It was amazing what being confined to a hospital bed for a week did to a person’s sense of time. When Alnur woke up he would be forced to lay there in bed until the boredom and exhaustion got the better of him and he fell back to sleep. Today was the first time that he had the strength to stand again. The first thing he wanted was to look out the window at the capital city below. The benefit of staying in the medical wing of the Meliorem Vitam was that his room was some three hundred feet above the city below, which made for an incredible view.
The morning sky was awash in reds and pinks, the clouds on the horizon were dark and stormy; it was going to rain like no tomorrow soon. Alnur looked down at the majesty of the capital, the city was made in a series of rings, each new outer ring was made from less and less extravagant materials, though the craftsmanship was still stunning. The inner ring consisted of large structures made from marbles and gold that encircled the Meliorem Vitam; these were the cornerstones of the Courts infrastructure. The Imperial bank, the vault of Imperial records, the forum and The Celestial Theater. Though, he never expected to see what looked like a food stand outside of the Meliorem Vitam. The next ring was reserved for the nobles and those that held a high rank in the Court. It was made up of villas, keeps, mansions and the like.
From here the quality of the rings took a drastic downward turn, it was also the line between the inner rings and the outer rings of the city. The third ring held the many businesses that called the capital home. It was as large as both of the inner rings put together, the buildings were more traditional in material, though the designs were extravagant. Next was the fourth ring, it was here that the citizens and common folk of the capital lived and spent their free time. The houses and apartments were mostly made of wood and simple materials. Past the fourth ring was the city wall, a massive ring of steel and stone that stood a hundred feet high, wrapping around the entire circumference of the city. The top of the wall was covered in every wonder from the old world they could muster to defend the crown jewel of the Empire, from anti aircraft guns, to cannons; hells if the rumors were true they even had a shield generator capable of projecting a photon barrier over the city.
Looking past the wall Alnur saw a sea of tents and shoddy huts. Although tens of thousands called the capital home, there were thousands more that had to live outside the walls. Only entering each day to go to their jobs, hoping one day to earn enough to live within the city walls. This was a part of the capital that they tended not to advertise to the outside world.
Alnur glanced over at the sofa in the corner of his room. Zo was fast asleep on the small couch, her legs draped over the side, her toes almost touching the floor. A small blanket was draped over her as she snored gently. Bynard was no doubt securing the new quarters that they would soon be moving into later today. Alnur for his part was restless, he was finally able to move around and the thought of laying back down was the furthest from what he wanted.
No, there was something Alnur had to see with his own eyes… well, eye.
Quietly, Alnur opened the closet and retrieved a cloak , along with a pair of gloves to help hide his dead hand and a change of clothes. He quickly got dressed, pausing any time he heard Zo shift. Leaving a quick note on his pillow Alnur made for the door, stopping just before he opened it. Shit. Right, this is Bynard you’re dealing with. Running a hand around the frame of the door Alnur came across a small symbol that was carved into the paint. A matching rune was carved into the door itself, so faint that it was almost invisible.
Sneaky little bastard. Alnur thought to himself as he looked for something to scratch the door with. Bynard had been trained in the Way of Whispers when he was young. Though from the reports that Alnur had received the Hall of Whispers considered Bynard’s methods to be a bit too eccentric to be inducted as a full agent. They had been very clear however that while his ways were odd, they were highly effective. A sentiment that even Abigail had backed.
Grabbing a scalpel from a drawer, Alnur made his way back and looked at the rune on the door. Runecrafting was something Alnur had never had any aptitude for, though luckily he was familiar with this particular trick of Bynard’s. Carefully he lifted the scalpel blade and added a small line to the rune. Taking a breath he reached down and opened the door carefully.
The runes remained still.
Releasing his held breath, Alnur quickly made his way into the hall and closed the door behind him. A grin stretched across his face as he felt a rush of excitement. A stab of guilt followed quickly as he remembered that while he was eager to explore the capital, his home was under the scrutiny of the inquisition. I should still try and get a lay of the city, just in case. He thought to himself as he made his way down the corridor.
Thankfully the medical wing floors and walls were covered in colored lines and markings that were meant to help guide those that got turned around, or who like Alnur were trying to make a get away. Following the lines he found the lift, hoping that it would be able to take him to the ground floor. Entering the lift he found a digital screen that waited for him to make his selection of destinations. He tried entering the ground floor, the screen flashed a warning that he had to present an identification card to proceed.
Grumbling to himself he tapped the button to override the system’s ID request. The system opened a keyboard as it demanded his authorization code. His finger began to slowly inch towards the screen as the crown around his forehead began to grow warm.
