Unbound Deathlord: Challenge

by Edward Castle

  "If they are deemed worthy, they become the Searchers, as they are on a quest for enlightenment. These wear white clothes with the symbol of the Devourer.

  "Once they have overcome their trials, they become the Enlightened. Their clothes become gray and so does their hair.

  "Finally, after they've overcome all the challenges they may become the Chosen, clothed in black with dark hair. No one knows how the changes to the hair are accomplished, only that they are permanent and they are mere external signs of more important changes in their minds.

  "We believe the Devourer, or rather the stolen divine power from the Devourer is used. No mortal magic element can do what the Dark Temple does, as simple as permanently changing hair color may seem." It concluded.

  "So, the Chosen are the highest ranking priests of the religion."

  "As far as we know. As I said, there are large sections of the Temple only accessible to them, which makes it impossible to be sure. It might be they have higher castes known only among themselves."

  We were halfway to the wall when the lich disappeared into thin air. It was exactly the same effect I had seen at the Catacombs. I followed through.

  On the other side, instead of some cool looking secret base of operations, I saw five people around a rotten wooden table: the lich, three drow, and a vampire.

  One of the drow was a young male in white clothes with the symbol of the Devourer and had ridiculous green hair; a Searcher.

  Shouldn't he have white hair? It seems good old pile of bones lied to me.

  The second drow was an old man with black hair and the black clothes of a Chosen; he also had a horizontal red scar going around his neck. From what the Enlightened had told me when I entered Ter'nodril, he was a one-time criminal. Still, he had been able to become a Chosen. Weird.

  The last one was the shortest of the three. He wore the cloak of the Blackguard and I couldn't see his face.

  The vampire was old looking, with long blond hair, almost white, and pale skin. He had chain armor over leather armor and a blue and green cloak atop it all. On his side, he had a big two-handed axe. His red eyes locked on my face as soon as I entered.

  "Is this him? He doesn't look like much," he said.

  "Yes," the lich sat and replied, not making it clear if he was answering the question, agreeing with the statement or both. "Sit here, Thorn." It mentioned to the empty chair by his side. It was made of wood, but it wasn't rotten like the table.

  Treat me like that and ask me to sit quietly. I don't think so.

  "I must say," I said, "that I expected more from the Resistance." I smiled. "And didn't you just say the Resistance plans on destroying the drow some day?"

  Everyone looked at me silently for a few seconds after I sat.

  "He's an idiot," said the Blackguard, a female by her voice.

  "I like him," said the green-haired drow with a grin.

  "He will get us all killed," said the vampire.

  "We should kill him," concluded the Chosen.

  The lich laughed, making a raspy and scary sound. "He is a bold one. Use him, Marbareus. He killed the Fallen Spider Queen of the White Spider inn."

  "A kid of my clan could have killed her with eyes closed," the vampire said.

  "No, they couldn't. What have you heard about High Lady Renno?"

  The vampire and the Chosen squinted their eyes.

  "What are you talking about?" Asked the vampire.

  "You know about the Arktov's First Lord returning alive from the deathlords' prison..." The lich said.

  "Everyone does."

  "...but you are not aware of the real reasons for the civil war. Kidnapping an opponent is and old and vastly used strategy in Dakar."

  "Kidnapping a First Lord-"

  "Has been done before, more than once, and for petty things such as gold or land."

  "It hadn't happened to the Arktov clan before."

  "No, it hadn't. And the deathlords would not have dared to do so unless they had been certain of both their political and military power to back such decision. But they seem awfully unprepared, don't you think?"

  "The deathlords are known for their idiocy."

  "No, they are not. They are known for striking hard and having multiple contingency plans. And yet, haven't they already lost almost all of their outer territory? Against only half the vampire clans?"

  The vampire closed his eyes. "Yes, it does seem strange. The warring clans are all expecting some unseen blow."

  "It won't come. The deathlords are going through an internal strife of their own. A strife caused by the loss of High Lady Renno and her prison with all its secrets and high-value prisoners."

