"You did what."

"I said I may have made a… mistake."

Wahisietel faced Sliske and crossed his arms, hoping in some obscure way to use them to block out an outburst. "A miscalculation," Sliske continued. "An error, a non-purposeful action that was not in line with our goals. Call it what you wish."

"What kind of mistake are we talking, here?" Wahisietel asked. "Did you leave behind the picnic basket behind for your lovely day out on the Silvarean fields, or has Senntisten fallen because you left the kettle on?"

"Somewhere in the middle," Sliske said. "Would you like to be sarcastic some more, or would you like to hear what it is?"

"Please."

Sliske sighed, and shuffled his feet. He looked sheepish, or whatever passed for sheepish with Sliske. "Saradomin is coming," he said, finally.

"We knew that," Wahisietel said after a short pause. "You seemed confident that I could hide myself from him."

"I mean he's coming sooner than I had anticipated. And," he said, and paused again. "By soon, I mean a day."

Wahisietel's eyes widened. "Maybe lead with that next time," he snarled.

Sliske put his hands in the air. "Don't shoot the messenger," he said mildly. "I had hoped we would have more time to prepare," he said, seeming to ignore Wahisietel entirely now, "but I suppose this can work, too. Have you gone over the plan?"

Wahisietel sputtered. "We were supposed to go over it now!" he shouted.

Before he'd been sent to the camp, Sliske had told him he would teach him how to evade detection even by a god. Wahisietel was not too surprised by this, since it seemed like something Sliske would know how to do, but he had harbored some skepticism that he would be able to do it himself. Wahisietel had always had difficulty embracing what his brother had already mastered (but, he thought with some pride, Sliske seemed to have similar difficulties with Wahisietel's skills). He had hoped that with enough time to train, and a fortunate amount of work for Saradomin to do elsewhere, he would slip past the god's radar.

One of those assurances was now defunct.

"Worry not, brother," Sliske said. "It's a simple enough process to learn, even for you."

Wahisietel was worried now. Sliske normally put more effort into jokes about his intelligence. "OK," he said. "So, what should we – oh gods why?"

Some of Sliske's wights appeared behind their master as quickly as a flickering light. They faced him blearily, such that faceless ghosts could express that emotion. Sliske cocked his head at him, but made no comment as Wahisietel attempted to calm himself. "Why did you do that?" Wahisietel asked heavily.

"I haven't done anything," Sliske said. He raised his hands again. "I brought them here to prove a point."

"What point?" Wahisietel asked. He could feel exhaustion creeping up. His conversations with Sliske tended to do that to him these days.

Sliske nodded to them. "You didn't notice them," he said. "They didn't just show up. They've been here the whole time."

Wahisietel was silent. "Your point being I wasn't able to detect them," he said finally.

"My point being that you didn't even try," Sliske said patiently. "If you did, you would have noticed them easily. They were hidden using only minimal magical cloaking methods. Practically speaking, it might not have made a difference if they were simply invisible."

"I get it, master Sliske," Wahisietel said irritably. "I'm stupid is the point you're making?"

"No," Sliske said sternly. "In fact, you are quite intelligent. And even you made that mistake, with only us and them in this clearing."

Wahisietel frowned and looked away. The clearing in question was eerily quiet, and he cast out his senses, magical and otherwise, as casually as he could.

"There's one behind me," he said. Sliske grinned, and Wahisietel turned to find one of the pink monstrosities staring at him from behind an ethereal helmet of the Second Age. He grimaced and turned back to Sliske.

"The point I'm making is that if you didn't think to look, while you were alone with, well, me, why would the somewhat less intelligent Saradomin have any cause to amongst a bunch of smelly humans and his own personal guard?"

Wahisietel thought this was a good point until the rest of his brain caught up. "Wait," he said. "You're telling me-"

"That, ah, you're on your own." Sliske had the good graces to look apologetic. "Dagroda needs me at Senntisten for tonight, and he was quite insistent. I thought I'd provide reassurance. If it makes you feel any better, there's no way that I could have showed you all I needed to even if we had all night."

Wahisietel wanted to say a great many things. Like, for instance, are you absolutely insane? which he was sure showed on his face. All he said was, "at least show me what you used on the wights."

"Now we're talking," Sliske said, and grinned.

All in all, it only took a few minutes before Wahisietel was intimately familiar with the tiny magic. The cold sense of dread he'd felt before coming here had returned. Sliske gave him a look that flirted with sadness and satisfaction all at once. "In any case," Sliske said. "Ahem. I believe if anyone is capable of pulling this off… it's likely me, but if two people are capable of pulling this off, you're the second."

