Chapter 25: Vol.1 Part. 25: Runes on the Wall

Sighsten wandered the streets alone. It was one of his rituals to forget the stress of everyday life. His desk was cluttered with documents. Most of the army was already stationed in defense against recent eastward attacks, but the Duriboris undead descended from the Grigorios mountains persisted. More and more fields were overrun. Hundreds of peasants came daily, wanting to take shelter in Athylia.

Sighsten put his hand in front of his head. Now that a monster infection has broken out in the south, the problems will increase exponentially. Trade to the south was permanently restricted; no business could be made with the dwarves to the east because of the undead of Duriboris. Only the elves who lay to the west across the river still traded with them. Sighsten sincerely hoped that the human realm of Enoriath, to the south, would request assistance from the neighboring kingdoms.

As the situation unfolded, they would be on their own. King Edward had decided not to seek assistance. Sighsten did not doubt that Athylia would survive the battles to come. They had the holy wall and the bishop, who could punish in God's name. There have not yet been any overly problematic reports from the south, where Kanah's unit was holding the fort. Nevertheless, he knew that fateful news could come at any moment.

The mood in Athylia was particularly depressing today. As always, the streets were crowded with citizens. They bumped into each other, dropping goods and swearing at each other. A cold wind blew the fresh smell of hay through the streets. The amount of goods sold decreased as fewer merchants visited Athylia's markets.

By now, the citizens had noticed that the defense measures at the main gate had been strengthened. Weapons and ammunition were transported in large numbers to the gate. It also didn't help that the area around Orchids Forest was classified as "highly dangerous" and no new traders came from the south.

He considered himself lucky that no inappropriate messages had arrived from Kanah. They would certainly not survive a fight on two fronts unscathed. He looked ahead. It was comforting to see how so many races harmonized with each other. It was one of the basic rules of their kingdom. Everyone knew that the gods built Athylia, and thus every race of divine descent was taken up as brothers.

Whether elves from the west, dwarves from the east, humans, or demihumans. They were all welcomed with open arms. In the distance, he spotted a knight walking purposefully in his direction. He narrowly escaped a collision with a man coming out of a side street.

"Sighsten, I've finally found you. We have disturbing news," he said. He examined the squire standing in front of him, gasping for air. He was rather shameful. He wore a green robe under his military shirt, indicating that he had only recently joined the service. Sighsten shook his head and put his large hand on his shoulder. Something had happened that required his attention.

"How about if you take a deep breath and then calmly explain to me what happened?"

"Something suspicious was found at the south gate; Neo immediately requests your presence."

Sighsten frowned. Was it a pure coincidence that something had happened in the direction of the infection, or was he already becoming paranoid under stress? He touched his forehead; at least he didn't have a fever.

"I think I need a vacation," he thought to himself. But in such critical times, he had no time to take a break. They were preparing for a potential war that could not be taken lightly.

He was sure that the Holy Wall would keep the enemies away; not even the dragons, whose fire even put the heat of a volcano in the shade, could penetrate it. However, he was aware that the battle would claim many casualties.

The runes on his skin cracked, and like lightning, he sprinted through the streets. The old houses flowed past him like a blurred film. He dodged the crowds with elegance, like a dancer at a performance. A flash of light later, he reached the wall entrance, where Neo was already waiting for him.

The gate was decorated with golden runes. They were so beautiful and powerful that even the untrained eye could perceive their divinity. Each rune has been strengthened and held together with a sacred jewel at the center. Each gem had a unique color and luster.

Above the gate was the largest and most powerful rune. The center was adorned with a gem of absolute size. It is said to be the protection of the goddess of life, of whom few know the name.

He would have liked to see the rune activated, but it's said to have been extinguished for hundreds of years. Her holy light is said to have filled the streets only once. And that was at the beginning of Athylia's story. No one knows why it was deactivated; it was one of the mysteries lost in the flow of time.

Sighsten would have liked to activate them, but the complexity exceeded anything he had seen before. And he called himself one of the best rune masters in the world. 'Truly a work of God's art.' He admired the beauty and didn't notice how his old friend approached him.

