Book One: Fate
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Chapter Fifteen: Ghostly Visage
Tylor awoke to find that he was lying on a bed so small that his legs hung off the end of it in an uncomfortable fashion. The roof above him also seemed lower than a normal house’s would have been and was decorated in coral patterns and star shapes like nothing he had ever seen before. He sat up to find Joel was lying next to him in a small bed (though his smaller legs did not hang over as much as his). Karen and Leon were no where to be seen.
The room was like a small rounded hut with no windows or solid floor. There was little space to move around and the one room consisted of the two small beds, a small wooden cabinet, a small mirror, and hangers by the door on which the groups back packs were hung. Directly in front of the two beds was an open entrance with no door, a drape was dropped down over it that had a parting in the middle. The smell of trees and grass blew in on a light wind. Twisting his body around, Tylor sat up on the bed and placed his feet onto the grass. It was cold and dark, but not wet or muddy. He cast his mind back to the night before. The last thing that he remembered was running from the Wraith and meeting with Leon in the thick of the Great Forest. Then he was running behind Joel and Karen and then everything went a bit hazy. He had no recollection of reaching the Dau village, but judging by the height of the huts and things within, that was where he had to be.
The drapes at the door were pulled to one side as a figure entered the room (ducked over to avoid hitting the roof). It was Leon. He held his rod in hand; it would have caught on the ceiling if it had been still attached to his back. In his other hand was the sword that he had borrowed from the Dau leader the night before in its red jewel encrusted scabbard.
“So, you are awake. It’s good to see you again, Tylor - and in much better condition than the last time I did,” he said before explaining what had happened. “You tripped while running with the Dau and fell unconscious, but do not worry there is no lasting damage.”
Tylor was relieved to see that Leon was alive and unharmed. Immediately, he asked to know what happened to the Wraith, where such a thing came from, and why it was even sent after them in the first place.
“It is dead,” he stated calmly. “You could probably answer where it came from better than I. As to why it was sent to stalk you, I do not know. When Karen returns from her meeting with Apollyan, the leader of this clan, she will bring answers to us.”
They waited some forty minutes before Karen joined them. There was not enough room inside the small hut for all of them to fit, so she led them outside and to a sitting area within the Dau encampment. Tylor kicked Joel gently in the side and woke him up; he would hear endless moaning from his young friend if he had missed the information about what had happened at the mansion.
The camp blended in with the trees. Though some had been chopped down to make room for the huts, they seemed to leave as many standing as possible in order to conceal the huts amongst them. The huts were camouflaged in roofs of grass and twigs and the fabric forming the roundness of the room was dark green in color and had grass dangling from it. Close up you could easier make out the formation of huts; especially some which were larger than the one Tylor had awoke in, but from a distance they would blend in with the Great Forest becoming invisible to all but the most skillful of eyes.
As they walked to a small fire surrounded by a strange stone formation, Dau stood and stared, peeking from huts or around corners, some were even muttering, though Tylor was not sure whom it was directed it. They took up seats around the fire and waited for Karen to begin speaking. She seemed upset about something and confused. She seemed to be trying to form the words in her head before speaking them.
“I need a moment,” she explained.
“Leon, how did you find us last night?” Joel asked in between yawns.
The Demon Hunter explained in some detail that after he had discovered all three of them were missing he managed to initiate a city wide search. A sighting matching Karen and Joel’s description leaving through the north gate was reported. Acting on the sighting, he had left with haste to try and catch up and was able to find signs of their passage en route – including where they had camped. He went on to say that Tai was a wanted man in the capital city and since Tai followed them, he too had to do the same.
“As for finding you in the great forest - that was partly by accident,” he admitted with a small smile. “I spoke with the people of the small village on the outer rim of the forest and they told me where you planned to go, so I headed in roughly the same direction - west to the lake in search of a mansion. On my way I saw and heard a commotion and headed towards it, finding your party in that clearing.”
Karen turned back to them and announced that she was ready to explain what was going on and what the Dau chieftain had told her. She first spoke of back at the mansion when she was told Andros would meet with her.
The room was very pale, dank, and dark. Karen had thought that was the reason for the paleness of his face, but it was not so. He walked towards her slowly, reiterating over and over his immense joy that she was still alive and that he had feared she perished in Noctern with her family all those years ago. His figure went out of sight as he passed from the window light, the darkness surrounded him. His cold white hand touched her bear skin making her jump back with surprise. It was as if ice had stroked against her hand and not a person.
