章節 19: Traitors, Part Three

Alex climbed down the old rusty ladder hoping it wouldn't break from his weight. As he touched the ground his lantern lit just a few feet of the immense darkness. He covered his face with a towel as the smell invaded his nostrils. He waited a moment as his guide plopped down into the darkness with a lantern of his own.

This was Roddy, a guid hired by Jasmine to regularly travers the underground Maze of sewers. He was a tall and skinny guy with spotty hair and a mustache. He had an assortment of tools on his belt, but Alex didn't know what they were for. He pulled out a map that was rolled up on his side and began looking at the sketching.

The sewer was very wide allowing for two walkways along the walls and a small river of sewage in the middle. Alex thought he had heard scurrying and investigated the darkness beyond his light. Roddy tolled the map up, "Alright Kid, this way." he walked off and Alex followed. "Kid, keep that Lantern nice and hot, you wouldn't want to be down here without it."

"Why would that be?" He looked over his shoulder, "The rats!" Alex shuddered, he saw enough during the war. He then realized what the scouring was and that the sound was too loud to be just a few. There must have been dozens hidden in the dark. Roddy turned a corner, "There easey enough to deal with alone, but down here there are hundreds. Best to keep close and that lantern bright." Alex shivered as he imagined all of them scurrying around him waiting for his lantern to die.

They crossed over the sewage using a makeshift bridge. Alex was very reluctant but crossed over shakily. As he took his last step the bridge fell into the river and Alex stumbled and caught himself. Roddy didn't think much of it, "Your alright. Dang, another bridge out." He took out his map and marked where they were, "I'll have to replace that." Alex nodded, "Wouldn't be a bad Idea."

Farther into the sewers they came up on a collapse of bricks, marble, and dirt. He pulled out his map, "That's the third one this week. These tunnels are getting more unstable every year." "How long have you been working for Jasmine?" He marked their location and and walked back the way they came, "Oh, about a decade now. I had originally worked as a sewer specialist for the City, but Jasmine paid better."

Taking a different route they came to a much wider section of the tunnels, "I would map out the tunnels and report collapses like that one, but eventually I figured out nobles paid more for escorts. Not too long after I was working for Jazzy."

They came to a large door and he checked his map, "This is it, the Mooring escape door. You got about an hour to get in and out, after that you're on your own. And if the guards start moving I'll leave too, I'm too important to Jasmine's business to get caught sneaking in the sewers."

Alex understood and walked up to the door. It was a large oak door with runes etched on the front. He lifted his hand up to the handle and surprisingly it clicked open without resistance. Roddy shrugged, "You think he left it unlocked?" Alex knew better than that, but the reason still eluded him. He walked in, he had no time to waste.

He closed the door behind him and walked into his family's crypt. It was pitch black besides the lantern. As he took his first steps a wind blew from nowhere and blue torches began to ignite. One by one they lit up the long hallway with a pale blue light. The walls were lined with the bodies of his ancestors. He sensed no danger here, in fact Alex felt a weird safety in the confines of the crypt. He walked down the blue hall and read the name plaques. He recognised many from his studies. Alex wished he could stay longer and pay his respects, but he had a mission to accomplish.

As he made his way down the long hall he began to feel watched. He would glance around and catch odd shadows. He stopped as he felt a presence behind him. He grasped his dagger preparing for the worst and turned around quickly to find nothing. He loosened his grip on the knife and turned to continue when he heard a familiar voice, "I see my grandson has come to visit."

Alex only had a second to react before he was face to face with a man who looked nearly identical to his father. He had long dark hair and an elegantly featured face similar to his own, but the one trait he noticed immediately were his emerald eyes. He was so spooked he jumped back and brandished his weapon. The man shook his hands, "Woah, woah there. I'm not going to hurt you, just calm down."

Alex then noticed the man wasn't standing, but floating. His lower half was covered in a smokey blue Haze. "Who-What are you." He smiled, "Well, I'm your grandfather, Urzen Mooring." He shook his head, "No, my grandfather is dead." He nodded and pointed to his body, "Yes, I know." Alex stood up, "How are you doing this?"

He smiled, "Simple, I am a ghost." "...What?" He rubbed his chin, "Magic doesn't disappear once we die, it instead lingers. Mages can then use the remaining magic to manifest as a ghost, but not for long. It takes considerable energy to maintain." Alex didn't understand, but something about the man seemed trustworthy. He then remembered why he was down there in the first place, "I was looking for you, in a sense. I need your notes."

He frowned, "For what reason would you need a dead man's writing." Alex explained his situation. Urzen looked deeply troubled, "So, the princess of your time has become the object of assassination. I must say, that is quite surprising. The situation must be worse than we know. This Illness you speak about, I do know how to cure it." Alex let out a sigh, "How."

"Follow me," the ghostly figure of his grandfather floated down the hall. "So, how is your father, the last time I saw him he was just a kid." Alex looked down and told him everything. As he talked Urzen became defensive, "Who are you describing, because this is not my son." Alex shook his head, "I wouldn't lie, he sent me to war at fifteen. I just got back from fighting nearly a month ago." Urzen stopped and looked at him, "How long did you fight." Alex looked down, "... Five years."

Urzen's blue smoke began to rumble and turn red, "That absolute fool, to send his own child to fight at such a young age. I swear if I find him-" Alex could feel the ground shake and dust fall. This was his grandfather's magic power, it was strong. The rumble slowed and the smoke began to change back, "I-I'm sorry, it's hard to control emotions without a body. Ah, here we are."

They arrived at a large black wooden door with their family crest labeled on the front. It was a broken sword with different varring shards. Alex opened the door and a gust of freezing air hit him in the face. The room was large and in the middle sat a giant ice cycle with clouds forming around it. Ice hung from the ceiling and a bright light came through a small window from the opposite side of the room.

But the most praqulier thing was the shelves full of vials containing red liquid. "This is where the souls of our family are kept." As Alex looked closer, he could tell the vials were filled with blood, "Leashes." His grandfather looked at him, "Yes, but that's a distasteful word. We call them tethers, they keep our magical essence tethered to the real world in case we are needed after we pass, as I am now."

Alex looked around and was drawn to one particular. They all had different styles or decorations, but one seemingly simple and small vile drew his eye. He picked it up and a name was inscribed on the side reading Alexander Mooring. He put it in his bag, "One down. Grandfather, what do I need to do to get the magic I need to help Rose?"

Ursen was holding a golden decorated vile, "Drink this."