“Yeah… Yeah! You do need to see the Duke. Follow me.” spoke the armored man, before calling over another guard to take his place.
They proceeded into the courtyard, an open area made of cobblestones, with a large fountain at its center. An abnormal amount of troops were posted, crowding every nook of the area. Across the way were a set of dual staircases that led up to the building itself. Dedricus had completed a contract for the Duke’s stable master many years prior and had seen the courtyard within once before. It was as he remembered, dull and gray.
They were led up the stairs and into the home of Duke Horas. The interior was very different from the splotch of gray that was the courtyard. They entered via a crimson parlor filled with various paintings and golden knick-knacks befitting the wealthy.
“Wait here. Don’t touch anything!” the guard said, as he had the three of them stand aimlessly in the entrance to the house.
A couple of serving ladies were directed away as the guard barked at them to clear out. He soon disappeared upstairs, leaving the group in silence. Dedricus began inspecting everything on the walls and decorative tables. As soon as Kasyra made notice of him touching things she slapped his hands away and told him to just wait patiently.
Of course he was restless. All he wanted was to relax, and best case scenario, he’d be able to soon. Being inside the Duke’s home was exciting though. Despite the trials and tribulations, seeing some warlord’s true colors, he still believed Horas was an icon for positive change in the country.
It was just hard to say that he wanted to be around for it. Finally, the guard returned from upstairs. He seemed upset, but tried to hide it behind clenched teeth.
“The Duke wished for privacy, but his guest was intrigued to meet you.”
“His guest?” Ari blurted out, tilting his head.
“Yeah, not sure. Just come on.”
Racing upstairs, the three were led down a long hall and to one of the last doors on the left. The guard opened the door and crammed them into a finely decorated office with bookshelves covering what little could be seen of the forest green walls. Eyes widened as the impossibly tall “guest” turned to see the commotion.
“Ravious?!” shouted Dedricus in disbelief.
The door shut behind them. He began panicking, his breaths growing quick and shallow, as Kasyra tried to calm him and Ari only met the warlord’s smile with an angered frown. No one knew what to do. Not only had he beat them to Boranath, he was already whispering in the Duke’s ear.
“Yes. When the guard mentioned several children had information on me, I had to meet them. I thought you’d be… Younger.”
He was playing dumb, acting as if they had never met before. Acting as if they had never fought. The mercenary’s panic melted quickly into a boiling rage.
“Why didn't you bring your army?”
“My army? For what? I'm not here to wage war. I'm here to present a solution.”
The sincere gleam within the warlord’s eyes drove Dedricus mad. Though it came as no surprise anymore that Duke Horas was eating it up, sitting behind his desk and giving the group a look of apathy.
“You sure were ready to wage war on us the other day.” said the mercenary, getting up to Ravious’ face.
“I'm not sure as to what you're referring to. Please do refresh my memory? The other day I was preparing my horse to leave Blackholm. I’ve been on the road ever since.”
“The Soul Prison. You talked about how you could take all the Highlands with it. Where is it?”
“You mean this?” he asked, revealing the small cube, “This is little more than a relic to my God.”
“And I will not spurn him due to his religious views. We here in Boranath are an accepting people. You three ‘children’ should know that.” added Horas in a spent tone.
“No, no, no. You don’t understand. He’s going to use that thing to destroy the city! He told us! At Relothra!”
“Well, what proof do you have?”
“Um… The notes! I have his Nienilef notes. They talk about the Soul Prison as a weapon. There’s a couple sketches. They’re, uh… They’re at Folgrysce’s home. May I go get them to show you?” Ari said, articulating as if he had already proven Ravious was guilty.
“Folgrysce? Andrew Folgrysce? The Nienilef loon?”
“Yes… What about him?”
“I regret to inform you he died in a fire that claimed his home. Everything inside was taken with it. Condolences about your friend.” explained Ravious, speaking in a softer tone.