Andros began ranting, saying that it was fate that they both had found each other after all those years and to celebrate he wanted to share his gift with her. Karen knew not what he meant by that. She had continued to back away from him and had backed up almost completely out the doors. With a sudden wave of his white hand, the doors behind her closed tightly at Andros’ unspoken command, slamming shut and blowing more dust onto Karen’s back.
“Why do you retreat?” Andros had said, in his cold, proper tone. “Do you not want my gift?”
Anxiety gripped her heart. It was Andros, but at the same time was not. He was not a boy anymore, she had prepared herself for that, but he did not seem normal. The state of decay of the mansion, the puppet like knight and now his pale complexion and confused words made her fear something was terribly wrong. He stopped walking, no more than a few paces before her. Seeing that she was full of fear, he apologized.
“Perhaps,” he uttered, “you would not be as afraid if you knew what gift I was talking about! It is eternal life at my side, Karen!”
After he said it a hissing came from his open mouth. Karen was glad the room was in darkness, she did not want to look upon his face any longer. Turning swiftly, she rammed the doors, knocking them open with a loud crash. She ran out the room and almost tripped over the banister in front of her. It was then that she saw Tylor and Joel waiting on the bottom floor. She knocked Andros from her shoulder and then joined them. They met the Dau group while trying to escape and then Leon in the forest while escaping from the Wraith.
It was there the first part of her story ended. Of course, Tylor and Joel knew the latter part about how they escaped the mansion with the help of the Dau, but that had been for Leon’s benefit. The next part of her story was the information she had learned when speaking with the Chieftain, Apollyan.
“So, what was going on then?” asked Joel. “The Dau were talking in their language a lot, but I noticed the word Brood getting repeated a lot.”
“Brood!” Leon exclaimed. “That explains the presence of a Wraith. They are the ghosts of long dead Brood leaders and creatures that refuse to pass over in death. They get stuck in a sort of limbo, a gaseous form in this world, a limited existence, and are ruled by their replacement in the chain of command.”
“Andros is the Brood’s leader,” Karen murmured, before going silent.
Tylor had no idea what they meant, he had only heard the term ‘Brood’ said by the Dau the night before as they ran from the Wraith. Karen seemed very upset now; speaking the words had saddened her greatly. Leon took over the tale, his knowledge of demons and monsters was great and he knew all to well of what the Brood was.
“The Brood is a race of creatures that have succumbed to a form of vampirism. They are demons that feed on human flesh and drink the blood of man. The name ‘Brood’ refers to the rumors of how they make their lifeless slaves, hatched from eggs which the Brood leader tends. It is from these that he gets a mindless group of servants with no life or soul to do his bidding, be it bringing him fresh meat, caring for his every need, and so on. In each Brood there is usually more than one creature, but it not uncommon for it to be a sole person. The Wraith must have been Andros’ former kinsman before its death.”
“Apollyan had no explanation of how the Brood appeared,” Karen said quietly, “but they have been forced to defend themselves for a long time from its puppets and the Wraith. Though they have bitterness surrounding Leon’s employer, he asked me to pass on thanks for it’s slaying and that you may keep the weapon you used to do it with as a reward.”
Rather than express anything, Leon was silent, and Tylor was sure that he smirked. Joel asked why the Dau seemed to dislike Leon so much even though he had done nothing to them and what it had to do with his ‘employer’ (by which Karen had to mean the army of the King of Atra).
“This is the Dau clan that went to Noctern from the north a few years ago,” Leon explained. “They have a bitter hatred against anyone associated with the armies of Atra. They think that we turned our back on them and Noctern’s people when the conflict broke out. I doubt that this blade was offered as an act of kindness or reward. More likely; they do not wish it back after I have touched and wielded it in battle.”
It seemed the problems that stemmed from Noctern some years before still had repercussions between the people of the kingdom. Leon did not speak with bitterness at the opinions of the Dau. He did seem a little sarcastic about it, though Tylor could see no reason why he would be.
Karen had sat down again and was silent. She had discovered that someone she had once known well was now a demon and had tried to kill them by sending his former dead superior after them. Leon was a Demon Hunter, Hunter Sansec, he had heard it so many times yet he had never thought what it must be like, coming face-to-face with demons and creatures of stupendous strength. Tylor would have called Leon very stupid, had it not been for the display of skill he showed back in the bandit cave (which seemed like years ago now).
“Tylor,” Leon said, grabbing his attention, “I have no need for this blade. It is good against Wraiths, but my rod is still my weapon of choice. You have seen that there are things in this world that cannot be injured by fist and foot alone, take the sword. The strap on its scabbard can be extended so that it fits your frame.”
