He came back to find his mother, father, and sister killed. He didn’t know whether it was by the beast kin or the humans. He didn’t care; he wanted to destroy them both.
He grew up, no longer the carefree boy from before. He trained in the art of fighting. He looked to increase his strength. He wanted to go and fight the beasts and the humans, to show them the power of the elves to get them to pay for the deaths of his family. He was a proud elf and he knew that one day they would step on these other races and thrash them, like a grandfather would teach his disobedient grandson, and then they would come to learn the errors of their ways, submitting themselves to the elves freely, entering into a prosperous time.
Time went on and he applied to the military. He wanted to be on the border patrols and he made it in. He was an angry man, but toward the elves he was civil, turning his anger outward.
He watched the borders, watched the beast kin and the humans, seeing what they did to one another. He asked to go and lead raiding parties into their lands. He butted heads with the leadership.
He realized that the elves were weak. They looked good and they were strong, but they were unwilling to use that strength against others. He became disillusioned with the greatness of the elven race.
He found the aftermath of a raid. There had been elves in the city, trading with humans when beast kin had raided.
He saw the state of the elves and he led a group of his followers to hunt down the beast kin, killing them for their crimes.
He was dismissed from the military, but escaped being imprisoned. He left the Deepwood and headed to the lands of the humans and beast kin. He started to kill people on both sides because he felt like it. He was found by someone—a gnome—protected and given targets.
He was introduced to others who thought like him, then the Agents of Chaos, who had unlocked power from another world that allowed them massive power. That was how they were getting the beast kin and the humans to fight against one another.
He was accepted, others agreed to his viewpoints. They looked up to him, instead of giving him looks of disdain; it felt good. His path and decisions right.
“Leadio, you’ve been picked directly by a true Agent of Chaos. He has a mission for you and your people,” the gnome who had mentored him said.
“I live to serve,” Leadio said, a fervent belief in his eyes. He craved to prove himself to those higher than him, in a way that he had never found when he was in the military.
“You are going to head to Skalafell. You will start a plague there, cursing those in the city. With this, you will plant evidence that it was the elves fighting for the humans. Finally you will be able to show the elves the truth of the humans and the beast kin, have them step out of the Deepwood and finally step on the two races,” the gnome said, his eyes glowing.
Leadio’s body shook in agitation that ran from the base of his spine to his mind. He felt determination, happiness, and relief. Everything that he had been doing for his entire life led up to this point.
Anthony saw his conspirators. One of them had been with Leadio when they hunted down the beast kin.
They had reunited and been directly blessed by an Agent of Chaos, going through a ritual that twisted their bodies. It was incredibly painful as everything that they were was twisted into something new. It was needed to cast such a powerful curse and to make sure that they had the power to deal with their tasks.
Anthony stared into the depths of the man, a man who was just a boy looking to get back at those who tore his life apart, who took the goodwill of his parents, his family, and all those he knew, and destroyed it.
In everyone’s life, in everyone’s mind, they are not the bad person; they’re the person fighting for what is right. It is slowly over time that their morals are eroded and that their mind can be changed and altered, going from trying to get justice for his parents to instigating a horrendous crime against the innocent to embroil his entire race into a war that would lead to the destruction of untold towns like his own and other families.
Anthony opened his eyes. There was no anger there, just sadness, seeing Leadio’s life. He wished he could have been there to make it better, to help a lost child.
He looked at Leadio. His head was to the side, his eyes blank as he was now reliving his life in spurts, laughing and then crying, then thrashing around, the memories all jumbled together, now losing his touch on time and when he existed.
Anthony cast a spell on his hand and held Leadio’s head. “Find peace, Leadio,” he said under his breath. A white spell formation appeared on Leadio’s head. His face went slack as the power in his body turned into a storm of power clashing with one another. It drained out of his corpse, collecting into Anthony’s hand.
Anthony felt the rush of energy that filled his own mana reserves. He had been powered by the heart in his chest as he had drained his mana again and again, causing him to lose bone mass and degrade with time. His yellowed and cracked bones now started to repair, thickening to normal proportions, and his eyes glowed brighter. His yellowing bones started to turn whiter as the familiar runes on his body deepened, in color radiating a powerful might.
Anthony converted all of the energy from Leadio, feeling stronger than he ever had before.
“Solomon, find them.” Anthony shared all of his memories with his familiars so Solomon didn’t need to know anymore. The shadows around Anthony fled.
“We will see you shortly,” the pig kin judge said as the courtroom disappeared.
Dave’s wings reached out of Anthony’s back. The sunlight arched over the city, shining through the broken window, catching Anthony’s armor and Dave’s flapping wings, the tree carved into the back of his armor visible to all.
“Make sure that Count Lemar does not leave. Capture these people.” Anthony took out a piece of paper and wrote down several names. “Lady Tissis is not to leave the castle. She will stand trial to see what role she played in this all. Today, Skalafell will be cleansed of corruption, both from within and those who manipulated it.” Anthony released the list and it floated toward the guard who had been slammed into the ground.
