Lateral Movement

by Alzrius

803 - Cut to the Chase

“He says that Yotimo and the others were taken into the canyon.”

“When?”

Imbued with the power to converse with animals thanks to the Charismata, Solvei relayed his question to Nangiannatuk, the animal pawing the ground in agitation as it huffed and growled in reply.

“He says the sky has gotten brighter and darker since they left, but that’s all he knows.”

Lex resisted the urge to sigh, knowing that it was pointless to ask for a more detailed accounting of how much time had passed from a creature of animal intelligence.

Although it had taken them barely an hour to locate Nangiannatuk, getting the polar bear to calm down and reveal what it knew had been no simple task. The creature had been in bad shape; in addition to numerous deep lacerations and several expansive burns, several of its injuries had been suppurating, indicating that its wounds were infected. As such, Nangiannatuk had rounded on them with all the fury that wounded animals were known for when they’d first approached it.

Not that it had been particularly troublesome to overcome; a mere thought on Lex’s part had wrapped the creature’s stubby legs in fetters of black crystal, hobbling it. Once it had exhausted itself trying to break free, Solvei had moved in and started soothing the beast; at her urging, Lex had given her the power to heal its injuries, which had helped to calm it down. Similarly effective – albeit to Lex’s further discomfort – was the way she’d fussed over the creature the entire time, letting it take in her scent as she’d repeatedly called herself Akna, noting more than once how the polar bear had known her nearly its entire life.

It had only been after it had finally calmed down that Lex had freed the animal and given Solvei the power to converse with it, reminding her that she only had sixty seconds of communication before the Charismata ran out. If they were going to get into a fight – either with Sissel and her band of monsters or with Hvitdod – Lex wanted to conserve as much power as possible, which meant not expending more uses of the Night Mare’s power than necessary.

But unlike Teyu Yagua, Nangiannatuk was still just an animal, which meant that the information they’d gotten from it had been of limited scope, giving only the simplest of answers no matter how they’d pushed it.

Still, the fact that it was here at all – and had confirmed that the adlets had been taken this way – was more than Lex had hoped for, particularly after his complete failure to enhance Solvei’s ability to read the environment. As such, they had to make the most of what Nangiannatuk could tell them now. “What about the other group? The ones who went north instead of northwest?”

Again, Solvei relayed the question, and again she received several deep grunts and upset snarls in reply. “He doesn’t know. Master, Nangiannatuk relies on scent as much as sight, and Sissel and the others were all masking their scents, even for Yotimo and the others. Along with being hurt, exhausted, and hungry, I’m amazed he was even able to follow them the way he was.”

“If he saw them after they left the frozen waterfall, he has to be aware that their group’s composition was different somehow,” pressed Lex. “Sissel and her siblings are distinctive. Describe them to him and see if any of them were missing when they went this way.”

Nodding, Solvei quickly relayed brief descriptions of the snow giant and her kin, but she was still speaking when Nangiannatuk let out an angry bellow, rising up onto its hind legs before falling back onto all fours, making Solvei wince. “Master, he’s getting frustrated by all of these questions! All he knows-”

Her ears flattened then, her shoulders slumping as the polar bear’s yowling turned mournful. “All he knows is that when they went down into the canyon, he couldn’t follow them, and he doesn’t know what to do now. Oh, Nangiannatuk!”

Lunging forward, Solvei wrapped her arms around the polar bear, pressing her face to its fur. “I know how you feel,” she murmured. “I’m worried about them too.”

The grief and anxiety coming off of her was transmitted to Lex, who grimaced at another of the unending reminders that she wasn’t truly Solvei anymore. But rather than wallow in that, he instead turned to look at the canyon in question.

It was easy to see why the polar bear hadn’t been able to continue its pursuit. The gulf in front of them wasn’t very deep, the bottom of the canyon being only a few dozen feet below them, but there was no obvious path for Nangiannatuk to take to get there. Nor could he have easily followed along its upper edge, as numerous smaller rifts spiderwebbed out from around the top of the ravine, making the footing treacherous.

