A Relatively Powerful Mage

Reverence for the dragon god Ulzo reached a crescendo as it disappeared from reality. Sylvi took slow, calming breaths, trying to regain her composure. At some point, Ashlyn had collapsed to the ground, muttering quietly to herself. Vallo was still on his feet, but his eyes were far off as if reliving what he had just witnessed. Sylvi did her best to help her companions get back to reality.

Now that the ritual was over, the humans became more noticeable. Most Chixel looked at them with what Sylvi assumed was contempt, but they were satisfied with their awe upon witnessing the god's avatar. A few gave Ettes strange glances, suggesting it wasn’t typical to bring outsiders as witnesses.

Fortunately, they made it back to their smaller barge without any incident. Vallo and Ashlyn were still shocked, and the moment they were aboard, they sat down and continued staring off into space. They returned in complete silence, even amongst the three humans. However, that immediately ended once they returned to Ettes’s dwelling.

“What the hell was that?” Ashlyn demanded.

“Ulzo must be seen to comprehend what we are up against,” Ettes explained.

“I thought you said many were turning from Ulzo because of how the war was going? It sure didn’t look like that to me,” Sylvi added.

“This one spoke true; there are more Chixel who are sympathetic, who will turn from Ulzo and ally with the humans. However, it still is not enough,” Ettes said defensively.

“Obviously,” Vallo said bitterly.

“Are you really losing the war with that…thing on your side?” Ashlyn asked.

“Ulzo cannot fight a war for us. Even the ritual we saw required a massive amount of devotion, and that was with the High Priest, who would never leave Trosano. Very few of Trosano’s elite ever would, and even more so now that internal strife threatens to tear the city apart. That is just one advantage the Azala have over us,” Ettes said.

“It’s clear you don’t have much sway as you implied. Nor are things as close to breaking as you suggested. So, why are we here, Ettes?” Sylvi asked.

“The Chixel do not have human notions of fair trials or punishment. Those sacrificed today were petty criminals or the few who dared voice their dissatisfaction. That is the reason why the Chixel do not have doors and locks; only an insane Chixel would risk their eternal soul for material possessions. When there are not enough souls to sacrifice, crimes are made up. Srez, Zathri, and Thrisk are all captives condemned to share the fate of those we just witnessed,” Ettes said.

“Who are they?” Vallo asked.

“They are three of the Chixel who helped us get on our feet after the integration. While I don’t want to see anything happen to them, I still don’t see what we can do about it,” Sylvi said.

“This one did not lie; many are sympathetic to the cause and willing to join us if Ulzo couldn’t be summoned. If something were to happen to the High Priest, especially at the hands of a supposedly inferior species, that would cause sufficient doubt that Ulzo couldn’t be summoned,” Ettes said.

“You want us to kill that toad creature? The one surrounded by soldiers nearly twice my size? The one that summoned the dragon god that erases things from existence? I think I’ll sit this one out,” Ashlyn said.

“I have to agree with Ashlyn; that doesn’t seem like a good plan,” Sylvi agreed. Vallo nodded his agreement as well.

“Get us out of here and back to the surface,” Ashlyn demanded.

“Such a thing is not easy. While it was easy enough to send humans up, as many are kept as a novelty, the same is not true for a return trip. There is no plausible reason for a human to leave, and as far as this one knows, none have ever left,” Ettes said.

“You double-crossing snake,” Ashlyn shouted, balling her fists, barely restraining her rage.

Ettes’s guards tensed, their hands drawing towards their weapons. While Sylvi could understand Ashlyn’s emotion, she herself felt much the same way, but she didn’t want this to devolve into a physical altercation. She put a hand on Ashlyn, hopefully reassuring the girl.

“We get that it's not easy, so we're not expecting something right this second. However, if you want our help, you’ll need to start working on a solution to get us out of here,” Sylvi demanded.

“That is fair,” Ettes agreed.

“If we tried to start a revolt and free your people, that probably wouldn’t go well. I’m also assuming that those soldiers guard the High Priest at all times and probably has more enchantments than Imri’s entire workshop. We need a plan, not just a goal. Let's start by getting more supplies,” Sylvi said.

“This one has been working on a plan since seeing Vallo’s abilities. If those abilities can be mastered, slipping among the guards and freeing our people should be possible,” Ettes said.

Vallo looked uncomfortable at that. “I haven’t been able to mimic specific features, at least not anything that would pass anything more than a cursory glance. Imitating an exact guard will be beyond me until I’m much higher level,” he admitted.

“It was close, and it will likely only be cursory glances. No one will expect a shapeshifter,” Ettes said, trying to hype up the reluctant Vallo.

He nodded, but it was more than a little reluctant. While having an unconfident Vallo impersonating a guard wasn’t a fully-fledged plan, it was at least a start.

Vallo diligently set to work, practicing impersonating the various houseguards. He could practice consistently, with Ettes providing him a seemingly endless supply of charged mana crystals. However, even Sylvi, who was no expert in Chixel physiology, could spot obvious differences between the subject and Vallo’s copied form.

