AUTHOR'S NOTE: Part of the dialogue in this chapter is taken again from the game script.
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A sweeter faith still is the draught called "love" - Sydney Losstarot
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Callo awoke with a start, jerking away from the depthless dreams she was lost in. For a moment she was confused; her eyes fluttered open to see a simple dirt floor, rocky in places. Recollection flooded back then, of where she was and why she was here. Despair came with the memories, thick and cloying, and for the first time since she had entered Leá Monde she felt tears welling up at the hopelessness of her situation.
She was lying on her side, knees curled to her chest and her arms still tied behind her back. At Sydney's behest Hardin had made the rope bindings on her wrists looser than he had before; she had regained feeling in those particular extremities, and while her arms ached terribly from being held in that position so long she was somewhat mollified by the small gesture. She listened carefully for a moment, hearing only the soft sound of Hardin's voice and the tremulous replies of the small boy coming from somewhere not far away. Sydney had left them some time ago without explanation; Hardin, of course, knew what he was about. Callo had given herself over to her weariness then, curling up at the base of a rock wall in search of rest.
Joshua's soft voice came to her again, answering some question of Hardin's. The boy was the mystery in this whole damned situation; why had Sydney and Hardin taken him from the manor? It had been widely rumored that the reason the Müllenkamp cult stormed the manor of Duke Bardorba in the first place had been to steal something back from him. Had they taken Joshua, the Duke's sole heir, because they could not find what it was they were searching for? Were they planning to use the young boy as a bargaining chip to obtain what they sought? Or was he simply a hostage meant to give them protection from both the VKP and the Cardinal's men?
Her questions gave way only to more questions. Duke Bardorba had gone to vicious lengths to cover up Müllenkamp's involvement in the burning of his manor. To the public, it was made to seem that the destruction of the manor was the work of the Cardinal. His actions were bizarre, more so because Bardorba was renowned as a hero who had once fought to end civil strife in Valendia. He was a prominent figure of the Valendia National Parliament, and though he was now on his deathbed he still held considerable political influence over the land. The VKP had done careful investigations into the workings of Duke Bardorba, and had determined that he was in fact the secret financier of Müllenkamp. Many had their doubts whether this information was correct, and the incident at Bardorba Manor had further complicated the idea.
Callo sighed. Hardly anything made sense anymore. She had been sent as part of the countermeasures against Müllenkamp, as this was - in a way - her area of expertise. Callo was the youngest member of the VKP's Information Analysis Unit, a group that collected information on both noblemen and political figureheads while also being involved in espionage. Callo herself specialized in analyzing both the behaviour and actions of cults and religious terrorists. She had studied for many years and was awarded several degrees in theology and criminology before she entered the VKP; upon doing so, she quickly earned the respect and admiration of her fellow agents. While she worked mainly behind the scenes as an Inquisitor, she lacked any considerable field and battle experience. Upon her assignment to meet and confer with Ashley Riot at the entrance to Leá Monde, she had been eager to prove herself. She had studied very carefully the operations of Müllenkamp and their leader, Sydney Losstarot, and having been offered the chance to be involved with the countermeasures against them was, she felt, a rare opportunity.
How wrong she'd been, she mused grimly as she struggled into a sitting position, a movement made difficult without her arms to aid her. In the short period of time spent with the leader of Müllenkamp and his right hand man, she'd quickly realized how wrong her assumptions about them both had been. There was no mistaking the fact that Sydney was a dangerous and calculating man; his dark eyes held immeasurable intelligence and were shrewd, seeing, as she had witnessed first hand, what others could not. The few displays of his power she'd seen so far had also been astonishing, for she'd never heard of someone possessing such magic. In the few hours Callo had been in his company, she had grown to both greatly respect and fear him.
Hardin was another matter. Dangerous, skilled with the sword, and highly intelligent, he was on equal ground with Sydney. His stature was that of a noble man, and yet there was a hardened edge to him that made him seem both cautious and embittered. As well, it had been revealed to Callo that Hardin had his own power: he had the ability to scryE, to see events occurring in the present, no matter how far away. His demeanour when he was around Joshua Bardorba baffled Callo - he was always kind, always soft spoken. He treated the boy as if he'd found something he'd lost, and at times Callo would catch him watching the lad with an expression of such sorrow that it almost pained her. She had no doubts that the Bardorba heir would be guarded well enough while in Hardin's charge, but if he felt such kinship with the child, why bring him here, to these treacherous depths?
