by Billy Wong
"That would still mean less sleep for each of us, unless we rested for longer overall." She considered. "But since it probably would be safer anyway to have somebody on watch all the time, I guess we could do that."
They continued on with one of their number a little more happy, as he would no longer spend his nights bound.
Chapter 9
Exiting the forest, they passed by the settlement Kath and friends had inadvertently brought tragedy to their first trip this way. Kath felt guilty, and giving Leroy some coins asked him to go into town for her and donate it to the families of the victims. It wouldn't bring back the dead, but doing anything at all would be better than nothing. Zack contributed money as well, and surprisingly so did Fred though he didn't have much to spare. "Why?" Zack asked. "You weren't involved."
"Still, if people are suffering here anyone who can help should." But Kath didn't know if he was being genuine, or just trying to build trust with them.
They moved on, restocked on food at Genbald and turned southeast. Crossing more sparsely vegetated flatlands, they eventually reached an abandoned castle at the base of one of the western Dynard Mountains. The peaks loomed huge over it, sharp gray crags far taller than the mountain range they had sailed past before, their shadows darkening the land when the sun stood behind them. The castle itself had seen better times, walls full of holes, battlements crumbling from a combination of damage received in war and the weight of years. Kath wasn't even sure it was safe to go inside. "You have money and this is where you're staying?" she asked Fred.
"We don't have that much. And it seemed wise for most of us to stay close to the threat to monitor it."
They entered the dining hall graced by flattened rugs and rotting tapestries. Upon bedrolls sat two stout men who might be twins and a sinewy woman; another tall, gangly man stood nearby. All wore white outfits that mirrored Fred's and had short hair, although the woman's reached to her neck. "Meet my brothers and sister, the Unstained. Everyone, these are Zack and Kath, and their friend Leroy."
"Don't tell me your whole order is five people," Leroy said.
The female Unstained took on a solemn look. "There is one other sister who survives, but she is away at the present time. We once numbered more than thrice as many, including Frederick's father and sister. Alas, the monsters snatched away many lives old and young alike."
Even though Kath hadn't known them, her heart grew heavy with sadness and she became more inclined to take the Unstained at their word. It seemed unlikely for all this to be an elaborate trick. "How exactly did this come to pass? Tell us from the beginning."
"I'll do it," said Fred. "You might know some of this story already, but hundreds of years ago the benevolent divine serpent Vilig and its destructive counterpart Volgox who destroyed the ancient city of Cebulne battled in the sky above the center of those mountains which tower over us." Kath nodded. "They defeated each other and crashed down, creating the great crater there now, to lie dormant ever since. Afterwards, the Unstained Order was formed to watch over them and respond should one of them seem to be reviving—especially Volgox.
"We lived for generations in our temple near the Dynard Mountains, growing our own food and raising additional funds by selling souvenirs to those would visit this sacred site, such as Vilig's Fangs." He produced a small stone earring in the shape of a tooth, which Kath noticed none of the actual Unstained wore. "When we heard that the cursed witch of the Soullit-"
"Lucia," Kath interrupted. "We've met her, her name is Lucia."
Fred smiled. "I suppose that isn't a polite title to call a person. Anyway, when we heard Lucia was in danger of being kidnapped, we feared someone might wish to use her gift to attempt to rouse one of the serpents."
"Wait, why would rousing Vilig be bad?" Zack asked.
The tall Unstained replied. "Even though Vilig is not hostile, his awakening would still disrupt the current state of nature, as well as cause unrest among people. But you're right, that was not our main fear. We worried much more about the potential return of Volgox the Destroyer, who views humans with disdain and would massacre them on a whim. Given the apparent moral character of one who'd resort to kidnapping and murder to achieve their goals, we felt it likely they would prefer to revive one serpent over the other."
"In any case," Fred continued, "when we heard Lucia had been saved by Gabriel, Deidre, and their companions, we thought the danger averted for now. Yet monsters became aggressive and began to breed rapidly, reigniting our concerns. As we made a trip into the mountains to check on the serpents, we were attacked by a pack of them and suffered several casualties. We retreated to the temple thinking to regroup, but that night the monsters followed us there in even greater number and... and..." His words caught in his throat, but Kath understood.
"Frederick's father and sister were both killed," the Unstained woman confirmed, "along with most who lived at the temple. It seems that whoever sought to rouse the serpent found a way to do so without Lucia, and brings it gradually towards wakefulness. Those of us who lived fled, and have hidden here since except for those we sent to find help."
They was a period of respectful silence as Leroy gently patted Fred's shoulder. Then Zack asked, "What does this have to do with me, though? You said the person responsible is also the one trying to kill me, but why would they? Wasn't it Lord Parr who tried to kidnap me before, so..?"
Fred shook his head. "We believe that isn't the case. We think the same person who tried to kidnap Lucia also tried to kidnap you in hopes your healing gift could bring a serpent out of its slumber, and when you were no longer needed decided to kill you so that you could not possibly revive the other serpent to stand in the way of his plans."
"But the kidnapper Kath captured said Parr was behind it."
