Chapter 108: Anvil (1)
SWISH.
Nea moved like a silver blur in the absolute darkness.
She stepped out from behind the heavy wooden crates and swung her broadsword. The flat of her heavy blade slammed directly into the side of the lead smuggler.
CRACK.
The man flew through the freezing air and crashed hard into the stone wall. He slumped over completely unconscious before he even hit the ground.
"Ambush," the second smuggler yelled in pure panic.
He raised his thick iron crossbow and aimed it blindly into the shadows. His hands shook wildly as he tried to find a target in the dark.
He never even got to pull the trigger.
THUD.
Keith charged forward with his massive metal shield raised high. He slammed his armored weight directly into the chest of the second man. The smuggler wheezed loudly and collapsed onto the cold floor in a tangled heap of gray fabric.
Two more men pulled jagged daggers from their belts. They rushed forward with desperate and sloppy footwork. They swung their blades at the empty air.
Weiss simply sighed from her spot in the dark corner.
She snapped her fingers.
FIZZ.
A bright spark of golden lightning jumped from her fingertips. It chained perfectly between the two charging men. They both twitched violently and dropped their daggers. They hit the ground and snored loudly in the damp cavern.
The final smuggler stood completely alone.
He looked left and right at his fallen comrades. His hands shook wildly. He dropped his torch on the floor and turned to run back down the melted tunnel.
I stepped directly into his path.
FWOOSH.
My hand erupted in bright crimson flames. The sudden heat illuminated the sheer terror on his dirt covered face. He stared at the fire with wide eyes.
"Sit down," I told him calmly.
The smuggler dropped straight to his knees and raised both hands in the air.
I extinguished the flames and snapped my fingers.
SNAP.
Thick magical ropes of dark shadow curled out of the ground and wrapped tightly around his torso. We dragged him to the center of the room and threw him under the light of a fresh torch. The man trembled like a leaf in the wind.
I pulled up a small wooden crate and sat down right in front of him. Weiss walked over and leaned heavily against my shoulder. She looked incredibly bored and extremely tired.
"Alright," I said smoothly. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way."
"I am too tired for the easy way," Weiss complained softly. She rubbed her golden eyes and yawned loudly. "Just let me melt his kneecaps. It is much faster and I want to go back to sleep. My feet are freezing and I miss my tea."
"We agreed I get to do the interrogations," I reminded my disgruntled wife. "You always jump straight to melting things. We need him to talk. If you melt him he will just scream and ruin the stealth mission."
"Screaming is technically talking," Weiss argued lazily. She leaned her entire body weight on me. "He will tell us everything once his boots catch fire. I can make it a very small fire. Just a little toe warming flame."
"Please do not set my boots on fire," the smuggler cried out. Tears streamed down his dirty face. "I will tell you whatever you want to know. Just keep that crazy witch away from my feet."
"See," I pointed at the crying man. "He is cooperating. The good cop and bad cop routine works perfectly every single time."
"I am not a bad cop," Weiss huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "I am just highly efficient and chronically sleep deprived."
FLAP FLAP FLAP.
The heavy leather Grimoire suddenly burst out of my spatial pocket. It hovered right in front of the terrified smuggler. The glowing golden mouth twisted into a massive and sickeningly happy grin.
"Oh the sweet smell of captivity," the Grimoire purred loudly. "Master Phantom this is a prime opportunity for some aggressive discipline. We should bind him in tight black leather straps. We can drip boiling hot candle wax right onto his bare skin. Make him beg for mercy while you spank him with a solid paddle."
The smuggler stared at the flying book in pure unadulterated horror.
"What is wrong with your book," the man whimpered and tried to scoot away.
"He has a very warped sense of justice," I sighed heavily.
I reached out and grabbed the Grimoire by its thick binding. I shoved it aggressively back into my deep pocket.
"No wait," the Grimoire gasped in muffled delight. "I want to watch the waxy punishment. Let me taste his tears."
I slapped the side of my coat to shut it up.
"Focus," I told the crying man. "Who do you work for and where are you taking these crates of demon parts."
"I work for the Silver Serpent," the man sobbed uncontrollably. "I swear on my life that is all I know. They pay us to move the cargo deeper into the caves."
"Where exactly in the caves," I pressed him.
Livia walked forward with silent and graceful steps. She ignored the entire conversation completely. She reached her pale hand right into the inner pocket of the tied up smuggler. She dug around for a second. She pulled out a crumpled piece of thick parchment and a heavy iron key.
She unfolded the parchment and stared at it with her large blue eyes.
"They are taking the cargo to the Ice Anvil," Livia stated blankly.
"What is the Ice Anvil," Nea asked while wiping her silver sword with a soft cloth.
"It is a hidden fortress deep under the frozen ridge," Livia explained. Her robotic voice echoed softly in the damp cavern. "This parchment is a highly detailed map of the lower tunnels. And this key opens the outer gate."
I looked at Livia and smiled warmly.
"You have incredibly sharp eyes Livia," I told her. "Your brilliant mind just saved us hours of wandering around in the dark. You are a massive asset to this team."
Livia froze completely.
She turned her head and locked her large blue eyes onto mine. Her face remained entirely stoic and devoid of emotion. But a very faint dusting of pink spread across her pale cheeks.
"My eyes are physically standard," Livia replied flatly. "They operate at normal human capacity. My mind simply processes logic efficiently. But I appreciate your assessment of my biological traits. I will continue to be brilliant specifically for you."
She held the heavy iron key out and dropped it right into my palm. Her cold fingers brushed against my skin for just a second longer than necessary. She did not look away from my face.
I chuckled softly and pocketed the key.
"Let us move," I told the group. "We have a hidden fortress to infiltrate and a conspiracy to unravel."
I snapped my fingers and the shadow ropes tightened around the smuggler. They dragged him into a dark corner and tied him securely to a heavy iron ring on the wall. He would be perfectly safe and entirely quiet until we finished our mission.
We formed a tight line and walked past the wooden crates of harvested demon parts. We followed the melted stone path deeper into the earth. The air grew colder the further down we went. The map in Livia’s hands showed a long winding road leading straight to the heart of the conspiracy.
The Ice Anvil was waiting for us.
And we were ready to tear it entirely apart.