jmclarke
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Chapter 756: The Strange Messenger
🕑 Added 2024-01-06 20:57:59 +0000 UTC“So what's the plan?” Birger asked as he, Alex, and Bjorgrund strode into the laboratory. “How exactly are we going to get them here?”
“I’m sure they're going crazy trying to find us,” Alex grinned. “They’re probably turning over every rock around every spot they tracked us to, but truthfully, I don't really care what they’ve been doing: what matters to me is that they haven’t been able to find us, which means they’re probably as tired and desperate as we were.”
His smile widened. “Kind of appropriate, if you ask me. And what that means is that they’ll be more inclined to make mistakes when I act as bait.”
“What do you mean?” Bjorgrund asked.
“I'm going to leave the sanctum, and act like I'm looking for something.”
“Anything in particular?” the giant asked.
Alex frowned, thinking carefully. “That's what I'm trying to figure…oh! Oh. I have an idea,” he said. “Remember that old cave we found up in the mountains? The one with the mummified priest?”
“Yeah, the cave where they nearly caught us?” Bjorgrund asked. “I remember that. We’d busted a hole in the temple wall and found that dead priest with a bunch of treasure laid out around him. I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.”
“It’s true that the church nearly caught us there,” Birger said.
“That’s right,” Alex said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they're watching that place like hawks: but in case they’re not…if I'm right about that fae tracking me by my name, if I show up there, he'll know, right?”
“Yeah and that's something I wanted to bring up,” Bjorgrund said. “Tracking you by your name using magic, can't you do the same thing? You're a wizard, and my father has magic.”
Alex shook his head. “Honestly, I have no idea how he’s doing it: my best guess is through some kind of strange fae magic, but I'm no expert on ‘strange fae magic’. My mentor, Baelin, would probably know how he's doing it: he knows almost everything, but I wouldn't even begin to be able to figure it out.”
“Neither would I,” Birger said.
“That's too bad,” Bjorgrund shook his head. “It'd be nice to turn the tables and track them for once.”
“We won't have to.” Alex smiled. “Like I said, we're going to bring them to us. The plan is for me to appear in that temple with some summoned monsters.”
“Like those elder elementals?” the young giant asked. “They’re powerful and you could use them to start smashing the church the second they find you. Actually, wait, that'd be stupid. If you start smashing them, they'll know something’s different with you.”
“Exactly,” Alex pointed at himself. “I'll have to stick to monsters I could summon before we got to the sanctum. I’ll be acting like I’m gathering the priest’s treasures, and taking them to the sanctum.”
“Good plan,” Birger said. “All those treasures in there…it makes sense we’d want them.”
“That’s right,” Alex said. “And when they show up, I'll act like I'm not surprised to see them, and that I expected them since I’ll have my monsters there to slow them down. It’ll give them plenty of time to see the portal.”
“What portal?” Bjorgrund asked.
“The one leading to the sanctum,” Alex said. “The thing is, they have no idea how we got here. So they'll have no idea that I can just teleport here whenever I want. If they see a portal that’s leading to the sanctum, there's a good chance they’ll assume that's my doorway in and out of here, and that I have to take it to get in.”
“They'll try to stop you with that holy soil,” Birger pointed out.
“I’m sure they will,” Alex said. “But I'm going to go through the portal before they can use their interdictions.”
“They won't use their interdiction to shut down your teleportation, they'll use it to keep the portal open, thinking you’re planning on closing it,” Birger reasoned.
Alex snapped his fingers and grinned. “Smart man! There's the wisdom of the ages for you.”
“Thanks…I think…” Birger said dryly.
Bjorgrund chuckled until a glare from his father silenced him.
“The other thing that’ll lure them in is that I'll make the doorway to the sanctum big enough for them to get a good look at the disfigured statue of Uldar in the entrance. If the desire to catch me doesn't bring them, then, seeing Uldar’s face all hacked up certainly will. Their blood’ll start boiling and they’ll be after me in no time.”
“Then we can finally get rid of those pests,” Birger said. “The traps will be ready for them.”
“And I'll be waiting, ready to fight,” Bjorgrund said.
“Remember, hit and run tactics,” Alex said. “Your route has multiple pathways: if we could divide them by you hitting them, then sprinting away through one of the portals, all the better.”
“Divide and conquer,” Birger said.
“That’s the name of the game,” Alex said. “Alright, let's get into position. I've got tons of mana and lots of monsters to summon. After that’s done, I'll ring the dinner bell for our ‘guests’.”
###
The breakfast bell tolled outside Gabrian’s tent, it rustled in the frigid breeze blowing across the Lake of Ever Ice.
Inside, the First Apostle knelt naked on the ice, enduring the painful bite of the frozen lake on his skin. Suffering brought discipline.
They needed discipline more than ever, lately.
For a time, the church’s hunt for the Fool had looked as though it would be a quick and easy affair. They had ambushed him and his companions in the middle of an icy forest, and nearly slain him in the snow. He’d barely escaped with his life and, at the time, it had seemed like his end would be swift and inevitable.
Some of the devoted had even suggested that the Fool would be dead, and they would be home by Sigmus.