No answers were forthcoming, and she sighed her frustration and confusion. Getting her feet beneath her, she rose and stood still for a moment. At her movement, both Hardin and the boy had glanced her way. They said nothing, however, and so she began to walk the length of the circular chamber they were now in. They had left the wine cellars behind, and now it seemed they were going even deeper within the earth. At one end of the room, not far from where she had lain down, there was a small pool of water. As she stood over it, she caught sight of her face in a rippling reflection. She looked haggard and weary; dark hair falling about her shoulders in mild disarray but for the two braids on either side of her face. Her eyes, also dark, stared back at her full of fear, puzzlement, and despair. Her armor, standard VKP issue, had once been shining and unblemished; it was now smudged and stained from her journey throughout the lowest levels of Leá Monde.
Her reflection scowled at her suddenly, and with a sigh she turned away. Her small sleep had done nothing to ease either her tired body or her aching mind, and so she returned to the spot she had just so recently left. She settled down again, cross legged with her back against the rock wall. For a moment she watched Hardin and Joshua, quietly sitting side by side. They were paying her no mind, and so she allowed her eyes to close again and let herself drift away into troubled sleep.
It was the sound of voices which next roused Callo. She felt for a moment the heavy disorientation that comes upon one after a heavy sleep, and she shook her head to dispel it. The voices were those of Sydney and Hardin, and in sudden concern she rose to her feet. Joshua was where he had been previously, curled into a ball and fast asleep. She found the two men in the center of the chamber; Sydney was crouched, scraping something in the dirt with one extended claw. Hardin stood beside him. They both appeared firmly entrenched it whatever it was they were doing, and a sudden thought sprang to life within Callo's mind. If she fled now, they may not notice for some time; both were apparently oblivious to her presence ...
She took one step back, and then another, concentrating as to not make a sound. With a suddenness that was startling, Sydney raised his head and fastened his eyes upon her.
"Do not attempt escape," he said, "And no harm will come to you."
Callo swallowed. His ability to perceive things in such a manner was extremely disconcerting. Knowing that any attempt to flee would be futile, she instead took a few steps closer to the men to see what it was they were doing.
"What evil are you working here?" She asked then, staring curiously at the marks Sydney had made upon the ground.
"Just a little drawing, my dear." He glanced up at his comrade. "What think you, Hardin?"
Hardin's face was drawn, creases and lines standing out in sharp relief as he stared with grim intensity straight ahead. Callo realized he was in the midst of scrying, and she looked on in interest.
"Gods," Hardin breathed, "... Is he even human? He fights with the strength of a brigade ... Are Riskbreakers all that powerful?"
"I think not." Sydney replied, "Our Ashley is a vessel, you see. He has merely partaken of the power around him. It is as I have foreseen."
Hardin shook his head and closed his eyes, dispelling his scrying sight. " ... What next, then?""
Sydney stood. "What next? Let him give chase awhile."
"This is madness, Sydney! The Blades will hold this town soon, and we dare not face their undivided forces! We've no time to play cat and mouse!"
"Relax, my good Hardin. Remember, it is all a part of my plan."
Hardin went on, his voice heated, "Were the Duke's betrayal, and the Cardinal's meddling ... and a Riskbreaker strong as a bloody titan all a part of your precious plan too, Sydney?"
The Müllenkamp leader said nothing, but leveled an icy glare upon his comrade. Silence, almost tangible with tension, fell for a few moments. Finally, Hardin took a step back.
"Sydney, forgive me."
"Be calm, Hardin. It is of no account." The prophet then turned to Callo, who stood watching them both. "You impress me, Inquisitor ... more concerned with our doings than your own fate?"
Callo answered his question with her own. "What villainy are you planning, Sydney?"
He smiled, and it wasn't pleasant. "Why, I'm preparing a feast for your friend." He raised both arms, and abruptly the floor where he had made his markings began to glow a myriad of colors. Callo and Hardin both stepped back as Sydney's voice rose in harsh chant.
"Gylda-meundes-haati-smohta ... Ferdes-raati-salba-glymota ... Emperor of shade, descend from the dark. Honor sin-soaked contracts of kinship; lead your beast unto me."
Something began to take shape before them, monstrous and terrifying. As it created itself out of shadow Callo looked away, frightened, and her eyes fell upon a ghostly image of a boy standing not far away. She glanced quickly at Joshua; he was still asleep. The hazy image of the boy was still there, and she realized it looked similar to the Bardorba heir. The ghost's lips moved, and the words it spoke echoed hauntingly in her mind.
I must help father ...
An unearthly roar reverberated throughout the chamber then, and with a fearful cry Callo spun around to see what horror Sydney had summoned. Looming before them all, wings spanning the entire cavern, was a dragon. It opened its gaping maw and roared again, revealing row upon row of jagged teeth. What little light there was shone of scales of green and brown. Impossible! Callo thought desperately, but she could not deny it. Tearing her eyes from the scaled beast she whirled around to look again upon the ghost boy.
He was gone.