Fenix didn’t push Elaine further on the subject, but deep down she knew that he didn’t believe her. He was right to do so. They spent the rest of the day ironing out the finer details after Evan joined them. They covered things like which explosive spells to use; the layout of Dex; the Cathedral of E’daga where the Order was believed to be hiding out; the various Order members they might encounter, and various other factors.
With their weapons oiled, muffled, and hidden beneath dark robes of their own they prepared to head out. However, while Fenix was busy meditating as he did before every mission, Elaine sent a messenger to give Serenade every detail of their plan. It was very foolish to send an acolyte of the Radiant Corps alone, but she knew that the Order wouldn’t notice this lone traveler. Even if they did, they wouldn’t have enough time to stop them.
“Elaine, it’s time,” Fenix said as he placed a hand on her shoulder and turned away.
“Coming master,” she replied as she too turned away from the window, the now distant messenger a faint outline against the rising moon.
.
.
.
It was around midnight when they arrived at Dex. Taking a look around, they noticed that the grounds around the front gate were dark and quiet. Not a single person was in sight and no torches were lit within the city as far as they could tell. Even the clock tower was silent as they quickly made their way along the eastern wall.
Dex was a shabby town, but it was well fortified. In the past, it had served as a military fortress and still carried most of those defenses. Its four-meter tall wall still stood despite its several cracks and crumbling mortar. Lots of the original wardings were gone, however, that didn’t matter as long as the structural ones remained in place.
In the last few decades, Dex had become a hive of scum and villainy. Despite that, they kept their criminal activities from being too obvious. Everyone knew that Dex was a den of corruption, but nobody who had ever tried to prove was ever seen again, and the King was more than happy to accept the generous taxes and boons that Dex sent every few weeks.
However, with the rise of King Arneau, it appeared that these bribes would no longer work and soon, things would change for the better. However, that change would be pointless if Fenix, Evan, and Elaine didn’t clear out the Order.
Of course, the general public didn’t know that Dex was a major hideout for the Order of Eternal Night. Even if they did, they wouldn’t understand the danger that the group posed. However, those in the Radiant Corps did and that is precisely why they were here now.
“Elaine,” began Fenix, “be on your guard, something isn’t right about this. The guards of Dex rarely leave their posts unattended for fear of an attack by the King’s army.” Elaine nodded as they slowly crept up to their entry point.
She muttered a spell and a hole began to erode in the stone of the lower wall. Given the shadows and its angle, it wouldn’t be spotted until dawn. They had opted not to use an explosive spell. No matter how quiet the resulting blast was, it could still potentially alert someone to their presence.
Once inside, they made their way toward the cathedral that supposedly hid the Order’s underground base of operations. The houses and buildings of Dex were old and falling apart. With crime at its peak here, maintenance of those structures was simply not on the agenda. Only the houses and buildings of the larger criminals were in good condition.
It seemed like the majority of the people who lived here, were forced to endure under these conditions. The rulers of this city cared more about what they could steal or extort from others than the condition of the local dwellings. Beyond the obvious reasons, it became clear to Elaine why Fenix wasn’t willing to simply destroy the whole town.
About halfway through the city, they noticed the sound of voices and a flicker of light coming from an alley near the town square. Elaine followed as Fenix led her and Evan over to the voices. Fenix held up a finger to his lips and motioned for her to remain silent.
Silent as the surrounding darkness, they crept up as close as they dared and began to listen to the two cloaked men standing nonchalantly near a small barrel.
“Weincliff, when d’ya think they s’posed to get ‘ere? We been standin’ round fer hours,” said the man in the dark green cloak.
“Hell if I know Grimmel! But they better be ‘ere soon or there’ll be hell ta’ pay!” replied Weincliff in a deep gruff voice.
At first, Elaine thought that they were talking about her and the others, however, her fears were soon extinguished. Two other men in hooded robes had just appeared. “So you got the gold?” asked one of the newcomers.
“Yeah you got the stuff?” asked Grimmel.
Elaine watched as the newcomer passed Grimmel what appeared to be a satchel. An impatient Grimmel reached forward too hastily, and the satchel dropped on the ground spilling its contents everywhere. Elaine held her breath alongside the others as a white and yellow powder filled the air.
It wasn’t poisonous, however, it was a highly addictive substance known as Euphoria that induced a hallucinogenic effect in mortals. It could only affect Conductors in massive amounts, and even then, it only made them crave more of the drug despite not feeling the other effects. The drug was common throughout the kingdom despite being illegal and carrying a jail sentence of 30 years minimum.
Grimmel let out a suppressed yell of anger and slapped the man who had brought the satchel. “Waddaya’ think yer’ tryin’ ta’ pull ‘ere?” asked Weincliff.
The newcomer froze and replied, “N-nothing! I didn’t mean t-to… it was your friend he didn’t have a good enough grip on the bag and-“
Grimmel pulled him close and growled, “Oh so it’s my fault, is it? You little powder peddling twats don’ realize who yer’ dealin’ with do ya?” Grimmel looked towards Weincliff and the two nodded at each other. Quickly and silently, the two stabbed the newcomers several times, before grabbing the remaining Euphoria and dashing off into the night laughing.
Upon closer inspection, Elaine saw that the two hooded men bleeding out on the ground were actually only kids no older than fifteen or so. Given their similarities, they looked to be brothers. Elaine had tried to rush out and help them, however, Fenix shook his head and looked at her with a solemn expression.
“Elaine, we have to go, there isn’t anything we can do for them now.” Fenix was right, using magick around Euphoria caused an extremely volatile explosive reaction. If Elaine tried to heal the two young boys, not only would their cover be blown but the two brothers would be killed in the blast anyway.
Elaine backed away slowly, “I know… I know. Let’s just get this mission over with Fenix.” she said. Evan gave her a sympathetic look and the three turned away. It was a cruel world that allowed two young boys to die over a misunderstanding as minor as this.
Elaine squirmed with suppressed anger and sadness as they departed. Somewhere in this twisted evil city, a mother would be waiting for the children that she would never see again.