"Thanks, brother," Wahisietel said dryly. "I'll do my best to prove myself worthy of your faith."

Sliske nodded. The wights disappeared and, a fraction of a second later, so did his brother.

Wahisietel stared at the spot where he'd been. The clearing, cold and green and covered with misty dew, seemed to be looking at him from some secret place, asking him, what next?

Wahisietel hesitated, and then said, "Go away, wight."

A purple flash from the bushes, and then Wahisietel was truly alone.

…

Aryn roused herself to the sight of Ali's return in the morning. "Oh, damn," she said, yawning. "Look who's back."

The rest of the company began to stir. "Didja have fun on your walk?" she continued. "Meet any exciting animals?"

"Can't say that I did," Ali said, smiling. He nodded in the direction of one of the men who had decided to continue waking up. "Elias."

"Hey," the man said, crawling into a sitting position. "Hey, Aryn."

"I don't like it," Malin said, in the tone of one who was attempting to assert himself over someone else's conversation. "Where did you go off to last night, Ali? Selling secrets?"

Ali looked surprised. "Secrets?" he asked. "I know no secrets, even if I wanted to sell them. My loyalty lies with Saradomin." He was careful to keep his voice level and lighthearted.

"Somehow I doubt that, Ali," Aryn said. "But hey, whatever. It's not my place to pry. I'm just a soldier, after all." She glared at Malin, who glared back. Ali felt as though he were missing something.

Elias broke the silence. "Well," he said. "I should think we'd all be happier today, considering."

"Considering?" Ali asked.

"Yes, Elias, tell us," Aryn said.

"Saradomin is coming," he said smugly.

There was a pause. How does he know that? Ali asked himself.

"How do you know?" Malin asked cautiously.

Elias looked at them all slyly until Aryn began to threaten him, but Wahisietel wasn't listening any longer. He felt a cold presence sweep through him. He was fairly certain that none of the humans felt it, because if they did, none of them would be speaking.

Saradomin was here.

He didn't sense him in the same way he would sense a Mahjarrat. There was something familiar about sensing one of his kinsmen, even if they were bad news. For Saradomin, it was more like raw power that was cascading over him. He was glad he'd applied Sliske's magic, even if he was still now relying mostly on luck.

The humans around them began to move. Some shouted excitedly at his humans, and they ceased arguing.

"He's here!" one woman, bright eyed and youthful, said to them before rushing towards the center of the camp alongside a growing stream of humans doing the same.

"We'll talk later," Aryn said to Elias, but much of the anger was gone.

They joined the rest of the humans. Wahisietel felt the sensation of being borne along an unstoppable river. Again he reflected on how such a thing would be handled amongst the Zarosians, with discipline and control, and felt superior. Even if, he thought with sudden pang, our god isn't going to show up anytime soon.

"How tall do you think he is?" Elias asked breathlessly. "I've heard he was at least ten feet tall."

"Elias, why did you feel the need to spend the air in your lungs required to ask that question?" Malin asked. Elias deflated and glared at him while Aryn laughed. Malin grinned at him to show that there was no harm meant, but Wahisietel wasn't sure it was accepted.

Finally, they rounded the corner and beheld the god himself.

Saradomin seemed older and more tired than Wahisietel remembered, which didn't make sense. Gods didn't age unless they wanted to. He was conferring with a group of grizzled-looking Icyene, his back to the restless crowd, atop an elevated and somewhat improvised stage.

"This is amazing," Elias whispered excitedly. Malin and Aryn nodded in agreement, but didn't speak. Wahisietel looked around at the crowds of humans to find most of them sporting Saradominist symbols and armor.

"When is he going to speak?" one man near them spoke quietly, to a resounding shush from the people around him. Wahisietel caught more than a few glares aimed at the unfortunate man.

"Quiet, quiet, quiet!" someone else said to the silent crowd as Saradomin began to turn away from the Icyene.

For a moment, the crowd seemed to suck up any and all noise it had been making to the effect of producing a quiet like the grave. Saradomin raised his hands towards them.

"Friends," he said.

Wahisietel frowned. OK, there was definitely something missing. Now that he was in plain view-

His crown was missing.

He stifled a gasp as the crowd swelled in acknowledgement of Saradomin's greeting. His humans were grinning so widely he was afraid they would hurt themselves. Wahisietel's mind was elsewhere. Saradomin hadn't let the Crown Archival out of his sight in living memory. If it was missing, well. He supposed he should feel good about such a grievous blow to the blue god, but all he could feel was a narrow sense of dread.

