Lord Kimohn Liemon watched as the guard, Briz, carried his sister’s guard to a nearby table and carefully placed her on it.
“So, I guess that part was true,” he said happily, turning to where the two new arrivals were.
A pair of gleaming red eyes stared at him, clearly annoyed, while a pressure washed over him that reminded him of the last time he’d gone to visit the main family in the Tweelak branch. There had been a couple of guards and some of his own family who had similar pressure.
Four soulcards, he thought, glancing at his sister and seeing the anger bubbling in them. Great, and she’s oblivious and going to just-
He stepped forward, putting a hand on his sister's shoulder just as she spun around with a glare.
“Now, now, Kamira. How about you go and find the healer here so she can look over Nenina?” he said, turning her around so she pointed the glare at him, not the only people who might be able to actually do something to help.
His sister’s eyes narrowed, her mouth opening, but he just painted his favorite smile on his face and turned to the guard.
“Guard Briz, correct? Could you bring Lady Liemon to the guards' main healer?”
The Guard’s eyes widened in surprise.
Please don’t tell her it's far away! I know, and that’s why I want you to bring her there, he thought. If he didn’t get her out of here, she was definitely going to do something stupid, and he’d heard enough in the short moments while appearing and walking inside to know that things weren’t going anywhere near good.
Besides, as the situation began rapidly asserting itself, he realized there was a possibility here. One he’d dreamed about for a long time.
Briz opened his mouth, and Kimohn felt a slight worry, only to let it out in silent relief at the man’s words.
“I… Yes, Lord Liemon.”
“But- Little Brother, I don’t see why-”
Kimohn quickly turned to her and shook his head, trying to look stern.
“Go and look after Nenina. I will be fine here,” he said.
Alone…. Right? Think, sister, he thought.
It took his sister only a few seconds to reach the same conclusion as him, and a dangerous gleam passed across her eyes for only a moment.
“Ah, of course,” she said with a fake smile that made Kimohn wonder how she got anything done. “You are right. If you are sure you will be fine?”
“Head out and find me when you can,” Kimohn smiled, waving her away.
He watched as Kamira turned to the guard and began ordering him around. It took exactly a minute for her, Briz, and Nenina to vanish as she teleported them away.
Sorry, Dad, he thought, thinking about the small and simple grave beside his mother’s opulent one. But with someone this strong and a cardsmith, a war happening, and everything changing, this might be the only chance I have.
He turned around to see three pairs of eyes looking at him.
The man’s dark red eyes were gleaming with a deep purple that reminded him of sails he’d seen long ago, and he stared back at him with a combination of curiosity and confusion. The woman beside him was harder to read, but he was sure she was likely as confused as the man.
That left the young woman who was here as his representative. She was standing a few paces away, wide-eyed and clearly confused.
“My Lord, I-”
“Yes, yes,” Kimohn said, smiling at her. “You did great! I just realized something. Can you go outside and find Guard Captain…”
Ugh, what was his name again? he thought, struggling to recall the sharp-eyed man’s name. Anni? Azzi?
“Annizar,” the cardsmith supplied, eyebrows lowered.
“Right, thank you!” Kimohn said, turning back to the representative.
“Go and find Guard Captain Annizar and tell him to wait for me outside.”
The representative blinked, looked around at the otherwise empty room, then at the two people sitting nearby, then back at him.
Your concern is nice, but not needed, Kimohn thought, shaking his head, knowing saying that wouldn’t work. He had found out years ago that there was a much easier way.
“That’s an order,” he said, smiling happily.
The representative blinked and nodded slowly.
“If you say so, My Lord.”
Kimohn just widened his smile, which he kept up until she left the door, at which point he let out a deep sigh and turned to the two people behind him. The two were staring at him, clearly confused, though the man had a small grin tugging at his lips.
Small changes, big chances, big rewards, he thought, recalling what his father had told him only a few years ago before passing away. They managed to move around during the war, are not afraid, have a cardsmith, and someone as powerful as the most powerful guards in the main family.
Taking a step forward, he lowered himself to his knees and carefully placed his head on the wooden floor, pointing toward the woman he was told was a cardsmith.
“As the lord of this world, I besiege you. Help some of the healers gain new heartcards. We have lost many during the plague. Also… after that, could you please take me with you?”
--
Greldo stared at the noble… if he could even call the man that, bowing before their table. His head was on the ground, and he had not moved since he fell quiet.