He tossed the sheathed blade to him and he caught it with a fumble. He gripped the red scabbard in one hand. The other hand grasped the handle of the hilt and pulled the blade out slowly. He was amazed by the look of it. The blade could hardly be seen, save for its sharp corners. Running his finger down the center it felt cool to touch like it was metal, yet it looked like glass. Swinging it about in one hand he found the blade to be very light and maneuverable and questioned Leon as to its toughness.
“It is smelted dauraniam. It is as strong as any steel sword you will ever handle. Do not be fooled by its light feel, it is a truly strange metal. Last night I also discovered rumors of its magic potency to also be true. It can absorb the magical essence of spheres.”
“I...I have never used a sword in my life,” he stuttered, a little embarrassed in front of the skilled warrior. “I wouldn’t know what to do with it…”
The Hunter laughed, it was the first time Tylor had heard the mostly unemotional man do such a thing so freely. He leant over to Tylor and patted him on the back.
“There is plenty time to learn, perhaps I will teach you. In the meantime, keep it for some protection.”
A little reluctantly, Tylor agreed and began extending the strap fabric so that it would fit over his back. He had no way to strap it to his belt and the Dau had made it to be strapped to the back. He thanked Leon for the gift. Out the corner of his eye he saw that Joel looked green with envy.
“I hope you’ll teach me as well if you teach Tylor!” cried Joel.
The Hunter nodded, but did not utter a word.
The conversation now had to turn to what they planned to do next. Facing Karen, Leon asked if the Dau wanted them to leave immediately. She nodded a yes. He apologized to the group, accepting responsibility for the need of their abrupt departure. It had to be his presence that was making the Dau be so unwelcoming. Karen was silent and distant and Tylor did not really want to bring it up, but he had no choice. He asked what would happen about the Brood.
“I will report its existence when I return to Tentra. There is little doubt that I will be contracted to take care of it, but right now my mission is to find Tai and bring him to justice for the death of knights of the realm.”
“Are you an idiot?” Karen asked suddenly. “I have warned you over and over. Tai will kill you if you fight with him!”
He said nothing in answer to Karen’s outburst. Instead, he asked what they planned to do. Joel told him that they intended to go to Noctern to get ‘help’ for Karen and Tylor. Karen stood up silently and returned to the Dau hut that Tylor had awoken in and fetched the back packs for the group, when she returned she tossed Joel’s and Tylor’s to them.
“We leave now,” she ordered, “and hopefully make it to the other end of the Great Forest before nightfall.”
Leon stood up with them and announced that he would follow them with consent or not. Karen said nothing and wandered away towards the northern forest, the others readied their things. Tylor quickly slung the sword over his back and then his pack over that. Joel picked up his pack and trotted off after her. They left the Dau village behind them. It slowly disappeared amongst the trees as the distance between them greatened. Tylor bid them goodbye silently. Their stay with the Dau had been short, but they seemed like a good people and hoped to meet them again under better circumstance.
They had been walking for a few hours following the small dirt road that winded through the forest. Joel had been relentlessly pressing Leon for questions on how he was able to defeat such a foul sounding beast. It appeared that he smashed a fire sphere over the sword, the weapon which was now on Tylor’s back, while saying the word of casting for that type of sphere causing the blade which was covered in the liquid from the sphere to turn into a huge flaming sword. With it the Wraith could not touch him as any lick of flame immediately dissolved his gaseous form into a pile of ash.
Tylor could not help but wonder what he would have done, if he stood before a towering cloud of black which bore demon like eyes and claws that could rip him in two. He knew for certain that he would not have faced it with the bravery that Leon had shown. Someone such as Leon was probably better suited to be a Destined. He had knowledge of the world and of its darker sides and the skill in battle to defend himself against staggering odds. What did he have?
A knack for self doubt, he said to himself.
Up ahead of them Karen walked swiftly, her eyes scanning the path ahead as best she could. Some of the twists it took seemed very strange, though others were obviously because of too dense an area of forest. Joel was trying his best to keep up with her speed now, noticing that she was keeping herself from the conversation deliberately. He and Leon trailed behind slightly and for some reason he felt quite uncomfortable. Perhaps it was guilt over the gift. From all that Leon said about weapons made of dauraniam (that they were highly valued and hard to come by) was probably the cause. He had handed over a gift worth an unknown fortune as if it was nothing. Tylor would have called it a care free act of kindness, but Leon did not seem to have that kind of personality. Maybe it was for him to be able to defend himself better. Leon always seemed to be thinking of them, informing them about the land, its people, and its dangers. One day he hoped to thank him somehow.
