Golden-Eyed Heir to Myth - Chapter 75

Chapter Text

Rather than go straight to the Delights, Juniper led everyone back to the Nexus, and as soon as she appeared Ulbrig came striding over.

"Warchief!" he announced. "It's damn good to see you, I can tell you that!"

"You should have seen her," Wenduag declared. "It was amazing! I was honoured to be a part of it!"

"A part of it?" Ulbrig repeated, frowning. "What do you mean, girl?"

Wenduag's expression changed a few times.

"I'm a blooded warrior," she said, eventually. "Watch what you call me."

"Right, right," Ulbrig muttered. "But you were in the fight?"

"We didn't find out until the second one," Juniper explained. "But… yes, it doesn't have to be just me. So long as I'm a major part of the fight, it's… it helps, I think."

"Then I'm-" Ulbrig began, then stopped and rethought.

"I want to do it with you, then, warchief," he said. "Juniper. Or – one of them, at least. If you're going to be fighting, being there by your side is a completely different thing to watching and being unable to help."

Juniper nodded.

"I understand," she said. "Though I'm not quite sure how soon we're going to be doing it – there's some preparations I need to make first. Things I want to get ready, or make sure are ready, because next time we enter Alushinyrra we're going to the Middle City."

"That sounds very much like you're certain of that," Daeran noted, walking over. "And might I ask why you're going to the Middle City?"

"Ideally, to hire succubi for the arena champion so he'll approve a fight that will get me into the Nahyndrian League," Juniper replied, flicking an ear expressively. "In practice… well, it depends what the Middle City is like. It's the business area so there's a great deal that might be going on there… it's quite possible there will be opportunities there."

She made a face. "And, unfortunately, the Fleshmarkets are there as well. The hub of slave trading for the whole of the Abyss."

"Please tell me we're going to be able to fix that," Aivu said, though she sounded sad.

"I don't think so, Aivu," Juniper replied. "From all I know, that's more of a task for an invading army. But… that doesn't mean we can't do anything."

"It doesn't?" Aivu repeated, tilting her head. "But you just said…"

She thought. "Oh, I get it… you mean that we can make some things better, even if we can't fix the flesh markets. Is that right?"

"That's right," Juniper agreed. "The thing is, most slaves in the Fleshmarkets are going to be demons or dwellers in the Abyss, because that's where they come from. But recent slaves from Golarion… we'd have to see, in that situation."

"Okay," Aivu said.

She frowned. "I guess… I guess that if we did manage to bring an invading army, it might make Nocticula cross anyway? Because we'd have broken part of her city."

"More than that, young dragon," the Inheritor informed her. "I would estimate that it would take a strike force from Heaven itself to storm the Fleshmarkets and free all those who are held there as slaves, and that would prompt a full war between Heaven and the Abyss which would see the destruction of all we hold dear."

"That's part of it, as well," Juniper agreed. "It's like… how do I put this…"

"No need to try, Warchief," Ulbrig said. "I understand it all too well. It's like… like if you have two rival clans, but they both have friends. They can scuffle and all, but if they try to make it a weapons-drawn fight then they might bring their friends in."

His voice became melancholy. "Or like Areelu's witches, and the inquisitors at Threshold. They pushed her, and she brought in Deskari, and destroyed the whole country."

"We still don't know why," Juniper pointed out, and Ulbrig shook his head.

"Ah, I know," he muttered. "Aervahr knows, I wouldn't have done anything different if I'd been there myself. But it's – it's one of those things, you know, Warchief?"

Juniper didn't have much answer to that, and just nodded.

"How have you been finding it in the Nexus?" Juniper asked, some minutes later, as she sat down next to Xorges.

The young boy looked up at her, and a frown of concentration crossed his face.

"I… think it is something I like," he decided. "I am not expected to do something painful. Seelah has told me about good ways to help if I want to, and I think I will be doing them."

He shrugged, lightly. "Apart from that, I am still learning about it."

Juniper nodded.

"I don't actually remember my own childhood," she admitted. "I know a lot about what it's supposed to be like, and I remember dozens, hundreds of childhoods, but none of them is mine. None of them belong to a kitsune called Juniper Goldeneyes… and, as far as I can tell, none of the other people who I remember being is real."

She pressed a paw against her breast. "I sometimes wonder how I could prove that this one of me is real. But I'm here, and that seems to be a good starting point."

Xorges nodded, slowly.

