by Zac Atie
An age passed, as sweat dripped from Bastion’s forehead and hit the floor. Stark’s eyes locked with his, in a battle of supremacy, though, the victor was obvious. Stark unlocked his eyes, took a quick glance at Veronica, then turned towards the crowd. “This is what you’re scared of? A boy, and a girl? You’d forget your honour, forget that you are within the Emperor’s presence, and soil yourself over what? OVER WHAT?”
”Ahh, piss off, Stark. Ya’r nothing! The emperors dying, and you run around in circles like a lil’ hamster! Piss off!” A man shouts.
”Come here and say that!” Stark roared, “Feel the might of this ‘hamster’ for yourself, and see who is higher in the food chain, coward!”
“Where is dah emperor? Where is our lord? Tell us!” A woman screamed, tears in her eyes.
”Ya ‘ave no authority here, Stark! Yer not supposed tah be in charge!” The white haired man says.
”Shut your mouth, Crix! I care not if you are the father of Enlin’s bride to be, I will slay you!” Stark shouted, and as he shouted, a man lunges at him with anger. The man lunges with pitchfork towards Starks stomach, but Stark dodges, and trips the man up. Stark raised his sword, intended to stab the felled man, but another man jumps from the crowd, grabbing his arms. His sword has fallen. The downed man gets up, and attacks with fists reinforced with magic, but Stark kicks the approaching man in the face, knocking him to the ground. He swings his head into the face of his attacker from behind, and the man lets go. He turns, holding his face, and receives a kick to the back of his leg. He is knocked to his knees, and instantly, Stark grabs his head and twists it sharply, snapping his neck. He then swirls towards the other man and bulrushes his before he can pick up Stark’s fallen swords, and brings him to the ground. The man shouts for help, and screams “No!” as Stark mounts him. Stark brings his fist into the air and slams it down into the man’s face! Bastion senses no magic from the angered behemoth, so his hand is not reinforced with Magic. The man slams his fist into the man’s face, over and over, as blood and bits of his face and splattered all over. Stark screams angrily as he does it, eventually making his attacker’s face cave in. All this with his own brute strength, no magic. In fact, when Bastion views Stark in hollow vision, he has no Aura. No Aura! Does this mean he’s not a mage? It could mean he’s hiding it, but Bastion’s hollow vision is extremely powerful. He can detect mostly everybody’s Aura, and if this man was that skilled in Magic, then why wouldn’t he use it to scare the crowd, or defeat his foes? It didn’t make sense, there was only one logical conclusion. He was human, and he was damned scary.
Once Stark had calmed down, he regained himself and stood to his feet, spitting in the hole he had made in his foe’s head. “Pathetic.” Stark snorts, and he turns to the crowd. Most of the crowd had left when the fight started, and Stark screamed “Is that all!? Anyone else want to feel this hamster’s wrath!?” Bastion also thought it was odd that he was calling himself a hamster like that, to his aggressors. The rest of the crowd, disheartens by both the show and their lack of backers, decided that they had lost, and it was time to go back to their homes grudgingly. They left, and Stark watched for a while to make sure the coast was clear, then turned towards Bastion and Veronica. He approached them, rage subsiding. He stops and looks at Veronica. “I'm sorry you had to see that child. I was in a rage, I apologize.” He said, though he was really only talking to Veronica. For some reason, the intimidation that Bastion felt was gone. He felt as if he could speak to him as if he were Vander, someone he had known for ages. Before he even knew he had said it, he asked. ”Hey, what about me?”
”You’re a man!” Stark bellowed “Toughen up!” He punches Bastion in the chest, knocking him back a little. He could tell it was a light punch to Stark, but to him, it damn near broke his ribs. “Ahh…” Bastion said. “My war cry would sound tougher than yours, that’s for sure. I wouldn’t be calling myself a hamster!” Bastion retorted. He only retorted because he could see that Stark’s eyes were calm, and although it was certainly not the eyes of a kind man, he certainly was not the harbinger of all evil. “As you can see, I am simply a human. I am no Magi.” Stark says. “Being the captain of the guard, and at the moment, the closest thing to a leader, sometimes people feel superior to me. With very good reason. So, sometimes I gotta smash a few heads. It’s no big deal, really.” Stark said, proudly. “Enough about me. Who are you?”