“So, Tylor,” Leon said suddenly, breaking his concentration, “what will you name your sword?”
He stuttered over some words that ended up coming out as a questioning noise.
“That is no normal sword; weapons of such beauty are usually named by their owner.”
He did not answer straight away, he considered what was said. Up ahead Joel and Karen had paused and his young friend was shouting back at them to hurry up. Naming a weapon seemed pointless to Tylor, he did not understand the reasoning behind doing such a thing, but the Hunter went on to give examples. Proud Kings named their weapons throughout history and warriors did it to give them a symbol by which to be known, or to give a name to something his enemies should learn to fear. Tylor asked if Leon named his weapon anything.
“Yes, though it is not that special a weapon. Its concealed blades are simple metal, but I was told when I was presented with it that it was made of the most powerful of all woods in existence found in a kingdom far from Atra. It is as strong as steal and will not break easily. It belonged to the one who taught me while I trained to be a Demon Hunter. His name was Raziel, so I named it after him. In some places my weapon’s fame precedes my own. It is a strange custom indeed, but has its reasons for being so.”
By now they had caught up with Karen and Joel, and they had overheard Leon talking to him and asked to know what they were talking about.
“Why not name it Zan? Or maybe name it Samilo?” Joel suggested.
He considered both. Would it be seen as a proud thing to name his new sword after the memory of his father? But would either be feared? He could see Tai laughing at both. He was filled with an anger brewing deep within him at the thought of the assassin doing such a thing. He still made his blood boil.
No, he thought, neither of those would do.
“It’s a good suggestion, but no. I would rather keep the memory of my father and the village close,” he explained to them.
“Why not name it Pesmega?” Leon suggested. “It would be quite apt.”
Interested, Tylor asked Leon to explain the strange word. He spoke of a time long ago when the world was new for all. Races kept within their born place and were peaceful, but also ignorant of the outside of their territories. It was inevitable that people began to explore, finding one another and forming friendships and sharing cultures, it was such events that lead to the mixed races coexisting with each other.
According to the oldest books of Tentra castle’s library, the first leaders born from the unity formed by explorers called all the land Pesmega. Some thought it meant “explorer” and was named in reference to the first people to venture out, others thought it meant “unity” to symbolize the friendships formed between different races.
“Both of these meanings would be apt for you, Tylor. You are exploring this land outside your island for the first time and you also told Joel that you have been referred to as the Center Point, that suggests ‘unity’, don’t you think?”
It was somehow fitting, so he trusted his companion’s words and agreed. Perhaps if he ever returned to Tentra he would read more about the age when the world was new for everyone and things were being explored for the first time. The books that he had read on history as part of his studies never made any mention of Pesmega, but Leon must have been talking about many of hundreds of years before then and his history books only spread across the last forty or so years
“Alright,” Tylor said at last. “I will name it Pesmega, for unity and for exploration.”
They traveled for many hours before the end of the Great Forest could be seen, by then it was late midday and very cold. Karen suspected this was because of the cold winds gusting in from the Central Mountains where snow covered the peaks. The winding path they had been following gradually opened out into a full road with open grass plains to left and right. It was still some distance before they would get to Noctern, Karen reckoned five or six miles walking, but even now in the distance a shadow of a city could be seen.
“If it was still populated you would be able to pick out shapes even from here, lit up houses, towers, and churches,” Karen said, stopping to take in the view ahead of them.
It was true, at that distance and dimness very little could be seen. A few shadowed structures could be picked out, but no detail was distinguishable other than the thin, tall shapes. Tylor would have loved to see another city in its full glory. Noctern was probably not as big as Tentra, but was still vast. Leon had mentioned as they walked that it was the second largest city in all of Atra, but now it was an empty shell decaying from within. Karen had remained quiet while Leon acted as a tour guide to Joel and Tylor, filling in the details of Noctern’s past. He briefly spoke of the civil war, but not of the involvement (or lack of) of Tentra’s part.
“Why didn’t Tentra help Noctern, Leon? If they are even the slightest bit as intelligent as you seem to be then why did they not see through the Syndicate's ruse of a fake council?” Joel asked, as politely as he could as to not annoy and parties involved.
Karen laughed out loud.