"I think so," he said. "How can you have so many memories?"

"That's a good question," Juniper admitted. "I don't really have an answer for it, though. It just seems to be how I am, or how I've been since Kenabres."

She frowned. "Or – it could be before those events. I first noticed the difficulty I had with thinking about my past before I got the other versions of my memories, but it's hard to tell if they're related to the same thing or not."

"Thinking about how you think is difficult," Xorges said. "I've wondered it before. Is the way I think… normal? Or not?"

"I can't answer that one, Xorges," Juniper replied. "And it can be useful to think about, but it doesn't mean it's whether or not you have value. In fact…"

Juniper turned the idea over in her head, thinking.

"If you do think differently, maybe that's part of how you were able to endure your mother's experiments," she said. "By the sounds of things, you've gone further down that path than she ever did, and she was a direct creation of Ishiar."

Then she made a gesture. "But – that doesn't matter for who you are, really. You're a person, regardless of how you came about."

Xorges looked at her, in an odd way.

Not a way that was like he didn't understand what she said, or that it was an unusual thing to say. An odd way, full of insight.

"Is that something you wanted to say to yourself?" he asked.

Juniper frowned.

"...maybe it is," she said. "Though if it is, I don't know why I'm telling myself that."

She shook herself. "But in general – Xorges, it may not always be the case that I can respond straight away. But if there's something you want to know, feel free to ask."

Xorges nodded.

"Is there a good time for that?" he asked. "Sometimes Mother would accept my questions, and other times she would get angry."

"If you want the time it's most likely that I'll be able to answer, then it's probably around the time we eat, if I'm eating in camp," Juniper answered. "Or after that. And – if I'm actively in the middle of some enchanting work, it's best to wait a few minutes to see if that changes. Beyond that, the best thing is to use your judgement… and even if I do get angry, I apologize in advance. I can't see why I would, but – it's possible."

The strange youth took that in.

"I believe I understand," he said, after a long moment. "What is Golarion like?"

"There's all kinds of variety to it," Juniper replied. "Like the Abyssal realms, but… varied in a different way. You've grown up in Alushinyrra, correct?"

Xorges considered that question for a surprising length of time.

"I don't think I know if I'm grown up or not," he said. "And I spent a lot of time in Ishiar."

"And in Ishiar, then," Juniper amended. "In that case, the thing that's going to be the strangest for you is – wilderness. Ulbrig could tell you more about Sarkoris, as it was – but I can give it a try."

She got out a coin, placing it next to her main Nexus coin, and began enchanting it.

"Since I know you're there, you won't distract me at a crucial time," she clarified, glancing up at Xorges. "Sarkoris was, and is, a wild land, with few cities, and most of the population of Old Sarkoris lived in villages of not more than a few hundred people. There were places where the trees grew so close together that the sun barely penetrated the canopy of leaves, in summer, so that it was only in winter that you could walk between the branches and feel sunlight on your skin. And places where tall grass blew in great waves, swaying back and forth under the sky, as if the wind were almost enough to force it to lie down…"

After a moment's silence, she chuckled. "And you probably need me to explain about half the words I just used."

"I… would like that," Xorges murmured.

An hour or so later, once they'd eaten, Juniper finished another of her Nexus coins and put it to the side.

She probably had enough to be going on with, now, and switched to making a different kind of coin – then stopped, thinking.

"Hmm…" she muttered, out loud.

The upside of these coins was that she could send others back to their base, but the downside was that if anyone got hold of one of the coins they could travel to the Nexus themselves.

But, then again, that was possible anyway. The Nexus had originally been Hepzamirah's mining site, and they could be attacked through the portal at any time.

Perhaps it would be a good idea to have the gate continuously guarded – or, indeed, to set a trap or two. Woljif was quite canny with the mixing of magic and trickery of that nature, and simply having an alert that someone unknown was coming through the portal would potentially be useful.

On the other hand, if Xorges had come through into a trap it wouldn't have been fair on him, and that meant guarding the portal was probably for the best…

It was complicated, certainly, and Juniper could feel that a solution wasn't immediately apparent. She picked up the Bad Luck coin, and wondered if she should make a copy of that as well.

If someone wanted to visit the Lower City, they could just go through the portal the Hand had created, but the Bad Luck was more centrally positioned – and she didn't want to enforce that none of her companions could leave.

There were questions of convenience at the heart of the whole thing.

"Are you busy?" Sosiel asked.

