5.5 Nosy by vocation

Difference: Minimal

For all the fanfare, their first assignment was not the kind of thing Irwyn would associate with the need for armed inspection. Quite the opposite, really, as it was not something Irwyn had ever thought much about. They were headed to a farm. Or something ‘close enough’, as Calm had cryptically described it. 

Their way out was easy with Alice still having access to the Beacon. Afterward they would have to adapt to more mundane travel, as everyone teleporting to Abonisle or City Black as a middle point of all travel was too high of a security risk and logistical hurdle at scale, and thus was generally reserved only for people who had legitimate business in the Beacon cities.

The place they arrived in was a stone chamber with only one exit and an enchanted metal plate beneath their feet. It distinctly reminded Irwyn of the teleportation platforms he had witnessed in the past, which only made sense. Not everyone had a Time mage in their group, but it was probably more convenient for all visitors to arrive through the same place.

Opposite their entrance, there was a checkpoint of sorts, with a few armed soldiers and a single Time mage seemingly at the peak of imbuement. Their group was already getting much attention from them. They had sent notice of their arrival just a few minutes beforehand as far as Irwyn understood, as such there had been little time to prepare on this side.

“Good day, my lady,” the mage nervously nodded as they approached. “What should I note you down as…?”

“Black will do,” Elizabeth inclined her head, using the most generic ‘we will remain anonymous’ name possible, then brought out their very recently forged writ.

A fancy little thing. It depicted the inquisition’s skull on a pitch black background. Though apparently it was not quite the same one as a full member of the order would use, but the differences were subtle enough that Irwyn had needed them pointed out. Perhaps that was the point. The regular people needed only to understand that inquisitorial duties were involved, not which or by whom. The exact details of authority and designation were for bureaucrats to mull over.

The mage certainly recognized the meaning, growing visibly more nervous. Which Irwyn didn’t quite understand. Perhaps there was stigma associated with the inquisition he had never run into? It seemed strange. Someone specialized in hunting undead would only make those still alive safer. 

“What… should I note the purpose of your visit as?” he managed.

“Routine inspection, for the moment,” Elizabeth replied, then moved to walk past the checkpoint. The mundane soldiers briefly looked like they might step in to stop them, but seemingly reconsidered that course of action as the rest of their group followed.

“I will notify the major of your presence, lady Black,” the mage remembered to tell to their departing backs.

“He will find us somewhere around.”

Then they left the stone building, exiting onto a steep hill top. All around them, Irwyn could see fields with sprouting crops, hundreds or maybe even thousands of people weaving in between them while hard at work. To the right and left there were also two large camps, likewise made of stone-grown buildings. In the distance ahead of them, he could see the tops of proper buildings. There was a city there, though Irwyn had already forgotten the name. Frankly, he barely knew they were somewhere in the eastern parts of the Duchy, though not quite by the sea. Alice would keep track of their exact location without needing to put in the great effort it would require from Irwyn.

“Why was he so frightened?” He asked when they were safely out of earshot. They were walking down the hill towards the fields, gathering some, but not too much, attention.

“Probably afraid of being conscripted from such a cushy job,” Desir opined. “You do hear those stories from time to time. That an inquisitor might walk into war camp, muster every mage with so much as an intention to their name, then march them to their deaths to serve as a distraction for some greater plan.”

“I doubt that happens very often,” Elizabeth shrugged. “The Rot is usually hard to distract.”

“The kind of stories I heard usually say that when the inquisition goes somewhere it’s for a reason,” Alice added. “And when they have a reason to be somewhere, it usually results in a lot of people without even a corpse left. Now, obviously, all those killed were supposedly already undead or traitors anyway, but people get worried over any sudden executions.”

“I heard something about scorched earth more than once,” Waylan’s voice sounded, though the sneak remained hidden.

“Purging entire regions might happen only in the worst of cases,” Elizabeth explained. “I remember reading about the last time being over 50 years ago or thereabouts. Not to mention that if that was happening, almost everyone on the ground had likely already been turned and the few survivors would never actually see anyone before being hit. Such large scale operations in spite of Finity are hard and indiscriminate.”

“Feeling anything yet?” Desir turned to Irwyn as the conversation wound down.

“Not yet,” Irwyn shook his head, then sniffed again just in case. “Just the manure. But Rot should be distinct and pierce straight through that.”

They were at a farm after all, and the air smelled like shit. Or was that even a farm? There was not much infrastructure Irwyn would usually associate with the word. It seemed more like a military supply operation than a homestead. Uniformed mages were casting magic to rapidly grow grain, beans, and potatoes from what Irwyn could see. In the meantime, large groups of laborers were harvesting the crops as soon as they were ready. They were loaded by hand onto horse-drawn carriages while other people moved to re-plow and fertilize the ground from baskets they had at hand.

“Except the growing, everything is done by manual labor,” Irwyn frowned. “That seems inefficient.”

“I assume it’s a problem of manpower at scale,” Desir guessed, turning to Elizabeth.

“Yes, there is only so many mages. And those we have can also serve in battle. People that can tend to a field are much easier to gather and train in high numbers. Even if you need five to do the work of one novice mage, the mathematics are clear.”