The doors slid open again as a nurse gasped at the sight of Alnur. Thankfully she dropped the file in her hand, allowing Alnur a chance to pull his hood over his face to hide the crystal protruding from his eye.
Alnur held out a hand. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you! I was trying to get down to the ground floor and this thing was giving me a bit of trouble.” He said as he pointed to the lift controls, tapping the button to close the override screen as he did so.
The nurse collected the paperwork she dropped as she gave Alnur a confused look. “You gave me the fright of my life.” She said as she stood up with a raised eyebrow. “Is the lift not accepting your personal slate?” Alnur took the chance to quickly look over the nurse, there around her neck was a lanyard that held a metal card.
Giving a slight chuckle and a warm smile Alnur scratched the back of his head. “It’s a bit embarrassing, I was trying to get some fresh air and my slate fell out of the window. I’m heading down to see if I can find it on the street below. Though considering how my day is going it probably fell in a sewer grate.” He gave a bashful laugh, the nurse held a hand up and giggled.
“You know what’s sad, I’ve done that exact same thing.” The nurse said as she used her free hand to move a strand of hair from her face. “Without a slate you’ll need to go to the guard station on this floor and have them escort you back to the ground floor.”
Alnur sighed. “I was afraid you would say that. Truth is this isn’t my first time losing my slate, I lost one the other day while I was visiting my sister and the guards chewed me out for the better part of an hour for being ‘a disgrace to the Gods’. I was really hoping to avoid another lecture, by the time they finish grilling me my slate might be gone, if it isn’t already.” Out of the corner of his eye he watched the nurse's body language, tweaking his story as he told it in response to her reaction. Judging by the torn look on her face he almost had her, a little more and she would buckle.
Walking out of the lift, Alnur turned to the nurse. “I don’t wanna cause you any trouble miss. I better get going, maybe I’ll still make it to the food stand outside after I’m done. My sister told me if she has to keep eating this food paste they serve here she’s going to resort to cannibalism.” He said with a sharp laugh as he made to leave.
“Wait.” The nurse called back. “Sal’s food stall always sells out before seven, and the nearest place to get any good food is the third ring.” She waved for Alnur to get on the lift. “Please don’t mention this to anyone, I could get in huge trouble.” She hissed as she looked around the corridor to ensure there was no one watching.
“You have my word, on the honor of the Gods I swear to not tell a soul.”
The nurse held her slate up to the lift’s screen as the system chirped in response. The lift doors closed as the lift lowered towards the ground floor at a blistering speed.
“I didn’t catch your name, miss-” Alnur said, holding the last syllable for a moment.
“Joan. And you are?”
“Name’s Al, pleasure to meet you.”
The elevator continued on as the seconds passed.
Joan looked over at Alnur. “You mentioned your sister is with us, if you don’t mind me asking, what is she here for?”
Alnur looked to the side for a moment. “She had surgery on her leg, did a number to it last week while we were out on a hike. Though I think she’s set to be discharged today.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” Joan stammered. “Not that she hurt herself, but that she got it healed.”
Laughing, Alnur watched the doors slide open to reveal a huge chamber that acted as the entrance to the great tower. “Thank you again Joan, I’ll be sure to return the favor if the chance arrives.” Alnur gave a nod as he made his way towards the exit. The entrance chamber was filled with sculptures made of every rare mineral known to man, each one made to honor a different Celestial God or saint. The walls were covered in murals and paintings depicting the history of the Empire. Or at least, the version they taught to the public.
Finally Alnur made it to the doors, throwing them open as he walked out into the fresh morning air. He wanted to pull back his hood and bask in the refreshing breeze, but it was probably best to wait until he wasn’t surrounded by guards to do so. Alnur made his way down the flight of stairs into the main plaza that surrounded the tower. Even this early there were dozens of people making their way through the shared space to or from their jobs. His eyes fell on the lone food stall in the plaza, the words ‘Sal’s’ were written on the side. A terrible rumble erupted from his stomach at the thought of something other than rich nutrient paste.
He made his way towards the stall, eyeing the baked goods, breakfast sandwiches, and various salted meats that were for sale. Even this early in the morning it appeared that the stall was nearly out of their morning supply of food, or would be soon.
The old man behind the counter shot Alnur a glare. “You gonna grab something, or are you just gonna waste my time staring?” He said with a raspy voice as he spat on the marble stones below.
Smiling, Alnur nodded towards the food. “Forgive me, a week of nutrient paste has robbed me of my manners.” He looked up at the sign that listed the prices of the various foods. “Right, I forgot about currency. That isn’t really a thing back where I’m from.”