Juniper looked up, and shook her head.

"No, just thinking about which coins to make copies of," she replied. "And how likely it is that people will want to head out into the city."

"That's a good question," Sosiel admitted. "I'd like to think that just us would be enough of a group for people to not need to go out into the city, except for our mission, but… being unable to leave is a good way to make that feel worse."

He sat down, and sighed.

"The Abyss getting to you?" Juniper inquired.

"A bit," Sosiel replied. "I didn't realize how much I could miss green until we ended up here."

He smiled. "Or Aron. But being away from someone you love is a thing that mortals have dealt with during wars for – oh, for thousands of years. Being away from green? That's something else…"

"What brings you my way, Commander?" Greybor asked, interested.

"Two things, really," Juniper replied. "The first is – well, I should probably do them in this order. I know that when we discussed your contract, at first, there was a general assumption that it would be on Golarion, even if that wasn't explicitly stated."

Greybor looked up at her, then extinguished his pipe.

"I can see this is going to be a serious contracting conversation," he said. "You're right – there was an assumption that it would be on Golarion, but it never made it into the contract. I never thought we'd end up somewhere like here."

The dwarf frowned. "It's my mistake, I'd say."

"Perhaps that's so," Juniper replied. "But I thought I'd ask you – if we'd negotiated then and it had included the possibility of going to another plane, would you have asked a higher price?"

Greybor examined her expression.

"Interesting negotiating tactic," he said. "You're asking me how much more I want to be paid?"

"I'm asking how much more you would have asked to be paid, if you didn't know going to another plane was a possibility," Juniper explained. "But if it had come up in the discussion."

"I think I see," Greybor decided. "And I think… I'd probably have upped my price by about twenty percent. To allow for the possibility… with no option of refunds if the clause wasn't included, of course. Or, alternatively, there would have been an escalator clause. A higher separate price for extraplanar operations specifically."

"Twenty percent sounds quite reasonable to me," Juniper said. "What do you say… we treat it as if our agreement included those terms, and retroactively?"

"I'd say you really don't understand negotiating," Greybor answered. "I'd also say yes, mind."

"Excellent," Juniper declared. "And – you may see this as generosity, Greybor, and perhaps it is. But I'd rather be generous than leave you resentful."

She began counting out high-value gemstones, accounting for the starting value of the contract and the extra days since then.

"As for the other matter…" she went on, as she counted. "I was wondering if you'd be willing to bodyguard someone, if they plan to go into Alushinyrra on their own."

She winked. "And yes, I do mean bodyguard – not keep tabs on what they're doing. If it's critically important I would like to know, but that's incidental, and keeping the person safe is the priority."

"Might be an opportunity to stretch my legs," Greybor decided. "And I can certainly put in the extra work to keep such a generous client happy."

He chuckled, accepting the small pile of rubies. "Pleasure doing business with you, Commander. And I mean that sincerely."

There had been studies done, in the past, on the ways that extraplanar travel placed strains on mortal minds, bodies and souls. Juniper had read the compiled results of one such study, not a practical work like the Lexicon of Paradox but a drier, scholarly analysis of the experience of travelling to each plane.

Having actually done it herself, now, she was distinctly of the opinion that the researchers who had compiled the volume had failed to emphasize that part of the experience that was hardest to handle.

It was obvious in hindsight, really, but the sun was a feature of the material plane. The cadence of day and night was a feature of the material plane… and everyone was used to the idea that whether it was day or night was dictated by the sun.

Having an unchanging level of illumination was giving Juniper a great deal of trouble with her sleep schedule.

"Is it like this in Elysium?" she asked, stifling a yawn.

"Like what?" Aivu replied, taking a careful look at one of the flaky pastries that Sosiel had baked en masse. She sniffed it, then brightened, and took a single, slow bite to savour the taste of the apricot preserve inside.

Swallowing, she tilted her head. "Because there's lots of things that are completely different in Elysium, but you knew that!"

"Sorry," Juniper admitted. "I'm having a bit of trouble this morning… because it isn't one."

Aivu looked politely confused.

"Did we wake up early?" she asked. "Or late? I can't tell!"

She made a sudden sound of realization. "Oh! Oh oh! That's what you mean, isn't it? That it's not a morning, because mornings don't happen here. It's just all as dim as everything else!"

"That's right," Juniper smiled. "It's a lot harder than I was expecting to get to sleep at the right time – meaning it's harder to wake up at the right time. What I was wondering was… is Elysium the same?"