“Why is this being done in the middle of nowhere, though?” Alice interjected.

“This kind of treatment is going to exhaust the soil rapidly,” Desir answered. Then got a few looks. “What? I once researched how I would possibly live by myself in the ‘middle of nowhere’, and this came up as a side note to farming.”

“What does ‘exhaust’ mean in this context?” Irwyn asked, and even Elizabeth seemed uncertain.

“Each crop takes something from the soil to mature. The whole of ground is not a Source of nutrition, instead anything that grows needs to transform those minerals and particles to gain its bulk. The fertilizers help with replenishing that, but full recovery takes a long time. Accelerating that growth with magic means years of that cycle are happening in days. My guess is that at the pace they are going, this entire area will be barren in a few weeks or months at the latest. Then the camp moves a few kilometers to the side and does it all over again. I assume, at least.”

“I admit, I never delved too deep into food supply chains,” Elizabeth reluctantly admitted. “All I know is that we are stockpiling while the Lich War is not too intense. Evacuation from the countryside has also resulted in reduced output while the Duchy has to subsidize the meals of displaced families or face needless unrest and chaos. Abonisle’s stores had also been tainted during the attack, so the number of places like this is probably higher than usual. Running out of food during the hardest fighting could cause great damage, so someone is tasked with making sure it doesn’t happen.”

“Where is all this food being stored?” Irwyn asked. “That seems like a vector of attack.”

“We might also not run into anything,” Elizabeth reminded. “Places like this face a lot of scrutiny already. There are most likely inquisitors already disguised among the laborers and soldiers. The low effort attacks are being constantly countered so we are unlikely to see one occur.”

“No reason to not have a look though,” Alice said. “I see them bringing wagon loads into a whole arrangement of small silos. And teleporting the contents in regular intervals, about one building’s worth every two minutes exactly.”

“The Temporal Beacons are wonderful for that kind of distribution,” Elizabeth nodded. “And if they don’t lie around for long, the crops are unlikely to get poisoned. Just in case, everything is being separated into smaller stockpiles. That is standard doctrine with any consumables - more stashes means more difficulty to access all of them.”

Still, they headed towards one group of those silos. Like most of anything, they had been built out of stone. Irwyn could see as much even from the distance. Not enchanted in any way, just shaped into a construction with practiced ease and left like that. 

They did not quite reach one, though, before being intercepted. As they were approaching, Irwyn began to note pulses of mana going through the soil. He had noticed them beforehand, but paid little attention until they began to intensify and lock onto their position. Not long later, a person walked up to them from the side, approaching at just the right angle that they met on their pre-existing course.

The man held two Concepts - seemingly Realm and then something specific to ground or maybe soil - and wore a uniform that was distinctly different from what the Duchy of Black usually supplied. It had shades of brown and altogether different design, though the insignia of rank seemed the same - not that Irwyn still remembered what exactly the shape meant. He could still make an assumption off of context though. It was probably the major, seemingly in charge of the entire operation.

“Are you aware you are being followed by someone invisible?” was the first thing to come out of the man’s mouth.

“Yes. Impressive of you to notice,” Irwyn replied.

“Detection is my specialty,” the man said, his expression placid. “May I see your writ?”

“Here,” Elizabeth did as asked, showing the man the badge again. He stared at it for about two seconds, then nodded.

“Is there a strong basis to suspect infiltration?”

“Just chance fishing for the moment,” Desir assured.

“Very well. I will return to my regular duties then. If you need any assistance on my part, stomp the ground three times at regular intervals. Five times for an emergency. Good hunting.”

Then the military man turned around and left them be. Throughout he had remained very professional and almost aloof, though that was better than the fear that had first welcomed them. With the enchantments Calm had gifted them, it would be impossible to tell how many Concepts each of them held, but they still had four people against his lonesome. That did not seem to worry the soldier, though, as he departed.

“One second,” Waylan interjected, actually appearing. The man turned, locking eyes with the sneak, who began theatrically pacing without breaking that contact. “Can you still feel me?”

“No…” the man admitted after a few moments. For the first time, a frown found its way to his face.

“Before we leave, I would like to know in case you manage it again,” Waylan smiled, then re-vanished. With Irwyn’s supernatural speed of perception, it was still a very smooth transition that happened staggeringly fast. The major left without further comment afterward. Their group then resumed their way towards the silos.

“Is he from the Duchy of Brown?” Irwyn asked based on the uniform.

“Yes, such transfers are very common,” Elizabeth nodded. “Void magic is not great at detection. But a good Realm mage like him can detect anything trying to burrow underneath this whole operation. Each Duchy has a tendency to specialize in their own element, but it’s obvious that the best results are achieved by mixing experts. Most of the life mages are probably from the duchy of green, though only higher ranking officers like the major get to keep their home uniform. For simplicity in the ranks, most people have to use standard issue of wherever they end up.”

“The Duchy of Black exports fighters then ?” Desir asked with curiosity.

“And assassins or scouts. Void has less utility in downtime, but is versatile in combat. Similar to Flame, though you won’t meet that many of them here. Since Black has battle in hand locally, we mostly trade combatants for support mages, same as the Duchy of Red. Ironically, a Void and Flame mage are most likely to meet in the other duchies rather than their own.”