Gelwin’s Balls… what is going on? he thought, glancing at Dahlia, who seemed as stunned as he was.
“I… could you please get up?” Greldo finally managed, as the man clearly wasn’t planning to move.
The noble raised himself back on his knees, a smudge on his forehead, and his hair slightly messed up. Somehow, neither seemed to look that odd on him.
“What is going on?” Greldo asked, staring at Lord Liemon, who scratched his chin.
“Right, I guess this might come over a bit weird,” the man said.
“You think?” Greldo snapped, leaning forward. “How about you sit over there and tell us what the blazes is going on?”
Lord Liemon shrugged, pushed himself up, and sat down opposite them.
He moves like he either isn’t used to, or not enjoying those horrible robes, Greldo thought, now noticing the man’s awkward movements, something he’d not noticed when he had come in before.
“Right, so, I am Kimohn Liemon,” the man said, frowning as if not sure where to begin. “I have no idea what you know of the Liemon family, but most of us think we are a rather big thing…”
Somehow, the joke and the accompanying self-deprecating grin made Greldo’s opinion of the man rise.
“I’ll not bore you with the whole history, but a quick bit will be needed. The Liemon main family is from one of the branches pretty far in the Wandering Verse, and the main family-”
Greldo was about to interrupt him, explaining he wasn’t interested, only to feel a hand on his leg that quickly squeezed. He glanced at Dahlia, who was leaning forward, listening intently.
Now what? he hesitated, then crossed his arms and waited.
A few minutes later, surprisingly fast if he had to be honest, Greldo had learned more about the Liemon family than he wanted.
“So, you are one of those cousins four times removed,” he said, before waving his hand around. “And you are part of some distant offshoot, largely forgotten by your main family.”
“Thankfully, yes,” the man said, grimacing. “I don’t even want to know what would have happened had they actually been interested in this place. Either way, my sister should have been the one leading this world, as she is older and more…. Let’s say, in line with the family's desires?”
Not exactly sure what that meant, but guessing it wasn’t anything good, Greldo motioned him to continue.
“Right, well, my sister has been trying to get rid of me for the last few years, but was mostly held back by our father,” Lord Liemon said, sadness deepening his eyes and wiping away the previous oddly over the top joy. “He didn’t survive the plague… I…”
He seemed to want to continue, then just shrugged.
So, how did you become the lord, then? Greldo pondered, holding back his question.
“No matter,” Lord Liemon said. “As I explained, most of the healers died. Not that we had many to begin with. Now, between my sister having managed to cut me off from the family fortune and the war preventing nearly all merchants from arriving here, there’s no way for me to either draw in new ones.”
“And there are no cardsmiths… Now, you mentioned the plague,” Dahlia said. “Is it gone now?”
“Here? Yes. On-world, we find small pockets every so often. We need more healers to clear it out fully, but my sister and the other nobles feel that’s a waste of soulshards.”
Why am I not surprised, Greldo thought.
“Right, and you want my help to create heartcarded healers to heal them,” Dahlia said softly.
I guess we are going to be here for a few more days, Greldo thought with a sigh.
“The Healer’s Guild is one of the few groups with the power to ignore my sister, Kamira,” Lord Liemon said. “That’s one of the reasons she and the others don’t want to help them. Some political game to get the people to lose their faith in the Healers Guild, and suppress their power.”
Greldo frowned, but Dahlia asked before he could.
“Say I would help them… Why would you want to leave here? Because of your sister’s attempts to kill you?”
“Right,” Greldo asked, leaning forward. “Why not just get rid of her instead?”
Lord Liemon grimaced, then shook his head.
“Unless I somehow get rid of all the nobles, there’s no way for me to do much. Besides, if this war finally ends, and contact with the main family resumes, they will send people to come check on us. My sister managed to send them multiple messages using our family's communication runes. If they find her dead and me alive, they will most likely replace me with another, something that has happened many times in our family's history. As much as I dislike my sister, she is able to keep the others in check, and there’s no saying who they would send otherwise.”
Greldo took a deep breath before exhaling strongly.
“So, let’s just assume for a moment we would help you… What do you even want?”
“Oh! Nothing! If you can get me away from here, just drop me off at another world that isn’t going to be overrun anytime soon. Anything is better than remaining here.”