Of course, none of that would have been a problem for Sissel, Lex knew. According to the Libram of Ineffable Damnation, venedaemons were capable of using the same short-range teleportation spell that he knew. It would have been easy for them to ferry their allies – and their prisoners – to the bottom of the canyon that way.

For a moment he considered trying to verify that had been what happened, but discarded the notion. If it had been several days’ time since they’d come through here, any residual magic auras would have long since dissipated, and enhancing his senses to try and find any leftover traces – the way Nisha had been able to track the passage of the venedaemons’ numinous auras – would have been a waste of power. Nangiannatuk had already confirmed which way they’d gone; that would have to be good enough.

Changing into a shadow, Lex didn’t bother turning back to look at Solvei and Nangiannatuk, instead floating down toward the bottom of the canyon. If that animal has nothing else useful to share, then we’re done here. Prepare to leave.

Master, please just give me a moment!

The more we delay-

I promise, this won’t take long!

His eyes narrowing as he reached the bottom of the rift, Lex didn’t bother to reply. Instead he scanned the area for any active or lingering spell auras, just in case Sissel had left any traps behind. But if she had, they either weren’t magical or were cloaked beyond what he could discern, though in that case he’d expected nothing less; with how thoroughly Sissel had covered her tracks – literally and figuratively – it was nothing less than an incredible stroke of luck that they’d managed to find Yotimo’s polar bear...

Lex frowned, considering that again.

I’m ready, Master! I told Nangiannatuk that he should head home, and that we’ll bring everyone back. It took some convincing, but I think he’ll go.

Wait. Ask him how it was that he was able to follow everyone here without being spotted.

...Master?

If he wasn’t following them by scent, then he was keeping them in sight the entire time. All without being detected by Sissel, her siblings, or the venedaemons. I want to know how.

Silence fell, and he registered unease coming from Solvei as he heard her relay his question, followed by the polar bear’s angry grunts. He says there were a lot of them, and they didn’t move very fast, so it made them easy to follow even when he stayed far behind. And, um, he stayed downwind of them the entire time, just to be safe.

Frowning inwardly, Lex glanced upward, this time searching for magic on Nangiannatuk himself...and once again found nothing. Was he worrying needlessly? It was hard to believe that Sissel could overlook a large, lumbering creature following them like that, even at a distance.

But at the same time, there was little reason for her to be concerned about it. A polar bear was no real threat to her and her misbegotten siblings, any more than it was to him and Solvei. And since it was already following them at such a close distance, it wasn’t like they’d have expected him to find it now. Nor would the venedaemons have been interested in it; the Libram had made it clear that the souls of animals and other non-sapient creatures had very little value to most planar denizens. Confronting and killing an enraged beast like this likely wouldn’t have been worth the effort for them.

But there’s no reason to assume they were all so careless, decided Lex. If they interrogated their captives, they might know that their shaman can locate the bear even from miles away, and this is all part of a ruse. Except they would have needed to know to ask them about that in the first place. Although that’s not implausible, given their tactical acumen...

After several seconds, he reluctantly dismissed that line of thought as fruitless. There was a difference between strategizing and speculation, and while the former was useful, the latter was a waste of time. Right now, Nangiannatuk’s information was all they had to go on. Following it would take them to the captured adlets; whether it was in the company of Sissel or Hvitdod was something they’d simply have to deal with once they arrived.

Send him away and get ready, repeated Lex, preparing to summon Solvei down into the rock-strewn canyon with him. Although there was no more of a trail here than there had been through the snow-covered landscape they’d traversed, the area was filled with loose rubble and markedly uneven. If what Nangiannatuk had said about them moving slowly due to the size of their group was correct, then that would have been doubly true down here.

But the terrain wouldn’t slow down a shadow, nor Solvei’s serac.

Which meant that, in all likelihood, they’d catch up to their quarry very soon.

---

Master, can we talk?

Rushing through the canyon as quickly as he dared, Lex spared Solvei – again decked out in the battle preparations she’d made when they’d first left the Shrine of the Starless Sky – only the briefest of glances. Not now. It’s more important that we be on alert for traps or ambushes.