Yet, time had made fools of them all.
It had not been so kind.
For months, they had chased him, slowly tightening the net around him. At one point, it appeared they were mere days from catching him as he fled from place to place within the Irtyshenan Empire.
Then, without warning, he’d utterly disappeared.
Even the Stalker, the fae who could track him by name alone, had been stumped, unable to know his whereabouts. They had searched in vain, then watched the places where the Fool had searched for the sanctum of another, long dead Fool, named Kelda, and found nothing.
So they’d turned to other means of tracking him.
They had captured members of a thieves’ guild—the Guild of the Red Mouse—and the Stalker had tortured them. None were spared, and eventually one revealed what the Fool was looking for, along with the location of portals that Kelda had left around the Empire.
From there, they’d set some of their most gifted and wisest priests—including Izas, the Third Apostle, and Gabrian, the First Apostle—to the task of forcing the portal to lead them to the sanctum.
They had engaged every bit of spellcraft and divinity they knew, but no progress was ever made. The portal had remained stubborn, much like the Fool, defying them as surely as he had.
All that was left to do was employ another interdiction…
…but both Izas and Gabrian had been reluctant.
They were in a foreign land, one ruled by foreign deities, and if they attracted their attention, their wrath would soon follow.
The holy quest would fail.
Uldar did not reward the foolhardy, he rewarded the wise and strong.
Wisdom would suggest that they only use an interdiction when they were sure they had the Fool in hand. But—within the ranks—wisdom was starting to give way to impatience and doubt.
More and more of their number were openly wondering whether Uldar had turned his face from their quest. They questioned the competence of the fae who was leading them. Some had suggested that they must have angered their god in some way, and he was now denying them his blessing.
Izas and Gabrian had met this sort of talk with a mix of stern words and calming sermons. They pointed out the tales of Ferrus, Ilsar, and Jarn; three hunters who’d cast aside their faith in Uldar, and the god had sent a storm to flood the valley where they hunted. The hunters drowned, their prey lived.
Kinder tales told of the endurance of Anna—who had kept her faith during a pestilence that destroyed and wreaked havoc throughout her village. While her neighbours shook their fists at the sky and cursed Uldar, she prayed with respect and an open heart. The god had rewarded her, filling the brook near her cottage with a bounty of fish for her to sup upon.
Her faithless neighbours starved.
Still, though the holy warriors of the hidden church polished their armour and weaponry and prayed every morning and night, whispers of doubt continued. Even as they spoke their uneasy words with shame, they could not quite banish thoughts whispering that they had done something to anger their god.
Gabrian could only hope that they found their prey sooner, rather than later.
“Forgive them, my God. They know not what they say: they are so young, so unused to the trials of the world. They have grown up and lived in the shadow of your escapement, shielded from much of the evils of mortalkind. They are young: I have lived for centuries in your grace, and know your ways. I know when you withdraw your favour, and I know when you are simply telling us to abide, to keep faith, and endure.”
He lowered his head toward his clasped hands. “This is a time to cling to the latter, but many of our followers are too inexperienced to see the difference. Please do not judge them too harshly, simply lay your judgement at my feet. I am the sheep herder, meant to guide and lead your flock. If they wander, then the flaw is not with the sheep, but with their guide. If punishment must be given, deal that punishment to me.”
His eyes turned toward the roof of his tent and the heavens hidden beyond it. “But this humble servant asks of you, do not strike me down before I exact your justice upon the errant Fool. I beg of you, do not close my eyes before I see his shut. Let me see him slain, and the debt repaid for the destruction that he and his ilk have reaped upon your chosen people. Or perhaps…”
He shook his head, with a wry smile. “Perhaps I am not as old and wise as I think. Perhaps I should not pray for you to see him destroyed, or for your aid in breaking his body and spirit. Perhaps I should pray for a gentler solution: holy Uldar, reach out to this Fool, allow him to open his heart to you, and show him the error of his ways so he may return to your side. May the Heroes have their jolly Fool once more, and let the cycle continue as you will it.”
Gabrian fell silent, listening for any sign that Uldar had heard him.
Suddenly, the sound of a commotion reached him from outside, a clamour racing through the camp. The hidden priests were calling to each other, and holy warriors began blowing horns. Clinking armour and weapons being girded for war, announced preparations for battle.
Prayers of supplication rose in the air.
The First Apostle knew then that something had happened.
“Thank you!” he called to his god and leapt onto furs covering some of the ice-covered surface he’d been kneeling on. He quickly threw on his clothes, then called his armour to him using a single short prayer. Divine power saw his plate armour leave its stand and sheath him in an instant.
He belted the sword he’d used to fight the Ravener of his time to his waist.
He strapped on his shield as the tent flap was pulled open.
“Holy leader!” a priest called.
“Has the Fool been found?” Gabrian asked.
“No, holy leader,” the priest said, his face looking bewildered. “A Ravener-spawn has appeared at the western border of the camp, and claims it brings a message from a servant of Uldar!”
###
Author's Note
Hello forty-one cool fools, almighty chosen, wise sages, and mighty champions! Thank you for your support!
