“Thanks guys. I, uh… I can’t take all the credit. Ari found the mushrooms. Kasyra, you bought the carrots in Fohgarn.”
“And then it takes a special kind of stupid to heat them up.” Ari snickered, quickly taking another bite of the cooked fungus.
“Careful. I might have spit in yours.”
They laughed and talked into the night. The Half-Elf begrudgingly accepted Kasyra’s powers and that she decided to hide them.
“It really is-” began Kasyra, cut off by an echoing stomp.
The rhythm trailed towards the group. It was too dark to see down the canyon and they'd never be able to tell what was coming for them. The noise morphed into a loud pounding followed by a drag. As it grew closer, the stomp began to shake the earth.
Dedricus put his gloves and brigandine back on and drew his blade. The group was filled with fear, mostly unsure of what was to come. With ground shattering steps, a familiar face entered their camp.
Chapter 22
Seemingly returned from the dead, Ravious limped towards them. He kept back a bit, as if he were trying to hide his face.
“My, my! It has been too long.” spoke the warlord with a tone of excitement.
“What do you want?” asked Dedricus in return, raising his sword to the giant.
“What a stupid question. Boy, you know damn well what I'm after.”
From the dancing light of the fire he could see that Ravious had been mangled before escaping Relothra. The warlord’s left eye bulged, exposing red veins in what little white he had in them. His jaw protruded forward, giving him a severe underbite, and he now walked with a limp.
“Elf! Enjoyed my volumes, have you?”
Ari remained silent. He looked upon the behemoth with a threatening visage, who returned him a plain look back. The darkness suddenly became illuminated with torches approaching all around them. Some further down the canyon and others above the ridge.
“I fear you've nowhere to run.” Ravious claimed, raising both arms and showing the vast number of forces that surrounded them, “There is no hope of escape this time.”
The illumination from all the torches revealed the true horror of Ravious. Black patches, that seemed to pulsate of their own accord, covered his face and neck and his left leg seemed to require extra effort to support.
“Now, you have a choice. Give me the relic and I'll let you go. Otherwise, oppose me and die.”
Dedricus exposed his teeth, grinding them together. The foolhardy nature that plagued him took over. He had absolutely no sense of self preservation, ready to die for nothing.
“Fight me for it.” he blurted out, as his two friends gasped in horror.
Intrigue and surprise washed over the warlord's face. It came as a welcome, readily accepting the young man’s offer, as he grasped for the axe upon his back.
“The last time we fought, neither of us wielded magic or weapons. You face me now at my full might. Are you sure?”
As if to hide it's unholy glory, the axe was wrapped in cloths. Raising it high into the air, with only one hand, the linen carapace burnt away. Two ornate dragon heads served as either blade to the twin headed weapon. It wasn't made of metal, but of a constantly shifting molten form.
Both of Ravious’ hands clamped down upon the weapon, sending a chill down the young man's spine. He had never felt fear in such a manner. Never before had he seen a weapon like it and he’d be damned if he knew what to do against it; he’d simply have to treat it like any other axe.
There was only silence as Dedricus equipped his armor. He buckled his gear tightly, finishing off with the strap that bound his shield to his arm. Unsheathing the steel sword at his waist, he signalled to the warlord he was ready.
With a flick of his wrist, the sword was engulfed in a shadowy outline. Ravious turned and pointed his axe at each of his men, before beginning. He roared that if any of them interrupted, he’d kill them himself. With an apology, the titan set his focus back on his smaller opposition.
“Cut that out. Let’s get this over with.”
Creating a claw shape with his left hand, the warlord thrust upwards. The ground rumbled, before a trail of spikes burst from the ground. The jagged pillars of earth raced at Dedricus who rolled out of their way.
In response, he hurled three phantasmal bolts at him. Ravious used a conjured flame in his palm to absorb the three projectiles. This caught the mercenary by great surprise, gasping aloud.
“Shocked? Though I do use a great deal of Earth Magic, Fire was my first love.”