"Not at all!" Aivu replied, brightly.

She took another bite of her pastry, then belatedly realized she couldn't actually explain until she'd finished her mouthful, and her tail flicked back and forth as she dealt with the unbearable twin pressures of wanting to savour her meal but also wanting to explain.

Finally that was resolved, and she put the rest of the meal down carefully on the plate.

"There's sunrises and sunsets, and they're amazing!" she declared. "Every single sunset in Elysium looks beautiful, and so do the sunrises… and the night sky is full of stars, too. Sometimes there's an aurora which dances in the sky, and sometimes it clouds over at night but only so there can be a lightning storm that flashes in the darkness or a gentle overnight rain… it's a great place to be, because everything is so much fun."

She wilted, slightly. "I really wish we were there instead of here, but, if we were going there then there wouldn't be any problems for us to solve. And if Elysium was connected to Sarkoris then we'd just have shown up and wanted a party, I guess?"

"I'd like to have seen that," Juniper admitted. "If they're all like Ulbrig, they'd have thought you were oglins."

Aivu giggled.

"Yeah!" she agreed. "Lots of Azata chasing the Sarkorians around, telling them to come and have a party, and the Sarkorians running away… that would have been a lot better than what actually happened, right?"

"It would," Juniper smiled. "But I don't think that Areelu Vorlesh would have been satisfied with that kind of outcome… it would have been very funny, and maybe if she were a different woman she'd have seen it as enough for her. Though we don't actually know why she did what she did."

Juniper used a cantrip to heat up her mug of mead, taking a drink, then stood up. Her tails unfolded gracefully, acting as a counterweight, and she waved a finger at Aivu.

"Finish your breakfast," she advised. "I'm curious now and I'm going to ask our angels a few things."

"Okay!" Aivu replied, readily enough, returning to her communion with apricot and pastry.

"I'm surprised you're asking that question, sister," Targona said. "Or… perhaps I should not be."

"I don't know myself," Juniper chuckled. "Because, as you've just implied, I do have some of Lariel's memories, and yet… if that's one of them, I can't currently detect it."

"Well, then," Targona replied. "Perhaps this will aid your memory."

She looked out over the perpetual gloaming, and sighed.

"I don't know when I will be able to look upon Heaven again, with my own eyes," she said. "Rather than the eyes of memory… but, yes, Heaven has a day and a night. In day, the sun blazes down with a radiance that illuminates all, and by night, the moon shines with a silver light that is almost as bright as the sun of Golarion, though far more restful – and which does not shine around curtains any better than the moon of Golarion does, permitting those who dwell there to keep out the bright light with ease."

She smiled. "Of course, the day and the night are both always of exactly the same length, as befits Heaven, and the moon is always full as it is in opposition to the sun. While Golarion's moon waxes and wanes with time, in Heaven the moon remains the same from night to night."

"You are asking about Heaven, Champion?" the Hand asked, stepping over. "A fine topic."

"I'd ask about the other realms of the outer sphere as well, if you're willing to explain them," Juniper replied. "What started this was actually wondering how easily I might sleep on other planes, or how complete the night is."

"Ah, I see," the Hand nodded. "Yes, the skies of the outer sphere are different in many ways… the Maelstrom does not have a sky in the truest sense, though in the distance can be seen stars, while from Arcadia one might almost think one was on Golarion itself. It is only in long contemplation that the difference can be found… and I would explain Elysium, but I know your dragon is from that very place and could already have told you."

He raised a hand to his chin, in thought.

"Perhaps that is an interesting parallel, in truth," he said. "It is the realms of evil where one can most immediately see that the sky is not as it should be. In Hell it is a clouded, smoky sky that glows with the light of hidden flame, and Abaddon is covered by a dread black mist."

"Both of those are the kind of thing you could see on the Material Plane, though," Juniper said. "And I know that Axis is in the Boneyards, where only stars and a single moon are in the sky, though I'm not sure how the city itself is illuminated."

"With great precision," Targona said, smiling.

"A fair answer!" the Hand declared. "And, of course, in the Abyss the answer is as varied as the realms… in many places the sky is perpetually dark, while in others it is always light. The Abyss does not arrange itself for comfort, and it is not a place of order or constancy either, except in what would cause misery."

Juniper gave that description some thought.