Now we get to the build up. Also, know that if you read rune seeker, I'll stubbing it in two days so that it can pub on amazon on the 10th!
Cya Tuesday!
Comments
Joshua Little
Thanks for the chapter.
lenkite
If the Church goes back to their home place to "commune" with Uldar and discovers the Sanctum, then its curtains for Alex&Company and Thameland. The First Apostle gains an immediate seed of divinity via the unclaimed throne and he is already enslaved as a Hound by the Stalker - the stalker gets a [Chained God] ready to do his bidding. I always felt that Sanctum should have been sealed up and was a security disaster just waiting to happen. Alex can always teleport to it anyways, so it should be kept closed to the outer world. Did no one think: what if the First Apostle finds this ?
Gareth S
I cancelled mine a couple of months ago for the same reason. Thought I’d let the chapters build up then when I came back maybe the waffle/filler chapters wouldn’t irritate me as much … they do. Thi is just an unnecessary stream of consciousness the pacing is horrendous. Guess that’s what happens when you don’t have an editor and push stuff out like this?
Brandon Baer
Thanks mate, appreciate it
Marcus
Loved this chapter. This ass whopping is a long time coming
Code Reed
Also, book 3 and beyond are currently on RR. He specifically says on the end bit of every chapter that Runeseeker isn't on Patreon. Probably because it's written by 2 people, and it would be difficult to know who specifically came for Runeseeker only.
Brandon Baer
Thanks!
JYonder
Right?? The end of book eight was just him getting to 9th tier and then nothing. We’ve entirely lost the thread with ALL the other main characters.
Goodie
Book 1 on kindle and audible (through Amazon), book 2 just about to come out but if you are quick you might get it free on royal road before it’s stubbed on the 8th.
George R
Awesome chapter thanks
JKincaid
This has gotten WORSE than the never-ending mana vampire plot line. Alex being isolated in Kelda's lab isolated from everything except to side characters that were only introduced in the middle of book 8 has run its course. He's killed the Mark of the Fool, become an Archwizard, contracted with the Super Duper Mega War Chimera, has more combat spells and martial skill than he knows what to do with. He's prepared. If this shit doesn't get resolved, now, (like the next 3 chapters) than I'm going to cancel my subscription to this. I'll wait for the damn book to be finished, so I can skip all the needless filler and get to the goddamn point already.
Goodie
Be interesting to see if the plebs of the secret church start questioning why their boss is talking to ravener spawn/thus aligned with the Ravener, or continue to follow their leadership blindly.
Brandon Baer
Chosen yet he’s not up to the job. Can’t wait to watch him fall.
Brandon Baer
Wait where is rune seeker published currently? I’d happily read whatever you’re writing but no clue where to find it atm
stardast24
Never thought he would fight in the sanctum. The phrase best Lead plans
BoxQueen
That is better direction than I hope. To like some unexpected twist to develop plans. Now the question is: when will we come back to the traps?
Daniel is ŁØNE
That would lowkey piss me off ngl, the entire chase sequence last book got tiring enough for me that I stopped being a patreon for a month and I only recently rejoined because I heard that the book had finished. Honestly thought the confrontation was gonna be the way book 8 ended but clearly the author had other ideas, at this point I just want this to be over and done with, if the author extends this even more I might pop a blood vessel in annoyance. Hopefully the payout for the wait is worth it
Enif
I don't think they're going to go to the sanctum. It's going to be the church going back to Thameland and encountering Tharisa and her group. Then they'll call Alyx and he'll have to make a plan on the fly.
Uroš
Yeah, pretty much half of book 8 was running around with the church on their heels one way or another. I'd be happy if it gets resolved soon. They have everything planned. He changed his mark. He's got an army of summons ready. Would be a bit of a downer if it went "Now that we've everything set up, let's leave it there for a few weeks till we get back to it"
Obi-Wan-Sage
MAN i forget this is a new book. Otherwise this would be fluff!! Thank you for the cliffhanger!!!
Lenora
Another chapter of planning? Come on… this is getting ridiculous
Zachary LaCount
It’s become painful
Imagine Baggins
Well one of them is but it's the Mark of the Chosen
RyanR-Reviewer
I'm afraid chances are it will. The author seems determined to drag out this confrontation, for reasons, as yet, unknown. Personally I think the battle with the Hidden Church should have been resolved at the end of Book 8, not continue onto Book 9. But we can only hope things pick up next week. Fingers crossed!
Uroš
I hope this confrontation isn't going to be delayed even longer due to the messenger. We've been waiting for this for ages now :(
RyanR-Reviewer
Completely agree
Bender
Interesting turn. I think this means Alex plans need more tweaking.
Sam
Not what I was expecting, but we did know that the Ravener was looking to send a message to them so it makes sense.
Aidan Geverdt
This trap better work
MockingBird
I'm guessing this'll throw a wrench into the ambush
David Deden
Great Chapter- next week will be fun. The little twist with the ravenor spawn was fun
Julien Fellegara
The real fools are not marked.
Shelbo
Booooo! Why that big of a cliffhanger
Evander
Struggling with this.