Sneering, the old man looked at Alnur. “What kind of backwater place are you from? Even them free cities use coins for Saints sake.” The man Alnur assumed was ‘Sal’ spat on the stones below again.
Alnur shrugged. “We tend to use a bartering system back home. Not much use for chips and coins way out in the Coast.”
Sal’s face scowled. “You wouldn’t be talking about that there Black Coast would ya? Never met one of ya pale skinned bastards before, talk going around is your kind done tried to summon an old god.” There was a growing bitterness to the man’s voice.
Shoving his hands into the cloak's pockets, Alnur felt something. He pulled his hand out to reveal small rectangular pieces of metal with colored bands. “Now what makes you think that?” He said wistfully as he quickly changed the subject. “What will one of these chips get me?” He pulled out a green chip, holding it up for Sal to see while purposely ignoring the drivel the man was spewing. He didn’t have the energy to get into an argument with the man, not on an empty stomach.
“One of those’ll get ya’s two sandwiches and some jerky.” Sal said, it was remarkable how much his attitude could improve at the sight of money.
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Alnur handed the chip over as he grabbed the bag of delicious smelling food from Sal. “Thanks.” He said with a smile as he walked away.
Taking a sandwich out of the bag, Alnur made quick work devouring the heavenly meal. What Sal lacked in tact and respect, he made up for in spades with his culinary craft. It almost made Alnur not want to punch the man, almost.
As he ate, Alnur made his way towards his goal. The Mausoleum of Heroes. It didn’t take long to arrive at the building, it had been one of the very first buildings erected when the capital had been built so it was right across the plaza from where he was staying. The Mausoleum’s entrance was lined with statues of the brave warriors that had given their lives to guide humanity across the stars all those centuries ago. Alnur made his way through the golden archway into the main hall of the Mausoleum, the building was separated into a dozen different wings, each with their own displays or purposes. Continuing forward through another archway would lead to the Amphitheater of champions, where the spirit of martial combat was honored in the name of the Celestials.
Alnur wanted nothing more than to go and see those hallowed grounds, the sand and stone of the Amphitheater had traveled all the way from the old world and had seen countless battles, from the public tournaments and duels that thrilled the common folk. To the more private settling of scores or executions that was reserved for traitors and heretics. He had always dreamed of one day fighting in the Amphitheater, to test his skills and prove himself in the eyes of the ancient Ono. What he would give for the opportunity.
Turning down one of the corridors, Alnur followed the signs on the walls until he had found what he was looking for. The Hall of The Lost. This held the history of the Ono’s greatest tragedy, and the aftermath that still haunted them to this day.
Great tapestries and murals lined the walls of the vaulted windowless room. Glass display cases held artifacts from thousands of years in the past, suspended with old tech that froze them in time. In the middle of the room, taking up a vast section of the wall, was what he had been hunting for, the names of The Lost.
Alnur sat at a bench that faced the list of names, looking up at the names with a mixture of feelings. He reached up and removed his crown as he spun the circlet with his fingers as he read each of the names on the wall.
A poke on his shoulder dragged Alnur from his stupor as he turned to see a young man, by his uniform he looked to be one of the staff members in charge of guiding guests and maintaining the displays. The man cleared his throat. “I’m sorry sir, are you well? You’ve been sitting here for an hour, I had thought perhaps you had fallen asleep honestly.”
Fighting back the wave of emotions, Alnur cleared his throat as he nodded to the list of the Lost. “I was just reading their names. Lost track of time.”
The man smiled as he turned to the list. “I understand the feeling, sir. It is one thing to hear of the Lost, it is another to see each of their names, to see all that remains of their lives on display. It’s hard. To see how little we have to remember them by.”
“You said it.” Alnur whispered.
“Would you like me to tell you the story of them?”
Alnur nodded slowly.
The man gestured for Alnur to follow as he led him towards one of the tapestries. It depicted the shattering of the old world, and the last fleet of man scattering to the solar winds. “I’m sure you understand the plight of our people, it is a history we are all familiar with, the thing I want to stress from the exodus and the journey that followed is that the Lifeweaver and his fellow Genesmiths had little time to prepare for the destruction of the home world. Certain corners had to be cut.” The man pointed to the Celestials granting life to the many children of the Court. “For generations our kind had to confine themselves to the halls of ships that swam the infinite expanse between the stars. The Ono, our great protectors, were tasked with exploring any possible worlds that humanity could call home.” He spoke as they made their way further down the displays, each one illustrating what he was saying.