"For mortals, at least," she said. "And even then, many of them seem to function well enough… perhaps there are ways we could do the same."

She spread a paw, up at the sky. "This is – well, it's dark. But if we were to use magical lights and mundane ones, ensure that there was a clear difference in light levels between what we consider to be day and night, perhaps that would help."

"Perhaps it would, indeed," Targona said, giving it consideration, then squared her shoulders. "But – we should talk business."

"I'm not leaving here for an hour or so, I can say that straight away," Juniper began. "Though… now that it occurs to me, did your investigation of Minagho's safe house bear fruit?"

"Not as yet," Targona admitted. "I am still working on the Hand's spell."

"You are nearly ready, noble Targona," the Hand said, declaratively. "I would see your work on the intent filter, if you are able."

The conversation rapidly got technical from there, and Juniper stepped away a little to give the angels some space.

She suspected Mirala could almost follow along, but not quite completely, and that simply drew up more questions about exactly how much of Lariel she carried in her heart.

Was it a betrayal of Lariel that she wasn't spending more time with Mirala at the fore?

The kitsune chuckled at that, then shook her head.

Feeling guilty about things like that was an easy way to just go around in circles… what was more important, by a considerable margin, was to make sure that she was doing things that would help out overall.

There were things that Yannet would do without a problem that would be… counter to the interests of her other selves, and which wouldn't advance her overall goal.

It would be all to easy to demolish Sarkoris in the name of driving out the demons.

Then, too, Falconeyes could have torn her army apart in the name of enforcing the law. Caitrin could have caused havoc simply for the fun of it. Olivie, Sings-Brightly, Mirala… all of them could do things that made sense to them but not to Juniper, and at times they'd all been opposed to her opinion.

And yet Juniper was quite sure that she'd chosen correctly.

She chuckled.

"Something funny?" Seelah asked.

"Just thinking about…" Juniper began, then indicated her head. "All of me."

"I don't envy you that," Seelah conceded, with a nod. "It's enough to keep track of one of me, I'll tell you that! But what's the joke, then?"

"It just occurred to me," Juniper explained. "Since there's so many of me… if Juniper did not exist, it would have been necessary to invent me."

Seelah laughed.

"I'd say that for us, too," the paladin said. "We wouldn't be where we are today without you."

Then she looked around at the Abyss, and coughed.

"You know what I mean," she added.

"Hey, boss?" Woljif asked, as Juniper was checking her equipment. "Got a moment for a… delicate question?"

"Probably," Juniper replied, glancing up from her examination of her potions collection. "Is something up?"

"I was wonderin'," Woljif explained. "See, I know a lot of how I help you out is by bein' able to contact the black market, and this place may not be Kenabres or Drezen but there's got to be a black market here, and I'm even kinda sure how to contact it."

"I think I see," Juniper mused. "So, to skip to the end – you're wondering if you can head out into the city by yourself, and make contact with the black market?"

Woljif shrugged. "That's about the shape of it, yeah," he agreed. "Was expecting to sort of… sidle up to the topic, though. Approach it carefully, you know."

"I don't see a need to bother with a circumlocution like that," Juniper said. "Though – if you're going into the city by yourself, make sure to take someone else with you."

Woljif blinked. "Uh?"

"I understand why you want to make contact with the black market by yourself," Juniper replied, readily enough. "You don't want them to be scared off by the sight of someone else… but, equally, you must realize that you're carrying enough in magical equipment and weapons alone to make your swift murder for your goods quite an attractive proposition. For criminals, of course."

"Yeah, now you mention it that is a good idea," Woljif admitted. "But how do I take someone else with me if I'm going by myself?"

"Greybor," Juniper explained. "I've already made him aware that it might happen… and if not him, then Targona may be happy to help."

She raised a finger. "Though not in the next few hours, because I'm actually intending on bringing you along."

"You are?" Woljif said, curious. "This is that visit to the posh bordello, right? I'm interested!"

Then he frowned. "This isn't just so you can keep an eye on me, is it?"

"There's a little of that," Juniper conceded. "In this visit, at least, though I do also want you along for your talents. But I don't care about what you do when you visit Alushinyrra alone. Greybor would be more to make sure you're going to be all right, Woljif – Alushinyrra is a dangerous place."

"You don't think I can take care of myself?" Woljif asked.

"I think you can take care of yourself in Drezen and Kenabres, or any city on Golarion," Juniper told Woljif. "But we're not on Golarion… and what I'd hate is for you to go into the chaos of Alushinyrra's markets without having backup."