Greldo stared at the man, still not sure what to think of him.
“Just… bring you somewhere else? What would you even do?” he asked, trying to make sense of the entire thing.
“Depends on the world, but my father taught me a lot about runes. I used to dream that I could just leave and set up a small rune shop,” the lord said, and this time, Greldo saw his eyes gloss over, a slight smile pulling his lips up.
Dahlia leaned forward, his eyes glittering.
“Your Grandfather is Miklian, correct?”
Lord Liemon blinked, then looked at her and smiled.
“Ah, you have heard of my Grandfather?”
“Miklian the Rune Demon,” Dahlia said. “My Grandfather told me a lot about him.”
Rune Demon? Greldo thought.
Lord Liemon sighed, rubbing his eyebrows. “Yes, I guess a Cardsmith would know of him. Even dead for so long, Rune Masters still came looking for my father or me to try and glean his secrets. Though… I guess that will happen far less now that Father died.”
“You said he died during the plague?” Greldo asked. “Did he have no soulcards?”
“Two,” Lord Liemon said. “I know what you are going to say, but he didn’t die because of the plague. Someone, probably another noble, used the chaos to have him assassinated, just like my mother.
He fell quiet, staring at the ground, clearly lost in thought.
Greldo glanced at Dahlia, who was quietly observing the lord.
So, he would just leave… Greldo thought, feeling himself grow slightly angry. Doesn’t he want to know who killed his father?
“Let’s assume I believe everything you just said. How will you find out what happened to your father? What about your sister? Can you just leave the people here with her?” he asked.
Lord Liemon smiled sadly. “I am not the right person to lead this world. My sister, for all her issues, will find out what happened to our father.”
Greldo was about to snap something when Dahlia squeezed his leg again and spoke up.
“You said you would create a rune shop,” she said. “What about something else? Would you be willing to teach others?”
Teach… Greldo looked at her, then at the odd lord, having a strong suspicion of what she was thinking about.
Well, Daubutim did tell us that we need more Runic knowledge.
“I can, but I’d have to be careful,” Lord Liemon said with a frown. “I take it you know how possessive the Runeforging families are? I guess it’s the same for cardsmiths, but if either the Liemon main family or my grandfather’s other descendants hear I am teaching people Rune Forging?”
“You could come with us and take another name,” Dahlia said calmly.
Lord Liemon smiled, shaking his head as he pointed at his face.
“I am a bit recognizable, I fear.”
“You have only two soulcards and room for more,” Dahlia said. “How would you feel about changing the way you look with a card?”
Lord Liemon stared at her for a bit, then grinned. “If you have a card that can do that, I’d be all for it. Does this mean you will help the Healer’s Guild?”
“I will. Bring four of them here,” Dahlia said.
“That’s great!” Lord Liemon exclaimed, rising up and grinning. “I’m sure Guard Captain Annizar is here. I’ll head out with him and get things done before my sister finds out about this.”
Greldo watched as the odd noble bowed his head, then headed for the door. The man stopped at the end, frowning suddenly.
“There’s a little chance my sister might try and capture you,” he said, scratching his head, glancing at Greldo. “She has a few three-soulcarded guards.”
“We will be fine,” Greldo muttered, as he focused on Coal.
Follow him with a clone.
“Good!” Liemon exclaimed, pulling open the door and vanishing outside.
“What just happened?” Greldo muttered as the door slammed shut.
“He’s like his grandfather,” Dahlia said as she turned to him, her eyes gleaming. “I should have remembered this when we arrived. He told me that Miklian came from this world, though I didn’t know he had children and grandchildren.”
“What do you mean, he is like his grandfather?” Greldo asked, still confused.
“Grandfather Salwek told me a lot of stories about when he was young, and many were about Miklian. He always said the man was as intelligent as he was weird. I recall him telling me that Miklian was born on a world in the Tangled Core, ten or more years travel from here. According to him, he didn’t like the world’s sky and decided to search for a world that had a sky he liked. From that point on, he traveled for forty or so years until he reached the Langost Branch, where he met my Grandfather.”
“He traveled away from his world because he didn’t like the sky…” Greldo said softly, shaking his head in disbelief.
Right, I guess that isn’t too different from what I just saw, he thought.
--
Kimohn rushed into his room, an opulent one that he’d lived in for the last ten years.
