NOVEL FROG 64 - Fires of Rebirth
With an escape route secured, Lieze was left with nothing to do except wander back and forth through the study waiting for Drayya, giving her plenty of time to consider Furainé’s intentions.
“Is she here to gather some of the pre-reformation scriptures? It would only make sense that the Church would want to reinstate a number of laws with how much power it now wields…” She thought, “Does Furainé carry out Alistair’s orders? She’s far more capable than she lets on, but just what kind of position does she occupy within the Church?”
It was obvious that she, Helmach and Alistair shared a connection, but Lieze didn’t quite have the evidence she needed to form any conclusive theories about their relationship.
The door creaked behind her, causing Lieze to spin around while grasping the handle of her dagger, only to loosen the stance upon spotting Drayya slipping through the crack. The grimoire held under her arm was large enough to bludgeon someone to death with.
“That conniving worm is here…” She frowned, “We should take this opportunity to end her pitiful life as quickly as possible.”
“It’s too risky. There are too many guards surrounding her.” Lieze replied, “-But I am interested in finding out why she’s here.”
“Probably to lift some outdated scripture on Alistair’s behalf.” Drayya said, “...She’s the same, isn’t she? ‘Chosen’ - like Helmach. Like you.”
“She is. There’s no other way to explain how she recognised you at first glance.”
“Much too dangerous to be kept alive.” She insisted.
Drayya didn’t attempt to hide the fury in her tone. Furainé had waved her father’s death in front of her face as if she was trying to aggravate an untrained mutt, and it had worked splendidly to ensure Drayya wouldn’t be forgetting the woman anytime soon. It was a quiet and restrained strategy which reaped plenty of rewards for very little effort.
“Get a hold of yourself.” Lieze demanded, “We bide our time and strike when opportunity calls. We don’t pick fights indiscriminately over some petty taunting. She was trying to get under your skin in that chapel, and it’s working better than she could have ever hoped.”
“And when is this ‘opportunity’ going to appear, Lieze?” Drayya snapped, “While Alistair consolidates power and influence within the city, we’ve done nothing but twiddle our thumbs. The more time we waste, the harder this war is going to become.”
“You’re underestimating just how volatile our situation is.” Lieze explained, “One wrong move, and we could jeopardise every advantage we’ve managed to secure. My father isn’t here - we can’t simply waltz up to the city gates with an army and reduce Tonberg to rubble.”
A tiresome sigh was all Drayya allowed in response. She understood the point well, but not willingly. The importance of Lieze’s continued leadership was becoming more apparent by the day. A lifetime of mediocrity had inspired a certain resourcefulness in her. Unlike Drayya, she was capable of supreme patience - quite the virtue in their vastly outnumbered circumstances.
“Let’s have a look. There’s a balcony over there.” She nodded her head towards the doorway, “Intelligence is our most powerful tool. We should take this chance to study Furainé’s motives.”
The two of them huddled towards the safety of the balusters, peeking through the gaps to see Furainé and her escort passing through the cobweb-infested bookshelves. Thunder roiled in the sky as the mysterious nun came to a stop in front of a particular shelf, causing Lieze and Drayya to shy away from the balcony as her gaze rose up to explore the plethora of spines tucked within.
“How incredible…” Her motherly voice bounced from the walls, “All the teachings of our Lord have been recorded in these halls. Not one shred of wisdom has gone unnoticed.”
“My lady…” From beneath a mask of steel, a muffled voice arose, “His Majesty requested that this deed be done as quickly as-”
Despite the soldier’s gargantuan size, one raised hand from Furainé was all it took to silence him.
“...Serving a greater purpose does not invite ignorance. Especially not when showing the proper respect to the faith’s past.” She replied, “We do this not to wipe away the past, but so that we may rise from the ashes of sin and discover the true meaning of faith.”
“...Yes, my lady.” With a solemn nod, the knight agreed.
“What nonsense is this?” Drayya’s airy breath crept into Lieze’s ears, “I swear, everything these poor zealots say just goes straight over my head… I’d be surprised if they even understand their own words half the time…”
“Shh.” Lieze focused her gaze, “Something’s not right here…”
In one hand, the knight held a lit torch, illuminating countless motes of dust in the air. Without a word, he stepped forward and offered the light to Furainé, who took it in one hand before stepping towards the bookshelf.
“In times of great darkness, sacrifices must be made to ensure the defeat of evil…” With eyes closed, she offered something akin to a prayer, “This, too, is one such sacrifice. May this fire bring us ever closer to the Lord…”
With that said, she placed the flame against the front of the bookshelf, igniting the pages of forward-facing tomes. Unsatisfied with only that, she wandered the entire length of the shelf while dragging her torch over the dry wood, soon enough engulfing an entire layer in uncontrollable fire.
“What breed of madness is this…?” Drayya muttered, “Setting fire to one’s own archives? Destroying priceless artefacts of history? Is this woman hysterical? Did Helmach’s death snap some vital connection in her poisoned mind?”
“Either or, I’ve seen enough to be satisfied.” Lieze replied, “We’d better get a move on if we plan to escape this place before it’s reduced to ashes.”
“Do you have a plan?”
“Yes.” She paused, “Well… no- yes.”