“The Lifeweaver made the Ono with that sole purpose in mind, though the largest hurdle the Lifeweaver faced was that there could be long periods of time between the Ono needing to be called upon. The fleet might go decades, centuries, even longer still between finding hospital planets. It didn’t make sense to have the Ono continually train only to grow old and die before they ever saw the chance to live up to their purpose.” The man stopped before a large metal sarcophagus, the whole thing was angled, the inside filled with various intricate machines and needles. Large tubes were hooked up to the sides and bottom of the contraption.
Alnur nodded. “Suspended animation.” He muttered softly.
The guide looked surprised. “Have you had this tour before sir?”
“No. I remember hearing something about it from my grandfather, some old story or the like. Please continue, this is fascinating.”
It took a moment for the guide to get back into the rhythm of the story, but he was soon picking up right where he left off. “The answer was to put the fully trained Ono into a perpetual sleep between worlds, leaving only a few awake to continue training new recruits and oversee the slumber of the others. For this, the Lifeweaver granted the Ono genetic immortality, the ability to pause their aging process indefinitely. Some were even said to have been able to reverse aging altogether. Entering these tanks, the Ono would sleep until they were needed once more. It would be like closing your eyes and waking up in the future, a seamless process.”
Seamless my ass. Alnur thought to himself.
The guide came to a stop before an image of a ship surrounded in a halo of light. “The Silentium, one of the two capital ships of the Ono. Designed by the Lifeweaver himself to house the sleeping Ono on their journey. While its sister ship the Convitium was used by the Ono to train and hone their craft for war, the Silentium was their personal haven. A spiritual place that held those deemed important enough to sleep until such time as they were called upon to bring the fury of the Gods down on the enemies of the Celestials.” He held his fist up to emphasize the righteousness of his words.
His hand slowly fell as he walked once more. “Alas, the Void and its dark gods had other plans. Travel between stars is long, too long for any living thing, Ono or otherwise. So the ancients devised methods to slip between the folds of the universe, to dance along the currents of the Void, using our archenemies very home to propel our people over distances unimaginable. But, I remind you again that the Lifeweaver and the ancient scholars of the home world were rushed in their efforts to save humanity from extinction, they never had the time to perfect the art of the Void Dance. The Silentium’s protective barriers fell mid dance, swallowed by the eager beasts in the darkness.”
The man came to a stop for a final time before turning to face the list of names again. “These are the Lost. Twelve thousand, six hundred and fifty two of our bravest warriors lost to the Void in a blink of an eye. Today, that number may seem small as the population of each race continues to rise, but in those days, it accounted for three quarters of the Ono race. Not to mention the genetic material that was housed in the Silentium’s vaults.”
For a long moment the guide simply let the weight of the looming names sink in.
Alnur spoke up. “When you mentioned that the tragedy of the Lost still haunts the Ono to this day, were you speaking about their genetic defects?”
The guide nodded slowly. “The Ono were brought to the brink of extinction. The Lifeweaver and the Genesmiths only had so much genetic material prepared for the journey, they had calculated that the population of each of the races would gradually increase on its own without the need for further artificial births after a set point. The Ono were well on the way to this before they lost so many of their own. The reserve of artificial eggs and the necessary materials to produce pure blooded Ono was less than 10% of what they had started with.”
He continued. “Records of the following centuries are sparse, but from what little we have to go on. The Ono and the remaining Genesmiths tried to desperately correct their course to extinction. The outcome was… less than ideal.” The man looked uncomfortable.
Taking a step towards the listed names, Alnur spoke up again without facing the man. “The gene therapies, the egg extractions, the stem cell programs. Nothing worked, they simply made it worse, eventually it caused the newborn Ono to become sterile. In the end they had to resort to drastic actions.” He trailed off, whispering the last part to only himself. “Any day now, the last Ono could be born, I’ve heard that last year there were only ten births.”
The guide sighed. “And so comes to a close, the noble and honorable history of our great protectors. It is my purpose to try and keep their story alive, to spread it to others so that they might keep the spirit of the Ono going long after they are gone.” The man’s eyes watered slightly as he looked at the list of names.
Alnur turned to the man. “Do you have a pen I could borrow? And some paper please.” The guide reached into a pocket and pulled out a notepad and a pen. Alnur quickly wrote a list on the pad, flipping the page over when he filled the first, then the second. And the third. He handed the pad and pen back to the confused man as he started to walk away.
“What is this?” The man called out.
Raising his voice as he walked out, Alnur shouted back as he returned his crown on his head. “Your list was missing some names.”