”I am Bastion.” Bastion said.
”I… I'm Veronica.” Veronica said.
”What did you mean about being the closest thing to a leader at the moment? What about the Emperor, and his son, I think I heard you say? Have they left?” Bastion asked.
“Well, yes and no.” Stark said. “Our humble abode has been in turmoil as of late.”
“Oh. Well, I suppose I should be relieved that this place isn’t always this... Uh...” Bastion began, but he came at a loss for non-offensive words.
”It’s alright, boy. You can say it. Look around you, child… Look, smell this… filth! This is the effect of Tartarus!” Stark hissed with anger. “Tartarus?” Bastion asked.
”You can’t mean… The Warlock curse?” Veronica asked, regaining herself.
”Yes, child. The Warlock curse.” Stark says. “Smell the dead.”
”You didn’t answer my question.” Bastion asked.
”If you want to know about what’s going on, and about the Emperor, then follow me. Your official signup to the Blue Magi will not be in effect until this mess is over…” Stark says. “In short, we have been attacked.” Stark leaves with that, and enters his barracks. Veronica takes a look around the camp from where she’s standing. She smells death. She sees fear and anger. And now that the rioting has passed, she can hear moans of pain, and screams of madness. Actual madness, the words that comes out the person’s mouth is things they cannot actually mean, like they’re hallucinating. Veronica looks at Bastion, with an expression that Bastion cannot place. To him, it looked like familiarity. “What’s happening here?” Veronica asks. Bastion looks at Veronica, and with a weak smile, he says, ”So much for that plan”.
Chapter Nine – Depths of madness
Sebastian Slater
The pair followed Stark into the guard barracks and into his office. The barracks were made of wood, and still had a sort of barbarian feel to it. Of course, the whole settlement had that feel to it. Everything, from the materials, to the appearances, to the smell just reeked to banditry and poverty. That was, of course, till they entered his office. Within his office were pictures, a UK flag, and a beret. Army stuff. Bastion was bewildered by what he saw, wondering why it was here. He looked around at the pictures on the wall, and the memos. Pictures of squads and memorials of dead soldiers… dog tags. “What is this stuff?” Bastion asked Stark, as he sat down. “Memorials of my family. My family is a military family, mostly all of them, even some of the daughters, have joined. Of course, this is 2011… the last war the UK was involved in was some time ago. Most of the men in the army today are in no real danger.” Stark said.
“What about you?” Bastion asked.
”I long turned my back on the past.” Stark said.
”It doesn’t really look that way to me.” Bastion said, pointing at the photos on the wall.
”Perhaps. I have to keep something to keep me remembering. I came to split by complete accident, wanting to get away from my families desire for self-proclaimed honour and strength. Of course, I saw something I wasn’t meant to see, and was forced to stay here. Upon hearing the truth about the Magi, I decided I would stay, but I didn’t want to become a Magi. They planned to ignore my request, till I killed an enemy spy.” Stark said.
“Truly fascinating, but we came here to find out what was happening, did we not?” Veronica asked, coldly. “Veronica…” Bastion sighed.
”Right. Well, the underground caverns has been infected with Tartarus. It was chaos, people rushing for the elevator, pushing people off, fighting one another to get away from the
sickness. Children were abandoned, and love ones lost to madness. Now, most people are out and are crowding the village, some have made camp outside, as I'm sure you’ve seen, and some are keeping the perimeter secure. But it’s still chaos.” Stark said.
”Yeah... I did see that. What I-“ Bastion began.
”This Tartarus… it was done by a Warlock? Is that the Necromancy curse?” Veronica asked, interrupting Bastion. “Wait a-“ Bastion began.