"Sighsten, my friend, there you are."

"Sorry, Neo, but every time I see the Protection Runes of Our Walls, my heart beats faster with joy."

"And yet we may have a problem inside the walls," Neo said.

"What happened?"

"A soldier found a pair of runes in the stonework that doesn't seem to belong there. Since few know about runes, I called you to take a look."

"Foreign runes? Who would be disrespectful enough to deface these sacred artifacts with any child's doodles?" said Sighsten in a rage. In his eyes, it was a desecration of Athylia's heritage.

"We do not know. We also have no idea what the runes are all about, so we called you."

"A wise decision indeed. Could you lead me to the contamination?" asked Sighsten in a stern tone. For him, it had become something personal.

"Yes, sir."

They had gone up some stairs and followed the path inside the masonry until they arrived at a secluded room with a lot of armor lying by the door. A woman in silver armor stood guard. She had pointed ears mostly covered by golden hair tied behind her head.

"What are you doing here, Ebonee?" asked Sighsten.

"Just as you have your duty, I must protect the Sacred Walls of Athylia."

"I've forgotten what a stubborn person you can be," Sighsten murmured regretfully. "While I find your sense of duty impressive, even you should take some time off."

"That must wait until the danger is past," she replied. Ebonee was incredibly dutiful. She never left the masonry, even when an audience was called by the king. She places her vow to the gods to protect these walls above all else.

While Sighsten was lost in his fantasy, Neo had already opened the door.

"Ebonee, no one is allowed to enter the room or be in the vicinity. We don't know what could trigger the rune, so I forbid any use of mana." Her rigid features didn't warp a bit as she nodded.

They entered the room cautiously. No mana ran out of them to avoid accidentally activating it. A red-purple rune was visible at the end of the room. It glowed only slightly and did not pulse at all. A black gem sat in the center of the magic circle. Sighsten kneeled and placed his hand on the dim gem. A ring of gold glowed in his palm.

As Sighsten examined the rune, Neo took a closer look at the surroundings. The whole room was dust-covered, leaving drag marks on the floor.

"It doesn't seem active," remarked Sighsten, straightening up before dusting off his clothes. "But the explosive power should not be underestimated."

"Look at the boxes," Neo said. "Judging by the dust, they've only recently been moved."

"It's quite possible that someone had moved the boxes to place the rune behind them. If he had managed to cover them up with the box, we would have had a real problem. That means something went wrong. What do you think, Sighsten?"

Sighsten put his hand to his chin.

"It's quite possible." The storage rooms in the southern part of the wall have served no purpose in recent years. But now that the monster infection is coming from the south, the storerooms have been reinstated. Sighsten said.

"So you think the unidentified person was surprised by a guard?" asked a female voice. Neo and Sighsten turned in surprise and saw a silver figure enter the room. "It's quite possible that the knight didn't fully enter the room for fear of triggering the rune. And when he left the items in front of the door to get me to help, the Rune Master had secretly left the room," Ebonee continued.

"Then it will be difficult to find him. The suspect will surely have known by now that the room has been searched." Sighsten said.

"I don't think he noticed," Neo answered, which earned him a questioning look from Ebonee and Sighsten.

"Why do you think that?" Ebonee asked.

"Where would you place your runes if your job was to sabotage the wall in a foreign kingdom?" asked Neo.

"That depends on how much time I have," replied Sighsten after a moment's thought.

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"And if it was a short-term assignment?"

"Then in a place that is not regularly entered."

Ebonee nodded in understanding. "I understand. He was looking for a secluded room to place the runes here but was interrupted by a guard."

"Right, now that you mention it. If the saboteur were among our ranks, he should have known the storerooms had been returned to service," said Sighsten.

"That means we're looking for a person who wears our uniform but has no internal information and probably no internal contacts either." Ebonee clarified. "The only question remains: how do we get hold of the saboteur? Any suggestions? Keeping your eyes open is unlikely to achieve success."