Woljif looked like he couldn't decide whether he was hurt by that or not, then shrugged.

"I guess Greybor's okay," he said. "I'd be worried if you were sending ol' Reggie along with me!"

"Indeed?" Regill asked.

Woljif almost jumped out of his skin.

"How long have you been there?" he demanded, rounding on Regill. "Don't do that to a man!"

"Why not?" Regill inquired.

"Just don't, okay!" Woljif said. "It's bad for my heart. Eesh…"

He slouched off, and Regill followed the tiefling with his gaze before turning his regard to Juniper.

"I assume we are to set off soon?" he checked. "Have you made any decisions as yet, on who you are to bring?"

"Right now… I was thinking of bringing yourself," Juniper answered. "Aivu, naturally… Arueshalae… Woljif and Daeran… and probably Nenio. I'm also intending to have Ulbrig along, partly to get us up into the middle city."

"An interesting combination," Regill said, considering "Is there any particular reason for the others you mention?"

"I'm balancing between the ability to get them there in the first place and the risks of taking them into the Ten Thousand Delights," Juniper replied. "In Woljif's case, I'm hoping to… I suppose the right word is, to introduce him to the Middle City in a way that means he won't be too distracted. That's also why I'm bringing yourself and Daeran."

"Count Arendae is a choice I do not agree with for that reason," Regill said, in a mild protest. "The man is well known as a lush. I would not expect him to remain remotely focused in such a place."

Juniper chuckled.

"As much as I'm sure he'd deny the idea himself, Paralictor, I think you might actually be doing Daeran a disservice," she said. "The Count is… a realist, about a lot of things, and we do know that the current madam of the Ten Thousand Delights – unless that's changed in the last few days – is a lilitu. Given Daeran's history with lilitu demons, I don't think he'll be overly inclined to waste time there."

She indicated the direction Woljif had headed off in. "And, of course, Woljif would take a warning from Daeran in a way he wouldn't accept it from anyone else – much as he would take approval on such a subject from you in a way he wouldn't take it from anyone else."

Regill frowned.

"I do not agree with your conclusions, but I can see how your reasoning leads you to them," he decided. "I understand why you are bringing the other kitsune, there is no need to clarify your reasoning there… but I must question Arueshalae."

"She can make her own way up into the city easily," Juniper replied. "She's also a local guide… we do need to find the Ten Thousand Delights once we get up there, and Alushinyrra is big enough that we could wander around for hours. It's either asking on street corners or bringing someone who knows at least a little of the lay of the land – even if she doesn't actually know the lilitu Chivarro, and I think it at least possible that she does."

"The question then is, would that knowledge help us or hinder us…" Regill muttered.

"On the whole, probably help," Juniper shrugged. "We're going there for a specific goal, after all – we're intending to hire succubi for Gelderfang. If we can gather other information there, either on our primary goal or otherwise, so much the better."

Then she paused. "Though… you can rest easy on one score, Regill. I don't intend to try gaining notoriety in Alushinyrra by gaining a reputation for sampling the Ten Thousand Delights… if nothing else, I think someone who abstained would draw more attention in the city."

"Useful to know," Regill noted. "And you are probably correct, there."

When they actually went through the portal, arriving in the Bad Luck before heading outside, Ulbrig looked around for a long moment before shaking his head with a sigh.

"And I thought Drezen was a big city," he muttered. "This is – ah, it does my head in, Warchief. It's so big. And there's not a sign of the natural world outside, nor so much as a pleasant park."

"It's a long way from Sarkoris," Juniper agreed. "And in more than merely distance, as well."

"Give me soft grass underfoot any day," Ulbrig said, before stretching as he walked. "Well, it's a damn sight different to what I'm used to, and it's the opposite of the First World, but… now I've seen at least a part of where my true enemy comes from."

He paused, glancing over at her. "What about the other two – the aurochs god and the locust god? What are their realms like?"

"Baphomet has a labyrinthine maze that's also a prison," Juniper supplied. "Deskari… his realm is the Rasping Rifts, but I know less about it. They're all quite awful places for mortals, though, and I'm not at all sure that the inhabitants enjoy it much either."

Ulbrig sighed.

"Seeing how much damage was done to Sarkoris, and knowing that we haven't even really done anything to strike back… Warchief, looking at that it makes me worried that there's no way we can prevail," he admitted. "Knowing that there's two other places as strong as this, in different ways…"

"But?" Juniper asked, because it sounded like an incomplete thought.

