October 9th, 528 - 12:00amDrip.
Drip.
The ever present puddle in the corner glimmered, lights shifting with each drop the crumbling ceiling let it. The crack of thunder barely made a sound in the chamber, the roar of water on stone somehow quieter still. Holding dark vigil for millenia, the myriad candles caught flame one by one. No hand moved to light them as they silently awoke.
In the growing light, etchings and carvings shook off the darkness of the thousands of years gone by. Tales of peace and war, love and hate, co-existence and decimation spiraled through the long sealed room. An entire peopleâs history preserved with each and every mistake and failure carefully documented, every corrective action noted, for review and judgment if the time ever came. Tools long abandoned lay scattered around the room, their beds of dust and dirt well caked into their cracks.
The groan that echoed through the chamber was thin and reedy, crippled with disuse. A faded bundle of cloth, once dyed in vibrant reds and golds, stirred in response to the gentle flickering flames around it. The cloth twisted and rolled as whatever was inside struggled to find the strength to stand. Metal scratched against the chamber floor, cloth rustled as it bunched and began to rise into the air. The figure spun slowly as it rose to the arched ceiling, still struggling to escape the robes it was wrapped in.
Finally, an emaciated hand forced itself through a sleeve, the other following suit. Head golden pendants set with a variety of gems hung off the robe, dulled with the passage of time, and clinked against each other as the figure tapped gently against the ceiling. A head popped through the ornate collar of his uniform and the man took a moment to blink in the bright light. Once his vision adjusted, a curse caught in his throat as he plummeted back to the floor, hitting it with a heavy thud and another groan. The man thumped his head against the floor, sighed, and slowly, slowly pushed himself to his feet, bracing himself against the wall as his legâs trembled with exhaustion.
Still, he leaned more heavily against the wall, exchanging hands for his shoulder, and cradled his open hands in front of him. Tendrils of glittering gold curled out around his lip and he exhaled a delicate cloud of gold, as though heâd held gold powder in his mouth; tiny golden birds formed in his hand, each smaller than a thumb. A wheezing noise escaped his lips as he tried to speak to them but it was enough- the birds took flight like tiny comets and passed through cracks and wall alike, leaving him alone once more.
Bring me back a pretty song, bring me back the words of NĂŒhl.
The Second Tome
December 5th, 530 - 7:00amFaint purple light simmered from the crystal sconces mounted down the hallway, only the sharp click of Lady Marivaldiâs steps disturbing the eerie silence. These halls normally rang with muted activity from behind closed doors, from the horrific shrieks of the unfortunate victims of the Tomeâs experiments to heated discussions of scholars as deadlines approached, but Immerila welcomed the silence like an old friend. She lived in it for centuries, her own research conducted far from the eyes of her contemporaries if only so they did not bother her. Her position rarely afforded her the luxury so she slowed her gait a touch and indulged in the rare treat.
Still, all good things come to an end. The familiar sealed door greeted her as she rounded the bend, the small red light above it exclaiming a dangerous experiment was currently underway. The call had surprised her. Sage Vazquez hadnât suggested anything new or unusual had come into the Tomeâs possession and she had been about to turn in for the day when the genius had requested her presence. Sheâd considered ignoring it in favor of sleep but the employment of the Vague concerned her. Immerila created it only for clear and present threats that did not yet have containment or nullification protocols and it was rare Sage Vazquez considered something threatening enough to employ the facility.
With a spell murmured into the still air and a simple gesture of her hand, heavy locks and bar groan their disapproval as they moved and air whooshed past Immerila as she slipped in. The door slammed shut with a hiss and she went through her preparations in the anteroom, changing into a sealed hazmat suit after washing and sanitizing and storing her own clothes carefully in the cabinets provided. She worked with mechanical familiarity and once again repeated the spell at the next door, following the air into the next room.
Vague consisted of three rooms - the containment room where the threat was held behind magically reinforced glass that was stronger than nearly all modern materials, an observation room on one side, and a control room on another. Immerila repeated the process at the door to the observation room, this time the airflow against her as she stepped in, and the door sealed shut. A shrill beep sounded twice in the previous room and a minute later the hiss of a deadly, high temperature gas mix filled the room to kill anything or anyone who may have contaminated the room. All basic functions of Vague were still active so Immerila turned to stare at whatever horror demanded her attention.
A golden streak of light bounced around the room. It would pause every few seconds and then continue. Even with her vampiric senses, it was difficult to see the little creature, the hummingbird-like construct far too fast. Surprisingly, the creature did not seem panicked or interested in escape. It was clearly curious, zipping around the room and examining the robotic arms at rest on the ceiling and the various restraining methods attached to the walls and the ground. Although it was certainly fascinating, Immerila could not understand why sheâd been called for something that was well within the Sageâs skill set.
The intercom overhead crackled to life just in that moment, as if Vazquez could hear her doubts.
âMy Lady, thank you for coming with such haste. This oddity has been fascinating to observe.â The Sageâs raspy voice echoed in the pressurized chamber.
