Book TWO: Retribution

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Chapter Four: Joel's Test

The metal guard pulled from the door with a loud groan. Joel playfully hopped it up and down in his hand before tossing it over his head. It landed with a crash and sent dirt flying left and right. A flat palm placed in the center of the thick wooden doors cascaded them in upon themselves sending tattered remains crashing onto the floor beyond. Considering the possibility of a dangerous situation, manners were out the window.

A strong smell of mold and dust passed through the entrance, hitting Joel in the face. He gagged slightly and raised a hand over his mouth. The mansion’s innards stunk of age and decay. It was unlikely that anyone had been inside the mansion via the front door for some time and yet the blacksmith’s daughter was supposed to be there, somewhere. In didn't look like the owner of the building could be there either.

The dryness of the air and the stench of mold were strangely familiar to Joel. The second mansion he had been in his whole life and it was no better than the first. He almost laughed out loud.

Directly ahead of him was a large staircase leading to the upper floor. On the ground floor around him were four doors, all matching in make and architectural design and sat at the edge of each corner. High above, a dusty chandelier swayed gently in the fresh breeze blowing in through the gap where the doors had once stood. Joel decided the search would best started from the top down, so he headed towards the staircase. As he reached the base he stopped suddenly as he felt his foot sink. Staring downwards, he saw his foot had pressed some form of switch built into the floor that had lowered under his weight.

“What the-

He ducked backwards as a dart shot from under a step of the staircase. Raising his hand, he caught it as it passed before falling backwards and rolling out the way. He noticed that as soon as he stepped off the switch it had risen back up and he was not sure where it had been now. From the side of the stairs he leaned through the balcony to see where the dart had shot from but he could see no orifice.

Suddenly there was a dull clank and then another and another. It was coming from his left, through the western most door. It sounded like a heavy suit of armor. Then there was another clank, this time from the eastern most room.

So this place is populated! He thought to himself as he waited patiently for things emitting the noise to reach the doors. But…that doesn’t make sense…

The doors were suddenly torn down as sword blades thrust and cut through them, revealing a large suit of armor in each doorway. It was full plate, silver in color and concealed the faces of the people within. Not standard issue for Sarentian soldiers or even their knights. They wielded huge broadswords that needed both hands to cradle them.

“Sorry about the door. I'm looking for a little girl named Leena, have you seen her?” Joel asked sarcastically.

They said nothing and began advancing on him. As they grew closer they stretched their arms up, preparing the swords for a powerful overhead strike. As both reached him the swords fell with great speed, only to be caught by his waiting hands. Joel’s left hand was covered in a small gauntlet he had kept for years, but his right was bare. Despite this he was able to hold back the blade by grasping it between two fingers.

“Don’t attack me; it’s futile,” Joel stated calmly. “I've done nothing to you. Stand down.”

It would be the only warning he was willing to give.

Without a word they seemed to try and push more force down on the swords but Joel’s hands did not falter. His patience had run out by then and with blistering speed he let go of both swords, knocking them astray, before delivering a kick into the chest of one suit and an elbow into the face of the other. Both the towering great knights were pushed backwards by the force of the blow sending dust flying as their heavy boots scratched the carpet and wooden floor beneath. Slowly, they began to advance again and paid no heed to any pain they might have received. Nor did they care that both their breast plates had been dented and cracked by the strikes.

They act just like the puppet knights of the Great Forest mansion, but I thought Brood only existed in Atra...surely these can't be the same type… Still, that one on the right has to have at least two broken ribs…

Not waiting for them both to advance any further together again, Joel kicked off one of his feet and sent one of the knights hurtling backwards through the side wall into what appeared to be a dining room beyond. The force of the blow coupled with the weight of the plate armor caused the wall to crumble instantly.

Running up to the other knight and dodging a swipe from a mighty broadsword, he jumped around behind the tall figure and tugged the helmet from his head. It was a Sarentian male in the huge armor, but there was something wrong about him. The expression on his face was empty and he did not even seem to register that Joel had removed the helmet. Nor did the motionless face look at him and continued to stare forwards. The knight took another swipe at Joel but he quickly kicked the sword from his hand before pushing him the length of the hallway with a blast of Aura to the stomach, that eventually sent him through the hole in the wall and on top of the other knight.

Carefully, Joel climbed through the hole and, after removing the others helmet, examined them both. They were both Sarentian males and about the same age; early thirties give or take a few years. They seemed to be unconscious now but he couldn't wake them now matter how much he tried. Considering the density of the armor he doubted he had knocked them unconscious with his blows and yet they seemed in a dream like state. It was then he remembered the words of the Dau blacksmith about the Guild sending two mercenaries.

