Chapter 22 - The Tomb of the First Tyrant


    The gloomy light gradually filled the stairwell beneath the tower revealing the depth that they already stood with the stairs they had passed down spiralling up above them. The stone walls glistened with moisture and patches of moss filled the gaps in the stonework of the outer wall which contrasted the pristine stone of the inner wall.


    Palinus was on edge.


    Being lured away from his teammates and descending into the unknown with the bipolar Decurion and the enigmatic stranger was pushing him beyond uncomfortable. His suspicions of the identity of his personal tour guide, the extent of the tomb and its historic occupant was sending him over the edge.


    “Woah,” he said simply.


    “The Tomb of the First Tyrant!” the man said again, looking for more reaction.


    “Yeah. um. You said.” Palinus replied. “Are you Tribune Asterius?”


    “Oh…” The tribune seemed deflated, “I mean. I am, but aren’t you at least a little bit amazed?”


    “I am.” Palinus agreed. “It’s a … um… amazing doorway? In a… really deep stairway.”


    Watching as the awkward encounter unfolded Marius finally intervened by cuffing Palinus on the head.


    “You need to show respect to the tribune.”


    Tribune Asterius blew a wet raspberry


    “I only have a rank because of my work in the nexus''s, I don’t really do any of the legion ‘walk around in lines and yell at each other…’”


    Palinus couldn’t help but laugh at the incongruity and the tribune was quick to laugh along as Marius’s face twisted into the grimacing smile of an amused but disappointed father.


    “Anyway, let’s focus on why we are here!” Asterius recovered and his intensity came back as he bounced on his heels and rushed further down the spiral staircase. He started talking rapidly over his shoulder as they ollowed.


    “We call this complex the Tomb of the First Tyrant. It was where he was interred, and the nexus he seeded for the purpose of guarding his body still forms the rift you see in the tower above us today! In truth this place is less of a tomb and would be better described as a catacomb…and,” he sighed wistfully, “the calculi of the First Tyrant have long ago been claimed and so his remains have long since crumbled to dust…”


    The spiral stairs ended abruptly opening onto an enormous cavern. Its floor was natural stone that looked naturally weathered but the squared angles of the walls and floor indicated it had been carved out and smoothed by time and passage.


    “Even without it’s illustrious progenitor, 1TT is remarkable! The engineering feat of building so deep and so close to the river. I know what you’re thinking!” Aterius laughed brightly, “Why would the Tyrant place his tomb here?! A marshy forest right next to a river sounds as far from a red aspect as you can get.”


    It was safe to say Aterius did not know what Palinus was thinking because his thoughts were not on the tomb at all. He was transfixed by a natural flame that burned towards the middle of the chamber. It flickered as they came into the room and as they closed the door behind them stilled to the steady light of a giant candle.


    “Well the answer lies beneath our feet!” The tribune’s lecture was gathering steam, “Did you know that he was an alchemist? He believed that he had found a source of essentia through physical means and was going to throw off the shackles of the nexus beasts and make the Empire of Erulea the masters of the underworld.”


    The area around the flame was bathed in shadows as he listened and they walked towards the flame across the enormous cavern Palinus squinted. What he had thought was shadows from the flickering flame persisted, though the light from the flame without the breeze from the door remained still.


    “Huh!” Palinus realised that the object moving around the flame was huge.


    “Calm down,” Marius stated as he struck out with the back of his hand at something in the gloom.


    “Oh ho ho, are you being a bit frisky?” Asterius said as if talking to a cat. “Play nice with the boy, we are just in for a visit.”


    “Gluurrrbblllkkk!” A deep throaty sound from the shifting shadows that moved independently around them. Wet sounds accompanied the movement and Palinus thought he heard the sound of bubbles popping.


    Suddenly the movement stopped.


    A moment later an enormous eye popped into the light and blinked slowly at the trio.


    Rather than the rounded eye of a human it had a U shaped pupil amidst a shocking purple speckled orb. It was only recognisable to Palinus as an eye as it blinked slowly and narrowed as if squinting.


    “BBbbbrrrrrbbbbllkkk?” The creature intoned, managing to inflect upwards to give the impression of a question.


    Asterius laughed and gestured to Marius.


    From under his chestplate the Decurion pulled an object wrapped in cloth and threw it as far as he could away from them. There was a chime of bells bouncing as the object hit the ground.


    “Should keep it busy for a moment,” said Marius.


    “Right then!” Asterius said as he bent over and tapped around at something on the ground. He moved from spot to spot as he tried to find something. Though palinus couldn;t tell what he was looking for. It was difficult to make out what he was doing, and it looked like he was struggling as well as it took him several minutes.


    Eventually he found what he was looking for and moved Palinus and Marius by the shoulder to stand awkwardly close to him “....and up we go!”