There was nothing at the silos when they arrived. Not even a whiff of the rotten smell, and even the stench of manure was far lesser. Their group made a circle around the entire perimeter, but eventually concluded that there indeed were no undead present. Or at least none Irwyn could detect. All in all, it had taken them less than an hour.

Elizabeth tried to get in touch with Calm, who instead redirected them to a different coordinator that managed a number of groups like theirs. Not all of them, as diversifying chain of command for inspections was apparently considered wise, though they were unlikely to actually run into another group due to the sheer area that had to be covered. Hearing their short report, their new coordinator decided they might as well be sent to another similar farm, so that is where they went.

Except they had to travel by flight instead of teleportation. Irwyn dreaded how long that journey would take, only to realize that they were literally only traveling to the other side of the city that he could see in the distance. With the sheer speed Irwyn could muster nowadays, the journey was not longer than five minutes, including the detour they had to take in order to not spook the town’s defenders that would likely get touchy about anyone approaching their airspace.

The major in charge there was a diviner who was a bit apoplectic about being able to notice neither Irwyn nor Waylan with her magic. Though the hostility wasn’t too overt, it was clear the woman wanted them out as soon as possible without daring to say as much out loud. Which made Irwin a bit suspicious, but after making a full round across the perimeter again, they found not a whiff of Rot.

Their next destination would be much further away. Irwyn would have likely not even known which way to head towards off of the coordinates, but Alice once again proved impeccable at giving directions. 

“We should zigzag and avoid direct paths,” Elizabeth warned. “Going straight between two significant places is the most likely way to encounter an ambush.”

“Then perhaps we should be trying to go directly,” Irwyn pointed out. “I will most likely be able to give us early warning and we are far tougher than the vast majority of travellers.”

“You have a point,” she nodded after a moment of thought. “Undead lying in wait will likely target only those they are confident in wiping out, but we might be able to notice even those who try to stay hidden. And the odds of Raveners lingering here in the middle of nowhere are relatively nil."

“So straight ahead?” Alice asked.

“Straight ahead,” she confirmed.

It took them less than five minutes of flight for Irwyn to feel the first whiff of Rot. Giving a warning, he quickly began to cast. His other senses briefly struggled to actually locate the ambush, but his eyes eventually did. A group of undead was perfectly melded into the forest foliage beneath them. They were pathetically weak. So much so that Irwyn didn’t even feel any mana in any of them. But their camouflage was potent in exchange.

Not taking any risks, Irwyn burned them all from range. The group gave no resistance. Bones hidden beneath bark melted. Malformed skulls perfectly concealed in between branches cracked, then broke under the heat before even being hit by the spells. But the smell was not fully gone even then. It took the group a while longer to realize there were more hidden beneath the soil itself. Burrowed deep enough that it would be arduous for the skeletons to even drag themselves out.

“I think I intercepted their messages again,” Desir said afterwards. “The signal was much weaker than the one we had encountered at the border.”

“So were the undead, so it only makes sense,” Irwyn opined. Then they carried on.

He smelled another ambush just two minutes of flight later. That time, they were faster in rooting all of them out. The next group took five more minute to find. Not while looking for them actively, just flying in a straight line through the wilderness. In all those cases, they only managed to detect them because Irwyn noted the slight smell. Nothing had been detected with actual magic or other supernatural sense across their whole group.

In the end, their travel that should have taken perhaps over an hour was stretched to twice as long with the constant cleaning. Not one of the undead had so much as possessed an intention. They were not even mages, just ghouls. In battle, even the weakest mages could likely wipe those groups out.

But then, that was clearly not their intent. Those undead were ambushers, undetectable by even their prodigious magical senses. Sure, Irwyn maintained a barrier even while he slept, but most mages could not keep up those defenses. Beither could mundane soldiers or merchants for that matter. If anyone was unlucky enough to set up camp right on top of the burrowed Rot, they would be slaughtered in their sleep. Even dutifully posted watch would likely not be enough if the enemy was already beneath.

Eventually, their destination was in sight. A small military outpost in between two nearby towns. From a distance, it had the temporary structures of magically shaped stone. Soldiers were mulling around, seemingly bored. A few mages were training their magic in a dedicated yard as far as Irwyn could see, but appeared to be a quiet appointment.

“Annoying,” Elizabeth commented. “Our new handler is disbelieving. It’s not their job to dispute what I am reporting, just noting it down.”

“Try to see it from their perspective,” Desir suggested. “They probably know you are of noble origin, if maybe not the full name. They might not be aware of some other things though. Like the personal approval of high inquisitor. Either because its restricted, or because they haven’t had the time to read through our very recent files yet. It doesn’t take a stretch to misconstrue our situation as a political appointee trying to curry merit through false reports.”

“That might be making me more upset,” Elizabeth pointed out.

“Then don’t think about it for the moment. They will stop complaining once we prove our efficacy in a place with witnesses.”

“We might not need to go long before then,” Irwyn interjected as they got closer. “It’s faint, but I definitely smell something off here.”