Righteous Rejects of Heaven: Chapter 4 – Blade of the Dark used for the Light

Chapter 4 – Blade of the Dark used for the Light

I already had a backup plan before even knowing that Marcel’s squad was wiped out. You must, as a member of the St. Dismas group. After explaining to the other four of my contacts within Eastern Europe that aren’t too far from Constantinople, I tell them that they’re our current best shot at getting rid of Vicar Sylvatic.

“Why am I not surprised that the thieves guild have people here?” Lieselotte says.

“I, for one, am glad that David’s friends are so resourceful,” Hossam says.

“Thanks, big guy. Now, we should head out to meet them unless someone else has any better alternatives. Saanvi?” I say while turning to her.

“Nope. Nothing. My friends aren’t in the area and are unable to help at the moment,” she says.

‘At the moment’ she says. I know that the most skilled mages in Polypus can teleport themselves and others around though they typically are only able to teleport within a small area rather than being able to teleport long distances. Still, I know she must have her plans and backup plans as an agent of Evander and the high elves. I just haven’t figured out if those plans completely align with the Church’s, as a whole, so for now, I’ll trust her. She doesn’t seem like a bad person, but her kind demeanor may be a ruse and I know all about them.

While heading to the hidden location of the St. Dismas group with everyone, I remember all the thefts and tricks I’ve pulled up to this point. Stealing from cardinals and archbishops who stole treasures and gold from the spoils of conflicts, pretending to be a guard in a cabal to expose corrupt generals, running across rooftops while being shot at by guards, and sneaking through an undercity of ratmen to rescue the women kept there are just a few of the things I remember from my decades of service to the good thieves of the St. Dismas group. One memory always pops up no matter how much I try to repress it and that’s the memory of the affair I had with a friend’s wife. I don’t think I’ve ever stopped saying sorry in prayers to him despite feeling he’s forgiven me somehow. I’ve distanced myself from Viktoria so she could find a better man and have been trying to distance myself from my past self ever since the day of that great shame and I hope that I never do such a thing again.

We’re close now to the hidden location where my contacts are hiding. Heading into a trench that’s covered by decaying leaves and branches, we find a stone door that hardly stands out from the rock surrounding it. I knock seven times and wait seven seconds for someone to answer the door as is customary for members of the group. A ratman cloaked in rags moves aside the stone door to which Lieselotte immediately unsheathes her axe.

“Hold up there. This one is a friend and member of my group,” I say.

“Is it now?” she asks, wary of the ratman.

Orcs and their brothers in Canis always attack ratmen on sight unless it’s obvious they’re friendly such as those within cities and towns or when they’ve laid down their weapons and are kneeling on the ground. I can’t blame them since ratmen are mostly hostile towards people who aren’t them and have a history of pretending to be innocent only to kill, steal, or kidnap when the opportunity arises.

“He is. Do you see him or the others in there swarming to attack us?”

“You have some strange friends in your group, David.”

“Obviously. It’s a strange group for strange men such as myself.”

“With those pleasantries aside, let us go inside before someone sees us,” the ratman says as we do what he says.

Most of the people inside this hideout are ratmen along with some dark elves, high elves, orcs, and even a few men from Corvus who act as soldiers and guards rather than the typical thief found in our guild.

“Rota, is it?” I ask.

“It is, and you would be David, am I correct?” the ratman asks.

“You are. I assume you’ve been expecting me?”

“Yes, we have. You know you were supposed to come here regardless of the status of your allies. It was part of the Pope’s plan, after all. Speaking of friends, I assume they were wiped out?”

“Yes. It’s a tragedy.”

“Yes, but there’s nothing to worry about. The leaders of Bernhard and Canis are sure to throw more troops at the Vicar’s forces since victory is near. In terms of your other friends, how are they?”

“They’re a trustworthy bunch. I can even see us working together in the future if we can arrange it.”

“Even this other friend of yours,” Rota says while pointing at Saanvi.

“Yes, if our interests align,” Saanvi says.

“Of course, of course.”

“Can we stop it with the talking and get to enact whatever secret plans you have?” Lieselotte says.

“Yes. Come this way. I’m just as anxious to see the Vicar dead as much as you are, especially after what he’s done to me.”

All ratmen are men, however, they have experimented on their bodies to make them appear and sound female in an attempt to make them bear children with Rota being one of them, so I’m assuming that’s the reason why Rota wants him dead. I can’t imagine all the torture and failed attempts that he had to suffer through, so I won’t bother asking about it or pointing it out to anyone. He leads us to a supply room where people are gearing up with the many weapons and armor pieces that could supply a legion of troops.

