章 550: The Cauldron
The massive cauldron was just beyond the edge of the camp.
Aurora had wanted to give Dania and Alaron a safe escape route, so she had intentionally drawn the fighting away from their planned exit.
Like Dania, Eliana and Jaymes had also expressed concerns about the water being poured out on the ground haphazardly. Aurora had seen the black mess that had occurred when she had been healed could not help but agree.
Those concerns combined meant that the Emperor and his troops were attempting to pin down the abominations away from the boiling hot water.
As such, the goings-on around the gargantuan container of water were not being hindered by the war.
The large metal pot was much bigger than should have ever been possible. It seemed that the ground had been dug out and liquid metal poured strategically in to make the mold. Then once the metal had cooled and taken shape, even more earth was dug out underneath to put the cauldron on stilts to be able to sustain a fire underneath.
The end result was a large pool-like structure, which reminded Gandr of one of the many bath houses where Elves could wash and swim privately. If not for the situation, it would have been a very impressive marvel of human ingenuity.
At the lip, which was even with the ground, a man was dipping out a specific amount of the bubbling water and giving it to the human at the front of the line.
Like the others before her, the brunette woman ignored the temperature of the water as she poured it down her throat. The water's scalding was only temporary as the curse of the abominations took over and transformed the woman's very being.
Her body began cracking and squelching as her bones and muscles broke and reformed. Her skin greyed and her teeth grew long and sharp. From her back two wings grew and filled out before the halfling's eyes.
'I guess I found the right place.'
Gandr motioned to the soldiers still with him to move. "Cut off the people from the pot. I'll handle the troublemaker."
Nodding, the others scurried off to complete their task. The bat-like woman had barely taken off to join those in the sky when Gandr called out to the company.
"Yumeto! Show yourself!" Gandr pretended not to know who was in charge.
The shrewd looking scientist looked up across the water and squinted at the black-and-white wolf.
"Not now! Can you not see that we are at war?!" Then he noticed the colorful scarf around the abominations neck.
Since Gandr could use his wind magic to fight off the smell, which was slowly waning, he had no reason to keep it around his fake snout. Yumeto furrowed his brow.
"You are with the enemy!"
At that moment, the imperial abominations ambushed the rest of the humans waiting in line for their turn to take to the skies. Shrieks of terror and confusion moved through the people as it seemed some of their own were turning on them.
"They've gone feral!" Gandr called with a wicked chuckle. Of course it wasn't true, but the humans were too concerned to care. At once they began to bump into one another and scatter.
Rather than try to capture the weak, unarmed people, the imperial troops let those who did not put up a fight leave in terror. It was less risky to let them run away than to accidentally cause them to transform into a wolf of lizard from an unintentional scratch.
Those that stood and fought quickly met their end, for no amount of will could overcome the difference in power between a fleshy human with no defense and a monster with claws which could slice through all but the toughest armor.
"You have betrayed your own," Yumeto called out angrily. "You are the future and you fail to see it."
He glared at the black and white wolf, who suddenly disappeared from view. Then, all at once, a presence was beside him as the being appeared from thin air. The halfling wrapped his arms around the man's neck and held him in place.
Gandr's eyes lit with fire. "I have been a traitor before. Today is not that day..."
Yumeto gasped. "You are no abomination. You are an elf!" He spat on Gandr's arm. "I hate elves."
"I used to as well." Gandr geld firm on his grip. The human and he had more in common than the shrewd scientist realized. Both of them had had their thoughts warped against a people group without knowing almost anything about them.
"Kill me..." Yumeto gritted his teeth.
"That would be too easy. You will face justice, but not at my hand." Gandr pressed into the man's neck with his arm, cutting off the man's airway.
When all of this was over, Yumeto might prove helpful in reversing things. 'With a little persuasion of course...'
At present, the scientist did not feel like being persuaded. He clawed at the man but his feeble human attempts only brushed up against the armor concealed by Gandr's furry disguise.
In the frantic motion, the sleeves of Yumeto's tunic slid back revealing the angry gashes of his many failed attempts to become any of the creatures that the curse brought about. He wanted so badly to be one of the powerful ones. Yet here he was powerless all over again.
"It isn't fair," he whispered, the last of his air leaving him as he choked.
"I agree," Gandr answered, catching the words with his sensitive hearing. "Manipulating innocent people into fighting and dying needlessly. It is very unfair indeed."
Yumeto wanted to argue about his own mistreatment, but that would have fallen on deaf ears. For any abuse the scientist had experienced, Gandr had had at least a double portion.
Filled with anger and resentment, the scientist finally gave into the darkness of sleep. His body went limp.
Gandr let him go to the ground. For some reason, he felt sadness for the man lying before him and a strange kinship which he could not explain.
"Stupid emotions," the halfling grumbled. "You make no sense."
Looking around, Gandr made sure that the rest of the abominations with him had cleared the area. With no more problems in sight, the halfling nodded.
"Get down in the hole and put out the fire under there as best you can. I don't know how strong those supports are though, so don't go getting crushed trying to douse the flames." Gandr was not just worried about the soldiers. If the massive cauldron tilted or fell, it could spill or get a crack such that the liquid would seep out.
It was better to let the fire burn out naturally if it could not be put out safely. While the others completed their mission, Gandr found a cord to tie up Yumeto.
When he was sufficiently bound, Yumeto resembled a pig ready to be placed on a spit. Gandr sighed.
"Now… let's get you out of here." A pensive look passed across the halfling's face before his jaw set into a determined line.
Lifting the unconscious man, Gandr felt Yumeto stir slightly before continuing his part as a sack of beans. Gandr glanced down the line of pots toward the canal of water. The trench led to the Great Lake and hopefully to Alaron and Dania as well.
"I want to see his face when I tell him everything went smoothly. He may not even believe me until he sees the package I am bringing to the Empress."
Shifting his weight, Gandr gave one last order to the soldiers he had borrowed from the imperial forces.
"Good work. I am going to deliver the troublemaker to Her Majesty. Regroup and help get Taran's monsters under control. Stay strong!" Gandr wanted to say more, but was afraid of getting the men too emotional.
There was a very fine between motivating them and making them go feral. The wolves and lizards nodded. Saluting, they parted ways with the former spy.
Heading on his own path, Gandr continued to point those he passed back towards the battle. The fires were mostly out and the liquid in each of the cauldrons was lowering to a steaming simmer.
"Is this just magical water or more of your filth?" Gandr muttered to Yumeto. Of course the man was unable to answer, though Gandr doubted he would anyway.
Not that it made any difference. Soon enough, the water would be cooling until they were the same temperature as the chilly air.
"Is it me or is it getting chillier?" Gandr shivered slightly. It was supposed to be winter after all. The cooler temperatures would help keep emotions from accelerating quickly.
"Small blessings," Gandr realized how weird it was to be talking to someone who couldn't talk back. But he also felt weird ignoring the human draped across his back.
As the trees grew thick around him, Gandr at last grew quiet. He searched the forest, scanning for the injured Guardian and the female scientist.
He neared the beach and turned eastward, his muscles grew tense. There was no sign that they had passed through.
'Where are you?'
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