Taking advantage of the disbelief, he pulled back his left hand. Rocks scattered about the canyon magnetized to it and formed a sharp cone of earthen material. The blade advanced, trying to gain leverage over the titan's spell cast.
The cone tore forward, now pulsating with an orange glow, and forced Dedricus to block the spell. It exploded as it struck his shield, sending molten material in every direction. He pushed onward regardless.
Thinking he could use the melted earth to his favor, he charged shield first into Ravious. A wide smirk defined his visage as he was forced to drop his axe and grab the superheated shield with both hands.
In a quick maneuver, Dedricus kicked the axe farther away and pulled out the arm that was fastened to the shield. He lanced the warlord in the gut with his sword. Surprisingly, it didn’t seem to bother him very much.
The warlord punched him across the face in retaliation. He could feel the blood running down his nose, obviously broken, as the hit sent him flying away. His sword and shield had been dropped, though he landed near the fallen axe. Clambering up, he wielded the massive weapon in both hands.
“Put it down. You’ve no idea how to use that thing.”
As Dedricus went in for a big, slow swing for Ravious’ legs, he leapt up. Crashing back down, the ground gave way to his immense weight and mastery of Earth Magic. The firm rock under them shook hard, knocking the mercenary onto his back.
The warlord pushed towards him. He quickly scooped up his axe and readied a strike. Before either one could react, a shrill screech paused their fight. Ari held the Soul Prison in the palm of his right hand. Seeing the tiny cube caused Ravious’ dark eyes to brighten up like a magnificent dining hall on the night of a feast.
“He surrenders. Spare Dedricus and it’s yours. No more questions.”
“A generous offer.”
His eyes were fixed on the tiny cube, as the mercenary stood awkwardly. The warlord agreed, grabbing Dedricus by the collar and thrusting him forward. It was odd to think the soldiers all around them hadn’t made a peep.
The Half-Elf stepped towards the giant and handed him the relic. It shifted hands quickly. Ravious held it close to his face, as if ensuring it was correct. With that, he sheathed his axe and looked to the three of them as he tossed Dedricus his sword and melted shield.
“My advice to you. Stay away from Boranath.”
“What the hell does that mean?” barked Dedricus, narrowing his eyes at the warlord.
“It means I have plans for Boranath and it would be the best, for your health, if you did not go there. Now leave. I quite like the view of the stars here.” he snarled back, his teeth clacking together on every other word.
The group packed up their things and left quickly. It was unknown to what extent Ravious could use the Soul Prison and there was little interest in figuring that out. A wall of armored men, complete with skin like the man at Relothra, stepped aside and allowed them to leave in relative peace.
Chapter 23
“I can't believe you just gave it to him!” said Dedricus, in an angered hush, to Ari.
The trio sat in a tavern somewhere along the plains. They had traveled all throughout the central canyons and decided against camping when they arrived at civilization once more. They now spent the morning at a tavern to relax before they'd push on the entire day to get to Boranath with haste. They awaited drinks at a booth with a cloud of anxiety overhead.
“You were going to d
ie. Even if you had beat him, he had an army behind him. You think they’d just let their leader die and run away?” the Elf hissed back.
“I don’t want to give up, but we’re pretty much out of options. We need to get out of this country!”
“You're not serious…”
“Of course I'm serious! You already said we have to double time to Boranath if we want to stop him! What if we're too late and whatever he's planning already unfolded?”
Ari stayed quiet, only twiddling his thumbs. Kasyra had not spoken much at all since their second encounter with the warlord. She didn't seem frightened, but calculating.
“Well, I'm not giving up. I want that Soul Prison away from him!” stated the Half-Elf resolutely.
“Agreed.” she said plainly.
“So, what do you want to do about the Soul Prison? You can’t keep that thing in the Buervan Highlands, assuming we even get it back.”
“Well, why not?”
“With Ravious around, it's a real danger. None of us know what he's capable of with it.”