“I was not privy to all the facts, I am only a Demon Hunter working exclusively for the king and I answer and talk to him through Xeno mostly. I did hear of these accusations against the king, but I do not know what to think of them. I cannot confirm or disprove any of…”
“Do not talk such rubbish!” Karen exclaimed. “You know damn well as much as I do that Noctern’s people were left to die! Your king wanted Noctern back under the kingdom’s jurisdiction. The Syndicate offered that under the condition no knights be sent and no assistance given. Do you have any idea how many people died when the fires broke out?”
“I know of the tragedy and the loss, but I have seen nothing to back up the claims that King Nega let innocent people die simply to regain Noctern under its flag,” Leon replied calmly.
“Noctern was the closest populated city to the borders with the Sarento Kingdom in the east! Your king did not want us to remain an independent entity in case we signed under Sarento’s flag!”
Leon was silent.
Since Karen’s outburst at Leon they had walked silently, but swiftly. They hoped to reach the gates of Noctern before nightfall. Tylor was surprised at Karen’s passion over what happened to Noctern, it was natural for her to be emotional over it, but she seemed to take it out on Leon, who had nothing to do with it. Maybe it was because she disliked that he followed orders under King Nega even though he had supposedly done such a terrible thing. If it was known to be true, Tylor would never serve him or speak his name with praise. People’s lives were the most important thing as far as he was concerned. That opinion had formed thanks to the close community he had been brought up in all his life back on the island.
The shadows of Noctern’s sky line became clearer and clearer on the horizon until eventually some shadow seemed to subside and more detail could be seen. Night was still closing in fast however, but even so the city looked blacker than it should. Some of the peaks they had seen from the edge of Great Forest were actually crooked and damaged with crumbling rock and slime filling cracks in the masonry. It was lifeless also, not one light from any visible building, not one bit of smoke from a chimney or fire, not one sound, not even a bird. It truly was a city that had died. Tylor felt colder and colder as they grew close to the decaying gates and the broken walls that spread round the length of the city, there was no change in weather, but the city seemed to emit freezing stagnant air. It was as if no one had been there since the very day it burned down, which was possible.
The city still stunk of decay and was deathly cold. Karen stood at the splintered gates reminiscing of times long gone. The group waited just inside the gates for her. It was understandable that she needed time as, to Tylor’s knowledge, it was the first time that she had returned since the night she escaped and watched it burn to the ground.
It was a horrible place. Within its walls was nothing but blackened hallows of homes which were littering either side of the destroyed streets. Some houses stood, but most were rubble on the floor and the ones that were still standing were not unscathed. On some buildings walls had come down, roofs caved in, and wood rotting away. Tylor shuddered in the cold, though it was probably not just that, the place made his skin crawl. Joel let out a disgusted moan and pointed to the right of the road just ahead of them what must have been the rubble of a home. Blackened skeletons lay in positions of utter pain amongst the gray gravel. It was people killed on the night of the fire that Karen spoke of.
It was the first of many remains that they would pass.
After Karen joined them, wiping her eyes and staying in between the others, they slowly walked up the first long street which led to a crossroad. The town was unknown to all save Karen, but she led them as best she could, using faded memories of the town in its prime condition when she was a child as their guide. It was a slow process. Tylor scanned the wreckages as they past them, and could not help but think of the body he saw being towed from the rubble back in Samilo. At least that person would receive a proper burial and prayer, but what of the corpses here? So many of them, lying where they were felled and left to burn and rot over the years. He felt sick.
The final sickening sight lay at the top of the street, within a half standing house to the group’s right. Two of its walls had collapsed revealing the innards of the house. At the bottom floor, nearest them, laid the remains of a child’s room. Burnt dolls and a small bed were amongst the rocks, but worst of all a small hand was visible, under a pile of stone. Dried blood was still on the under side of the crushed hand where rain could not get to it. Tylor fell forwards and was almost sick. Joel refused to look once he realized what he must have seen. Karen also did not want to look. Leon remained calm.
“Can we keep moving, please?” Tylor spluttered.
“This is…! Before we go to the church, if any of it still stands of course, I need to make a stop on the way. It will not take long, follow me,” Karen said and continued leading them through the streets.
No one was sure where Karen wanted to stop until they had arrived. Its roof had fallen in, crushing the top floor and two of its bottom floor walls were no where to be seen. The inside floor was covered in large piles of rock and very little of its previous condition could be picked out. There was the odd thing which looked like a burnt out table or chair, bits of a banister or door. It looked like all the other destroyed houses to Tylor, Joel, and Leon, but to Karen, it was home.