Could these be the two Sarentians that they sent? He thought. But what's happened to them? They act like the puppets a Brood would use but they're still alive. If the two people that the Dau claimed to have been sent by the Guild did come to investigate then why have I found no fresh footprints?

The confusion and conflicting facts were worrying him. There did seem to be some truths but they were hidden in lies. But whose lies? Was this just some elaborate game set up by Xavier? Were the blacksmiths in on whatever plan he had hatched? Was there even a girl named Leena? He cursed out loud. He would only find out if he kept looking. For the time being he would leave the two mercenaries where they lay, he would return them to the city when he was ready to leave.

A quick glance around the dining room revealed no clues; it seemed normal. Too normal, if anything. Nothing had been touched for years and the room was bare except for furniture and a second chandelier. The door the other knight had come through led to a small study, with only the one entrance which led out into the hall with the main staircase. He found the deep seated footprints of the knight in the dusty carpet; the grime had been moved in time with weighted strides. They started from the middle of the study, traveled to the door and then out into where Joel had been standing, but prior to that there was nothing.

“A study with no books…” Joel mused as he searched the room. “Footprints that start in the middle of a room...”

All the cupboards, bookshelves and drawers in the room were empty and laden with dust. There didn't seem to be any other objects in any of the rooms besides the furniture, which was all matching oak. No books or scrolls in the study and no lamp to read by at night. No plates or cutlery in the dining room and no candles in the chandelier. The walls were bare besides the wallpaper, which a dull cream color. No one could have lived there. It was like a cold and lonely crypt. It was a husk, a shell, with no substance within whatsoever.

Next, Joel took his search up the stairs as he had originally planned; being careful not to hit the area he believed the pressure switch to be in. Upstairs consisted of a sitting room, two bedrooms and two wash rooms, with something that looked like a storeroom as well tucked away at the back. All were fully furnished but had nothing else in them.

As he walked back down the main staircase he grew aware that someone was watching him. Reaching the bottom step, he leapt from it and twisted around to see a small green light floating above him. It danced from left to right, up and down, before spinning wildly before him. Despite its speed Joel traced it with his eyes. Up, down, up again, left, right and then straight down. It vanished into the staircase. Joel began walking up the stairs again slowly and kicked his feet as he went.

“It’s hollowed out wood…” he mumbled aloud. “…Can’t believe I never noticed before!”

Strongly stamping down his foot, Joel was unsurprised to see his boot kick all they way through. Using his hands, he peeled the wood away until he had formed quite a large hole. A strange echo rung from it and the smell of dampness seemed to get worse. Moving one of his hands out before him, Joel flattened his palm and summoned a small ball of white energy. Without a second thought, he turned his hand upside down and let the energy fall into the hole. He watched as it bounced down, deeper and deeper. It looked as though it was hitting off solid rock. After dropping for many meters the energy died out and vanished. From deep below there seemed to be the sound of machinery, or some kind of device, which had suddenly hummed into life. Then he noticed a shadow rising up, picking up speed and causing a mighty rumbling.

Leaping from the stairs in the nick of time, a large metal object smashed up through them with a loud crash. It looked like some form of cage and had a circumference of no more than a meter. Metal bars formed tightly around the outer circumference and roof section which stretched upwards to a point in the center. Wood formed the floor and was much sturdier than the fragile kind used on the stairs. Inside it there was what appeared to be a selection of buttons attached to a metal box attached in between two of the bars. Cautiously, Joel walked towards the cage and glanced under it. It seemed to be supported by a selection of magic spheres, stuck to its wooden base in a circle which was causing it to practically float in the air. He had never seen anything like it, but it confirmed what he was dealing with.

He sighed, “Monter is a talented mage. Fantastic…”

Only a mage could control spheres without having to touch them and even then it could only be spheres which he or she crafted and placed their seal upon. It would explain the strangeness of the mansion’s upper level; it was merely a distraction from whatever lurked below. The sudden appearance of the knights was most likely the mage’s doing and it also explained their catatonic state. Most mages he had dealt with were eccentric to say the least, but was nothing he couldn't handle. Most were not aware of it, but what they considered to be magic was simply a far stronger natural bond to the Aura within their body and the ability to shape it into an element.

With new found bravery, Joel walked inside the cage and examined the switches. Next to each was writing. He could read them and knew them to be the Four Kingdoms; L’Carn, Atra, Sarento and Vail. Curiosity got the better of him as he slowly pressed the switch next to Sarento. The cage seemed to hum into life as it began to slowly descend. As the darkness enveloped him, Joel created another ball of energy in his hand to light the way.