"But, then I remember what you've done already," Ulbrig replied. "And it's damn hard to feel any kind of despair. If it takes five years or ten, or however many you want to guess… when I'm around you I feel like we'll win in the end."

One of her tails flicked out, and he touched the end of it.

"And I feel like we'll have a damn good time showing them that," he added. "Ignore my gloom, Warchief. Just a man out of his time, worrying."

"Worry is good," Juniper replied. "It shows you've got a reasonable idea of how hard our task is going to be. A man who isn't worried is apt to step off a cliff."

Ulbrig laughed.

"It's a good thing I've got Aervahr's wings to carry me, then, isn't it?" he asked. "We'll be fine-"

He paused, stumbling over a word.

"We'll be fine, warchief," he said, repeating the sentence. "Now, where's this spot where you want me to ferry the gnome in his armour up the side of some buildings?"

Juniper wasn't quite sure what word he'd almost said.

It might have been Juniper, or it might have been something else. But either way, she wasn't going to ask.

If it was a mistake, calling attention to it would be rude. And if it was something else… Ulbrig would share it when he was ready.

Between Juniper herself, Arueshalae, Aivu and especially Ulbrig, the four of them who had wings were able to get Daeran, Nenio and Regill up the path to the Middle City.

Woljif could have got help as well, but he didn't need it. Indeed, the tiefling proudly demonstrated that he could climb up the side of the buildings perfectly well, and grinned as Arueshalae put Daeran down next to him.

"What do you think of that?" he asked. "Pretty good, huh?"

"I think I'm amazed at the immensity of your skill," Daeran replied. "Especially given the use you put it to."

Woljif frowned.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked. "Hey, whatsername – Nenio, what did Daeran mean by that?"

"By what?" Nenio replied.

"I don't see the problem here," Daeran noted, with a subtle smirk. "I was complimenting you."

Woljif made a face. "Yeah, but you were doing it in that kind of way where you're laughin' at me for being stupid," he replied, waving a hand. "It's tone of voice and stuff."

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean," Daeran replied, doing it again.

"I think I might see what Daeran means," Juniper interjected. "Woljif – would I be right in thinking that you've not had much opportunity to show off your skills in climbing and sneaking in the past? Almost by definition?"

"Well, yeah," Woljif muttered. "Except for the thieflings, anyway. But I'm good at it, right?"

"I certainly think so," Juniper assured him.

Ulbrig landed next to them, and Regill got off his back before the big Sarkorian transformed back to his human shape.

"Well, we're here," he said. "It already smells less, but I'm not sure the difference means this place is better."

"You're right there," Juniper agreed. "This is the Middle City, and in theory that means that this should be a place with a higher class of inhabitants… in practice, that just means they're generally more successful demons. Stay on your guard."

"I can do that," Aivu said, tilting her head to listen, then scratched the base of her muzzle. "Umm… is it me or is the ground prettier?"

It certainly didn't seem to be just Aivu. While in the Lower City the ground had just been there, messy with centuries or millennia of ill-defined refuse trampled and reduced to a kind of mush, in the Middle City there'd definitely been an effort at going for aesthetic value.

Or, given the nature of Alushinyrra as the realm of a Demon Lord, Nocticula had simply decided that the Middle City should have a floor composed largely of iron bands and stone fillers – like an ornate stained glass window, but without any coherent design beyond the abstract.

"All right, to business," Regill said. "Much as I am sure we will regret this… which way is this Ten Thousand Delights place?"

Arueshalae looked around.

"So that's the gate, and…" she began, speaking half to herself. "I think that direction is the markets… if I'm right, it's about a ten minute walk from here. We start by going that way, past the Middle City side of the gate we just bypassed."

"Do we need to worry that the gate guardians will stop us?" Daeran asked. "Drag us down into the Lower City and throw us into the gutters? Because I only have so many sets of clothes in my effects, and I'd rather take off this jacket if that's going to happen."

"They won't care," Juniper said. "Or that's my guess, anyway… and if they do care, we'll demonstrate that it's a bad idea."

She shook her shoulders, letting her ring's glitter cascade off her tails in the way that disguised the gold dust of her power. "Shall we?"

Golden-Eyed Heir to Myth - Chapter 75 - Saphroneth (2024)

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