    *Thunk*


    The sound rang out of heavy stone against stone as they dropped down for a frightening moment before, with a lurch, they started ascending. The dim flickering flame passed slowly below them emphasising their steady climb upwards, standing on a platform that felt as steady as the stone floor.


    The novelty of the slow climb helped him move from fear to curiosity and with a sense of wonder Paulinus reached for his unfamiliar essentia senses.


    He let out an involuntary gasp of breath.


    The platform he was focused on was a working of pure essentia, he could feel a steady surging stream of essentia that literally pushed the circle of stone that they stood on upwards. A flood of pure energy that expanded in a narrow tube lifting the stone under their feet.


    Down towards the floor he sensed the beast, he clouds sense it stretched around the area below them. It had returned to the flame and at the edge of the light and Palinus could see its purple eye staring back at him.


    “What even is that ?” He whispered.


    “Just another squid boy,” Marius dismissed the question.


    The platform stopped suddenly and wobbled precariously.


    “It is NOT a squid.” Asterius sharply rebuked. “This genus of nexus beast resembles Cephalopods with tentacles that extend from their heads but they do not share ANY similarities beyond that! Oh and they tend to have beaks… and often an ink or vision obscuring ars… ”This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    “Right, no similarities at all…” Marius agreed placatingly as he slapped away a creeping tentacle that Palinus hadn’t felt wrapping itself around his ankle.


    “Squid lover…” The Decurion smiled as he ribbed the vastly higher ranked tribune


    “Bah, I am no fan of the squids.” Asterius sighed as the platform continued to rise, “ The First Tyrant introduced the foreign cephalopodean seeds to challenge the hold of the canid nexus beasts that dominated the first empire. They were a means to an end, and the thousands of years since have revealed them to be his biggest mistake...”


    The tribune’s lecture on the nature on the nexus beast below them washed over Palinus. The beast below felt unreal, beyond its monstrousness and alien nature it had an intangibility that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Probing it with his essentia senses it didn’t feel as real as the two men standing beside him.


    Sensing the beast''s shape he could feel its long limb spreading around the room below them dully. The core was a bright flood of essentia that felt more similar to an essentia working like the platform they stood on than a person. Palinus traced the threads nexus beast’s essentia to something above them.


    “It is just a projection… a manifestation of the nexus.” The tribune was watching Palinus sensing the room as he gestured grandly up above them.


    Just missing the opportunity for perfect dramatic timing Marius made a bright orange light splutter to life that illuminated the room. Hanging down from the roof like an ornate candelabra was a spiraling crystalline structure. Despite its different shape Palinus instantly recognised the similarity to the nexus in the rift.


    The nexus came to a point that extended down towards the flame below them. Now that the room was lit he could see it pointing down, and spiraling upwards with a central ridge that made the crystalline structure seem organic. As if it was growing from the flame.


    As they kept rising slowly they passed the widening spiral. Starting with shallow divots the spiral began to reveal holes and then larger chambers in its structure. At first the chambers were small, but quickly expanded as they rose. Palinus found himself enchanted by the elegant shape, its form felt pleasing to his eye as if it had a hidden symmetry.


    “Ugh!”


    Both men laughed at his exclamation.


    Stuffed into the chamber he was looking at was a perfectly preserved corpse.


    They didn’t stop at this corpse, or the next dozen as they ascended the spiral.


    Most chambers held a body, they all appeared different but each of them had at least one calculii prominently visible, and they all had a similar colour: various shades of dark red.


    “Isn’t this a bit… gross?” Palinus asked.


    “I guess it is a bit macabre.” Asterius agreed, “but the nexus maintains the attunement of the calculi and the calculi preserve the bodies. Which is why you see them decomposing normally once they lose the essentia when the stones are removed.”


    As he became inured to the parade of bodies they passed Palinus marveled at the variety. Some were wearing ancient styles of robes, with the old style of dysfunctionally draped and folded robes. The old bodies looked just the same as newer ones with more modern cuts of robes.


    Not all of the bodies were of older people. Amongst the venerable corpses were younger people. They tended to be wearing more practical clothes and often leather padded armor giving a hint of how they met their deaths early.


    “Here we are!” Asterius said cheerfully.


    The platform stopped beside a chamber. As they had ascended the spiral had been expanding towards them and this chamber was close enough to touch.


    Which is exactly what Marius did.


    He heaved the body around and unceremoniously pulled the robe down off the shoulder.


    The corpse was of an older man. He had a curly beard that was a striking white.


    “Who was he?” Palinus asked.


    “Oppius Saturninis, a citizen in the time of the second emperor. He was not a famous man at all, but Caelus picked him out for you for his prized calculii.” Asterius was getting excited as he gestured at the dark red gem on the man’s shoulder. “In his service the man was not known for being a great mage, but he was the key support to one of the most successful teams of his day because of this: … Enhanced Smoke Field.”