She fell to her knees, clutching her dagger against her cheek and wept quietly to herself. She sat crying for some time, eventually stopping, but still remaining on her knees. She said nothing to them, as if in silent prayer for her lost parents. Tylor stood next to her.
“Karen, its getting dark… we should move, please lead us to the church,” he said slowly.
She rose from the ground slowly and nodded. Pointing to the east she told them that it was in that direction, though its steeple used to be visible from her home it may have collapsed. The directions, and her memory, proved accurate. A church stood before the group, in surprisingly good condition, though the steeple had collapsed. It dropped and plummeted downwards smashing half the roofing on the way down leaving some large ominous holes in the tiled roof. The windows, which Karen said were once beautiful, were smashed and within there was nothing but burnt out pews and rubble from the steeple. A door sat on the ground outside the church, pulled off its hinges. The other was swung inwards. Karen took small quiet steps as she entered the building. The others followed suit.
There were no books or anything else that seemed ‘informative’ about the Destined. What is it that they were meant to find here to give him the answers he had longed for? Karen wandered along the west wall feeling her hands along the cracks and kicking the occasional piece of debris out of her way. She reached the wooden base of a stone alter where a priest or monk would stand and preach upon. She called them over.
There appeared to be nothing special about the rotted wood, apart from that there seemed to be stone behind two layers of wood, most likely to support the balcony and stone stand above them. Karen walked up and around to where the priest would stand and disappeared behind the balcony. A faint click was heard. Suddenly the churning sound of pulleys and old cogs sounded in the ground below them. The open area of stone floor directly below the balcony pulled down and away. Below, it revealed a damp smelling staircase, and at its base a wooden door with metal bars across it at three sections. Karen leaped down and looked at the door with a satisfied look on her face. Instinctively, Tylor, Leon, and Joel began walking down the stairs. Karen stopped them and they returned back to her.
“Only Tylor and I can enter that room, you two stay out here. Prepare a fire and food. I am not sure how long this will take. No matter what you hear do not enter else we have traveled here for nothing, understand?” Karen asked, turning to Joel and Leon in turn.
Leon and Joel began arranging pews to form a circle around some stones where they hoped to start a fire. He dropped his satchel and sword while Karen left her back pack and dagger at the fire. Karen and Tylor slowly walked down the stairs, as they neared the door more mechanical sounds were heard. The metal bars pulled away with a clunk and the wooden door swung open with a creak. Inside was nothing but darkness and a smell of dampness.
“Walk into the darkness to find the light, Tylor,” Karen said.
And with that, Karen pulled Tylor into the door with her. It slammed shut behind them, the metal bars once again extending and blocking the way. Joel had sneaked to the top of the stairs and watched as they went. He was already worried about his friend.
Tylor felt as though he was sinking, or falling, deep into darkness. He no longer felt Karen gripping onto him, and she was no where to be seen. He tried to call out, but it was as though he was trying to speak while under water. Only gargles and inaudible sounds came out of his mouth. Franticly, he searched from left to right, up and down, for signs of Karen, but there were none. He was alone. The situation, the endless darkness, it seemed so familiar, it was just like the dreams. The only difference this time was that he was wide awake and he felt like he was sinking deeper and deeper, though there was no sense of direction or depth. He wished it was some sort of dream this time as well, but no, it was real, as real as real could be. Though the things Tylor was currently experiencing were things he never thought possible outside of a vivid dream, they were really happening.
His feet touched the ground. At least, that was all he could assume it was. It was black and cold to the touch, just like in the dreams. Tylor felt his voice return to him. He could talk and speak clearly. Calls to Karen still went unanswered however. The female voice which spoke to him with kindness and a soft tone did not sound out amongst the darkness, nor did the dark male voice he had heard on two occasions which seemed to enjoy crippling his self esteem even more.
He called out loud again, aimed at no one in particular with the hope that someone, anyone, would respond. And then, a short distance from the direction he was currently facing, a mist began to appear. It was a soft green, not the normal fog Tylor had grown accustom to in his dreams. It also did not flood the whole room. It remained forming a large cloud before him. Suddenly, Tylor noticed movement within the cloud of green smoke, a shadow of a person within it. The figure could have been hiding there all along, but now the smoke had revealed their image to Tylor. He called the figure over saying that he knew that someone was standing there. Slowly, left foot first, a figure walked out the mist.
“Greetings, my son,” the ghostly visage said.
