by Beaux Riley
As he reached the doors, he was met with a locked sound. The lights were clearly on and he knocked, thinking it had been some kind of mistake. A black haired woman opened the door for him. She had some blood on her face and immediately, he felt as though he remembered her face.
"Excuse me ma'am. Is the pub closed? Markus usually has it open to the Zirris through the night." Stratus said, trying to focus in on her face with only candle-lights and the moon to illuminate the area.
"Markus is feeling ill. He's been coughing up blood, I presume it's from all the drinking over the years." She said slowly. Her voice was definitely familiar. But he kept cursing in the back of his head as to who she was. His daughter perhaps?
"Would it be too much trouble if I could have a small glass? It's been a rough night. I'll be sure to leave Markus something to compensate for the trouble." Stratus scratched his head, hoping he wasn't intruding.
"...One glass shouldn't be too much a problem. Come on in." The woman welcomed him in. She locked the door behind him. He assumed this was to keep others out, knowing he was in during a bad time. He smelled the air. It was of copper. He then watched her clean her face off.
"How ill is he?" Stratus said as he sat down at the stool in front of the bar maid.
"I am not sure he'll be running this bar much longer. It might be time to change ownership, finally." She opened a bottle and poured a small glass, the contents of which weren't much like anything Stratus had ever smelled. He curiously swirled the liquid around and smiled as he drank it.
His jaw felt heavy. His head began to spin. Stratus stood up and backed away from the stool and yelled at the bar maid.
"It is you...Vinesca...I wanted to think I was imagining..." Stratus fell to the floor, He raised his hand at her, and a small illumination came from his hand and disappeared all in a moment’s time. He fell unconscious. Vinesca tapped the bar counter a few times and looked at her feet. The corpse of the bar owner, Markus, lay beneath her. She chuckled.
"I never liked you much, Omni. You nearly took my family from..." Vinesca stopped as there was a knock at the door, and then it burst open. Vinesca was face to face with Kimura. She was first in awe, until she noticed no one was with him. He closed the door silently and locked it as best as he could. There was no surprise on his face as he saw the lifeless body of Stratus beneath him. Kimura took a seat, never taking his eyes off of Vinesca, even for a moment.
"Sit. We have much to talk about." Kimura requested, holding up a hand to one of the chairs next to him.
Vinesca stepped over Stratus and sat in the same table, right across from the paladin.
"How ever did you find me?” Vinesca asked, showing actual surprise to Kimura’s presence in Maiden’s Point.
"I felt some pulse of elemental power near here. It isn’t hard to follow bread crumbs like that. Especially since my brother went missing right before you wiped out that dwarf city.” Kimura laid his hands on the table. He wore a coat of black and gray with fabric that rose high from his shoulders, guarding his ears from the wind. His fingerless gloves tapped on the cheap wooden table they sat at. He looked tired.
"I actually read that your brother is gone and possibly dead. It's such a shame. I know what it is like to care for a loved one." Vinesca touched a sore spot in Kimura's emotions.
"Where is Aedrius?” Kimura eyed her, demanding an answer.
"Many lives were affected by that wave of Light...Illoke seems to be detailed in his reports." Vinesca laughed motioning over to a pile of papers on the bar counter. “Regarding your brother, I’m not sure. I can’t say I saw him after I left that mausoleum of a city. But having you here brings my plans so much further. I’ve waited for you and your little Paladine to show up.”
If it really wasn’t Aedrius who used the Light…I need to realize now that I am trapped.
"...What do you want from me?" Asked Kimura.
"You have something I need. Hand me the Beacon of Light and this town won't burn like Lossetta." Vinesca stated. Kimura was drawn back. He had no idea she knew about the orb until he realized when she mentioned reading.
If a paladin can't tap into the orb, what can a Char do?
"It isn't something you can control..." Kimura replied. "My brother and I barely understood its function." She turned and kicked Stratus again.
"Do you know who this is?" She asked, laughing a little.