"Sort of," she said, "but it doesn't matter. He could have been saying that to mislead us on purpose, or as he said only heard a rumor while not knowing who his true employer was. Besides, Parr never admitted to targeting you. It was good that we found his secret and got to put an end to his monstrous evil. But it's possible it was unrelated to your situation, and blinded us to your true antagonist still being out there."
"I suppose that is possible," he said grimly.
"I do have a question for the Unstained. Why seek out our help? I understand we were involved anyway, but we are just students."
"We heard you were a strong and brave warrior," Fred replied, "and figured there was a good chance you would be willing to grant your aid."
A little flattered, she smiled. "Why didn't you tell us all this earlier, though? You could have saved yourself a lot of time being tied up and suspected of being an assassin."
"If I told you, you might not have been any more inclined to believe me." That was true.
"Why don't you ask the army for help too? If this is such a great threat as you claim, they should be willing to spare some soldiers to avert it."
The gangly Unstained shook his head. "Due to a falling out between our order and them in the past, the government no longer takes us seriously. Thus we must deal with things by our own merits and those of allies we can gather—but the other allies we've been able to contact were discouraged from helping by how many of our number we'd already lost."
"What about Gabriel and Deidre? They don't seem like they'd take much convincing to jump in, and they're far stronger than us."
"That's who we sent our sister to look for," the female Unstained said. "But she has not returned yet, and Christopher's gift"—she indicated the tall Unstained with a glance—"tells him a serpent's consciousness is close to full. We may have to make our move without them. By the way, my name is Violet and those are the brothers Marv and Melv." Kath winked at the one she assumed to be Melv. She liked the unusual shortened name.
"One other thing," Leroy asked, "if this Volgox is so dangerous, why didn't anybody just kill it while it slept?"
"The divine serpents when dormant are surrounded by a cocoon of mystic energy, and cannot
be harmed by human strength. Even once awake, they are so powerful that it has sometimes taken massive armies to fell one, with thousands slain in the process. As things are now, in peacetime, a sufficient force might not be raised before our country was in shambles. We must not allow Volgox to awaken."
"Well, what do you think?" Kath asked Zack and Leroy. "Should we help them?"
It didn't take long to get an answer. "It's like when we met Gabriel and Deidre in Genbald," Zack said. "If there are people in front of us in need, we should help them. Four men and a woman are about to go back into the territory of monsters that already slaughtered so many of their friends and family? I'm awed by their courage and dedication to preventing this calamity. Even if I'm not strong, how could I turn a blind eye to that and not live in shame? I want to go with them and do whatever I can to help."
And perhaps, waiting until the Unstained were "right in front of" them constituted another reason why Fred hadn't revealed the details until now. It was harder to turn your back on people who you'd actually met. But as far as manipulation went, Kath decided it to be acceptable.
"Besides, stopping an evil god-serpent's revival would be an excellent feather in a hero's cap," Leroy added. "I have no qualms about letting Grim Razor taste of this mysterious villain's blood."
Kath nodded. "Since I have no reservations about going either, I guess it's agreed. So you think the mastermind is at the heart of the mountains with the serpents?"
"It is what we expect," Violet replied. "Whatever other method he has found to rouse the serpent, it's likely he still needs to be close to use it."
Zack looked seriously at his friends. "This isn't going to be just like our other adventures traveling around. We should go back to Genbald and buy some additional weapons and armor for this battle."
"There isn't time for that," Melv—or Marv, Kath wasn't sure—said. "But we did already bring some weapons over from the temple... and we found something downstairs that might interest you."
#
The Unstained led Kath and the boys to the secret armory they had discovered behind a wall in the basement. It was amply stocked, every bit as impressive as the one at the school, and the arms and armor there in excellent condition due to the chamber being tightly sealed for so long. The castle's inhabitants must have been forced to flee or killed before being able to put them to use. Kath found a sleek suit of light plate probably made for a young man that fit all right, while Leroy chose to don much thicker plate no doubt fitted for a brute of a knight. Melv and Marv favored identical standalone breastplates, Violet a suit of scale mail which fit her best of anything there, and Christopher plate like Leroy's despite not being as stout. Kath worried he wouldn't be able to move that well, but who was she to say something? Zack settled for chain, as did Fred who also picked up a sturdy iron-shafted spear.
"I've trained with one of these before," he said at Kath's curious look. "I don't feel I'm as skilled with it as with daggers, but I suppose its benefits might outweigh that in certain scenarios."
They also grabbed some crossbows and bolts in case they needed to fight from range, and shields too. The Unstained had a good variety of primary weapons—swords for the brothers, an axe for Christopher, and a mace for Violet. Just before leaving, Kath noticed a longsword on the wall all by itself. She hadn't thought to replace her weapon, but something drew her to it so that she picked it up and give it a test swing. The balance was amazing, and the sheen and smooth consistency of the metal made it seem extremely fine. Inscribed along the blade were letters in an unknown, possibly lost language which stirred thoughts of myth and legend in her heart. Still, she was more used to her own family sword, and pondered putting it back. A flash of inspiration and she swung it experimentally at the wall, not too hard for fear of ruining it. To her shock, the edge even without her full strength behind it drew a deep scratch in the stone while showing no damage in turn.