"I suggest limiting the information network," Neo said. "We should assume he still has access to information, even though he made a mistake. But it might take a day or two for him to collect them."

"However, even if it warns the saboteur, we must strengthen the security measures in the wall. In the present times, we cannot afford internal destruction. It's almost indestructible on the outside, but the inside is soft as a cloud." Ebonee clarified. As keeper of the walls, she knew far more about the architecture and stability than anyone else in the kingdom.

"But that's not a real solution."

"Do you have a better idea, Neo?" asked Sighsten.

A sudden knock on the door interrupted the heated discussion. Sighsten put a finger to his mouth.

"Neo?" asked a voice. "A new report from Kanah has arrived."

"Come in."

The door opened, and a young man in a green robe entered. He bowed and handed over an envelope before withdrawing. Sighsten watched as Neo opened the envelope and began to read. With every sentence, his expression darkened.

"Say, my friend, what's so bad that your face gets those ugly wrinkles?"

Ebonee also looked curiously in his direction. From the look on his face, the news was horrible.

"Kanah's group found out something about the infection," Neo began carefully. "As of now, there are no active movements to suggest that the monster infection is continuing to spread north."

"But?" Sighsten insisted.

"Well, how should I put it? The Queen, or in other words, the Supreme Monster, is said to be a Beholder."

"Problematic, but not impossible to solve," Sighsten replied.

"If we believe Kanah's report, it's said to be eight meters in diameter."

"Eight meters?" Sighsten and Ebonee cried out with shocked expressions.

"The same person who rescued Hjalmar is said to have obtained the information, so it remains to be seen how serious the information is."

"Why would she have any reason to lie to us?" Ebonee asked. "After all, she saved Hjalmarr's group in the past."

"It could all be fake though," said Sighsten, biting his lip in annoyance. "It could well be that we discovered the infection too early." It would have been a lot more noticeable if she had eliminated Hjalmarr's group."

"The report says she's badly injured."

"Who?"

"Luna."

"Who?" asked Sighsten. "I haven't read the report; you'll have to be more specific about what it's about."

"We're talking about the person who saved Hjalmarr, so why don't you know who Luna is?" Neo cried out.

"May I suggest we get back on topic?" Ebonee asked.

"Where was I? Oh yes. It's said to be a massive beholder capable of pulverizing and petrifying things from miles away. Also, the orchid swamp is currently said to be infected."

"That's bad," said Sighsten. "Do you think the two incidents are related?"

"Which?" Ebonee asked.

"It can't be a coincidence that a saboteur wants to weaken our defenses to the south just as the infection is spreading in the south."

"Oh."

"Bullshit, you're trying to make me believe someone controlled such a monster?" Neo asked. "If it is that big, it can be compared to a gigantic dragon. No kingdom in this world has ever tamed a dragon."

"But you have to admit that the timing is almost perfect. If they have such a monster under their control, it only makes sense to destroy the wall and leave Athylia defenseless."

It became quiet in the room. Everyone was thinking, but even after minutes, no one had an idea who the mastermind could be.

"Who do you think is behind this?" asked Neo.

"I don't think it's the elves, although they would be the most capable of magical knowledge, we've been in alliance and trading for hundreds of years," Sighsten said.
"So, the dwarves?" asked Ebonee.

"To be honest, I have no idea. It could be anyone. Humans, elves, dwarves, or demons. Your task will be to dismantle the entire wall for now. Find all the runes that could blast the wall from within and defuse them if necessary," Sighsten spoke calmly. "But be careful not to activate them!"

"What are you doing in the meantime?" asked Ebonee.

"I will speed up preparations in case Kanah has to retreat. We also need to find the saboteur."

"All right," said Neo. "We'll meet again later and put together what we find."

Together, they left the room and began their task. Sighsten rushed to the castle to assemble a spy team as soon as possible. Every second was valuable. Worried, he flashed through the streets. "Hope they don't find any more runes," was the last thought that crossed his mind before he reached the castle.

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