A Zirris? By the way he’s dressed, he’s definitely one of them… Kimura thought to himself while looking over the body.
"Someone you killed?" Kimura asked curiously, not diverting his attention from Vinesca.
"No, he's still quite alive. Sedated." Kimura stared at her, unblinking in his chair. "My brother-in-law...just like you, has been searching for us." Vinesca stared at Stratus's unconscious body. Utter hate came from her expressions.
I need to get him out of here.
"If I refuse?" Kimura's tone struck Vinesca that he was testing her.
"Every roof, every home, every building, will all burn. I needed to be sure that you wouldn’t be chasing me to the ends of this world. So I decided to take the time and make a deathtrap for you." Vinesca said coldly.
"If I stopped you now..." Kimura couldn’t finish the sentence, thinking of the repercussions that could come of his actions.
"Are you willing to let people die, at your hands?" Vinesca retorted. Kimura slammed his open fist on the table and then reached into his coat. He revealed the Beacon of Light to Vinesca. She stared interested at its blue-golden glow. As she reached for it, Kimura threw it in the air above them both and lunged at her. Vinesca dodged Kimura's assault, catching the orb and laughing. Kimura directed both of his palms at her and unleashed the Light, stronger than he ever had. Vinesca summoned her flame form, and quickly dodged the Light, flying to the second story of the tavern, up the staircase behind Kimura.
"It seems you are. I hope you can save most of them… Remember, paladin, this was your fault." Vinesca escaped out through what seemed to be Markus' apartment above the tavern and began lighting everything near her on fire. Several bottles began blowing up around Kimura and he quickly reached for Stratus' limp body and darted out of the pub, breaking the door open and falling onto the open road. He looked behind him and saw the Firelight Tavern had gone up in flames and Vinesca's fire had begun to spread to every single building in Maiden's Point.
What have I done?
"Fire!" Kimura called out. "Everyone, get out of your homes! There is a fire!"
Kimura looked down at Stratus, who was still unconscious.
Had it not been for that sense of Light directing me here, you might have died.
He looked up and ran to nearby doors, trying to kick them in and call out to residents. Zirris soldiers immediately came and began to help the paladin in evacuating the citizens of Maiden's Point and others began trying to put out the flames.
What I'd give for Rhorik to be here...
***
"I managed to recover eight bodies from the burnt houses. Please do what you can for them, magi." Kimura pleaded with the elf near him. There had been a few houses and buildings that weren't destroyed in the assault by Vinesca. Kimura had chosen to save as many people as he could while the Zirris and Ela'syn did what they could. There had been few Ela'syn that could perform healing spells on people and even fewer that were in Maiden's Point. The elf that Kimura had met with was smaller than most. Her hair was a pearl-white and she wore robes to match that color. Her skin was milky and she seemed to have a troubled look on her face as she stood over the unconscious people.
"Did anyone see you recover them?" Her question raised suspicion to Kimura. He shook his head.
“In all the confusion, no. I had a tougher time with the large one, but I brought them here one by one. They...have an aura about them. Their burns aren't like normal skin burns. It was like something in them was being burned away." Kimura answered with his arms crossed. He stared at them. Each of the victims had been set on cots, on the flo
or or on what beds were available to them in this house. The owners seemed to have been gone for months as the place smelled of dust, and a thick layer of neglected cleaning was present on nearly all possessions.
"It was a good thing. They have the same feeling I have around you. Ever since that wave of Light, the elves have had another sense. It is almost like we can tell when certain individuals are around us." She said curiously examining one victim. "I know this girl, her name is Lizoke Adestrin. She is the Archivist here in Maiden's Point. The one next to her is known as Kilo Dans Thou."
"You seem pretty well informed."
"As a nurse here, I tend to know the government workers. Speaking of such things, I must return and tend to others in the town. I will be returning here in a few hours with help." She stated making her way to the door, taking care to step over the sleeping patients.
"W-wait!" Kimura called out. The elf turned for a brief moment back to him.
"I really must go. I will not be telling the police about these...special cases. I have your trust?" She had her hand on the door knob and turned it.