"Now this is a sword!" she remarked.
Leroy examined it and its handiwork. "That's a heroine's blade."
"What makes you say that?"
"You're holding it."
She laughed. "Oh, you kidder!" She decided to take it with her. Maybe she wouldn't use it as her first choice of weapon, as it could prove a good trump card against some foe who wasn't expecting it.
#
So armed, they set out for the mountains. "How much of a chance do you really think we have," Zack asked the Unstained along the way, "considering so many of you... died before and you hadn't even faced the mastermind?" Though his fright was clear, Kath admired that he didn't slow down let alone stop for it. She felt her share of fear herself. She had no idea how strong the mastermind and his allies might be—if it even was a he—or if she could handle them. Like always, though, she'd make the best of it.
Melv exhaled bitterly. She recognized him now by his skin, slightly lighter than that of his twin. "The monsters surprised us by attacking at night, when our defenses were low. Those who survive are mostly the best fighters among us. With the help of you and your two strong friends, we at least stand a good chance of reaching the center." But what they found there, he left unspoken, might be another story.
As they ascended along the first mountain path, along the side of a crag, vast vistas stretched out below them. Lush forests, winding rivers, sweeping plains, and golden fields alike could be seen in full, along with the tiny barren disruptions in the landscape that people called towns. The abandoned castle when Kath could make it out looked like a child's toy, or an ant castle she could crush under her foot. No wonder stories told of divinities living on the highest peaks. From the mountains, one felt as large as a god.
"It's so beautiful," she said, her voice unsuitably wistful knowing what they might soon face.
"Acting more girly since Leroy is around?" Zack whispered.
"No, he's too brash for me! You're the one who's trying to be Marty when he isn't here."
They shortly came into sight of an outward-jutting ledge upon which white and yellow flowers grew. She stepped onto it and stood there looking towards the horizon. "Kath?" Zack asked. "What's wrong?"
She spoke slowly. "I know you think of me as this incredibly strong and fearless figure. But I'm not—I get scared too. I just have big muscles. I'm scared right now. I have no clue if I'll ever leave these mountains, and I feel the exact same way about that as I'm sure you do." She took a deep breath. "So I want to smell and savor the scent of these flowers in case I never will again." A cool breeze blew, and she smiled. "And how the wind feels blowing through my hair, too."
He joined her on the ledge. "It's nice. The beauty of this place is such, it's hard to believe so many lives were lost recently here, and soon more probably will be."
"I'm not so special either," Leroy said, stepping up behind them. "Sure I slew a big wyrm that ate a few people, and the story got pretty popular because of my age then. And yeah, my girl tried to kill me in order to stop me from avenging my cousin on her brother, and I ended up having to kill her too." Actually she hadn't heard that one before, but she wasn't displeased to have him open up now. "Sounds like the stuff of legends, right. But if I die here, I'll soon just be a forgotten memory except for my loved ones. Even so, live or die, I won't regret fighting this fight with you two."
Kath laughed. "You probably wouldn't regret fighting any fight with anyone. But thanks."
"You sentimental kids," Marv said. "You have a good idea. We should all do it." The Unstained joined them in taking in the world for what might be the last time. After a few minutes, they moved on.
They soon heard gibbering from an alcove ahead. What looked like man-sized monkeys danced into view, about a dozen in total, holding a spear in each hand. They all threw one spear. Being in front, Kath blocked two with her new shield, whacked two more out of the air with her sword. She rushed. A monkey poked at her. She brushed the point aside with her shield and stabbed through its gut. She dragged it sideways on the blade so that it blocked its fellow's spear t
hrust for her with its back, leaned away to avoid yet another spear coming from the side and broke its wielder's wrist with her shield rim. She ripped the sword free of the first monkey's belly, sliced away the top of the crippled one's skull and deflected another thrust with the backswing. A glinting point passed by her flank as she twisted aside, then she crushed that monkey's throat with her shield. She turned to the monkey whose attack she had last parried but found it already falling, two crossbow bolts in its chest.
"That was impressive, Kath," Zack said. "I've never seen you look that strong."
"I don't think I'm stronger than I was when we fought the forest bear. Those creatures were less skilled than most trained men, and this shiny new thing might also have something to do with it." She turned her shield from horizontal to vertical orientation and back on her forearm.
"It is a weapon in its own right. I've never seen you hit as much with it when we train with it at school... but I guess that's for the same reason you don't hit people full out and break their bones with the blunted swords either."
Some more walking brought them before a pair of dog-lizards similar to the ones they'd met before, only these sported more prominent claws probably for navigating the mountainous environment. Kath engaged one while others took on its companion. When it tried to stab her with its tail, she dodged and pinned it against the mountainside with her shield, then hacked the end off. It pounced trying to claw her; her chop to its foreleg, though not drawing blood, brought it right back down to earth. She cracked its jaw with the shield, and when it opened its mouth reflexively, plunged her sword in so it burst out the back of its neck.
"You have definitely improved," Zack observed. Leroy, she noted, was beating the other beast into submission with repeated blows to the skull despite not breaching the skin.