”
“Sooo… breaking in?” Hal’s voice was hopeful, and Regis chuckled at his clear enthusiasm.
“That is indeed an option. His manor likely will not have many guards, though I suspect there will be a number of runes set up that may prove troublesome to deal with.”
The angel glanced over at him. “Well, what else’re we supposed to do then?”
“We’re going to meet him at his manor.”
Hal opened his mouth to interrupt, likely to point out that Regis had just ruled out that option, but the demon continued before he could raise his question.
“We will not need to send any letters,” he explained. He turned to face the angel. “High Mage Reginald need only believe the meeting was scheduled.”
The next morning arrived with little fanfare. During their exit from the archives, [Demonic Senses] had leveled to 2, and Regis could indeed feel that his senses were slightly sharper than before. In the end, it had been nearly as easy to leave the archives as it had been to enter, and they’d found an unassuming inn to stay the night while they waited for the next day.
Regis rose first. He slipped into some of the new clothes they’d bought the previous day, then pulled out a few of the potions he’d taken from Markus’s home. He carefully inspected the liquids inside, uncorking a few to confirm that their scents were correct. Finally, he was left with two bottles: one containing a thick, deep maroon liquid and the other the remaining phoenix tears that he’d used partially to enter Hal’s prison.
The demon removed one of the empty flasks they’d purchased and set it down, pouring half of the dark maroon liquid inside. He gave it a moment to settle, a few bubbles rising to the surface but eventually evening back out. Finally, he took the phoenix tears and carefully poured in a few drops. They fell into the red, and the surface of the liquid sizzled slightly. Regis immediately stoppered the lid and gave it a few swirls, allowing the two liquids to mix together. Phoenix tears and the preserved blood of a mage in the midst of drawing from the Pulse. Blended like this, they created a solution that could temporarily obstruct access to the Pulse. Given the small amount of phoenix tears he’d used, this would only slow a mage down, but he did not think they would need more. This was merely a precaution.
Regis closed and returned the potions back to their original location, then placed the new mixture into the pouch hanging from his belt. None of the information he’d gathered on High Mage Reginald led him to believe he would be particularly difficult to deal with, especially not when they would have the element of surprise on their side, but he would not underestimate a magic user. He’d taken the potions from Markus; it was only fit to use them.
The wooden floorboards of the inn creaked behind him, and Regis turned to see that Hal had woken up. Despite not needing sleep, the angel mimicked human grogginess remarkably well. He gave an exaggerated yawn.
“We ready to go?” he asked.
“Yes, I believe so.” Regis rose from his chair and nodded at the clothes and armor laid out atop the dresser. “Once you’re done changing, we can proceed to the White Cliffs. We should reach the manor in less than an hour.”
Hal shot him a thumbs up and shuffled over to the dresser. In the meantime, Regis performed another check of their supplies. As he did so, he felt his heartbeat quickening. He paused. Was this how humans experienced anticipation? It was rather similar to the sensation felt when in danger or during a fight, he thought. It was true, however, that he was more excited to continue on than he’d previously thought. Once they had access to the magic components in the High Mage’s manor, they would be able to perform the trace spell, and he might finally begin to find answers to his questions thus far.
Behind him, he heard some clanging as Hal slipped the breastplate on. Regis silently summoned his status screen, once again observing that odd, translucent light that seemed to defy reason.
Soon, he thought. Soon he would know the truth.
Aldrend was located fairly close to the coast. Not long after they’d left the city, Regis spotted distant waves crashing into the shore in a constant pushing and pulling motion. The waters surrounding the Serpent Isles had always seemed a lighter color to him compared to regions like Cannia or Rhovgar. They glistened in the sunlight, sparkling more brilliantly than polished gemstones. The wind was stronger here as well, and he enjoyed the cool sensation on his skin. The Isles were known for their beauty, and it was a reputation well deserved in his opinion.
“Hey, I think I see the manor.”