Sylvi spent a good deal of time considering what supplies to ask for. She decided to put Ettes to the test, adding considerably more items than was strictly necessary. Many were vague, such as ‘useful general enchantments’ or ‘culturally significant items.’ However, there were a couple of items she had hoped wouldn’t garner too much attention, specifically a request for various cloth samples. The next item would definitely be noticed. She wanted as many different illicit poisons as she could get her hands on; the deadlier, the better.

The last items were replicas of the collars Ettes forced them to wear. Now that they were in the city, it was unlikely anyone would notice if the items weren’t working properly. Ettes argued that there were still some skills that would spot the ruse. Sylvi considered that a risk worth taking and glared at the Chixel, brooking no argument. Eventually, Ettes relented, though she insisted on keeping the level masking enchantment active.

“We can find many of those items in the market, but a few are not so easy and will take some time,” Ettes said.

“You're the one who gave us the timeline to save the others,” Sylvi said with a shrug, doing her best to put on an affectation of nonchalance.

In truth, she wanted to leave Trosano right away, and she definitely regretted coming here. They had to take risks if humanity would survive this conflict, but going to the heart of enemy territory had been reckless. She had known it would be dangerous, but she had let Ettes' biased view cloud her judgment. Still, she was going to maximize this opportunity, and if they ever managed to get out, she would have invaluable intel.

With Ettes reluctantly agreeing to most items, Sylvi and Ashlyn wanted to see the market. Ettes reluctantly agreed, reiterating the importance of staying as inconspicuous as possible. Sylvi thought that wasn’t possible with two humans and an Exalted with an escort of house guards, but she didn’t argue. Vallo remained behind, continuing his practice with two guards who stayed with him.

They didn’t have far to go, with the market being at the bottom of the same large cavern as Ettes’s abode. Dozens of stalls line the streets, most little more than tables with various wares openly displayed. Many of them used bright-colored mana lights to attract attention, similar to neon lighting, which stood out against the general dim lighting of the subterranean cavern.

Sylvi’s eyes flitted around, noticing many areas that would easily be dark enough to conceal her, especially if she could use her umbral spells. She also noticed that they attracted attention wherever they went, many of the smaller Chixel even pointing at them and openly gaping.

Ettes made her way to one of the stalls, presumably an enchanter judging by the number of enchanted items on display. While Ettes was haggling with the proprietor, Sylvi noticed Ashlyn carefully looking at several of the items before they suddenly disappeared. Even though she had been next to the girl and staring directly at her, Sylvi hadn’t noticed the theft itself, only the lack of an item on the table giving it away. Sylvi had to restrain herself from giving the girl an earful right here in front of everyone.

“What are you doing?” Sylvi hissed as they walked to the next shop after Ettes had purchased various enchanted items.

“What do you mean?” Ashlyn said, putting on an affectation of innocence. Sylvi just glared at her, and she spilled. “It was too easy; they just left everything out on a massive table with no one watching.”

“Did you forget what Ettes said? One wrong move, and it will be us getting erased by that dragon god,” Sylvi said.

“I’ll be careful,” she promised. Sylvi didn’t buy it for a second.

“Why do you even need to steal anything? Ettes is buying everything,” Sylvi said.

“Because I can,” the little klepto said cheekily. “Besides, it's easy XP, especially when I get something valuable. I got 2 levels from that just now.”

Ashlyn was right in that the Chixel were lax in guarding their wares. While sacrificing people to a soul-devouring dragon avatar had a litany of problems, it was an effective deterrent for petty theft. However, it made them susceptible to such crimes from an especially brazen teenager.

Ashlyn grinned triumphantly, but Sylvi gave her one last glare to show she still didn’t entirely approve. That’s when she noticed a cloaked Chixel approaching them, and something about their countenance put Sylvi on edge; they weren’t the typical gawker.

Her suspicions were immediately confirmed when the cloaked figure drew a knife and lunged for Ashlyn. Sylvi moved faster, grabbing the assailant's wrist and wresting them to the ground as she attempted to disarm them. Fortunately, this Chixel didn’t appear to be very high leveled, and she could easily overwhelm them physically. A moment later, Ettes’s guards helped her up and detained the attacker.

Ettes barked out what were presumably questions in the Chixel language. The assailant stared defiantly back, eventually speaking in a muted tone. They spoke a bit more before the exchange ended, with Ettes’s tail unconsciously moving in the Chixel equivalent of a nod. A moment later, a knife appeared in Ettes’s hand, and she slit the throat of their attacker.

“Better a quick death than the fate that awaited them if they had been turned over to the authorities,” Ettes explained to the gaping humans.

“Why did they attack us?” Ashlyn asked in a somewhat shaky voice as they continued back towards their temporary home, leaving the body bleeding out in the middle of the walkway.

“They lost their mate in the conflict against the humans,” Ettes explained.

“So, just like you,” Sylvi pointed out.

“It would be foolish to lay the responsibility of an execution to the executioner. Better to seek out the one responsible for the sentence, especially when the executioner was forced to carry out the deed unwillingly,” Ettes said.

“And who was the one who sentenced Rhesk to death?” Sylvi asked.

“The High Priest."