"We need to get them to Midian. They will be a target of the Char if any records show they have the Light." Kimura said fearfully. "I have to keep them secret." The elf nodded, easing Kimura's worry, only a bit.
Right now, the Char know only I’m alive. This might help my chances if they are kept in the dark about these people.
"We will protect them. I'll have my escorts prepare carriages to your abode with the monks."
At that the elf was gone.
Kimura was left with the names of each of the people he saved on a small parchment.
Asa Koen Omni, Lizoke Adestrin, Kilo Dans Thou, Archen Crowlis, Cray Romsworth, Angaea Riddin, Jaya Vo, Pate Illus the Third. I have to protect them from the Char. They can never know their faces…But…
…Will they trust me?
***
"My head is killing me. What happened to the other soldiers?" Asa was sore all over. He was in a small room with several candles at each end, lit way above the cool stone floor. His body was covered in bandages, although it seemed he wasn't bruised, burned, nor cut. Asa's brown hair covered most his face. It was much longer than Zirris regulations, but with his father knowing that he was retiring from the Zirris that same day, he allowed for it.
Asa tried standing. He felt like his muscles hadn't had action in years. Being a soldier, he was always in fit condition and this feeling was unnatural to him. He saw little in the room, other than his Zirris uniform tattered in the corner on a chair, and a simple outfit of a white shirt with no sleeves and brown shorts, that made available to him. He chose to dress and made his way to the door. To his surprise, it wasn't locked.
In the hallway, Asa found nine other rooms similar to his. Every door was open, save for the furthest one down the hall to his left. He'd never been in a place like this. The halls were all stone and the lighting was made of large candle fixtures like the ones in the room he was placed. He made his way to the closed door and opened it, rather slowly. To his surprise, he saw faces he'd just seen in Maiden's Point, not too long ago. He assumed he wasn't out for longer than a few hours.
"Mr. Omni, Welcome." The voice called out. A man stood with others sitting on chairs, in chairs or against walls. He didn't recognize the voice and when he noticed the man with dark hair and a strange coat, his defenses rose.
"Where am I?" Asa asked confused.
"This is the temple of Midian. My name is Kimura, and I am here to show you your potential future." Kimura stated. The words struck Asa hard. He wondered what the stranger had meant by 'potential future'.
"Am I a prisoner?" Asa demanded to know.
"Calm down, Omni. You are fine." A familiar voice came from a female. Asa turned to see Kilo and Lizoke sitting close to one another to Kimura's right. He saw Crowlis standing silently like he'd always been behind Kimura's left shoulder against a wall. All of a sudden Asa felt somewhat relieved.
"I rescued you all from the fire in Maiden's Point. There is a great threat in Ethra and all of our lives are at risk. Two women known as the Char, have made their mark here." Kimura said angrily. "The destruction of Vathra, the slaughter in Stoneholt, and now a trade hub wiped out, all them. All by two, evil, terrible women."
Asa was silent. He was blown away by the statement Kimura made.
"How bad was the damage to the town?" Asa asked curiously. "Almost half of the Zirris were there, including my father."
"I managed to save Stratus from the flames. He is safe. You, are not." Kimura's vague words angered Asa.
"I am not hurt, and unless you work with whoever is destroying our land..." Asa stopped and sat, his head was spinning, realizing he had medicine in his system. Kimura approached Asa and sat next to him.
"I assure you, I am part of the solution. All of this is...delicate at best." Kimura patted Asa on the back. "I had the Ela'syn nurses drug you all up nice and good, to heal the burns. It wasn't normal fire that harmed you. It was an elemental magic."
"What's the difference?" Asa asked, having a small headache and rubbing his forehead.
"A normal fire would have left burns that would be hard to recover from, and would have destroyed your skin and body. This fire burned a part of your soul." Kimura stated. "I took assumption that each of you had been exposed to the wave of Light, a few weeks back. Somehow, I believe you may have awoken the Light into your beings. It's a hunch really. The Light has proven to be ever mysterious, even to me."