Gotta take everything I don’t want to leave, he thought as he ignored everything and ran to his favorite place in the whole castle. His workbench. Though calling the interconnected set of tables covered in papers, crystal sheets, and even a few cards a workbench was underselling it. He had based it on his father’s and grandfather’s workbenches, and as he reached it, he began quickly putting on some more bracers that he’d made himself, a pair of thin gloves, and a belt that looked somewhat awkward on his robes.
I can’t wait to get changed, he thought, knowing he wouldn’t be able to do so until he was away from here.
After equipping himself with what he needed, he focused on the workbench setup as a whole. It was a lot, but it was also the culmination of the only free thing he’d been able to do his entire life. Deciding the risk was worth it, he pulled the entire area into his soulscape, an immediate headache growing as a consequence.
“Ughhhh,” he grunted, shaking his head only for the throbbing to intensify. “Need to ask Dahlia what she would want to make me a soulcard to improve my soulscape.”
His mind drifted off for a moment, pondering what he could do if he could just bring everything he wanted into his soulscape. He’d never want for tools!
“Keep your head straight,” he muttered.
He rushed around and got as many of his clothes as he thought he’d need, all the books in his library, and a few things that held memories. By the end, his headache was bad enough for the world around him to be blurry. The only thing left was his bed, but as he gazed at the massive wooden monstrosity riddled with runes to help him sleep, he knew he couldn’t do it. Still, it had taken so much effort! He was saved from a bad decision by a sharp knock on the door.
“Lord Liemon, the Healers Guild has arrived.”
Kimohn stared at the bed, prodded his headache, then sighed, snatched the pillow and the blankets, and made them vanish.
I’ll just make a new one in the future, he decided, running for the door and tripping over his robes.
Can’t wait to be rid of these horrendous things, he thought as he quickly smoothed them over and opened the door.
One of his father’s old servants stood there, looking worried.
“My Lord, are you alright? Did anything happen beyond the Exit Portal?”
“Everything is fine,” Kimohn said with a wide smile as he walked out and towards the meeting hall. “How many came?”
“Six, my Lord. Your contact, their local leader, and four younger healers. Are you sure it is safe?”
“It’s fine,” Kimohn said, stomping through the corridors that he’d hated almost as much as he lived there.
It’s worth the risk, he told himself, hoping he’d not misjudged the cardsmith and the man with the odd shadow aura. Still, even if he had, he could just make do wherever they left him.
Half an hour later, he stood before the Exit Portal, this time with five healers with him. Habriana, the elderly leader of the local Healer’s Guild, and one of the few people he actually cared about, looked around.
“Kimohn, are you sure we should rush this? I am sure if we ask them for a few days-”
“No time,” Kimohn said, smiling at her, then hesitating. Should he tell her anything?
Better not. The more she knows, the more can be held against her, he decided. With four new heartcarded healers, which would be a near doubling of their current numbers, the Healers Guild should be able to eventually get rid of the plague.
Still didn’t ask those two if they knew who the source of the cure was, he thought, recalling how they had been contacted a few years ago by a neighboring world.
He could barely hold his excitement down as they shot through the corridor, but as he exited the Exit Portal and into the secure room beyond the portal, he came to an instant stop.
“Brother… what did we discuss about these healers?”
Kimohn barely got his fake smile up as he shook his head. As he did, he saw a dozen guards nearby, with Guard Captain Annizar the only one he knew. The short, pale-eyed man stood near the exit door, face emotionless. Behind him, Habriana and the healers were walking sideways and away.
Yeah, I guess that makes sense, he thought, holding back the grimace he felt. Was it seriously going to happen like this?
“I can hardly be expected to remember all these things, sister,” he said, trying to widen his smile innocently. “Now, if you don’t mind, I made a deal with Cardsmith Dahlia to have four heartcards made, so-”
“Enough, brother,” Kamira snapped as she signaled the guards. “It is clear that you have lost what little wit you had. I had hoped those two would kill you, as it would give me both a justified reason to detain them and get rid of you, but it seems I will have to do this the hard way. Mother always said this might happen.”
Kimohn felt his stomach turn at her words, and he barely kept his smile up.
“Come now, sister. You know your punishment was mother’s doing, not mine, and-”
“It was supposed to last for a year,” his sister shouted, her voice skipping an octave as she walked forward. “Then she went and died, leaving us all in this situation. While father was still alive, at least things weren’t too bad, but now?”