◆◆◆
The rain had begun to fall in earnest. The crash of the downpour roared as Alnur stood at the archway to the Mausoleum, staring at the rain with disdain. He wanted to go further into the city, to see the outer rings and how the people of the capital lived. His father had taught him that the truest way to judge how well a city was run was to see how happy the people at the bottom were. By the time he got to the outer rings he would be soaked and at risk of getting sick.
He had taken longer than he had expected reading the list of the Lost, he considered heading back before Zo and Bynard came looking for him. Not to mention that if those primarius got whiff of his stroll they might send the city guard out in force to find him.
The sound of steel on steel caught Alnur’s attention, the sound seemed to be coming from the arena. Sounds like someone is sparing. He thought to himself as he turned to leave. Despite willing his legs to move he didn’t budge. The thought of seeing fellow warriors perfecting their craft in the arena was too enticing to pass up. Quickly heading back into the building, Alnur hurried through the other archway into the stands of the Amphitheater.
The Amphitheater was colossal in size, roughly bowl shaped with walls that curved inwards, the roof was open to the elements. The theater could hold twenty thousand spectators in the many seats that rose higher and higher with each row. There were private viewing booths that hung to the edges of the ceiling, the far side of the Amphitheater was reserved for the highest members of the Court. In the center of it all was the arena. A slightly oval shaped pit of sand and stone that made up the focus of the imposing building.
Looking down into the pit, Alnur could make out a dozen or so Ono in the middle of training. They were holding mock battles by the looks of it, the instructor was grilling the recruits for their lack of discipline. Alnur couldn’t help but smile, it reminded him of his own training by the Huntmaster. Those had been tough days indeed.
“I told you he would be here.” A familiar voice called out from behind Alnur.
He didn’t have to turn to know who it belonged to. “Good morning Bynard, and to you too Zo. How did you sleep?” Alnur said lightheartedly while watching the practice below.
Zo grunted. Her voice was bitter and tense. “I slept great, that was until we found you gone! Why didn’t you wake me?”
“I wanted to go out without a chaperone for a bit.” Alnur said with a laugh. “Speaking of, I didn’t think you two would find me so soon.”
Bynard walked up and pulled Alnur’s cloak open, pointing at a slight bulge in the fabric of the cloak around the chest. “Tracking rune. Nice work disabling my alarm, shame you didn’t notice the silent one I hid inside the jamb.” He grinned.
Alnur chuckled. “I’ll remember that for next time.”
“There won’t be a next time my Lord.” Zo said as she leaned on the railing beside Alnur. “You need to stop treating this like a game, with the inquisition breathing down our neck we can’t afford to be sneaking around under their noses. If we do something wrong, our families pay the price back home!”
Dropping the act for a moment, Alnur continued in a serious tone. “Remember who it is you’re speaking to.” Zo and Bynard both looked taken aback, quickly snapping salutes in unison as they realized this wasn’t a joke. “I am aware of the situation. The people I swore to protect and lead are being held ransom by the Court. The bastards are shaking in their boots at the thought of The Nightfather crossing into the material realm, they need someone to take the blame, a face they can parade through the Empire as an example of what happens when people put their faith in the Old Gods. They think me some soft spined fool that will roll over because of my faith in the Celestials. Let them see me like that, they will be sorely mistaken. I left the tower in the hopes of seeing the city for myself, to hear the rumors of our home and gauge the people’s stance on what happened during the festival. We cannot hope to stand against the Court alone, our only hope of salvation lies in gathering information and allies.” Alnur said, never taking his eyes off the warriors below.
Bynard clicked his tongue. “You wanted us to come find you, so we could talk in private without the eyes of the Court on us. So you did know of my other runes.”
Alnur smiled again. “Nope, you got me there. I was hoping to have enough time to make it to the outer rings, but the weather turned and I was forced to hide in the Amphitheater to escape the rain.” It wasn’t an outright lie, only mostly a lie.
“I apologize, my Lord.” Zo’s face was knotted in distress. “I overstepped, it won’t happen again.”
“We need to stand united Zo, that means trusting me.” Alnur sighed. The training below was odd, there was something off about it that Alnur couldn’t place. He frowned as he tried to figure it out.
The ringing of a bell interrupted his thoughts, the eight chimes signaled the time. Bynard cleared his throat. “We have to meet our sponsors at ten, we should hurry back to get you cleaned up and checked out, sir.” He did little to hide his boredom. The man was good at what he did, but when it came to things that didn’t grab his attention he gave the bare minimum of effort and attention.
“Let’s be off then.” He said as he pulled himself away from the perplexing sparring session.