"The Light?" A few of the eight asked. Kimura held out his hands, emitted a white light and made the room glow brightly.
"It is the power of the Paladine. Once, a symbol of hope in Vathra, and now in Ethra. It has incredible potential to empower and to destroy. It can bring and undo life. You are blessed with this power..." Kimura stood and walked to the center of the room and turned back so that he could see everyone, barring Crowlis, who was listening intently now. "...and I intend on teaching it to you."
"...I won't lie that I am interested. But why bring us to wherever this is?" Pate asked, turning a few heads. Kimura laughed a little. As Kimura noticed, Pate had recently shaved his head, prior to arriving in Maiden's Point, so he was quite easy to point out with his lack of hair.
"The Char once knew right where the Paladine operated and struck in the dead of night, killing off every one of us, save for myself and my brother, Aedrius. Secrecy creates security." Kimura answered Pate, who nodded. "I know most of you had lives in Maiden's Point. Those lives are over. Some of you lost everything. I can offer you a chance to build something great."
"Lizoke lost her life's work. She can't just start fresh." Kilo interrupted. Lizoke seemed to be crying slightly, thinking of all the books going up in flames.
"There is a very old library here. I received a map of all of Ethra from Zerick." Kimura pointed his response at Lizoke, whose glasses had fogged up from her unease and stress. She seemed to be in a slightly better spirit when she heard the word 'library'.
"This old place has an archive?" Lizoke asked curiously.
"I am not sure of its size, but I am sure it can help keep your mind at ease." Said Kimura.
Asa crossed his arms. It seemed like Kimura had all the answers.
"It won't seem odd that several people went missing after the fire?" Asa asked.
"People were lost. Do you want there to be more?" Kimura returned Asa's question with another.
"I'd obviously say 'no'…" Asa didn't like the forced answer. Neither did he enjoy not having his question remaining unanswered.
"Everything has changed. The Char have not openly attacked like this since Lossetta, and even then, they used an army to do their work. I believe they are scared." Kimura began to say. They continued to listen to him, eagerly wanting to learn more. "To answer your question, Asa, your disappearances will pale in comparison to the death of thousands more to come."
Asa was confused by the statement. He wondered how many lives were actually lo
st.
"How long have I been asleep?" Asked Asa.
"About a week. Each of you came around, not too long ago." Kimura said.
"Let’s say I do take you up and you teach me this power. What then? Do I suddenly become a hero and kill the evil-doers?" Asa said in a slightly sarcastic manner.
"You can leave anytime you want. But when and if they discover you in particular, I think you might be regretful of not taking my offer sooner." Kimura replied in a foreboding tone.
"Why me?" Asked Asa.
"The Char were interested in your father. Vinesca made it a point to keep him alive. I can't say for sure if she meant to capture or do something else to Stratus." Kimura seemed unsure. “She did mention him to be a brother-in-law…do you know her?”
“Father never spoke about any family.” Said Asa.
Silence set in for a few awkward moments until Kilo coughed and spoke.
"There are many Elementalist countries, if you didn't already know. I come from the Empire of the Winds." She stated. Lizoke began to fidget as she didn't have a notebook to jot down her ideas. Moments like this made her nervous not to remember details easily.
"I've only been aware of the Char, the Paladine and the Darrith, a water manipulating people that are long since gone." Kimura said honestly. "We all originated from Vathra."
"The rumor mill has it that the Zirris discovered a power and that allowed them to liberate Saebel." Kilo said, looking in the directions of Crowlis and Asa. "There were far more Saebellian soldiers in the royal army than the Zirris, who at best were in one fourth of the army.
A hand slammed against the wall. It startled the silent Angaea and Jaya who sat next to Pate Illus. Jaya's black hair and thin face and anorexic appearance made her the exact opposite of her counterpart, Angaea, who was voluptuous and taller. He pointed a finger angrily at Kimura, who nonchalantly turned to his right, now giving Pate his full attention.