We’ve been picking our way through this canyon – no, this series of canyons – for hours now, and there hasn’t been anything yet, protested Solvei. The most threatening thing we’ve seen since we came down here have been a few lizards and a scorpion or two. I think we’re in the clear. And besides...

She paused, and Lex heard her sigh as he registered a renewed sense of apprehension from her. ...I don’t want to go into battle with you being mad at me.

I am not mad at you, and we are not doing this now, shot back Lex. If you’re so worried about saving your precious people, then you should be more focused on their welfare than my disposition.

Sadness came from her then, and a long moment passed before she said anything in reply.

But when she did, it caught him completely off-guard.

Do you hate me now that I’m Akna?

Lex couldn’t contain his surprise at that, unable to help but abandon his examination of their surroundings to focus on her. Of course not! How could you even think-

But he didn’t get to finish as – the two of them rounding a blind corner – Solvei came to an abrupt halt, shock and alarm coming from her now. M-Master! Look!

She needn’t have bothered with the warning.

Maybe a hundred feet ahead of them, facing them from where she was standing in the middle of a particularly wide portion of the canyon, was Sissel.

Nor was the snow giant alone. Flanked on either side by Grisela and Vidrig – and with that miniature sphinx perched on her shoulder – the trio had their weapons in hand, making it clear that they’d been ready for them. The same was true of the half-dozen venedaemons that were spread out behind them, and Lex could see two more standing at the top of the cliff walls above.

Even they had reinforcements, with several creatures the size and shape of a hoofball floating around them. Each of the things howled and gibbered as he and Solvei came into view, showing off rows of rotted and mismatched teeth inside of the gaping jaws that made up their limbless bodies, almost overshadowing the three yellow eyes set in the gnarled, rust-colored skin that covered their exteriors. It took Lex a moment to realize that he was seeing cacodaemons, the soul-extractors that he knew venedaemons were capable of summoning.

But he noted them only in passing, the bulk of his attention going toward the adlets which Sissel had taken prisoner.

Stripped to the waist, they were kneeling directly in front of Sissel and her sisters, their backs to their captors. Each had their hands bound behind them, and none dared to look up...save only for one, which Lex recognized as being Yotimo himself, his eyes squinting in the dim light as he peered toward them.

That was enough to prompt Sissel to lay her axe on the elder adlet’s shoulder, never taking her eyes away from the two of them as she pressed the blade against Yotimo’s neck.

“Lex Legis,” murmured the snow giant, the barest hint of a smile crossing her lips. “Imagine my surprise at seeing you here.”

Author's Note:

Lex and Solvei catch up to Sissel and the captured adlets at last, only for the snow giant to apparently be expecting them!

Have they fallen into their enemy's trap? Or is Sissel bluffing?

Comments

[Booster Spice]

Could Sissel use the Bears masters improvement on the bear being healed through the familiar link as a notification without any magic that Lex was following them and how far back?

Terry Pratchets communication through torturing a minor king idea there.

[Alzrius]

11517359 in point of fact, Nangiannatuk isn't Yotimo's familiar. While being an animal companion (as per the class feature) does mean that there's a very, very mild link between them, it's nowhere near as potent as what Woodheart has with Littleknight, let alone what Lex has with Solvei.

[Not so New Brony]

I would say let the negotiations begin but considering the situation, there's not much to negotiate since Sissel seems more than ready to cut down the adlets to get Lex to cooperate. And even then, I wonder if they're actually there since I remember her projecting an image of herself in her earlier encounter with Lex and Fail Forward so I wouldn't be surprised if all of this, save for the vanedaemons and cacaodemons are just images.

[Alzrius]

11518789 Given that Sissel seems to have been expecting them, despite what seemed like attempts to throw them off, there's clearly more going on here than meets the eye. Of course, the fact that no attack was immediately launched makes it seem like Sissel is willing to talk, but I have to wonder if Lex will listen? Presumably he won't immediately go on the offensive, since Yotimo and the others' lives would immediately be forfeit, but I'm having a hard time seeing this ending well; as Lex himself noted, the last time Sissel tried using hostages, she discovered firsthand that Lex refuses to let himself be manipulated that way.