âWe first noticed this oddity at the end of a discussion on subject 3A-12. As is apparent, the subject is quicker and agile than most vampires so initial containment procedures failed. Upon reviewing footage through the facility, we discovered it followed the loudest voice in its environment and so lured it into Vague with the intercom system.â The creature paused, circled the room for a few seconds and the appeared at eye level of Lady Marivaldi, hovering there as its beady, golden eyes stared beyond the window as if it could hear them.
âWhat we know of the subject is limited. It is capable of passing through solid objects to some degree, it recognizes differences between voices and other loud noises, and is only interested in something it hasnât heard before. The subject presents as a summoning construct, despite its clear irregularities, and can be considered an intelligence gathering device, though I have yet to determine if it records information or transmits it.â Immerilaâs eyes narrowed at the creature as it sped off once more, seemingly content to flit around the room aimlessly. If it was a summoning constructâŠ
âThough the subject presents itself as a summoning construct, its existence on the premises suggests either it is a creature capable of magical ability or it is a construct fashioned in a manner our protective spells are incapable of dispelling.ââWhat have you concluded?â Lady Immerila questioned, knowing full well her Sage likely ran a full battery of tests she hadnât mentioned.
âI believe it is a Grendel construct.âThe silence was deafening. Immerila couldnât contain her surprise at the idea. Her Sage was an outspoken opponent of Howard Grendelâs modern theories on aetheric construction. It turned all known notions of the discipline on its head but it was mostly based on speculation and calculations- the amount of power any one mage would need to create even the most basic spell was laughable. An admission like this was proof that Vazquez was genuinely at a loss for answers and that the thing in front of them was entirely alien.
Relay Station Caeli
February 2nd, 531 - 10:45pmThe mission assignment was simple: rescue captive members of Dawn Rising. Having been captured some months before, Commander Ryan Agevee of Caeli Station was surprised they were in any condition to be rescued but the orders came from on high and he wasnât paid (dead stop) to question it. Although not particularly near the imperial prison, Caeliâs long track record of successful infiltrations earned them the dubious honor of infiltrating a high security Inquisition holding facility and escaping not only with their own lives, but three others.
âFontaine, Eve, Astoria, Contarini, and Luscin, asses in gear and in for mission assignment now!â Commander Agevee barked, barely giving the members in question the opportunity to react before he was marching back into the side room that acted as mission control in the underground complex. Inside, a detailed hand drawn outline of the building and its contents was spread out, all entrances circled in green and all trouble areas marked in red.
âThree months ago, we lost the Tiralea relay station. It only hosted ten living members and we were in the process of transferring them out, when it was ambushed by an Inquisitor. Preliminary investigations of the site marked everyone dead but weâve learned three of those bastards were unlucky enough to survive as imperial captives.â Ryan slapped a photo on the table, a little blurred but otherwise in decent condition.
âBastards broke the rules and fucking documented themselves. Thankfully, it helps us now. Of these ten only these idiots survived.â He circled three members and crossed out the rest.
âDylan Hardee, Marie Ruthford, and Roan Alserda. These three have been in Hasgald Holding Facility for three months. However, the Empire is transferring the resources Hagald had to another location and so is temporarily shutting the place down. Preliminary scouting showed them off loading dangerous chemicals and waste into the surrounding area. A second one revealed that the prisoners are not considered vital resources, so theyâll be executed on the last day.â Ryan revealed grimly.
âSo, time is not on our side. The facility is running on a skeleton crew right now. Most of the heavy moving has been done and the Inquisitor took their leave a few nights ago. As such, youâll be dropped fifty meters off the eastern wall. Security has been all but disbanded and this is the furthest entrance from the execution area inside the central hub. Theyâll dedicate their resources to the more obvious points of access.ââBeyond that, youâll need to reach either holding cells, torture rooms, or the execution chamber, find our targets, and reach the extraction point beyond the tree line that is about 75 meters off the western wall. There is only one point of egress once you reach here but itâs your best shot to reach me. Take some time to review the documents and memorize the faces; you leave in an hour.â
Relay Station Caeli
February 2nd, 531 - 11:50 amTrue to the commanderâs word, the infiltration was smooth so far. Only one poor guard stumbled across the team but she was dealt with easily, stashed away in a storage closet for the time being. The stone halls of the building were void of noise and empty, doors ajar to rooms full of trash, broken bits of metal and wood, and ash. The winding passages eventually led to the point the blueprints pointed out, a central access area that branched into all areas of the prison. From here, all three areas that likely held their targets were in relatively close proximity.
In the central hub area, clinical, fluorescent lights hummed and flickered. A single elevator was in the room, a set of emergency stairs set in the wall across from them. A strange seating area, two sofas, a worn coffee table, and tall fake plants took up most of the space. Continuing past it would lead to the interrogation rooms. The blueprints showed four in a circular area, none with windows and all with one door in and out.
One level above them, they would find thirty holding facilities that were barely large enough to let a grown human lay on the ground and packed in tightly one after another. Nothing about any furniture was marked on the blueprints and none one could find any hygiene facilities either.
One level below them was the execution chamber. It was relatively large compared to the other spaces and it was reasoned that many of the prisoners were forced to fight each other or their captors, in addition to whatever other inhumane methods the Empire decided to employ.
All the while, from around the corner, a single, old camera whirred as it swept the room, stopping just before where the infiltration team had gathered to consider their next action.
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