“I'm not saying you're wrong, but I've got a lot going on here. Though I do want a safer place for my Core Trees. What do you have in mind?”
“My dad… We can take the Soul Prison to him.”
“In Delrin?!” Ari asked with widened eyes.
“Yes. He’s the advisor to King Jargos Vulkan and Dean of Valkraag’s College of Magic. I’m sure he, or one of his colleagues, has answers.” spoke Dedricus excitedly, before turning to Kasyra, “And I’m sure my dad can help you with your Light Magic! He’s really well connected. There’s no downside to us going!”
“Delrin is far…” murmured the young woman, quieting her tone and lowering her gaze.
“And cold. What makes you think Core Trees can survive there?”
“It’s our best shot! In my opinion, there’s nothing left for us here.”
Kasyra and Ari remained apprehensive, shifting their view constantly.
“I mean, it lines up with our goals, but didn’t you run away from home because they were moving to Delrin?” the Elf asked to reaffirm.
Silence fell upon Dedricus, with whom a soft spot had been hit. The tale of his past was one that only made him uncomfortable. It was also why he could sympathize with Kasyra, who left her own home to figure things out for herself.
“Yes. Okay? Yes. This is kind of different though.” the mercenary spoke with a strong sense of urgency.
“I don't want to cast it off yet, it's a good idea, but we have to think about this.”
A man with an apron came by the table with a handful of drinks. He set down two mugs of water before Kasyra and Ari, as well as a cup of Tenebris tea for Dedricus, and walked off to another table without saying a word.
“It’s hard to just up and leave. We know this place, the Highlands.”
“Barrett left! He was smart to get out before all this crap started blowing up in our face!”
“We can’t, and we have a duty to get the Soul Prison back.”
Dedricus took a long drink from his tea, tired of trying to get his friends to see the logic in leaving. In the wake of their confrontation with Ravious, he just wanted to get as far away from the country as he possibly could.
“Whatever…”
“No, not whatever. We’re in just as much danger and stress as you are! Don’t think you’re the only one with problems, okay!” Kasyra snarled at him, addressing his bad attitude.
“Let’s just see this to the end.” he replied, turning his head to everyone.
Tensions were high, considering they had to relinquish the Soul Prison. Considering Ari had ended the fight with Ravious, he was especially high strung. The mercenary wasn’t angry though. In that duel, it became very apparent that he could not take the titan on alone.
He took a gulp from the drink, knowing they had a long trip ahead of them. It was wrong of him to assume that his friends were not equally frustrated. Losing the Soul Prison was a big hit to their morale. Dedricus nodded to himself, agreeing he should be more considerate of how his friends may have been feeling.
Chapter 24
Despite the torrential rains, the group pressed on their hurried rush to Boranath. Each had their cloaks up to keep themselves as dry as possible. The summer rain was hot, despite the clouds blocking out the direct heat of the sun.
Though it was pretty miserable, they carried on. Dedricus began to tease himself with the idea that Boranath would simply be gone, along with everyone in it. A cruel joke, but also a growing paranoia.
To ease his mind, Dedricus thought back on his journey and processed the last month or so. It was easy to be bitter, considering how angry he was with his friends then and there, but he overlooked it. Had he not decided to go with Ari to Relothra, they’d never have had the Soul Prison or met Kasyra. All things considered, it was a decent trade.
He also remembered his promise - his promise to tell Kasyra how he felt when they returned to the city. With tensions as high as they were, it’d be near impossible. Things would have to calm down before he could really do anything. This stupid country.
All the apathy within him, built up over three years, was starting to crack. He soon realized it wasn’t a lack of care for the Buervan Highlands, but for himself. He was ready to give his own life in a duel he knew he couldn’t win. It wasn’t for valor or any sort of glory.
No. It was simply indifference for himself. There was no better way than to go down fighting. Taking the risk at every turn was exciting. Taking on Ravious alone was a death sentence. Looking back on it then, he realized the whole idea of the fight was stupid.