”Yes, it is. The Warlock was a woman that the Emperor himself took interest in, after his former wife died. They had been together about a year, when suddenly, she poisoned his lungs with a curse, and ran to the underground caverns, where she used Tartarus to cover her escape. We don’t know if she’s escaped, or dead down there.” Stark said.
”What exactly IS Tartarus?” Bastion asked, feeling as if he had just walked into the middle of a complicated lesson.
”It’s a powerful curse that is highly contagious, which makes it a very troubling case in crowded areas. It affects the victims mind, causing strong hallucinations, to the point where it could turn friends into foes, families into aggressors. A sick curse indeed. Other than that, it’s hard to say who has it. There are carriers, who carry the virus while not actually being affected by it, so everyone’s wearing a facemask. All the people who have been cleared of any suspicion of having the infection have been sent to the outside camps. Everyone else, including you now, remains inside.” Stark said.
“Lovely.” Bastion says, sarcastically.
”Also, Tartarus affects your temperature. You start to sweat immensely.” Veronica said.
”That’s right… you’re well informed.” Stark said.
”Well, I’ve studied as a healer for a long time. I read a rather detailed book about Necromancy arts. I think I can help your people.” Veronica says, sticking to Bastion’s original plans as much as she could.
”So what do we do, find the carriers?” Bastion asked.
”That’s what the village is keeping an eye out for while waiting for Enlin and healing the wounded, but the wounded keep piling.” Stark said.
”Warlocks… I never thought I’d ever hear of another Warlock Magi.” Veronica asked.
”Are Warlocks rare? Like me?” Bastion asked.
”Your ignorance is about as rare, I’d say.” Stark huffed.
”I'm new!” Bastion scowled.
”Warlocks are the name for those who learn the arts of Necromancy, which is a forbidden art. Due to the good job Rhenium has been doing on keeping an eye on those with sketchy pasts, and those who had taken part of Necromancy in the past. It was a skill made by the Domini… a troublesome lot… I take it you HAVE heard of the Domini?” Stark asked.
“Actually yes, I’ve heard of the Domini. I read books about them, about how they have a tendency to be bloodthirsty brutes. They were once the most promising race of the Dragons, but for some reasons lost to history, they were abandoned. They can sense magic better than anyone else, and if it’s aggressive magic, they get urges for violence inside them.” Bastion said.
”That’s right. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were the next bad guys after Sanctum was defeated. Things were getting heated after the Metholian Civil War, after Sanctum was pushed into Zolka, which has the highest population of Domini in Cazria. After the war, crime rates skyrocketed from Domini who had lost their minds to the war, and those who simply wanted to relish on preying on the weakened state of Zolka. I imagine this led to war… but I have no doubt that the Cazrians dealt with it.” Stark said. “Geniuses at Magic, the Domini are, until they lose themselves. Necromancy has a bunch of sub-genres. Such as, resurrection, curses, blood magic, summoning ghosts of the dead and the odd, rare, possessor.”
”No freaking way…” Bastion says, looking at Veronica. She ignored him and pressed on.
”Never mind, the Domini aren’t the problem here.” Veronica said, changing the subject.
”Right. Of course.” Stark says. “As I said before, there are Carriers. So far, all we’ve been doing is keeping an eye out, though there have been a few unjustifiable killings going on. That’s what I have to deal with, because if I go hunting the carriers, vigilantes will try and take my post.”
”You said something about a… Elina?” Bastion asked.
”Enlin. That’s the name of the emperor’s son.” Stark says. “He took the fighters into the depths to find the Warlock and kill her, but that was 3 days ago.”
”What good will killing the Warlock do?” Bastion asked.
”Seriously…” Stark sighed, “Killing the warlock would equal in Tartarus practically evaporating, and the curse on the Emperor will cease to exist.”
”I see…” Bastion says.
”I could heal the Emperor. As I said, I'm highly skilled in healing, but that Warlock needs to be dead first. I’ll help the infected Tartarus victims in the meantime.” Veronica says.
”You presume too much. As if I’d let you anywhere near the emperor, you just got here.” Stark says.
“I'm simply foretelling the future. Once you see my abilities, I’ll be your first choice.” Veronica says.
