by Noah Layton
Curiosity was fast getting the better of me, but I couldn’t resist the prospect of knowing.
‘I don’t know if that’s such a good idea. If your father found out…’
‘My father likely plans to show you them anyway. All you must do is look surprised when he does.’
‘Your father is a freaking mind-reader. You really think I’ll be able to fake that in front of him?’
‘It will be fine! Trust me.’
Before I had a chance to contest the idea, Mariana turned and swept down the corridor.
‘Fuck,’ I muttered under my breath.
If I went with her then Artrix would likely have something to say about it.
If I called quits on this whole situation and went back to the land he would probably be even more suspicious that I had abandoned her as my escort.
What’s more, she might have lied about it and said God knows what.
Who would her father really believe? The second-in-line to the throne of the sun-elves of Morelia or the foreign tribe master who he bought bluestone off a few days ago?
I looked back up the hallway to the steps that would lead to the surface, wondering if my wives were still safe. They were armed to the teeth, but outnumbered almost 100:1 by elves.
I could swing five minutes.
Cursing under my breath, I hurried up the hallway in pursuit of Mariana.
She was nowhere the stone-faced bitch that I had thought when I had met her by the tree at the centre of the land, but it seemed that she was perfectly fine with getting me into trouble.
Chapter Eight
In the exact middle-point of the corridor was a large, heavy door. I had been so focused on the statues that I hadn’t even noticed its presence.
When I caught up with Mariana she was removing a key from her inventory and shoving it into the keyhole.
‘I really hope you know what you’re doing right now,’ I said.
‘Of course I do. I shall simply tell my father that I thought this would be of interest to you.’
‘Coming from the girl who said that she wants to look good in her father’s eyes.’
‘My father is exceptional at reading the body language of others, but often struggles with those of his own kind. We are naturally stoic movers. We do not fidget or shuffle needlessly.’
She had a point. Every one of the sun-elves that I had met up close remained either unsettlingly still or was exceptionally graceful in their movements.
‘So it’s just me who’s fucked?’
‘What is fucked?’
‘Screwed, in trouble, et cetera.’
‘Essentially, tribe master.’
‘Good to know.’
She might have been part of the tribe master’s family but there was a mischievous streak to her for sure.
With the door unlocked, Mariana pushed into the darkness.
She lit a torch, and I followed her down a final series of steps that led us even deeper beneath the earth. By the time the ground levelled out and we entered the sub-chamber I guessed that we were around 100 feet beneath the surface. The air was thick with dust.
Just as her father had done in the corridor above, Mariana pressed her torch to the wall and lit a long line that ignited the room and lit up the objects that had existed in another age.
The chamber was a rough square, ten yards on all sides. Lining the walls were a series of stone platforms that rose to waist height, and upon each were various artefacts, some sitting in glass boxes and others standing out on the open upon pedestals.
They consisted of all manner of things; ornaments and idols, pots, ancient coins, and fragmented pieces of weaponry.
‘I’m guessing these are all artefacts from your tribe.’
‘Not all. Some are taken from other areas, such as this.’
I moved to her side, where she carefully lifted up a coin that was wrapped up in a piece of silk.
‘This is one of the first coins pressed in Agraria. It is over 2000 years old.’
‘Jesus.’
‘Pardon?’
‘Nothing.’
I looked a little closer at the coin. It presented the same images as the coins that I had placed into my inventory from the bluestone deal; a bearded man with his arms outstretched, and an angelic woman. The image was worn and a much more basic in its depiction of the figures, but still distinctive.
‘Who are they?’
‘Athos and Mira, of course. The king and queen of the Agrarian gods.’
‘Right…’
‘You did not know that?’
‘No, should I have?’
‘I would only assume so. It was my understanding the every civilised being in Agraria knew of the history of the gods, least of all what is printed upon our currency.’
‘So now you’re calling me uncivilised?’ I smiled.
‘Perhaps,’ she grinned back, calling my bluff. ‘How would you not know such a thing?’
‘I’m not from these parts.’
‘Another region? I thought all regions used gold pieces.’
‘Maybe they do, but I’m not from any of them.’
‘How can that be so?’
‘I’ll tell you another time,’ I said, thinking it was a little too much information to give up. I nodded to the final door at the end of the sub-chamber. ‘What’s in there?’
‘Something that is beyond even I. Only the tribe masters of our people are permitted to enter.’
‘And your father has never spoken about it?’
‘He has. I know of its nature. It is a prophecy foretold by the Oracle of Naranir.’
‘Who’s that?’
‘She was a legendary figure of the ancient world of Agraria. She lived thousands of years ago. The legends say that beings from all over the land would come to her in search of the truth.’
‘An oracle? So she could really predict the future?’
‘That is what the stories say.’
‘Wow. I would be desperate to see behind that door.’
‘I used to think about it a lot when I was younger. I do not dwell on it so much as an adult.’