“As you can see, we have been preparing to move and haven’t just been sitting here waiting for you,” Rota says.

“Look at all of this. Hey, I recognize some of this stuff as being specialized gear and weapons forged by famous blacksmiths from Canis, Bernhard, and Leo. Did you people steal these because I recall them disappearing without a trace?” Lieselotte says.

“We stole it from those who tried to steal it and kept it with the permission of our superiors in the Vatican. We were meant to get a share of them anyway for this exact moment.”

“We steal from those who have stolen and kill only when absolutely necessary. That is the way of our guild,” I add.

“It’s kind of like how we take what we want after our battles without giving much back to the Church,” Marcel says.

“But we aren’t so secretive about it and the Vatican gets their tithe eventually,” Lieselotte says.

“And Bernhard and Canis take land without letting the Church know,” Rota comments. “We know that both kingdoms want to take over the territory held by the ratmen and are already colonizing it as if it were already yours.”

“Yeah, and? We’ve earned it fair and square through blood, sweat, and tears.”

“I know that you have influence with your superiors because of your reputation and will listen to even more after you kill the Vicar. The Church simply wants your people to hold off claiming land and the spoils until things settle down and everything can be distributed properly and would like you to let your leaders know this.”

“Tch. They can tell them that themselves and they probably won’t listen.”

“That’s why we’re asking you to tell them.”

“Yeah, asking me to tell them rather than asking me to ask if they’re fine with giving up on rewards we fought to obtain and fighting a war that the Church didn’t give their full support in until years of bloodshed passed and ratman undercities were discovered under the Vatican. Shouldn’t you be telling this to someone else as well or do the elves get special treatment?” Lieselotte says while gesturing over to Saanvi.

“No, they don’t get any special treatment. In fact, we’re not sure who to keep more of an eye on.”

“You have no reason to be concerned about us. We’re willing to negotiate and compromise where necessary,” Saanvi says.

“And where would you compromise? Evander and the high elves rather agree to deals that aren’t heavily weighted in their favor,” I ask.

“Friends, let us not argue about this. Let us fight our common foe and leave the politicking to our leaders,” Hossam says.

“The big guy is right. Let’s save this for when we’re not pressed for time and have a bigger fish to fry.”

“I’m with them. My God-given duty is to be a husband and a knight, not a politician, king, or bishop,” Marcel adds.

Lieselotte and Saanvi agree to stop the argument and we start going over the plan we have. Rota takes out a map that is marked with descriptions detailing who goes where and what role they have to play. Our target is an outpost and an undercity below it that lies outside of Constantinople. Getting rid of this will allow whatever supposed army Bernhard will send an easier time to assault the city. The knights, soldiers, and guards in our group will attack the outpost on the surface while the thieves and assassins will take the tunnels to attack the undercity, which includes most people here though we will be divided and on our own to begin with and then meet up at certain points.

Everyone agrees with the plan, since there is no better alternative, and we head out. Being on my own in these tunnels feels lonely for some reason. I guess it’s a result of being with a group for so many days that I’m used to having someone watch my back. When I first started with the St. Dismas group, I had someone watching my back so that the guild knew they could trust me. After that, I was on my own for most assignments since doing them alone was optimal. Now, I understand why people prefer adventuring in groups while taking certain roles in it. Still, it is better that I be alone for now for this task so that it will be completed properly.

I traverse the dimply lit tunnels by using my dark elf magic to become one with the shadows so that none of the guards in the tunnel can see or run into me since I am little more than a thin surface traveling along wherever the darkness is deepest on the wall, floor, and ceiling. These tunnels are kept as dark as possible since the ratmen can see in them as clearly as day, but dark elves and even men from Noctua can do the same, so it’s no issue for me. After slipping through the guards, I enter the undercity, a place of violence, debauchery, and horrific human experiments. The screams of people being tortured seem to be this place’s background music because of how often I hear it in every undercity I’ve been in, but what’s different about this one is that it’s not on high alert despite it being one of the last bastions of defense of Constantinople.

“You’d think it’d be better guarded,” I whisper to myself knowing that Saanvi is behind me.

“I’m glad that it isn’t,” she says. “I’m impressed that you knew I was behind you, but I guess I shouldn’t be surprised given your reputation.”

“I aim to impress. After this, I could help you on your next assignment.”

“Only if Evander allows it.”

“I meant it as more of a friendly hang-out rather than being on one of your secret missions.”

“Of course you did.”

Well, I tried to shoot my shot. I guess I’ve never been that good at hiding my true motives from operatives like Saanvi.