“Quite a handful, you two are…” Stark says, “Why did you defect again?”.
”Treated unf-“ Bastion began.
”Sanctum.” Veronica snapped, interrupting Bastion. Stark noticed this.
”…We’ll see. We’ll see how you do.” Stark asked. “Take your gasmasks and head on out.”
”Wait, what about Enlin? He could be hurt!” Bastion said.
”You seem to care a lot for the monarchy…” Stark said “Didn’t yours get assassinated?”
”Yes, King Daviid, though he wasn’t in charge of the Village we were in. He was killed on his way to Rhenium.” Veronica said. ”That’s not the point! I don’t care if he’s monarchy or not, he and the people that went down there with him are people! We can’t just let them die!” Bastion said.
”Hmph…” Stark said. “I can’t spare any men, and he told us no Blue Magi are allowed down there till he’s done.”
”Well… I'm not a Blue Magi…” Bastion said.
”Bastion.” Veronica said, trying to warn him, but he ignores her.
”Let me go after them. My papers haven’t been verified yet.” Bastion says. Stark contemplates for a moment.
”This could very well be suicide. Who’s going to look out for your lady friend if you die?” Stark asked.
“She can handle herself.” Bastion said.
”…” Stark paused. “Fine. Fine, but only you. If you see anything, come back immediately. Go alone, nobody else.”
”Bastion, thi-“ Veronica began to argue.
”It’s all right, this’ll be easy.” Bastion laughed.
”Alright. The entrance to the caverns is in the graveyard, near the moat.” Stark says, “Piss off now, will you?” Stark said. With a thank you, and a bid of farewell, the two left.
The two let the barracks, and looked on at the village, although it looked more like a camp, that they had infiltrated. The people were dirty, as were the tents, and they lacked any form of dignity. They would pick their noses, or adjust the fabric around their crotch even while speaking to each other. They looked like they didn’t shower all that much either, which was not the case for the Red Magi, who used magic to shower. There was also a stable that held cows, since cows are likely not to fight back when blood is being extracted from them, as Bastion could see from where he was standing. He felt sick that people could live like this. They had hardly evolved at all from their barbarous nature 2000 years in the past. To him, it was sad, though it looked as if the people of the village would not care what he said. Or perhaps they would, and they’d rip him to pieces. He looked towards the large castle. He couldn’t sense a damn person in there. “I... I think the emperor may be dead.” Bastion sighed, looking at Veronica.
“What makes you say that?” Veronica asked.
“I can’t sense him in the castle.” Bastion s
aid, trying again.
“That’s because the castle is made of Mithril.” Veronica said.
“Mithril?” Bastion asked.
“Enchanted ore and stone.” Veronica said. “It’s hard, and effective. It can block out even the most masterful of Magi.”
“I... I see...” Bastion said, as a Cow’s scream came from the stables’ nearby.
“It seems Yaevinn’s hatred for the Blue Magi is rather justified…” Veronica said, disgusted. “Such lack of dignity.”
”This is no reason to hate someone… It isn’t our place to say that living like this is wrong.” Bastion said. “I pity them, though it seems they are happy enough…”
“Aye, all except for the cows…” Veronica sighed.
”Yes… well, nothing we can do about that. What will you do now?” Bastion asked.
”Were you not the smart one of us two?” Veronica asked, being stubborn on purpose.
”I suppose you should go ahead with your story and heal the wounded. You did study it after all…” Bastion sighed. “Why? Just let them die.” Veronica said, bluntly.
”Is that how little you value other people’s lives? You’d base their deaths on their appearance?” Bastion asked.
“No, just their habits…” Veronica huffed.
”They look barbarous, yes. Their master is crazy and wants to convert all of humanity, yes… but they are not all the same, and that definitely does not justify their deaths. Don’t be like that, please.” Bastion said “Help them”
”Never knew you valued life that highly.” Veronica said, “Though, you don’t really know what you're talking about. We’ll see how you feel about the Blue Magi when we’re done here.”