Tylor backed away and fell over. The figure was green, like the mist, but was also partly transparent. It was exactly how Tylor would have pictured a ghost in his mind. A ghost was the soul of someone who was dead, in a way similar to the Wraith. They were in the stories he and Joel read. They were always meant to bestow fear. The ghost looked like Zan Sabre, his father. He wore armor that Tylor had never seen him wear, a metal breastplate, and gauntlets with matching bottoms. His old face was tired, but calm (just as he always remembered it). The ghost took another step forward, his arms out reached and making a calming motion to him.
“This isn’t possible!” Tylor cried. “Get back! Get back, demon! Wraith…!”
The ghost smiled. The gentle smile his father showed a lot. When Tylor greeted him in the afternoons after sleeping late, it was usually then that he would do that smile.
“I am not a Wraith, my son, but you are right to be wary of me. Please, allow me to explain,” the ghost said, calmly. “Rei… Rei told you things before she died, but not enough. At least you know of the Destined and you, you are the Center Point. It is because of you being a Destined that you are allowed this time with your predecessor, but time is of the essence. I ask that you keep questions to a minimum and listen to my tale! I will tell you how and why we Destined even exist and who made us.”
Trying to say something was impossible as no words came to him, so Tylor stared in silence. The ghostly visage that had taken on the form of his father was not threatening, quite the opposite; it was calming and friendly. Eventually, Tylor simply nodded and remained cross legged on the floor, staring closely at the visage of his father.
“Thank you for allowing me, Tylor,” Zan said, bowing to his son. “The story starts, many, many years ago…”
Leon dropped some grass and tattered bits of wood within the stone circle he and Joel had made. Searching his back pocket he realized that he used his only fire sphere when fighting the Wraith. He turned to Joel and asked if they had any. Joel scurried over to his bag and checked, and then to Tylor’s satchel, but could find none. A little reluctantly, he looked in Karen’s pack and found three small fire spheres. He tossed one to Leon and placed the other two back in the pack.
“Fire,” Leon said.
The wood and dirty grass, which he found growing in corners outside, began to smoke as a small flame appeared in the middle of the stone circle. The fire grew into a healthy size. The two companions pulled up old broken pews to sit on and warmed there hands on the fire.
“Karen was not exact about how long they would be. How much food and water do we have? I doubt we will find any in this city,” Leon said.
Looking into the bags again, he counted up what food and water they had. There was some fruit (which look as though it was going off), stale bread, and two canteens of water. They did not have much to stay for any long period of time, so hopefully Tylor and Karen would not be long. If they went back to Tentra afterwards it would still be two to three days until the reached the gates, so it looked as though they would be going to be hungry either way.
“I guess we will have to ration both the food and the water until we reach a town where we can get more supplies.”
He nodded in agreement.
They sat in silence for around twenty minutes. Leon only seemed to talk when matters demanded it or when there was something to explain to Tylor and him. The Hunter had been kind like that, almost like their tour guide, explaining about towns and cities, about the cultures they had seen, and everything else. He understood that Joel and Tylor had been sheltered for so long from the outside of their small island and was trying to make sure they fitted in better. Joel was interested in trying to get a good friendship with Leon, just as he was trying to with Karen now. But what was there to talk about to someone of Leon’s stature? He was like a celebrity, a hero, the kind of thing Tylor might be one day.
“Why did you become a Demon Hunter, Leon?” he asked at last.
“I wanted to,” he replied with a smirk. “I had heard about them when I was young, so I was sent to a Hunter Church at a very young age and stayed there until my adulthood when I completed my training and began mercenary work for the king.”
“What about your parents? Being away from them all your life must have been hard…”
The Hunter paused before answering, as if considering how to word his reply. Joel was not sure why he hesitated so much.
“I was an orphan. Xeno found me as a baby, so if anyone classes as a father, I suppose that it would be him,” Leon said. “…Very few people know the true story.”
He felt quite privileged that Leon had told him, especially if not a lot of people knew that he had been an orphan and was raised by Xeno. It would explain the good friendship they appeared to have, when they met the old knight back at Tentra.
A sound echoed through the old church, but it did not emanate from within it. It was close, outside, down and to the right. Leon followed it with his ears. He silenced Joel with his hand, who was still asking personal questions. They listened as slow small steps walked along the outside of the church, to the right of them, directly through the wall. The city was so silent that they could hear the echoing sound as if it was happening directly in front of them. The sound of steps continued up the right wall, and then left towards the broken door. A silhouetted figure appeared just outside the door, looking with evil eyes at Leon and him. The Hunter stood up and picked up his rod, readying it in his hands. He demanded to know who was there.