For once, Ari actually appeared angry. He grit his teeth in a fury, staring directly at the giant. Horas caught the Elf’s look and had enough of the antics.
“That’s enough. Frankly, I’m not interested. I may have considered Ravious an enemy once, but his promises line up with everyone’s goals. The three of you have come in here throwing around accusations left and right. Now, I’d kindly ask you to leave.”
Hearing those words broke Dedricus. Any of the hope he ever had for the Buervan Highlands, as much as it had diminished, was voided in that moment. He was not sad, but left totally empty.
“A better day will rise upon this country, starting tomorrow.” stated the warlord, as the group had already turned to leave.
That night, they reconvened at The Blue Lark for a dinner dedicated to their defeat. At the end of the day, the Duke’s resistance was partially justified. He was crippled and tired of fighting. Any way out was a good way out for him.
Dedricus sat silently at the table as Kasyra and Ari discussed her Light Magic. He hadn’t spoken much since they left Horas’ manor. With his final tie severed to the Buervan Highlands, he only wanted to leave sooner. He wondered about how cold Delrin would be in the Winter.
Thoughts of just leaving the country to its own devices crossed his mind. Why bother with a place he had no desire to save? His friends, however, were hellbent on seeing it to the end. Even then, Ari’s associate had been burned alive, all proof of Ravious’ hand in the plot and invaluable Nienilef knowledge with it.
“I know what you’re thinking, but no. We’re gonna stop him.” said Ari firmly, staring directly at Dedricus.
“Sure we are.”
The truth was, they were out of luck. They were out of their league and always had been. The following day would bring only terrible things with it.
Chapter 26
Dedricus slept better than he had in weeks on his old sofa. Inns and taverns along the way had very comfortable beds, but there was just something about his own fluffy couch that let him rest easy. As he stood up and rubbed his eyes, he remembered what today was.
Whatever Ravious had in store, was to be unveiled that day. He groaned with angst, sincerely believing he would never have a normal day again in his life. If it was to be so, he wouldn’t go down without a fight.
Waking up hungry was never something the mercenary had struggled with. Apparently, on that day, his stomach was wiser. Digging through his pantry, he had to find something to put together. Since they had left for so long, he didn’t bother going shopping. All that was to be had were some wrinkled oranges, bread as hard as iron, and some dried oats.
Dedricus figured he could work with the oats and grabbed them off the shelf. He set a pot of water to boil over a flame in the kitchen as he gathered brown sugar and cinnamon powder to add to the mixture. In just a short while, he found he had made a decent enough breakfast, silencing the groans of his stomach.
The second obstacle of the morning was getting into his room down the hall. He crept into the darkened space and past a snoring Kasyra, grabbing a pair of briefs from one of his drawers. With a grace he didn’t know he possessed, he shut it and left.
As he had done countless times before, he got ready in the living room. Over his new briefs, he pulled up his leather leggings and tied them at the waist. Dedricus hauled his brigandine up and over his head, twisting to the side and tying each of the four straps. He attached his gorget and pauldrons to his c
hest armor, before finally slipping on his gloves and boots.
He actually admired his gear in the mirror. Not too shabby. A knock on the door caused him to jump. He clanked his way over and looked through the peephole. It was Ari on the other side of the door.
The Elf rushed passed him, resting the carved Core Tree branch against the door, and immediately took a seat at the table. He was wearing the thickest, combat-ready leather gear he had. Something wrapped in a large sheet appeared to be strapped to his back. For a day to be so strange, it was panning out rather normally. He joined him at the table, the chair screeching as it slid across the floor.
“So, what’s up?”
“The event is starting relatively soon. Is Kasyra getting ready?”
“Uh, last I checked she was sleeping.”
Ari took the bundle off his back and set it on the table. He got up and went down the hall to awake the sleeping young woman. He knocked loudly then threw open the door to Dedricus’ room and woke her up with a sense of urgency. The blade could hear her feet hitting the floor. He soon returned to the table, shoving the bundle forward.