  "What?" The Chosen asked surprised.

  "Almost all of the prisoners were long dead," the lich continued, "even before the explosion that destroyed the prison, but were thought to be alive and used as political coin."

  "I don't care about any of it." The vampire said. "The Arktov isn't one of the clans we are allied with nor which we want to destroy. It's neutral in vampire politics and if they are killing deathlords, that's good enough for me. What does any of it have to do with this meeting?"

  The lich looked at me for a long time, as if expecting me to admit having killed Renno. I winked at him and he finally answered the vampire. "We need a deathlord for our plan exactly because of the situation in Dakar, and we cannot afford the time to find another, less stupid deathlord." Ouch. "We've waited for an opportunity half as fortuitous as this one for decades, now we are presented with something beyond our wildest dreams. He will have to do."

  That was a skeleton that knew how to dance around the truth in elegant circles. I'd better be careful around him.

  "If you say so," the vampire said in a tired voice.

  "Now that this is decided," the Chosen said, "the Faithful orders the vampire to take these two drow Travelers with hi-"

  "You do what?" The vampire interrupted.

  The Chosen looked at him. "I, in the name of the Faithful, order you-"

  "How dare you?!" He interrupted again, now yelling. "I am-"

  "You are part of the Resistance," the Chosen cut him off. "And my nation is what allows the Resistance to exist. You will take who I tell you to take or the Resistance can find another country to support it!"

  "You call this support? This is ridiculous! And I repeat: how dare you order me?! I am Marbareus Sophus, the First Lord of the Sophus clan! No elven will order me to do anything!"

  Wow, that escalated quickly. Which is absurd; vampires might be this quick to anger, but I know how drow squeeze you dry, and it's not by yelling.

  "Elven? Elven? I am drow! And you will obey! You will take these two with you-"

  "Oh, will I? And how are you going to force me?"

  Neither of them had even picked their weapons up. I was getting the feeling that this was staged.

  "The rules are to be obeyed! Manhart, tell him!" The drow turned to the lich.

  "To hell with it!" Marbareus, the vampire, yelled again. "I must take a single observer, and that is what I will do! No one can force me to do otherwise!"

  I was getting both bored and annoyed at the performance. "Really, guys?" They looked at me and their stares of hatred became much more real all of a sudden. "I mean, I've seen drow negotiate, and this is not how it works. They demand from a position of power' they don't make empty threats.

  "I have also seen vampires bossing people around, and this is a weak impression." I remembered the vampires that had made me turn away from the cave. "They impose by force and don't accept 'no' for an answer. If this was a serious fight, at least the vampire would've already attacked.

  "What I don't understand is why you are doing this. If you want to take just one of the drow, just say so, you don't need to act like two children fighting over mama's attention."

  First came the silence, then came the green haired drow's laugh.

  The laughter died the moment the vampire attacked.

  I never saw hi
m lift his big double-edged axe from his side, but I did see him coming over the table to get me. I had not even begun to draw my sword when a translucent black wall appeared just in time to stop the axe a few centimeters away from my neck.

  32 darkness damage dealt to Jackass Vampire

  I had used magic by reflex and the message surprised me. It seemed to make the vampire even angrier as his eyes shone red and I narrowed, until I could see only on the threat in front of me.

  "Enough!" The lich yelled. The tunnel disappeared but the vampire was still gnashing his teeth at me.

  "He is a Wildling!" The vampire screamed, and this time, it was completely sincere.

  Again silence descended upon the table. People looked at each other and I frowned. What was the vampire talking about?

  "He isn't," said the lich, finally.

  "I can smell it in him," Marbareus insisted.

  "You can smell his title. He is a Hedge Wizard."

  "Wait, how do you know that?" I asked.

  "An unbound and a Hedge Wizard! In four days! Isn't it proof enough?" The vampire said, ignoring me.