The figures outline became clearer. He wore elegant dress, like a suit, all black with a long black cape with red lining flowing down his back and swinging in the light icy breeze that seemed to follow him. His face and hands were very pale, almost completely white with no flesh color in them at all. He had a round face and low cheek bones. The man looked similar to the puppet like knight that the group had seen in Andros’ mansion. Perhaps it was another one of those that had followed them through the forest to track them and report back.
“Where is she?” the white figure asked in a dark tone, uttering every letter with a highly elegant spoken manner.
“Who do you speak of and who are you?” Leon retorted calmly.
“My name is Andros Marok, has she not spoken of me? We are very close,” the figure said, with a smile gracing his lips. “…And you, who are you? The boy I recognize - one of the trespassers in my home, but you I do not know.”
“The Brood’s leader comes crawling out from its lair in the safety of night preying on an innocent girl. I will save Tentra the trouble of issuing me the warrant for your life by cleaving your head from your shoulders now,” Leon stated.
Andros seemed both surprised and impressed at Leon’s knowledge of him and the Brood. He took a step left, then right, then left again, passing back and forth in front of the door way.
“You must be strong,” he said at last, “to speak to me in such a tone. You must be the one who defeated the Wraith, my former master, an impressive feat for a mortal.”
Andros stopped moving and pointed up. Leon looked to the ceiling of the church, everything was normal at first. The slate was still holding, though old and covered in slime and through the holes in the left side where the roof had fallen in a starry night was visible. However, no sooner had he looked back to Andros, two loud shrieks pierced the quietness of the night. Two dark clouds appeared at the holes in the roof. Joel stared at them with open mouth. They moved as if they were alive. And then he saw the dark eyes, two sets, two on each cloud and to the left and right huge claws were sticking out of the darkness. He stumbled backwards over a pew and almost touched the fire next to him. Leon had moved close to him and was examining what must be two Wraiths above the church.
“They are smaller than the one I killed, they must be lesser creatures who refused to die, not the former leader. Take this,” Leon said, unbuckling his small crossbow from his lower left leg and tossing it to Joel along with a small pouch which had been attached to the back of his belt. “Pull the top over and tighten the string, place a dart in from the pouch and fire, pull the string back and reload a new dart to fire again,” he said, barking instructions to Joel. “There are only ten darts in that pouch, make each count and only fire the first when I say.”
He fumbled about with the small wooden weapon in his hand pulling the top over so that the string tightened. Pulling the string back and connecting it to a small wooden top tightened it to its fullest. Joel took the pouch and placed it in his pocket. Pulling the first sharpened metal dart out, he managed to load it into place with only slight difficulty. While Leon was watching the Wraiths with a close eye Joel stood up and walked over to him. He looked at Andros’ evil eyes, they were following his motions with a strange ease.
Without a second thought, Joel raised the small crossbow and fired it while pointing towards Andros. The figure moved with amazing speed, raising his hand and catching the dart a short distance in front of him. Joel had aimed for the chest, but his shot was off. Andros caught it slightly above his right shoulder. Leon turned to Joel and told him to wait. And with that, Leon started walking towards Andros, his rod at his side. The Hunter walked over the cold broken stone towards the door where Andros waited with a large closed smile on his lips. He stopped just inside the doorway, face-to-face with the creature.
“How could I forget,” Leon said, breaking the silence between them. “This land is blessed; the site of the church is holy, so you and your Wraiths cannot enter here. Tainted souls cannot touch these grounds. There will be no fight today. We await our friends, perhaps another time.”
Leon turned and walked back to Joel silently. He lowered his crossbow, but could not stop looking at the Wraiths through the holes in the ceiling, hovering from left to right.
“So,” said Andros, his voice louder than before, “you would rather hide from me? What kind of warrior are you? No matter…”
Intrigued by the creatures persistent confidence, Leon paused and turned back to face him.
“My servants are not like the Wraiths or I, they are mindless, and soulless, hallowed ground is not safe from them.”
With that, Andros stepped out of view; the door remained open and empty. Overhead, the Wraiths had also seemed to vanish instantly. Joel sat back down next to the warm fire and wiped sweat from his brow. The Demon Hunter stayed alert and told him to do the same. Looking around and listening carefully he could hear nothing, but knew to trust Leon’s instincts. Standing back up, he loaded the small crossbow with another dart.
Things had gotten a bit more complicated, again.
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