There was still the Soul Prison to figure out. Even if they got the thing back, they still had no idea what to do with it. Surely Ari would want to study it and get more useless findings out of it. Dedricus wanted nothing more than to hand it off to someone more qualified and forget the thing ever existed.
It had been a scourge ever since they found it in Relothra. With that, his mind shifted to thoughts of the Nienilef. Thanks to his repaired relationship with the Elf, he’d been actively trying to pick up bits about them. He also commended himself for not getting overly excited about it, something he was usually incredibly guilty of.
“Why’re you just hanging out back here alone?”
“Me?”
“No. That dead bush over there!” Kasyra shouted over the loud rain beating against the grass.
Dedricus shrugged in response, sheepishly sliding his boots along the wet ground. She gave him a large smile and wait for him to catch up. The two walked silently next to one another, just listening to the rain.
He wasn’t sure if he was truly in love with her, or perhaps lusted by her beauty. He was also conflicted as to what revealing his feelings might do to their friendship; should she deny him. A past rejection, that ruined another friendship with a young woman he had met when he first arrived in the Highlands and thought shared his feelings, left him a bit disenchanted with the idea.
“About, uh… Outside of Amberbrooke. I had a good bit on my mind. I’m not exactly proud of my scars. That’s all.” the mercenary spoke sheepishly.
“Well this gross thing in my side is probably gonna leave a wicked scar.”
“Yeah, that’ll be a sweet scar right above your butt. Hopefully I’ll get to see it one day.”
Realizing what he had said absentmindedly, Dedricus covered his mouth with both hands. His face turned as red as a ripe apple, revealing an embarrassed frown as he let his arms hang down again. Kasyra laughed clearly, even over the loud rain.
She ran back ahead to meet up with Ari, who was purposefully leading the way. The blade began thinking about his life and what he’d do once they returned. Lately, the idea of being a mercenary only stressed him out. The thoughts of Boranath being destroyed fed into that. Perhaps he could travel to Delrin or back to Nylevran and become a Knight.
Lost in reflection, Dedricus tripped upon an overgrown root on the road. As he stumbled forward,
both Kasyra and Ari turned back to see if he was okay. Through the rain, he showed them a pained smile. Both smiled back before helping him up.
He sighed as he got back on his feet. Maybe they’re not so bad. They had disagreed before and they would disagree many times in the future. For now, they grew ever closer to Boranath, ready to settle their score with Ravious once and for all.
Chapter 25
Boranath. It's fate now rest on the shoulders of Dedricus, Kasyra, and Ari. They made good timing back home, racing up the plains in just a handful of very rainy days. The arrival was almost shocking to them.
There was no way they beat Ravious, yet the city remained as it always had. There was no army of Black Garde or anything. The usual stone walls that hugged the area in a safe embrace stood tall and proud.
Busy traders and travelers passed through the gate as usual. The normalcy hit Dedricus hard, wondering if they had beat Ravious after all. If Ravious was to bring his army, it came as no surprise.
The group pushed through all the usual sights, setting a priority on getting to the Duke’s home across town. He was happy to see the Blue Lark full of hungry customers. That was where he'd take Kasyra in happier days, as perhaps more than just a friend.
Ignoring their longing for rest, they stormed right towards the manor. A short hedge ran all the way around the outer wall. It was just tall enough to not be able to see over, giving the Duke a decent sense of privacy, though did not hide the extravagant two story home within it’s refuge.
Two soldiers were posted at the front gate, remaining vigilant and watching the few people that walked by. Their eyes became fixed on the group as they approached.
“We have information on an attack by Ravious.” Ari told one of the men at the gate, a serious look molded to his face.
The guard glanced them over once, as if examining each member of the group. He wagged a finger at them, while opening his mouth and licking the bottom row of teeth. It was almost as if he had been expecting to see them.
The Sufferer's Chronicle - Book 1: The Soul Prison Page 11