[Mkguild] What the Dawn Reveals part 1

[christian okane]

Here is the next story in the automaton series. It is mostly tying up some
loose ends and yet asks more questions. It takes place right after  Chasing
the Dawn which you can find here
http://metamorkeep.com/story/Chasing_the_Dawn.php

   I hope you enjoy!

Chris

The Lurking Fox

 

What the Dawn Reveals

by Christian O'Kane

 

 

   It was a subdued group that reassembled back at the guild several hours
later. The Automatia department had a large room that served as a classroom
and a meeting room. It was only a few steps from the workshop and it was
there that they gathered. The fires had been extinguished but there was
still the lingering smell of smoke in the air and oddly - the scent of fresh
cherry blossoms.

 

   Misha, Caroline and Idette were the last to arrive. All three looked
worn, battered and bruised. Their clothes were torn and burnt in many spots
and all had bandages in various places.

 

   "Any information on the lion?" Carlisle asked nervously.

 

   "We tracked him as far as Southbourne," Misha answered in tired tones as
he placed his bow and quiver on a convenient table. "Before we were ambushed
and lost the trail."

 

   "Ambushed?" Joeline asked excitedly. "By what?"

 

   "Several dozen Summonings," Idette answered. The woman had a large
bandage covering her scalp and part of her face. "Strange magical
creations."

 

   Misha carefully sat down in a seat."They weren't really seriously trying
to kill us but they did delay us long enough for them to escape."

 

   "Are you all right?" Carlisle asked as looked at the new arrivals.

 

  "A little battered but all right," Idette picked several feathers out of
her hair.

 

   "This was well planned," Caroline said. The otter placed her bow and
quiver onto a table and sat down next to Misha. "And well timed. They must
have been months studying the department and the guild."

 

   "Who did it?" Carlisle asked. The man's shoulder was wrapped in bandages
and he was resting in a softly pillowed chair. "And how? How did they get
the lion?"

 

   "They used a control spell and simply walked the automaton out," Misha
explained and moved the fingers of his left hand in imitation of someone
walking.

 

   "Simply?" Carlisle got up and walked over to Idette. He examined the
wound on her head closely. "First they would have had to sneak into Mages
Hall and past the wards and spells. Then they would need to get past the
spells guarding the whole department. All without setting off an alarm or
being spotted by one of the two or three hundred mages on the property."

 

   A look of realization suddenly crossed Joeline's face. "What if there
already was a soul inside the lion when we obtained it?"

 

   "Already inside?" Carlisle turned and looked at the girl. "You mean a
soul had already been put inside the lion BEFORE we got it?"

 

  She nodded her head. "That makes sense and it would explain how they got
control of it so easily. No need to get past the wards and alarms to get
inside. They were already there. We brought them inside."

 

   "It would also explain how they were able to know when the lion was alone
and vulnerable," Caroline was checking a small gash on Misha's arm and spoke
without looking up. "They were already inside just waiting and watching."
She looked toward the head of the department. "Didn't you examine the lion
when it arrived?"

 

   "We did but we did not get the chance to do a full examination," Carlisle
explained. "We had just started to when we discovered Salona."

 

   "The search and assembly of Salona distracted us all," Misha snarled.
"They took advantage of that to steal what they could."

 

   "Why?" Caroline asked.

 

   Carlisle turned to look at the otter morph. "What?" The mage asked
slowly.

 

   "Why go to all the trouble of sneaking the lion in, just to steal it
back?" The otter asked.

 

   Her answer was several seconds of stunned silence and baffled looks from
those around her.

 

   "What exactly did they get?" She asked.

 

   "A fully assembled lion automaton," Idette answered slowly.

 

   "One WE helped assemble," Alton commented with a scowl on his face. "I
even forged some of the parts myself."

 

   "Four animation spells, two metal reinforcement spells, and five spells
for enhancing the senses," Carlisle said. "But the worst loss is that the
lion had a power cell."

 

   "What is a power cell?" The otter scout asked.

 

   "It's a storage container," Carlisle explained and gestured with his
hands as if holding a small ball. "It holds the magic and energy that
actually powers the automaton."

 

   "Salona and Madog use a power cell?" Caroline asked.

 

   "No. A power cell simply stores energy that is put into it," Misha said
with a shake of the head. "They use something far more complex. They
actually generate their own power. It's why Madog is always eating various
metals."

 

   "The way an animal or person eats food to gain strength?"

 

   "Exactly," Carlisle replied. "Thankfully we didn't install one in the
lion."

 

   "We don't know how to make such a system yet," Joeline admitted with a
laugh.

 

   "Even so that cell is a valuable prize all by itself," Misha said. "It
can be used to recharge a failing spell or increase the power of a new one."

 

   Caroline shook her head. "So they created the lion just to steal some
spells? That doesn't seem right. Seems a lot of effort and work for just a
few spells."

 

   Carlisle nodded his head. "An excellent point. Then why did they go
through the entire elaborate charade?"