  "Not for me. I have Seen more than chaos in him, and I swear on it. Do you contest me?"

  Was it me or had the vampire become paler? He closed his eyes and when they opened again, the glow was gone. He sat back down. "Of course not, Manhart."

  "Good. Stop trying to kill him and choose one of the drow to take with you. I agree with the deathlord, this act of yours is lacking. I told you I wanted the newcomers to believe we had problems, but if a known socially inept imbecile has seen through it there is no meaning in maintaining this farce."

  As much as the lich's words hurt, it also made me uncomfortably aware that I had just used the skills my parents had imparted to me. I gulped. Had father been right? Was I-

  "I'll take the Blackguard trainee," the vampire's words saved me from my train of thought. "The other's green hair is as embarrassing as his lack of a proper backpack."

  I smiled. The lich, the vampire, and the Chosen all had purses on their waists. It was impossible to tell on the Blackguard, whose cloak hid everything, but the green-haired drow was visibly lacking any sort of container.

  "For once, we agree," I said. "How can a man live with himself without a proper backpack?"

  "Deplorable," the Chosen agreed. "I admit I was forced to bring him with me."

  "What the hell is it with this backpack thing?" Complained the green haired drow.

  "It's one of those things that cannot be explained, you can only feel it for yourself," I said. The vampire and the Chosen nodded.

  "You are a bunch of weirdos." The drow crossed his arms and looked upset.

  "Now that your choice has been made, test them," ordered the lich.

  "I already tested the deathlord," the vampire said and I frowned. Now that he said that, his anger seemed completely under control. Had his attack also been an act? "He will do, barely. The drow is just an observer; whatever her power may be, it won't matter."

  "Well," I interrupted again just because I knew it would upset the vampire and I didn't like being attacked, even if it was a test of sorts. "I'm Jack. Nice to meet you." I waved to the Blackguard trainee.

  "I don't care," she answered.

  "Now you are only helping the asshole," I nodded to the vampire. "You're an observer; you're supposed to know everything about whatever you're going to observe, and that attitude will only make things harder for you."

  "Nice to meet you, I'm Daggers," she said immediately. That was... Surprisingly smart of her. I had said something against her position and she had analyzed my argument, concluded it had merit and acted on it. Instantly, not showing any annoyance at all. I didn't know many people who could do that.

  "Now, for the negotiations." I said. "I haven't yet agreed to do whatever the Resistance wants me to do."

  Not that I have any better option, but getting something out of it wouldn't hurt.

  I bit my tongue as soon as I thought that. It was almost a quote from my father's teachings. The damn man couldn't leave me alone even after I had killed him!

  And yet again, I had killed him. And now I was badmouthing him. A damn ingrate and sorry excuse for a son I was. A much worse monster than he had been. At least he hadn't killed his parents. It would be better for the world if I just-

  Ahhh! I yelled in my mind. I was getting back to the same old shit. It was all the damn vampire's fault for putting me on the defensive since I had joined the meeting.

  "How about you do what you are told and I don't kill you?" Asked the vampire.

  I snapped at that. He allowed me the exit I needed to quell my inner turmoil, one I had taken many times before: violence.

  I grabbed my sword hilt and started raising from the chair.

  "You are both right," intervened the lich with a commanding voice that seemed to pierce my skull and empty my mind. Only my mother had been able to do something like that before, always preventing me from concentrating when I wanted to. "While we can force the deathlord to do our bidding, he'll be much more amenable if he's paid for it. He also could travel out of Valia permanently, without notice, unless he has a reason to stay. More importantly, the Guardian strongly suggested that we use the ancient rules of quests with the Travelers, and such rules recommend compensation for completed tasks."

  "I agree," said the Chosen. "The Guardian is not to be taken lightly."

  "You would know everything about that, wouldn't you?" Said the vampire touching his own neck.

  "I don't like your tone, filthy blood sucker," the drow answered with anger in his voice.