    “Go ahead boy.” Marius encouraged Palinus.


    “So this ars in this calculus was selected for me?” He asked. “... I can’t have a fireball?


    “You don’t want a fireball,” Asterius said, as he and Marius laughed. “Smoke aspects tend towards affliction and combination attacks. Your build will evolve over time, but more than damage you need to control the battlefield so you can skirmish and build your damage.”


    “What do I do?”


    “Take the calculus.”


    Palinus hesitated for a moment. The gem called to him, he could tell that it was almost perfectly attuned for him with a rich red tone. It had a circular shape with crisp facets twinkling at their edges but absorbed the light towards its core. The orb-like shape was broken with a squared edge sticking out.


    “This is why we do... all this.” Marius said, still holding the body. “Leaving the stone in the body lets it keep the modifications and attunement. This one has a field modifier,” He pointed at the squared edge, “It extends its size and adds a buff.”


    Asterius was nearly clapping with excitement as he watched and held himself back from commenting.


    Gingerly Palinus reached out and touched the calculii.


    As soon as his finger brushed it he felt it come loose and slide out of its socket on the corpse''s shoulder.


    Desperately trying to prevent it falling down to the floor far below them he awkwardly grabbed at the gem with his other hand. He practically punched the corpse in the effort, but he was able to keep a hold of the stone.


    Marius let out a deep laugh as he placed the body back in the crevice.


    “Put it in!” Asterius said.


    Palinus knew what to do. He didn’t have any information on the stone yet, but he could feel that it would go nicely on either shoulder. A twitching sensation in his leg said there might be an alternative.


    “Oh! I know that look!” The tribune chortled, before suddenly stopping and fishing out his coin purse. “I guess you were right Marius, it was a movement buff… serves me right for trusting the records…”


    Marius held out his hand and bit the 10 denarius piece comically as he took the bet.


    “Smoke is never straight forward,” Marius laughed and winked.


    “So where do I place it?” Palinus was frustrated at their antics.


    Marius shrugged.


    “Back yourself.” he said simply, “A placement on the shoulder would be more traditional and would likely expand the area and maybe the force? It looks like you are thinking about a leg placement, that would probably be more towards enhancing the movement buff.”


    Thinking about the battle ahead Palinus considered the hill they needed to climb and the difficult terrain around the towers.


    He made a decision and placed the calculii against his skin.


    It felt cold at first.


    Then the stone rapidly heated. It began to sear his skin and he felt as though it was burning away at his flesh. He tried to stop and pull the stone out, but it was too late.


    “AGH!” He grunted out a scream that echoed around the chamber.


    As he clawed at the skin around the stone trying to remove it he scrabbled his fingernails against flesh that melted against the calculiis surface as it buried itself deeper into his body.


    He gripped the squared edge and tried to pull it out, but it was too late.


    A powerful swell of essentia flooded his body, making him convulse as he fell into the arms of the waiting tribune. Moments of agony passed as his essentia surged through his body and into the calculii. His skin burned and his stomach revolted, vomiting up the porridge he had eaten in the tower above them.


    Suddenly the essentia in his body rushed back into the calculii. The abrupt absence leaving him feeling hollow and wrung out.


    His body was covered in sweat and he could feel something where he placed the calculii. The flesh felt firm and tender, but there was no sign of the scorched flesh he felt as it entered his body.


    “What?!” He exclaimed.


    “Never easy.” Marius commented.


    “Never.” Asterius agreed.


    Wordlessly Palinus stood and nodded his thanks to the men.


    “You should really be thanking Oppius.” Marius said, gesturing at the body.


    Palinus repeated his nod towards the corpse of Oppius Saturninis. The man had given him an enormous gift, even if he had lived thousands of years ago.


    “One day, you will return it.” Asterius said seriously. He rubbed at a calculii buried in his scalp, mostly covered by his light hair. “You’d best start thinking about the battle! I’ve got a couple of tips that might help, though I won’t pretend that it is not going to be an almost insurmountable challenge even with the gifts the Censor has provided.”


    As they travelled back towards the surface they discussed the intercohort battle and the ways that Palinus and his team could give a good showing. It became apparent that winning would be an extreme challenge.


    “... the first cohort will be almost all from the second hill with better training in over legion tactics. They will be stronger and have more conventional firepower.” Asterius explained further. “They also have the upperhand with their position defending the hill… the only time the hill has lost in recent memory was purely due to hubris.”


    “You are not expected to win, you only need to put up a good showing. You won’tadvance to the trials in this round, but you will have a good chance in the weeks to come!” Marius agreed and tempered Palinus’s expectations.


    His new calculii felt strong. He could feel it tugging at his essentia pathways. He didn’t want to lose.


    But as they came back up to the tower and he snuck through the hidden doorway, he came back to find the battle was already underway… and it was not going well.