 

   "What if they couldn't finish the lion?" Beatrice said. "When we got it
the lion wasn't finished. My father had to craft several of the parts
himself."

 

   Carlisle's face brightened in realization. "And we had to recast many of
the spells on it."

 

   "They couldn't finish the lion themselves so they tricked us into
completing it for them," Idette snarled.

 

   "Who are they?" Jolette asked in clipped tones.

 

   "The Arenul Ceen," the head of the automaton department shot back.

 

   "We cannot confirm that yet," Cecelia countered. Speaking for the first
time. The woman  had been sitting quietly in a corner till now.

 

   "It's always them," the mage commented sarcastically.

 

   The historian shook her head. "We cannot be certain of that."

 

   "If not the Arenul then who?" Idette asked.

 

   "Excellent point," Carlisle commented. "There are few people with the
skills needed to control the lion. And fewer with the ability to build the
lion. Seriously. That limits it to the Arenul. Unless there is some other
group out there that we don't know about."

 

   "That is an option we  must consider," Cecelia commented. "Even if it
seems a bit extreme. But at the moment we simply do not have enough
information."

 

   "Carl," Misha asked. The vulpine had pulled up the bottom of his shirt
and was examining his left side. Even through the fur a good sized bruise
was visible on the skin below. "You said whoever is controlling the lion was
an automicant like you and me. How did you know that?"

 

   "I talked to him." the man explained. "While he had me pinned to the
ground. When he saw Salona he was completely distracted and complimented me
on the good work we did. Actually called me by name!"

 

   "So that means he knows you," Caroline said. "And you know him."

 

   "I know many people," Carlisle answered slowly. "And talked to many
fellow mages about automatons."

 

   "But not all of those are Automicants," Salona added, speaking for the
first time. "When you leave out the pretenders and those only casually
interested who is left?"

 

   "That does shorten the list considerably."



   The door opened and Demarest slowly walked into the room. The mage's
usually clean and neat clothing were tattered, torn and had a large splatter
of mud across it. The right sleeve was gone, only ripped shreds at his
shoulder told of where it had been. The arm exposed was covered in a large
bandage from shoulder to wrist.

 

   "Are you all right?" Cecelia asked.

 

   "What happened?" Carlisle asked slowly. "And who did you fight?"

 

   "I had a minor altercation with a representative from the Arenul Ceen,"
Demarest said slowly as he sat down next to Misha.

 

   The vulpine leaned close. "Did they get to the vault?"

 

   The mage turned and glared at the fox.

 

   "I know how people like that think," Misha explained. "I have the axe.
I've run into greedy fools before. And I had the chance to speak with
Madog."

 

   "No," Demarest said slowly. "They didn't but I was forced to activate
certain, safety procedures. The vault is secure."

 

   "Did you get any prisoners?" Caroline asked. "Someone who can answer
questions."

 

   The mage gave a shake of the head. "No."

 

   "Their leader?" Carlisle asked. "The one who hired them?"

 

   "He escaped," the head mage answered in clipped terms. Then a smug look
crossed his face with a cruel smile. "He learned not to cross a guild mage."

 

   Misha leaned close to the mage. "Who was HE?"

 

   For that the Headmaster had no answer.

 

 

*******************

 

 

   A lot of people had seen Headmaster Demarest slowly walking through the
city and then through the hallways and corridors of the guild. The mad chase
through the streets had left chaos and confusion in its wake. The Guild
lawyers would be spending days calming down irate people and paying for
repairs.

 

   The city was alive with rumors and gossip. The most popular rumor was
that Elvquelin mages had openly attacked the Guild. The pillar of blue smoke
rising from the Automata department had been seen all over the city and lent
credence to it.

 

   Demarest made no attempt to deny the attack. Guild officials openly told
everyone that someone had attacked the guild, stolen things and tried to
destroy the entire department. They didn't specifically say it was the
Arenul Ceen but the rumors spreading did say so.

 

   Sir William Targhe's next meeting with the leader of the Marigund mages
guild was a lot calmer than his previous one. The personal representative of
King Alfred found the Headmaster staring at a badly damaged room that had
been the main workshop of the Automata department. "How are you?" He asked
in way of greeting. "Was anyone killed?"

 

   The headmaster nodded his head in greeting and gave a short bow. "I'm
fine, thank you for asking. And thankfully we had no deaths."

 

   William looked at the room. Most of the damage seemed to be limited to a
few benches and tables burnt. "What was lost?"

 

   "The worst lose was the automaton lion but we are not sure if anything
else was stolen. Master Baldren is still taking account," was the mage's
answer.

 

   "Any permanent losses?"

 

   "No," the mage responded as they looked over the damaged room. "Baldren
was careful to make copies and secure the most valuable items tightly. All
we really lost was the lion. That alone is a serious loss."

 

   "Rumor is that the Arenul Ceen did this. Is it true?"

 

   A shrug was Demarest's answer. "Had you asked me that two hours ago I
would have said it most certainly was. But my temper has cooled and I am not
so sure. I need to investigate this more before I decide what really
happened."