Hal was squinting ahead, raising a hand to shield his eyes from the bright sunlight. He’d fully changed into the clothes they’d purchased, which included a few simple pieces of armor that wouldn’t impede his movements, but would mimic the look of a guard’s uniform. His current clothing more closely resembled what he’d worn during the war, Regis thought, if not for the axe he carried by his side and his bandaged, wrapped wings.
Up ahead, the dark silhouette of a sprawling estate stretched across the horizon. Regis could make out an expansive building sitting inland from the sharp cliffside. The ground sloped upwards, placing the manor on higher elevation, which added to its grandeur. The demon raised an eyebrow as they approached the building. Reginald’s reputation, it seemed, was rather accurate.
Regis stepped forward. A few stones had been laid out in a line leading towards the front of the manor. There, two guards stood on either side of the heavy wooden doors. Regis nodded at them as they approached, smiling pleasantly.
“Good morning. Is High Mage Reginald present?”
The one on the right blinked at him. He appeared half-asleep while the other guard looked bored. Neither one seemed to harbor much positive feelings for their charge, Regis noted. He also hadn’t seen any other guards around the perimeter of the manor, though there were indeed a number of runes lining the walls meant to deter intruders. They would not, however, have an effect on guests freely welcomed inside.
The guard on the left grunted and jerked her head at the door.
“Yeah, he’s in there. Just knock.”
Regis took a step forward, raised his fist, and tapped against the door. The knocks echoed slightly, ringing around the massive interior of the home. A few beats of silence passed, but finally, he heard a faint shuffling coming from inside. Soon the doors swung open, revealing a middle-aged human with a scraggly beard dressed in what appeared to be sleeping robes. He looked rather disgruntled.
“What is it?” he said, his voice containing the signature hoarse rasp of someone who’d just been awoken from their slumber. Regis smiled pleasantly at him and bowed.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Sir Reginald,” he said. “I can’t thank you enough for agreeing to meet with me today. I know it’s quite early; I hope we didn’t disturb you.”
The mage blinked at him a few times. His brows furrowed, and he glanced first at Regis, then at Hal standing silently behind him. Regis could practically see the gears turning in the man’s mind as he assessed the demon’s clothing, noting the expensive fabric forming a practical design with a few tasteful accents. His gaze then moved again to Hal, clearly dressed in a guard’s uniform.
“Did I…agree to meet you?” He sounded confused.
Regis made a sympathetic noise. “Yes, I sent a letter about a month ago. With the amount of mail you receive, it would be easy for a simple interview like this to slip your mind. I can’t imagine how many people wish to speak to a war hero like yourself.”
Reginald’s chest puffed up slightly at the praise. “Yes, well, what can I say. I was just doing what’s right.” He peered at Regis again. Not all the suspicion had left his eyes yet, though he did seem less annoyed than before. “And you said you’re here for an interview?”
Regis smiled. “Yes, I’m a scholar studying the war. I was hoping to gather as many firsthand accounts as I could find, if you would be willing to impart some of your knowledge.” He took a step forward and abruptly grabbed the man’s hand. He jumped, startled, but the demon immediately activated [Amplify Vice]. He selected pride as he continued speaking.
“I truly can’t thank you enough for this. You’re by far the highest ranked member on the Hero’s side that was willing to speak to me. Your recountings will be crucial for my research.”
The mage’s eyes shifted, the same gleam passing through their surface that he’d seen first on the man in the square and then in Lora. Slowly, a wide smile spread across Reginald’s features.
“Well, I’ve certainly got plenty of stories to share!” He opened the door wider. “Why don’t you come inside?”
very slow release schedule by Royal Road standards, but with a full time job, I can't dedicate nearly as much time to this story as I wish I could. These chapters take a long time to write and edit, and I don't want to sacrifice quality. I'm sorry for the abrupt notice; thank you for your understanding!
Regis and Hal are currently neck and neck in the Chapter 8 favorite character poll. Who's your favorite between them?