Anthony looked back at them all. “Hear my orders, guards of Skalafell. If one innocent is harmed, if one conspirator escapes, I will hold you all responsible.” He let his words hang in the air.
Anthony felt Solomon signaling to him; he flapped his wings and raced for the open window. “Today is the day you prove you wear that armor not just for the money, but for the responsibility that comes with it!”
He shot through the window and up into the sky, his speed much faster than before as he rose up above the city.
***
“What is that?”
“Is that a star?”
Some of the workers standing outside of the city looked up. They had been working all night to make sure that the people of Skalafell had clean food and water.
Aila looked up with Tommie, seeing the glowing star that seemed to rise above the city.
“Is that a person?”
“How can that be? They’re much too small.”
“It looks like a knight? A human knight?”
“Are they attacking?”
“How could that be possible here?” another said.
“They must be like one of those angels,” someone else said in a whisper.
“An angel?”
They started to talk among themselves, but Aila could feel that instead of being scared, they were hopeful.
Aila and Tommie stood back from it all, looking up at that glowing figure with golden wings.
“It’s a Guardian,” Aila said. She didn’t know why but there were tears in her eyes as she looked up at him. She felt as if everything would be okay, seeing him standing over the city.
He tilted forward and dropped, shooting toward the ground and disappearing from sight.
Tommie and Aila looked at each other. They would be able to identify that knight anywhere.
“We’ve still got work t
o do,” Aila said.
“He can’t do it all on his own.” Tommie grinned.
The two of them turned back to their own tasks.
“Come on! Get those supplies on the pallets!” Aila yelled.
“Those masks need more charcoal. Someone run down to the legionnaires and get some more sand for the filters!” Tommie said.
Chapter: Running Scared
Lady Tissis sat in her office. She was looking at the list that Anthony had made and passed to her guards.
They had found her tied up right away. Hearing all of the events, she couldn’t help but be shocked. When she saw the body of Leadio, who had returned to his elven form, she confirmed that it was the man who had been in her room.
She learned that he had been with Count Lemar, her brother-in-law. She couldn’t and didn’t want to deal with it, so she had him sent to the dungeon.
The list of names were Lemar’s closest allies, as well as different people from the underworld of Skalafell. Listed beside their names was the crimes that they stood accused of.
“Rescind my previous orders. Use all of the power of the guards to arrest these individuals.” Tissis gritted her teeth as she passed the list over to her guard captain.
“Yes, my lady.”
She could tell that he was pleased to not carry out her last orders.
He saluted Lady Tissis and left the room quickly.
Skalafell was fated to be a busy place in the coming days. The guards gathered in the castle rushed out on their mounted beasts, wearing their full armor as they went into the slums, to root out the underworld figures and to the noble houses to gather up Lemar’s people.
The Black Rags assisted instead of hindered as they heard that the information had come from their leader.
The slums were peaceful as the guards who wouldn’t have entered before went in and came out without issue.
Tissis looked out of her window as people came and left. She didn’t have the energy or mental capacity to do anything more. She saw the city—the people moving around, the guards leaving and coming back, a flash of light in the distance. She wondered whether it was Guardian Anthony.
“Another report of Guardian Anthony being sighted. A building was destroyed and a secret entrance into the sewers found. There were seventeen people who were found unconscious, bound with metal, with ‘suspect’ written on their heads. We have since taken them into custody,” a messenger said.
“Very well.” Tissis coughed, trying to stifle it as she waved the messenger away.
As the door closed, she let out the coughs. Her whole body was weak and covered in a cold sweat by the time she was done. She forced herself to breathe.
My fate and the fate of the city now rests in Guardian Anthony’s hands. She didn’t like having to rely on someone else, but there was nothing that she could do. If I may die, at least I die doing what I believe in. She mustered her strength and left her office, feeling tired and drained from the long night. She walked through the castle, to her room.
She opened the door and walked in, seeing him still in his feeble state. She walked over to him and took a cloth from the servants.
“Take the day off,” she said to them.
“But, Lady Tissis...” The head servant spoke up.
“You’ve done more than enough. Please,” Tissis said.
Seeing the look in her eyes, the head servant bowed. “Please call if you need anything, my lady.”
Tissis nodded and then looked at the guards.
“We’ll wait outside,” one of them said.
Tissis gave them a small smile as they left the room, leaving her alone with her husband for the first time in weeks.
She wetted the cloth and pressed it to his head, then his neck and his chest. She could feel his body burning up, see his ribs poking through.
He seemed to sense her there as he nudged her hip with his snout.
She looked to see him staring up at her.
Her heart felt as if it were being clenched. “It’ll all be okay, love,” she whispered to him as she dabbed his face.
He closed his eyes and fell back to sleep.
Tissis, feeling tired, laid down in the bed beside him, holding him close. She closed her eyes as well, a wave of fatigue settling over her.