I looked to the heavy door. The one through which we had entered was wooden and heavy, but the one leading to the final chamber was built of heavy iron. It was like a bank vault from a heist movie.
The mind wants what it can’t have, and there was no way that I couldn’t dwell on the possibility of what resided behind that gigantic iron slab.
Somewhere outside the door I heard a high, vague sound. It quickly reminded me that I shouldn’t have been down there.
‘I think the tour’s done for now,’ I said. ‘We should get back to the land.’
‘If you so desire. I was having a pleasant time with you down here, you should know.’
‘Really? In this dank, underground hole?’
‘The forests of Agraria are peaceful, but it is much quieter down here, and it is rare that one has the fortune of company with somebody like you, who one can speak to frankly.’
‘I’m a commoner, you mean?’
‘You are much less judgemental. I can speak my mind.’
Mariana and I shared a look. She was right; we had clicked a little, and in another life I could imagine being with her in a more intimate way, even after this one meeting. In this world there were only three requirements to taking a wife; she was hot, she was loyal, and she would say yes to taking my hand in marriage.
The first one was definitely true, but the jury was out on the other two.
There was also one interfering factor – her father was a powerful tribe master who would probably break my neck if he ever found out.
The same kind of thing had happened with Santana back before we had been married. Jeremiah was intimidating enough, but Artrix was on another level.
My thoughts returned to my wives.
‘We really should be going,’ I said.
‘Very well.’
Together we exited the sub-chamber, Mariana lockin
g the door before we headed up the steps.
Halfway through our ascent she stopped, grabbing my arm.
‘What is it?’ I asked.
‘Did you hear that?’
‘Hear what?’
In the firelight her expression suddenly became sullen. She scanned the darkness, released her grip on my jacket, then hurried ahead up the steps.
We arrived on the corridor in the dying firelight that lit the long hallway.
Mariana arrived just before me and froze as she looked down the corridor.
I arrived by her side and looked in the same direction.
One of the guards that had stood by the entrance to the underground chambers was lying on the ground, motionless. His body was surrounded by a large group of tall, green-skinned figures, who were all thrusting their spears down against him in a mob killing.
I knew what these were. I had seen one before on the river near the Black Patch, back when Lara had shot one with her bow and arrow and its corpse had dropped into the water.
‘Wood-elves,’ Mariana whispered.
In that instant, the entire group turned to look at us. Their attention withdrew completely from their victim, and now we were set in their sights.
I counted six, but still my thoughts were on my wives.
From up the steps I heard a cacophony of yelling and screaming.
‘We are under attack…’ Mariana continued, her voice unshakable. She turned to me. ‘I assume that sword of yours is not just for appearance’s sake.’
‘Wouldn’t be much of a tribe master if it was.’
‘I was hoping that would be your answer.’
Mariana swept into her inventory in a rapid series of motions. A spear with a tip sharp enough to pierce at the softest of touches landed in her hand, standing just as tall as herself.
I moved to withdraw my broadsword from its sheath but thought ahead.
‘How strong are these walls?’
‘They have withstood a thousand years of wars and battles.’
‘That’s good enough for me.’
I pulled the hand sign that the Necromancer had taught me, located my Telekinetic power stone from the selection circle and equipped it, feelings its weight in my hand.
I had always been afraid to use it underground in case of a cave-in, but with the strength of this place I could afford to take a risk.
Especially since the moment I equipped it, the wood-elves cried out in a blistering war chant and came rushing towards us.
Twenty yards.
Ten yards.
‘Equip your weapon!’ Mariana yelled at me.
‘Wait!’
Five yards.
The three wood-elves leading the charge raised their spears.
‘Telekinea!’
BOOM.
Freshly charged, the strength of the power stone exploded from my hand and sent a condensed shockwave flying towards our enemies.
The force of it had nowhere else to go, and neither did they.
All six flew backwards, smashing into each other brutally in the midst of breaking bones and cracking skulls.
But this was no time to dwell on half a victory.
We rushed forwards to the injured assailants. Two were already dead from blunt force trauma, but four were ready to push themselves up with animalistic ferocity.
Mariana raised her spear and launched it forwards with a high, wild yell. It flew as if guided by some ethereal force, slamming brutally into the neck of one of the wood-elves that was pushing himself up.
Blood sprayed out immediately, gushing forward like a broken faucet.
She leaped forwards, grabbing the spear, but not before I could move past her and deal with the two that were still alive further back.
The corridor was wide enough for me to lunge at them with a berserker rage. I swung my sword back over my shoulder and cut through the torso of the first with a yell. His guts spilled out uncontrollably, his rib cage shattering in half as he collapsed to the ground.
I was about to put him out of his misery when the second that I was responsible for clambered back and raised his spear. Blood was spilling from a large cut on his forehead and over his eyes, but the injury from the spell had only made him angrier.
