The Missing Champion

The crystal containing Akeyo of the Space between thought had be surprisingly easy to find… Sort of.

Aspen and Shiro had reached the location to find a city built around a field of defenses with a fortress built inside that like a nesting doll. 

The detail that sold them on being in the right place was the guards, the guards and siege weapons faced inward

Despite the tight security every hour a dozen wagons entered by one door, and a dozen exited at the same time by another, all very strange if this was supposed to be something holding an enemy of the state in a tenuous stasis.

Yet as they scouted around under the cover of being a loving couple out on a night stroll they did not see any signs of the instability or hostility the other crystals had developed and intensified as their counterparts in other territories were broken.

The town seemed… nice, the streets were clean the people out and about showing no signs of fear towards the soldier or guardsmen.

The two arguments that involved those two demographics that Shiro and Aspen wandered across were handled quickly and with no apparent favoritism.

"This is nothing like anything I have seen in the Holy Kingdom." She whispered to Aspen like a tender lover sharing a private remark.

Aspen was wearing her hood over her ears like the elves had opted to do the last time they infiltrated a city of the Kingdom, while Shiro was wearing the male clothes she had never gotten around to replacing from her time in the Kingdom's service.

Something she was going to need to fix once the elixir Granite had helped her procure in Giantknee started to work its magic.

With a light tug Aspen drew Shiro's attention back to the present and discreetly gestured to where two soldiers were yawning as they walked in front of the pair.

"I tell you I have been here for two years and have yet to get used to taking a late shift." The older looking of the two grumbled.

The young one shrugged "Do you think if that treaty goes through with Empire the price of that drink the night officers hoard will go down?"

The first one shrugs "Negotiations have a long way to go before that happens. Besides didn't you hear that the Princess committed some grave sin a while back?"

The second nods, "But what does that have to do with anything?"

The first sighs "You gotta look at the big picture if you ever want to do anything more than guard a golem factory.'

He holds up some fingers then ticks them down as he talks 'First the King, long may he reign in the sight of the Saint, only has the one kid. Second, most alliances are confirmed by marrying off a royal child. Which means?"

The older asked leadingly and when his younger companion seemed at a loss for answer he raps his gauntlet on the youngster's helm.

"It means that if the our only Princess is ineligible for marriage we cant do squat!"

The young guard straightens his helmet the n asks "Where did you learn all this anyways? Cant says as I recall anything like that happening in the histories before."

With a sigh the elder soldier replies "its because we ain't ever had a chance to ally with other humans before considering we are hemmed in on all sides by monsters."

"Oh,' says the young man belatedly 'I guess that makes sense."

A bell chimes in the distance and both guards swear, the elder says "Wait for me here, need to take a leak before our shift starts."

"But we are halfway across… town." The young one finishes belatedly as his companion is already darting into a secluded alley.

Clatter bang echos out from the alley a few moments later

"Sarge?' Young guard calls, trying to peer into the darkness without violating his superior's privacy 'you all right?"

Another clang and then a thud, "Better not have slipped in your own pee again." the kid grumbles as he stomps into the alley, only to be brought up short by the sight of an elf stripping the uniform off his fellow.

The youngster turns to call for help, but turns full force into a fist going the other way.

**

A few hours later Shiro sits in a bar waiting for Aspen, their trick of stealing the uniforms had worked like a charm but they had not been prepared for the sight that had greeted them in the fortress.

Nothing

Well not nothing, there was a ton of the crystal inside the fortress courtyard but none of it was person sized, and the Kingdom had scientist looking guys scraping it off the walls as it was actively growing and carting off whole wheelbarrows full of the stuff to other parts of the facility that the pair had been unable to access.

Where was Akeyo?

Aspen had gone out to see if she could find the local black market or information broker, and those sorts tended to get skittish if approached by to many strangers.

Speaking of strangers,

"Mind if I buy you a drink?" a voice came next to Shiro.

The man who said it was a tall rugged looking man, tanned from working outside but doing what Shiro could not tell. With the dim thought of maybe learning something from a local Shiro spoke up

"Sure, though pardon if I am not very good company. Long roads and what not."

"I can see that from your garb, Soldier eh?"

Shiro cringes imperceptible, really gonna need new clothes at first opportunity

The man goes on "I reckon by the wear and tear you are a local kid on leave from a Dawnwall tour. How are actually doing again those pointy eared demon spawn?"

Shiro struggles to remember the reports she had overheard Willow complaining about "Fine I guess, I was mostly on mess duty.' she says improving something she had heard on TV 'but we had to pack up the tent and advance every couple of days if that tells you anything."

The man smiles disarmingly "My name is Fred by the way, my ma'am always said it was impolite to drink without knowing names."

"Harold," Shiro replies shaking the man's hand right as the drinks arrive.

The bar is surprisingly fancy and when wine is ordered it comes in little fancy goblets.

"To the war effort!" Fred toasts

"To the war." Shiro echos as Fred downs his drink.

**

Aspen returns to the bar in frustration at not having been able to find an information broker anywhere.

She is so put out by this fact that she trips over a piece of debris before realizing, the bar she walked into is a delict shell of a building.

She steps outside and checks landmarks, she is where she is supposed be. The place she left Shiro, the place that had been a thriving well off pub hours ago.

She walks around inside the bar area, something shiny catches her eye.

Where Shiro had been sitting when she left had a thin layer of that freaking crystal.

"Giants preserve us." She whispers.