"I suspect you all know why you're here," Saradomin continued. "We gather to strike a blow against the vile Zarosian corruption that has blighted our world for time immemorial. We gather to fell its greatest stronghold, the seat of power for the cruel god whom shall not be named, and free its people."

Wahisietel just kept from snorting.

"It is there where the Chthonian demons cluster, in hopes of avoiding punishment for their deeds. But we will show them that they cannot escape judgment. And it will come at the hands of you, you who have suffered long under the heel of the creations of chaos!"

A modest cheer surfaced at this point. Wahisietel realized that Saradomin was appealing not just to his forces, but humans in general. His humans' stubborn alliance with their own kind started to make a little more sense to him, but it still rankled. There were humans in Senntisten, and he was confident that they would fight to protect their city.

Still, he couldn't help but wonder about the thousand faces that surrounded him, their stories and histories. What had been done to them, while they lived beyond Senntisten's protection. Liar though he was, Wahisietel had to imagine that promises of vengeance and a better future must have sounded quite good to the crowd.

"To that end, we come to more distasteful news," the blue god said. "In order to destroy Senntisten, we have joined with the Zamorakians." The crowd stayed silent, but Wahisietel could feel their mood change. "It would not be my choice, certainly, but with their help, I believe we have the chance to take the city in the name of Saradomin!"

A mixture of laughter and applause. Wahisietel listened intently. Was that Saradomin admitting his desire to betray the Zamorakians once the job was done? It was nothing he wouldn't expect, but it would certainly make his job easier.

Saradomin's eyes, roaming the crowd, fixed upon him for a heart-stopping second before his attention was called away by one of his attending Icyene. They talked for a few moments before he faced the crowd once more.

"Friends," he began solemnly. "It's true that this has been a long, difficult campaign. The Wars that plague this world are an unfortunate necessity to stave off the evil that encroaches. Terrible, yes, but our divine righteousness has cured this world of many an affliction, and we shall see that it will cure many more. Senntisten is an essential step in that process. One day, this world and its inhabitants will live free of that evil. What you are doing here will live long in the memory of the world… and of me. Your sacrifices will-"

A more rousing cheer, now. Wahisietel had to hand it to him, the god knew how to appeal to his forces.

Saradomin continued once the crowd had gone silent again, due in no small part to the Icyene who glared murderously at the humans. "Your sacrifices are an essential part of the better world to come. Live and die with that knowledge to guide you." He bowed to them, and turned back to the Icyene, who began to lead him to a giant tent.

Conversation began to light up the crowd as soon as they were assured of Saradomin's absence. Aryn whistled between her teeth. "Never thought I'd get to see him," she whispered. For once, Malin and Elias simply nodded in agreement with the sentiment.

Wahisietel shuddered a bit internally, but nodded with the rest of them. The fear passed out of him as soon as Saradomin turned his back, although he let none of his guard down. Evidently, Sliske had been right. Seeing his smug face the next time they met was a small price to pay. He turned his mind towards the next mystery; the Crown Archival. If Saradomin and Zamorak were searching for an Elder Artefact, did that mean-?

"Hey, Ali," Aryn called to him. He snapped back into the real world.

"Hmm?" he said.

"A bunch of us are gonna try our best to contract alcohol poisoning. Seems like a cause for celebration, right? Wanna come?"

"Huh?" Ali said, confused, before realizing the joke. "Oh, yes. Yes, that sounds lovely."

"Not the way we're planning it," Malin said, winking at him. The rest of the humans laughed and made their sloppy way towards what Wahisietel could only assume was a makeshift bar.

He almost didn't notice when an Icyene marched to the front of the stage and spoke. Her voice spread out over the crowd like water spilled from a glass, freezing everyone in place.

"Saradomin would like to thank you for your hospitality," she said as though her vocal chords were bound in wood. "He believes the next few weeks will be beneficial not only for you, but for him, and hopes that his staying is not too much of an imposition." Her tone suggested that if anyone expressed this feeling they would find themselves very unhappy here, before she turned as if on a wire and headed back towards the tent.

Ali had frozen on the spot. "Oh man," Aryn said, appearing next to him soundlessly. "That's pretty great. I wonder if- I wonder if we'll get to talk to him personally?" She sounded excited at the prospect.

"Yeah," Ali said quietly. Aryn clapped him on the shoulder and rejoined the rest of the humans.

Well. There went his other assurance. He wondered when next he'd see Sliske's neck, as he had a great many plans in mind for it.

This was going to be a long campaign.

Yooo!

…I don't have a lot to say here. I hope you guys liked it (especially after how short the last Wahi chapter was haha)! It was a lot of fun to write Saradomin's introduction in contrast to Zamorak's.

Have a good day, you crazy cats!