He stumbled up with gritted teeth. I took the opportunity to glance briefly over my shoulder to check that the wood-elf Mariana was dealing with hadn’t got the better of her, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.
She stood over her second victim, the heel of her bare foot pressed against his chest, and plunged the spear into his face.
I turned away, not from the mess that she had created but to address the final attacker.
He surveyed me for just a moment longer, the anger on his face growing even fiercer, then raised his spear over his head in a plunging strike.
As he threw his hands forward I cut through its course with my sword, throwing it from his hands against the wall.
I drew back in a lateral swing to the left, slicing into his arm and halfway through his stomach.
The final wood-elf howled painfully, the echo bouncing around the corridor endlessly as he collapsed back with blood spilling from his mouth.
I panted hard, drawing the blade back over my head and slamming it down into his head. It cut halfway through his face, his body going rigid until I drew it out with a spray of blood.
My body was shuddering with the adrenaline from the suddenness of the fight. I could feel the blood of my enemies on my skin, staining my clothes, and as I looked around at Mariana I found her in a similar state.
Our victory was short lived, though; as the corridor went quiet, it was fast replaced by the yells coming from above ground.
In an instant, my sun-elf companion pulled at her ceremonial gown, ripping it to pieces. In no time she had torn off the hem so that it stopped around her knees and ripped away any material covering her arms.
The moment it was done she met my gaze. Her face was as bloodied as mine, but her spear was at the ready.
We both rushed to the steps and sprinted up to the surface.
We passed the second sun-elf guard halfway up the steps, his body splayed out messily, littered with stab wounds from the wood-elves’ spears.
The screaming from above became louder and louder until-
We emerged onto the land with our weapons at the ready and rushed towards where the celebrations had been taking place.
Complete and total carnage had broken loose. Wood-elves, their green skin flashing by as they ravaged the land, swooped by in hellish swarms.
They were like devils that had come crawling up from the undergrowth.
My mind went straight to my wives.
I rushed towards the area where we had been eating, sword in one hand and power stone in the other.
A berserker rage had filled me in the underground vault during our first fight, but what I felt now was unprecedented.
Somewhere to my right I heard Mariana’s voice faintly through the haze of fury. All I could make out was ‘find your women!’ as she took off.
I sprinted across the land, arrows and spears flying past me as I moved.
One whipped by just a foot in front of me – I turned to my left to see a wood-elf sprinting straight at me, his mouth open in a war cry.
I turned, swinging my sword in a horizontal sweep, and sliced straight through his torso as he reached me.
His guts spilled to the ground as he dropped to his knees, screaming like an animal.
Leaving him to die in agony on the ground, I dashed ahead, my jacket stained with more blood as I hurried between two houses and into the clearing.
A skirmish between two small armies, the sun-elves and the wood-elves, had broken out.
Fifty from both sides were fighting wildly, with spears flying and swords swinging, but more wood-elves were joining the mix by the second.
My view of the head table where my wives had been seated was completely blocked.
I had no idea if they w
ere still there, or if they were even alive.
Directly ahead, two sun-elves desperately fought off a trio of the green devils. They were back to back as they circled amongst the bedlam.
I jumped forwards and grabbed the hair of the one closest, who was facing away from me.
Wrenching his head back, I slammed my sword into his back and through his chest.
I swung my body around and kicked at his side, pushing him from my sword, before turning to the second.
Too late – he leaped at me in a mad fury, landing on top of me and sending my blade falling from my hand.
Pinning me down, he screamed wildly in my face.
Only then did I catch the true brutality in his face – the dead eyes, the wide mouth, the filed teeth.
CRUNCH.
I kneed him so hard between the legs that I felt something break – my kneecap or his groin.
Either way he was incapacitated.
With my adrenaline-fuelled rage, I pushed his body up and kicked him away.
I scrambled for my sword and wrapped my fist around the handle, kicking up from the ground and catching sight of the two sun-elves as they cut down the third remaining attacker.
The wood-elf on the ground clutched at the spot between his legs, but his hands fell away the moment I smashed my blade through the centre of his face, eviscerating his nose and slamming the blade into the centre of his skull.
Withdrawing it sharply, I turned and ran up to the dining table to get a better view.
I leaped up and looked to the head table, and there they were, only thirty yards off – my wives stood back to back, cutting and slicing at their attackers and protecting each other.
Nearby, just a few yards away, Artrix, Ralos and a group of guards were holding their own, the collective group defending themselves and those around them.
I had to get to them.
I jumped from the table and hurried through the groups of elves, slashing at any green blur that blocked my path.
They were only ten yards away. I could make it.
CLUNK.
Something had struck me, and I had no fucking clue what it was.
Every sense I possessed was suddenly stunted.
I choked, my breathing ceasing completely for several long seconds.
My sword fell from my grasp and I staggered forward, desperate to clutch at the unbelievable pain that swarmed over the back of my skull, but unable to lift my arms.