Kimohn saw two guards step up beside him, eyes gleaming and hands stretched out. He could sense their soulforce, far more violent.
I… guess there’s no other choice…
He let a tiny bit of his soulforce trickle into his bracelet, and instantly, a barrier burst out from it, surrounding him and shoving the guards backward.
“Stop him!” his sister screamed, but Kimohn was already moving. The fake smile was gone from his face as he looked at the healers.
The elder healer, Habriana, was looking at him in surprise, but he had no time for that.
“Hurry!” he shouted as he ran towards her, quickly fiddling with the runes on his bracelet. The barrier surrounded Habriana and the other four healers, and Kimohn turned and ran for the door, his legs getting tangled in the robes.
Should have found a way to get rid of these, he thought, shaking his head and ignoring the guards that were being shoved back. Three streaks of blue slashed across the barrier, and he felt the soulforce in the bracelet drain rapidly under the assault of the guards.
“My Lord!”
Kimohn looked up to see Guard Captain Annizar stand near the door, three guards on the ground around him, while a bloodied blade was lowered, the tip on the floor.
Wait, he is actually trustworthy? I should have memorized his name, Kimohn thought as he continued forward. Reaching the door, he spread the barrier, feeling the soulforce quickly drain, but it now blocked most of the room, having pushed his sister and the guards back.
It’s a good thing Nenina isn’t here, he thought. She’d have jumped through, causing a ton of issues.
As if summoned by his thoughts, a shadow blur appeared a step in front of him.
“Sorry, Kimohn,” Nenina said, her eyes narrowing as her dagger shot for his throat.
Kimohn triggered the soulforce runes on his necklace, and a pale beam of light shot out from his throat, but before it could intercept the blade or hit Nenina, a hand appeared beside her, grabbed her wrist, and as her eyes widened, she vanished.
The white beam from Kimohn’s necklace shot through the air, his barrier, and struck a guard in the chest, puncturing a hole straight through.
“I… sorry?” Kimohn shouted, unsure what had just happened and uninterested in finding out.
He turned, finding that the Guard Captain had opened the door, and the healers were through already. He followed them, and as the Guard Captain closed the door, he quickly stepped forward. Pushing his meager soulforce into his gloves, he drew a dozen runes on them within the blink of an eye. He shoved more soulforce in them as soon as the final one was done, and a thin, pale white film covered the door.
“My Lord? What is happening? Is it a coup?” Guard Captain Annizar asked, his sword low and eyes locked on the door.
“Something like that,” Kimohn said. “Can you get us to that cardsmith and the captain?”
“Captain Greldo? Yes, my lord!”
The Guard Captain turned on his heel and began walking away, the healers after him.
Habriana walked beside Kimohn as he followed them.
“Kimohn… what is going on?” she whispered. “You should finish her now while you have the chance!”
“And then what?” Kimohn asked. “Don’t bother. I am incapable of dealing with the other nobles and their problems. Let my sister deal with it. With four more carded healers, the Healers Guild can easily hold their own, and-”
“And what about you?” Habriana asked, looking at him intently.
“Me? I think I’m going to have to go on a small adventure,” Kimohn said, suppressing the part of him that still worried he might be left behind.
Hopefully.
--
Greldo followed after the Lord, trying to understand what he’d just seen. He was dragging the weak shadewalker he’d just intercepted along.
He definitely knows more about runes than anyone I have seen so far, he thought, recalling how the lanky, odd noble had drawn runes before blocking the entire door. He’d sensed the blockage deep in the shadowrealm, telling him just how powerful it had been.
One of his shadow clones appeared beside him, and he handed over his prisoner, wondering for a moment what to do with her.
Just keep her with you and drop her before we leave, he finally ordered his shadow clone.
He got a faint acknowledgment, then the clone of himself, which felt like a dumb, mindless version of Coal, vanished.
If he had to, he could look through its eyes, or speak through them, but for now, it would be able to follow the simple orders he’d given it.
He shadowed the lord and the others until they reached the docks, where they directly headed to the Nocturna. Coal sent him images of guards rushing towards them from other places, while another showed that the lord’s sister had broken through the barrier and was chasing them.
Great… If they think I am going to run in a hurry again, they are sorely mistaken, Greldo thought, readying his other shadow clones and having Coal deploy the hundreds he currently had all across the harbor.