the tale of urnyras jael, part XVII: salty streets of Calua - part II

"Greetings, sir," spoke Urnyras Jael, with her soft, disguised voice. Her transformed accent was Dwesian, but still with a touch of fyllian dialect. She was trying hard to keep a smile at all times - she was trying not to look anxious. It wasn't her first incognito experience, but it was still strange to walk around and to know that others do not see you as what or who you are. She couldn't stop that urge to look behind her every now and then, with an unavoidable sensation as if someone would attack from behind, figuring out who or what she is.

"Yes, how can I help yae?" said the old, dirty-looking, typical-Caluan clerk, lifting his head up from the paperwork he was busy with; speaking in a stinking Kith'lath accent.

"We are looking for the clerk called Aural," said Urnyras Jael, clasping her hands in front of her, nervously yet with a significant effort not to reveal any anxiety.

"Aural? Well, he is upstaers. He keeps the family records, that's what yaer's looking fer?"

"That's correct," said Alùn. "Thank you very much, kind sir."

Old clerk simply mumbled and grunted, nodding his head, followed by a dismissive hand gesture.

"I assume we bumped into a kind, polite Caluan official," whispered Urnyras to Alùn, as they headed towards the stairs to find Aural the clerk. Alùn snickered.

...

"Aural?" asked Alùn, to a young-looking, slim, blue-eyed, blond man. He didn't look Caluan or even Kith'lathian; he had the appearance of an Ow'landese. When he spoke, his accent simply approved Alùn's presumption.

"Yes, how can I help?"

"We are in need of some records," said Urnyras Jael impatiently. "El'nar family."

"El'n-, ah, right," nodded Aural, rather frantically. He was apparently not expecting them this early, and for several seconds he simply didn't know what to do, or how to react. He eventually smiled, and beckoned them over. "Follow me, they are inside the archives."

He pushed a thick, wooden door after unlocking the rusty lock with a key he kept around his neck. He carefully closed the door after carefully observing other clerks and if anyone saw them or not. As he walked in, he quickly called Alùn and Urnyras to walk in too. He shook off some dust from his tunic. He started to cough, most possibly because of the dust: Urnyras Jael wondered for how many decades -not years, but decades- this archive was untouched.

As Alùn and Urnyras Jael stepped in, they started to sneeze and cough too - the dust was simply blurring their vision and it was almost impossible to regularly breathe. Eventually, Aural reached to a shelf, and started to search for something - probably a tome of records, Urnryas Jael thought. Before she was done thinking about it, Aural pulled a book.

A secret pathway swung open behind that shelf. It was a narrow and low pathway, however it didn't look as dusty and unused as this very archive room did. Aural grabbed a torch from the wall (which was lit) and asked them to follow. They slowly walked down the pathway for a considerable time, until they reached another wooden door. Aural hung the torch on the empty iron ring and pulled it down - the door slowly opened inwards. They walked in, and Aural locked the door again.

The room they were now in had a huge ceiling. It was dark-gray, with long, dark curtains covering long but narrow, colorful windows. It resembled those temples of Lyca'nae Verd in Rolinbragh, yet as if they were abandoned. It had an altar, wooden benches and long seats, yet no sign of life Aural slowly walked towards a fireplace below a huge portrait of a noble knight that neither Urnyras Jael nor Alùn could identify. Urnyras Jael wondered for how long they walked, since she did not remember seeing such a high chapel nearby the Town Hall.

"Welcome," said Aural, with a friendly smile on his face, after lighting the fireplace. He shook off some more dust unpleasantly. I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow. You moved fast. It is good."

For two, three seconds, they waited without talking. Then, they sat to the benches next to the fireplace, as Aural gestured.

"There wasn't much intervention," shrugged Alùn. "Just a bunch of pirates - ah, and a shady man, killed our only prisoner, before he could talk. I was about to snap the name of the Bannerlord out of him. I believe the Bannerlord should be taken down, that's for sure now."

"It always was, honestly," said Aural. "Calua is known to be an easygoing city when it comes to politics - people are not patriotic. They simply do not care about the freedom of Kith'lath or the Solian mandate. You see, long time has passed since the heroic decades of Kith'lath and its strong ties with the Solian Empire. Now it is practically a pirate hub. The Empire is weak here, fellows. I mean, for Lyca'nae's fiery gaze - when Wundhian fleet came crushing down the local fleet, the entire town was simply idle. They are annoyingly unresponsive."

"What about those pirate mercenaries we have encountered in the sewer line?" asked Urnyras Jael.

"Well, as you have named it - they are mercenaries. If the Empire was faster than the Bannerlord to hire them, we would have an additional fleet, you know." He smiled, then poked the burning wood in the fireplace with an iron stick.

"So, you're telling me that the Bannerlord is simply fighting back -or will fight back- with a bunch of... mercenaries?" Alùn asked, he looked rather confused.

"That's what they want it to look like, if you ask me," said Aural. "I sense the crap is deeper, and noone is courageous enough to put their bare hands into it to see what lies there. Look, the Bannerlord might be a fierce man, but he is no idiot. He wouldn't simply hire a bunch of seadogs with rotten galleons and rum and charge against the Empire. He must have some support from the Dytherian invaders. If nothing, he timed the rebellion so perfectly, as the Empire was dealing with the invasion, it wasn't much of a big deal to organize a local mercenary army to separate Kith'lath. The King is very busy at the moment. I've heard the armies have ruined Dwese.

"There is a battle in Orbh City," said Urnyras Jael. "Gosto He'uch knows how many perished so far."

Aural looked down. They didn't speak, all listened to the burning and softly, gently crackling dry wood. Aural grabbed the iron stick and poked the wood a little bit more, putting another on top.

"I was not well-informed of the true intent of your visit," asked Aural. "Please ask me, and I shall provide you whatever information you need."

"There will be a full-scale assault on Calua City soon," said Alùn. Urnyras Jael did not know of such thing, yet she could surely assume such assault might actually occur, neither Krischnokh nor Gallanae-mylen spoke of such an actually-planned assault - soon. She raised an eyebrow, and listened to what Alùn had to say.

"And what the N'yaian Forces require is an army within the walls before the assault begins. You know, disguised army - which will turn against the Bannerlord shortly after the assault begins, paralyzing the Bannerlord and leaving him no space. Since, as you told, Calua is a city of thugs and mercenaries, I am sure we can provide enough currency to... convince a group of mercenaries, as the Bannerlord did."

"I see," said Aural, "Let me see what I c-"

An explosion shattered the chapel windows and walls.

All turned black. All Urnyras Jael could barely hear, within the twisted corners of her consciousness, were three words spoken out by a man with a hissing voice:

"Take them away."