“I wanted you to have this. I remember your old shield got toasted. Figured you’d might want a new one.”
Dedricus tore away the cloth to reveal a pristine steel kite shield. The sigil on it was a thick tree with deep cast roots, almost resembling the Core Tree from Droja, fashioned out of iron. He asked how much the Half-Elf had spent on it.
“Far too much. I craft the tree myself.”
“Really?”
“Of course not! The blacksmith had a tree stencil ready. I just paid for him to bolt it on. I thought it quite fitting.”
“Honestly, man… This means a lot. You really shouldn’t have.”
“You- We’re gonna need it.”
“Right.”
The two waited as Kasyra eventually came into the living room wearing her padded robes. She wielded a battlestaff Dedricus hadn’t seen before, questioning how long and where she was hiding that in his room. A dull white crystal rest at the very top. She stood as she ate a bowl of oatmeal that she had served herself.
“Alright. Our plans never work, but let’s just go ahead and figure something out.”
“Frankly, I’ve got nothing.” Ari confessed, usually being the one to form something coherent. “We have no idea what he’s planning. All we really know is that he’s gonna try to destroy the city with that Soul Prison. They fixed up the city square for it.”
“What do you mean?”
He explained how, in preparation for the event, they removed the statue that was once there and set up a circular stage for Horas and Ravious. At the south side of the stage was an odd pedestal, similar to the one in the pocket dimension found at Relothra.
“Okay. Classic idea here. Why don’t we just stay together and play defensive until we have a better idea of how to fight him? Once things get hairy, Dedricus you take him head on while Ari and I split to harass him from a range.”
“That’s not bad at all. I like that.” the mercenary commented as he rubbed his prickly chin.
“I think that’s as good as it’s gonna get. We’ll just have to play it by ear for now.”
The three shuffled out of Dedricus’ apartment, hoping for the best. Hoping, that in the end, nothing would come of it after all. He paused as he flipped the lock on his apartment door. He tapped his head against it a few times before sliding the key into his pocket and rejoining his friends, who were nearly at the stairwell. He wondered if that was the last he’d ever see of his home.
The streets were completely barren, right up until they neared the city square. People were gathered tightly near the front, but loosely in the back of the crowd, all trying to listen to what Horas had to say. Mild chatter made it hard to hear, but they managed.
There was no “stage”, as Ari had described. Rather, the statue and it’s fancies had been removed. All that remained was a large, raised platform of stone. However, he had been correct about the pedestal. The wicked thing just rose up like a sore thumb, no questions asked. They arrived as the Duke spoke.
“And for too long, we have all suffered. We have been the casualties of this conflict; admittedly, of my conflict. None of you deserve to answer for my failures. As such, I have taken the course of action needed to ensure a future for Boranath and its people: Ravious. Once an enemy to our state, has presented me with an offer that I would have been a fool to deny.”
In response, the warlord elevated the relic high into the air. Amazed glances and audible gasps of admiration were all around. Horas calmed the crowd, raising both his hands then lowering them a few times.
“Here... Here will be the sight of something great. Here will be where Ravious opens the first portal network for trade between us and Blackholm. He has shown me what is to come and believe me, this is the future! The future for you. The future for me. The future for us!”
The titan stood. Taking slow steps towards the pedestal, he licked the beads of sweat that trickled down to his mouth from the summer heat. He closed his eyes for a moment as he stopped before it.
“A new day dawns upon this world. A day where one may rule and all will live in peace! Though let us not forget, that such a luxury comes at a steep price.” said Ravious as he fit the Soul Prison over the pedestal.
The relic fell into its receptacle with a resounding click and with it, everything froze. The light breeze had vanished. Clouds stopped in their flight. All buzz of the city grew silent. People tried to speak, but no sound came from their mouths.
In a rushed manner, Kasyra pulled them away from the crowd and cast a dome of light around the three of them further down the street. Everyone was too awed at the cataclysmic happening in the skies to even notice. Dedricus passed her a glance, but she only shrugged as she strained to keep it up. Ari almost understood what was about to happen, knowingly lowering his head.