***
Anthony walked through the street. Behind him, there were three chaotic beasts with their arms and legs tied as he dragged them toward the central square.
As he walked through the streets, people looked from their windows and started to enter the streets, talking about the leader of the Black Rags, Guardian Anthony—talking about what had been going on in the city since the early morning.
People gathered; Black Rags appeared and they made sure the people remained orderly and that they didn’t crowd Anthony and his payload.
He reached the central square, where a number of guards waited.
“Bring out the accused. We’ll have their trial in front of the people of Skalafell for all to see and hear,” Anthony said.
The guard commander nodded and sent out a messenger.
Anthony waited, gathering his mana.
The guard captain arrived and a number of armored carriages descended from the castle.
He spoke quietly to Anthony. “Lady Tissis has fallen into a deep sleep. We can’t wake her. I am the legal guardian for Keze, so I am currently running the city. I don’t want to say anything that might panic the people,” the guard captain said.
Anthony gritted his teeth and nodded. “We’ll deal with the accused. Then I can break the curse and look to heal them.”
The guard captain looked into his glowing orbs before he let out a sigh. “Don’t betray my trust.” His statement was equal parts threat and promise.
Anthony nodded and then the guard captain stood to the side.
Anthony stepped forward in front of the people; his gavel appeared in his hand.
“He really can summon a purple hammer!” a younger member of the crowd called out to their friends.
“Is he going to call in the judges?” another asked in a shocked voice.
Anthony brought down his hammer and it sounded out over the crowd, breaking the conversations. All eyes were on Anthony as purple lines flowed out of where the hammer hit, forming the benches and table for the judges as well as their seats.
Purple miasma rolled together, and then dispersed, revealing the six other judges in their purple robes with their Guardian emblem. They took their seats.
There was an inviolable aura around them as they looked down at the trio floating up into the air, standing in front of the court as they regained their senses.
The first thing that the people of Dena turned chaotic beasts saw was a grand purple courtroom, with seven judges looking at them with hardened expressions.
“Read out the charges!” the elemental said. Their body of twisting wind and lightning made all shiver when looking at the concentrated destruction.
“Malik of Jorsen, Faromeer of the Lizet Isles, Tsarra of Asryennas, you stand accused of crimes against the people of Dena. For conspiring and carrying out an attack on Skalafell, creating and propagating a plague and a curse in an effort to incite chaos, war, and bloodshed. For attacking the innocent and working with Agents of Chaos to gain power to do so. You stand accused of murder, bribery, torture in the case of Tsarra. And working against the people of Dena, aiding the enemy forces of chaos. Your trial will now begin!” the gnome judge read out. His size might have been diminutive, but none dared to look down on him as he read the charges.
***
Tysien was in the crowd as she watched the trio’s charges. Malik and Faromeer were both from the beast kin race; Tsarra was elven.
Hearing their crimes, she couldn’t help but stare at them, looking at their elvish or beast kin appearance.
They look so normal, just like someone you would see on the street—you would never know the difference. Anthony might be a human but he has only had the best of intenti
ons for the people of Dena, for the people of Skalafell.
The crimes of the trio were confirmed and the entire crowd was against them. This plague had hit people from across the city. It didn’t matter one’s position or what power they had; all of them had been affected in some way. They stood shoulder to shoulder, looking at the accused.
Anthony stepped forward, reaching out his hand and placing it on Tsarra.
“Chaos will come for you all!” she yelled out, a crazed look on her face.
“It is welcome to, as I hunt for chaos,” Anthony said as magical power blazed in his hand.
Tsarra’s crazed eyes turned dull as she started to cry, then laugh, then scream out, her mind broken into fragments. Those watching looked on in horror.
The other two who had stood tall, seeing how Tsarra had been broken, started to struggle against their bindings.
Anthony repeated his actions on Faromeer.
“Please, no! No! I can do better! I can change!” Malik yelled out.
“Sometimes people are too far past redemption.” Anthony’s voice was dull, tired, and pained as he reached out.
Malik’s head dropped forward as he started to laugh, as if he had heard the best joke ever.
Anthony stood in front of them and raised his hands. Their expressions stilled and their heads dropped forward as they died.
Anthony withdrew the chaotic energy from them all. The pressure and corruption that had been affecting everyone’s bloodlines and the mana of the area relaxed.
The three bodies were taken away.
Anthony took his seat in the court. “We will have a short recess before continuing.”
The judge’s tables wrapped up, hiding everything from view.
They were like that for five minutes before a large spell formation appeared over the courtroom. It grew larger, with interconnecting magical circles growing and settling over Skalafell.
Everyone watched in awe.
This kind of spell, it must be a tier-six spell!
The power in the spell formation was consumed, leaving a powerful orb in the sky. It was blue in color and lightning danced on its surface. It dropped to the ground. People let out a gasp as it touched the ground and detonated.
Death Knight Box Set Page 26