“No yes?” Drayya blinked.
“Yes. I do have a plan.” She said, “-But you’re not going to like it.”
“If there comes a day when I do like one of your plans, I’ll give up on the Order and become a farmer.” Sighing, Drayya followed after Lieze as she retreated to the study, “So, what is it?”
As if to bring attention to itself, chilly air blew in from the nearby window. The rain outside had become torrential - the streets flooded with thick fog. One glance at the dilapidated shingles coating the Library roof was all Drayya needed to see.
“No.” She refused.
“It’s the only way.” Lieze replied.
“It is absolutely not the only way. Why not a window on one of the lower floors?” She asked, “If we’re going to be launching ourselves out of one, it may as well be closer to street level. Don’t you think so?”
“We’re not ‘launching ourselves out’ of anything. Didn’t you see the flying buttress on the way in?” Lieze explained, “It lowers itself awfully close to the ground. If we slide down the roof and onto the support, we’ll be able to leap over the fence and onto the nearby street.”
“Oh, yes! I remember when we used to take ‘sliding down rooftops’ lessons when we were children! How could I have forgotten?” Drayya slapped her forehead, “Have you gone mad?”
“It’s either this or we try to sneak past Furainé. Personally, I would prefer the former.” She shrugged her shoulders, “Or, we could just as easily perish in a blazing inferno, if the idea tickles your fancy?”
“Hah…” Lowering her head, Drayya was forced to concede the point, “Very well. Why not? I’ve stared death in the face so many times since coming here that sliding down from a rooftop is tame in comparison. Of course, you’ll be going first, since this is your idea.”
“I don’t have a problem with that.”
Clambering up onto the windowsill, Lieze hoisted herself over the frame and placed one foot against the precarious shingles layering the roof, clicking her tongue as she felt her shoe skidding about on the rain-slick surface like ice. She had precisely one chance to orient herself towards a buttress.
Taking a breath that may very well have been her last, she scooted off the windowsill, landing with a grunt onto her bottom before skidding down the side of the roof at a speed she wasn’t entirely comfortable with. Having only seconds to adjust, she shifted the weight of her body before it careened off the building, falling a few feet onto the pointed buttress - an experience more painful than anything Lieze had ever experienced.
Lieze’s HP - 185 / 210
The Library’s perimeter was marked with a small fence, albeit one tipped with wicked spikes of black iron. Lieze had another second to launch herself off the buttress at the last second, clenching her eyes as the sensation of metal spikes piercing her spine mercifully never arrived. Her body slammed into the cobbled road beyond - a fortunate yet painful success.
Lieze’s HP - 140 / 210
Quest "Search Party" Complete!
Reward - 2,200xp
Her attempt had done precisely nothing to assuage Drayya’s fear, and in fact may have made the plan seem even more ridiculous to her than it had before. Lieze knew, at the very least, that the girl’s pride wouldn’t allow her to be one-upped in matters of courage, and so, as she stood to her feet, Drayya was already getting in position to mimic Lieze’s pitiful feat of dexterity.
Were it not for the fact that stealth was of the utmost importance, she would have most likely been screaming the whole way down. Lieze was forced to avert her gaze as she tumbled down the side of the building, netting herself a tear in her robes as she leaped over the fence.
Lieze stepped to the side as Drayya fell to street level, wincing at the sound of her body striking the ground. After a few excruciating moments, she stood to her feet.
“Don’t… ah…” With both hands on her back, she took a second to breathe, “Don’t think for a moment that I’ll ever allow you to talk me into doing something like that ever again…”
“We’re still alive, aren’t we?” Lieze asked.
“Only just… I think I’ve broken something…”
“The grimoires are ours. That’s what really matters.” She hid the tome under her arm to protect it from the rain, “Come. We should move somewhere less conspicuous before Furainé walks out and notices we’re here.”
“Lead the way… just, don’t move too quickly…”
Despite the success of their mission, Lieze couldn’t help but feel as if the sight they’d witnessed in the Library was a portend to further catastrophe. Once the two of them had relocated to a more populated area of the western district, smoke was already rising in the distance, signalling that Furainé’s sudden fever of book-burning was no mere stunt. Citizens and guardsmen pooled out from taverns and checkpoints to witness the tragedy unfolding before their eyes.
“...What possesses a sister of the faith to torch a vital source of knowledge?” Drayya posed that question with more sincerity than normal, “Nothing good can come of this.”
“No.” Lieze peered out from their alleyway to survey the congesting street, “-And I fear she wasn’t acting independently. Knights from the Order of Green Dragons were escorting her, most likely on Alistair’s orders. But why…?”
“Now that I think about it, I would rather not know. Let’s not focus on the maddening whims of zealots.” She replied, “Take the city. That is our only goal. One, if I may be so bold as to suggest, that you’ve been dragging your heels on these past few days, Lieze.”
“Calm yourself. We’ll have our chance to strike soon enough.” Lieze assured, “Until then, let’s return to the hideout. I think these grimoires will give us precisely the kind of edge we need over the Church.”
Quest "Secrets of the Forbidden School" Complete!
Reward - 2,000xp
Level Up!
You are now level [26]
HP + 10 MP + 45
MIND + 1