“You ready to head into the lowest area of the undercity?”

“I am.”

“Would you want to head down there together? I could get rid of guards along the way to make it easier for you.”

“I’d appreciate it. Thank you.”

Going back into the shadows, I make sure Saanvi is safe by eliminating guards that may see her. It doesn’t matter if the bodies are seen down here since ratmen typically kill each other, even the guards, and the people down here seem to be celebrating something. I don’t even think Saanvi needs my help that much anyway since she teleports from hiding place to hiding place, and she tricks the minds of the ratmen she comes across to act as if they didn’t she her and start trouble for her away from where we’re heading. By the time we make it to the lowest area, we hardly have to take care of any guards and can go into the space where the undercity is being supported without issue. Even though the large steel buildings in this undercity reach the very top of the cave that is hard to see and seem indestructible, taking down the supports here will make everything crumble in on itself.

While melting the supports with the acid that spews from my hands, I ask Saanvi, “You haven’t used those mind spells on any of us, have you?”

“No, I haven’t. I only used them on the ratmen because they are easily manipulated by their desires to kill and rape,” she says. “If I needed to know something, I would’ve asked. Everyone in the party is honest and would’ve told me the honest truth.”

“Even our deepest secrets?”

“Maybe not that, especially from you, but I think I know enough. There’s no need to be suspicious of me. Aren’t we friends?”

“We’re friends?”

“Yes, friends that fight alongside one another. I’m sure Evander will allow us to go out on certain assignments together, which is what you really want and have been incessantly asking for.”

“So, we’re just business friends rather than real friends that will grab dinner with one another and talk about more casual things together?”

“I’ll think about your offer to ‘hang out’ after this.”

Soon, the supports of the undercity start to break apart and Saanvi and I begin our escape. In their panic, the ratmen push each other aside, trampling, and killing one another to get to the exits, however, because of the damage we’ve done, most of the exits collapse in on themselves leaving only one. As we race through the exit, we come across our allies who help cover our escape and help us kill the surviving ratmen on the surface. Once the exit collapses, the last of the ratmen lay dead, and we see the ground collapsing confirming the collapse of the undercity, we regroup with Rota and the rest of my guild.

“With most or all of the ratman dead, our allies should have no trouble reaching Constantinople,” Rota says. “I have heard news of a force comprised mostly of orcs aided by the knights of Canis coming this way so we should wait for their-”

The ground suddenly shakes before several large abominations pop out of them. These abominations are different than the usual kind that are as large as elephants or lions with multiple ratmen and human heads and limbs. Instead, these ones are more tree-like and have more bodies and faces of various sizes writhing in them trying to get out. The ones that do get out are hardly alive and try to attack us. The larger abominations move in the same way a ‘normal’ one would, which catches some of us off guard. Even Saanvi underestimates them leading to me tackling her to save her from one of their attacks. Once the shock of seeing them and getting used to their movements wears off, we kill them and the things they spawn.

“So, how does that hang-out sound now?” I ask Saanvi.

She smiles and says, “I’ll consider it more honestly now. Thanks for saving me.”

“Enough flirting. David, have you seen these things before?” Rota asks.

“I haven’t. Saanvi and I didn’t even come across them in the undercity.”

“So, they were hidden enough to be out of sight, but not in public to deploy them like the other abominations.”

“They’re the secret weapon that the Vicar has been hiding from us then. I thought that their exhausting their supply of mothers was suspicious but didn’t think the result would be something like this.”

“How could you not? The Vicar and his men are sicker than you can imagine.”

“Well, I can at least imagine that they have tougher forms of these abominations in Constantinople, which is why it’s been so relatively easy to get this close to them.”

“Exactly, so we should definitely wait for reinforcements to arrive.”

“Right.” Turning back to Saanvi, I ask, “Did you happen to know anything about these things?”

“Nothing more than you do,” she says.

“Does Evander’s plans have anything to do with them?”

“He does plan on experimenting on them.”

“Really? I’m more surprised that you told me than Evander’s plans to experiment on them.”

“What’s the harm in telling you? We’re friends and if I thought you’d be a threat to Evander’s plans…”

“I know what would happen to me if you thought that. I’ve been on the other end of the blade who have threats to the Church.”

“Will our day together come with our weapons being at each other’s throats?”

“I hope not. I’m sure both of us could go a day without secrecy and mistrust, so I’ll try to make it as relaxing and casual as possible.”

“Heh, I look forward to it.”

I guess our little date is confirmed. Here’s hoping my half-truth comes to be the whole truth for our day together.