 

   "Understood," the knight responded. "King Alfred sends his regards and
his condolences."

 

   Demarest bowed deeply to the knight. "Thank you. That means a lot to me
and the guild."

 

   The knight leaned closer to the mage. "What happened Morvyn? I have heard
some disturbing rumors."

 

   The mage turned and looked at a group of men and women who were carefully
cleaning up the debris. "The theft of the lion I can understand William. It
is a valuable prize and it was a most well planned operation. Done fast and
with a minimum of damage and injury. But what truly angers me is that they
went after the vault itself."

 

   Sir Targhe's body stiffened as he glared into space with a face as hard
as stone. When he spoke it was in a soft voice that carried the undertones
of great anger. "So that rumor is true. Did they get in?"

 

   "No," the mage answered in clipped tones. "Thankfully they didn't get
close. And those involved were punished."

 

   "Any prisoners?" William asked.

 

   "No. At least nobody who could be helpful to us. The attempt was well
planned to allow for the possibility of prisoners," the mage said slowly.
"Still the fighting was intense. Remind me to officially thank Madog for his
help."

 

   "The metal fox?" Targhe asked, surprised.

 

   "He was most helpful," the mage answered. "He probably saved my life."

 

   The knight gave a wry smile. "The little metal fox continues to amaze and
confound." Targhe was silent a moment before talking. "On a related subject.
I had a long talk with Father Harson before coming here. He explained about
Cassandra and her family."

 

   "Blackmail and kidnapping," the mage said with a shake of the head. "That
is most troubling. Guild people have been attacked, injured, property stolen
and destroyed and the Vault itself assaulted. I did not think the Arenul
would do such evil."

 

   "Man's evil never fails to surprise me," Targhe commented. "We cannot be
certain as of yet that it was them. I will have my people look into the
issue."

 

   "Thank you," Demarest said. "The guild owes her a great debt for her
warning. It prevented a serious catastrophe. We will do whatever is needed
to help them all." 

 

   "What happens next?"

 

   "We will tend to our wounded and repair the damage. The vault and its
contents will have to be moved," the mage answered in a calm tone that
masked his true feelings. "Then we will see to who was responsible. Whether
the Arenul or not."

 

   "I understand your feelings," the knight said slowly. "But do not act in
haste. And please," he stepped closer to the mage. "Please remember the
royal decree against feuding with the Arenul."

 

   Demarest shook his head. "I do remember and I have not become head of the
Guild by acting in haste or out of anger," he said in an oddly calm voice.
"First the situation with the Vault must be dealt with."

 

   Targhe relaxed visibly. "Where will you put it? Where will you put the
vault?"

 

 

*******************

 

 

   Prince Caranthir V. Aegidius was as his title suggested a member of the
house of Aegidius, the royal family of the Sathmore empire. That meant
technically he was in line for the throne. Unfortunately he was tenth in
line for the throne behind two brothers, one sister and six nieces and
nephews. But he had never taken seriously any chance of gaining the throne.
He had since an early age shown an aptitude for magic and had been sent to
the Arenul Ceen to get a proper education.

 

   Arenul Ceen translates to the rather unimaginative name of Institution of
Magic. He had proven to be a good mage and an even better administrator and
had risen through the ranks of the massive institution. Still it was obvious
to everyone where this was going and no one was surprised when he was
officially appointed as the Doyen or leader by his brother, emperor
Prætextatus Aegidius.

 

   The daily, mundane affairs the the Arenul Ceen were easily handled.
Previous Doyon had set up an efficient if over bloated bureaucracy that ran
itself fairly well. But the Aegidius family had not ruled for so long by
being lax and inattentive. Still the prince found time for special projects.
The results of one such project was now in front of him.

 

   A full, life sized metal replica of a lion rested on a large table in the
center of the room. The automaton was made of  gold, silver, bronze and a
dozen other metals and was a masterful replica down to the fur and whiskers
on its metal muzzle.

 

   The prince rushed over to where the automaton rested. He stopped just
short of it and examined the feline closely but kept himself at arm's
length. "Beautiful, he's absolutely beautiful. They really did some fine
work on him. We'll learn so much from him!"

 

   "Indeed we will," the metal lion responded. "I can truly feel the
difference."

 

   "The operation went well?" the prince asked. "Are you all right? Anyone
injured or killed?"

 

   "Not really," the metal lion said. "The alarm was raised a lot sooner
than expected but it was a contingency we had planned for. A little fighting
but we limited it to some minor damage and only a few small injuries."

 

   Suddenly a figure moved out of the shadows off to the left. The creature
that walked into view looked like a lion with the same tawny colored fur.
This feline was obviously male but was missing the thick black mane of a
lion. It was also larger, far larger. He was four feet tall at the shoulder
and weighed at least eight hundred pounds. The massive feline slowly walked
toward the prince. "There was only one small problem," the cat growled.

 

End part 1

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