A surge of green power erupted from the Soul Prison sat on. It reached upwards, grasping for the sky with transparent talons. No one seemed to be overly worried, only pointing towards it. They merely gawked like sheep to slaughter.
Suddenly, a massive green tear in space appeared behind the receptacle. The seam slowly tore wide open, appearing as a massive green eye. Sound returned to the corporeal world with screams of horror from the crowd. People began trying to flee, much to Ravious’ delight.
“W-what is that Ravious? What have you done?”
“Giving the citizens of Boranath a purpose that you never could.”
From the Soul Prison, an infinite number of green chords came forth. They struck out at all living things they came across, reducing them to ashes. People banged helplessly against the dome that protected Dedricus, Kasyra, and Ari, only to be vaporized in an instant. As the deathly energy washed over the barrier that protected them, each contact caused it to crack and hiss with resistance.
“Why did you do this?!” Horas begged to know, pulling at his betrayer’s sleeve.
“Politics, fair Duke.” hissed Ravious with a click of his teeth, looking down at him.
From atop the raised platform, Ravious could be seen laughing aloud while a line of energy struck out at the Duke from the foot of the portal. The whole city had been betrayed and sentenced to death by the fanatical warlord.
Hysteria set in as more were reduced to ash. Slowly, the panicked screams died down only to end in complete silence. It was hard to imagine anyone being left alive in the whole of the city. As the final tether reeled back into the Soul Prison, a loud rumbling shook the earth.
In a cataclysm of green fire, the portal that the relic had conjured exploded outwards. From within the questionable safety of Kasyra’s barrier, Dedricus and Ari could only watch as what had been their home for three years was laid waste to.
Before the flames ceased, the dome began to shatter. Kasyra was panting wildly and too fatigued to fight any longer. Creating a large circular motion with his hand, Dedricus conjured a ward of black essence as h
is friends huddled close. Their only protection from the cataclysmic inferno crumbled around them, bursting into fragments of Light energy.
The intense heat hit them all at once, but the mercenary’s magical shield defended them well. The hellscape finally ended, revealing a ruined site. The crumbled skeleton of buildings were all that remained after the blast, as any living thing that had been consumed by the Soul Prison would not have withstood that.
“The three of you are truly remarkable creatures!” announced a voice up ahead.
None other than Ravious stood tall and proud. His one good eye darted around the broken land, reveling in his chaos. He seemed to carry no remorse for the genocide he had just committed.
“Was this your plan all along? To destroy the city like this? Why would you open a Hellgate here?” shouted Ari angrily, showing the warlord the result of his abominable actions.
“Think of it. Who would wish to face destruction of such caliber? Bend the knee and keep your life, or perish in the green flames of Klurenok. It’s an easy choice, really.”
“You gave Horas that option! He bent the knee to you and you betrayed him!”
“Sometimes there must be a scapegoat, Half-Elf, and now all of the Buervan Highlands will surrender to me!”
“Well, I know I’m not.” said Dedricus, gritting his teeth. The warlord laughed aloud.
“Since the three of you had the gall to chase me all this way and survive being sacrificed, I will extend a final kindness unto you. I admit, I’ve been condescending and underestimated you severely. Such will be your reward. Leave. Travel far away from here. If you’re lucky, we will never meet again.”
“Nah.” he said plainly, rejecting Ravious’ offer.
“Dying, trying to stop you here, would give me all the satisfaction I need to die happy.” the Elf spewed with a smirk.
“You’re not going to get away with killing all those people.” said Kasyra with a firm tone.
With his eyes closed, the Warlord curled his hand into a fist. The pulsing black vein on his forehead told a story of expired patience. Dedricus was tired of the games. Drawing his sword, he took to an offensive stance.
The Sufferer's Chronicle - Book 1: The Soul Prison Page 12