  "Oh, did I made the little elf upset?" Marbareus put his axe, which he was still holding, over his shoulder.

  Shadows moved and darkness morb formed above the Chosen's head. "I am no elf." His voice was ice cold.

  "Now, that's a legit fight." I decided to feed the flames, still in the hopes of some stress relieving bloodshed. "But be fair, vampire. You attacked me, attack him too!"

  "I said enough!" The lich yelled and used magic. I never saw any morbs except for the death ones, yet I felt as if I was being crushed by an invisible force coming from above. "Jack Thorn, Samantha Hidden Daggers, do as you are told and you will be given a fair reward, my word on it." He saw my mouth open and the crushing sensation increased, making it hard to even hold my head up. "Before you ask, I'm a truthseer. I cannot lie when I swear, else I would lose my Sight. That is also how I knew you are a Hedge Wizard. Mine is a rare and most useful ability to have." He turned to the vampire. "Marbareus, leave with the deathlord and the drow right now."

  Quest Series: Obey the Resistance

  You have been conscripted into the Resistance and promised a reward by the lich Manhart.

  The reward will depend on how well you execute your tasks from now on.

  Conditions:

  » Cannot be denied

  » Disobeying will lead to unfavorable consequences

  » Must accept all Resistance quests given from now on

  Quest: Follow Marbareus

  [Obey the Resistance]

  F- rank

  You have been ordered to accompany the vampire Marbareus.

  Conditions:

  » Cannot be denied

  » Disobeying will lead to unfavorable consequences

  A quest series was like a big quest divided into multiple sub-quests. And my first one sucked.

  "Manhart-" The vampire began.

  "It was not a suggestion," the lich interrupted him. "Not the order, nor the moment it is to be executed. Leave. Now."

  After a sigh and a slight bow, Marbareus did something amazing: he stood up. I was barely able to remain sitting, my arms being used to endure the crushing pressure, and the vampire had simply got up. "Thorn, Daggers, let's go," he said.

  I was humiliated next. Daggers also got up, albeit with clear difficulty. I breathed hard and tried to also do so, but I couldn't. Then the pressure vanished and I jumped out of the chair and fell awkwa
rdly on the ground. I felt the blood rushing into my face – it was interesting that undead could blush – and got up under the sadistic look of the vampire.

  "We will run until the first of you two tires, then we will rest and run again."

  "Why not use a few lizards?" Asked the Chosen.

  "Because Thorn clearly needs the training. Come." The vampire ran. Daggers became a little translucent and set off after him. I sighed and followed.

  I wasn't aware of when we went through the invisible barrier; it was not visible from the inside. We just ran at the nearest chamber wall, passing by beacows on the way. When we got there, the vampire went right through the wall. I kept running and found myself into a very narrow corridor.

  We ran for hours; turns out the Underworld is a damn huge place.

  Eventually, I ended up using my mana as I ran, to see if I could raise an attribute or a trait. The moment I tried to also swing my sword, Marbareus complained about how that would drain my stamina faster and slow us even more than I already did.

  "So, Sam – I can call you Sam, right? – how are you liking Valia?"

  It was my third attempt at making her talk to me and she just ignored me again. Not even provoking her had produced results. She was like a damn machine.

  "Come on, we're going to run for god knows how much time-"

  "Nine hours not counting resting time," said the vampire.

  "Whoa, really? Anyway, Marbareus there will not chat with me-"

  "Not in your wildest dreams," he interrupted again.

  "More like nightmares. So, why can't we chat a little?"

  No answer.

  "Come on. At least tell me about your cloaking ability."

  That, finally, made her look at me. "What do you mean?"

  "Well, you are all translucent. I guess it's an incomplete stealth skill. Can all drow do this? Or only the Blackguard trainees? How do you even get accepted in the Blackguard, anyway?"

  "You can see me?" She ignored my questions.

  "Yes, as I just said."

  "You shouldn't be able to. You would need fifteen points in perception."

  "Well, I have sixteen. I can-"