The dark rock walls were cold and damp. The pit must have led deeper into the cliff the mansion sat on. It dropped for many meters and Joel noticed that as it dropped it went past a possible exit, another door, but he had noticed it too late and could not stop. The lift carried on until it reached the next door and stopped abruptly with a clank and clunk. The double doors before him were well made and crafted beautifully. They had been varnished and decorated with strange markings. Hung above the door was a sign and on it written in extravagant writing was the word Sarento.

“Two mansions…” Joel repeated to himself.

The large doors were not locked and opened with ease as Joel shoved each with one hand. The room beyond was dimly lit and full of shadow. There were a few lamps attached to the stone wall and within were more spheres. The choice to use sphere over candle was probably due to the length of time a well made light sphere could last; they were a specially made element used in mines and the like. One half of the room seemed to be a make shift library of sorts, littered in bookcases filled to the brim and a number of smaller tables. A movable ladder was attached to the bookshelves so that one could reach the books on the higher shelves, which touched the roof almost ten meters up.

One of the tables had a number of ink pots and scrolls scattered about it. The papers had writing on them but none which Joel could read. They were accompanied by diagrams of varying style. One seemed to be a hand, with a number of pointers leading away from its fingertips to scrolled notes. Another was a claw of some kind, or a tooth. At the bottom of the pile was a picture of what looked like the inside of an Atraian or possibly a Sarentian, Joel was not aware of any real difference between the anatomies of the two. As with the other scrolls, the artist had written a number of notes to accompany the drawing. Some seemed hurried but others looked as though a considerable amount of time had been spent on them.

Turning his attention to the many books, Joel picked a random one from a shelf at head height and had a look. He couldn't tell what type of book it was; there was no art or diagrams to help understand and all of it was written in Sarentian. Picking up another, he found it to be the same and the next as well.

Sighing loudly, he put his hands behind his head and began to whistle. Strolling back over to the desk he noticed that on the opposite end of the hall at the far end from the bookshelves there appeared to be some form of window or protective glass shutter. Every meter or so along its length the glass stopped and rock formed a pillar on which there was a raised copper block with writing on it.

“What are these?” Joel asked himself as he stroked the glass of one of the windows.

Knocking on it with his fist he gently placed his forehead to the glass and stared into the darkness. There seemed to be something moving within the shadows inside, but he could not tell what.

A large creature leapt from the darkness and struck the glass, making it shake violently. Joel tripped backwards and stared wide eyed as a huge fur covered four legged animal snarled at him before crawling back into the blackened corner of the room beyond the glass. It would have smashed straight through with ease had the glass not been so thick.

Learning from his mistake, Joel approached the next glass panel with more caution and tried to see into the darkness from further away this time. However this was to no avail and he had no choice but to once again press his head up against the cold glass. There was no shadow in this one, but there was something alive. It was small and crawling around on the ground. Turning his head sideways he could hear hissing.

“Is this some kind of zoo?” Joel muttered.

The wall went on for many meters with cage after cage protected by a sheet of glass and opposite it the library of books stretched just as far. The books seemed to be collecting information on people and animals of the kingdom that were held in the cages, detailing their skeletal structure and anatomy using diagrams and written notes. Whoever Monter was, they seemed highly intelligent and very interested in Sarento’s inhabitants.

Joel came to a cage which made him stop and stare. Two skeletons hung by their hands pressed against the back of the cage wall with a light shining down on them from above the glass. They matched the ones in the sketches he had found, but looked less clean and still had blood stains and skin hanging from them. Joel felt his stomach turn as he looked on at the two bodies, it was as if they had been collected and presented like some kind of trophy and left hanging within the dank cave. Unless they had been there for quite some time it was unlikely they had died in that position, which meant whomever put them there placed them like that after death.

Just what is wrong with this guy? Is he sick? Could he really have collected these beasts and bodies for some kind of experiment? If he murdered those people...

He was trying the hardest he could to find a good reason, an excuse, anything to justify what he had just seen but he couldn't. There were too many things which did not add up. The mansion above the caves seemed to be a guise and nothing more than to hide what was within; a zoo with adjoining library detailing the specimens. It was possible Leena somehow stumbled upon this and was caught by Monter. Joel began to fear for her fate.

Looking to the side, he heard a faint sobbing, slow and soft that made his ears prick up. It was coming from somewhere near him. He held his ear to the glass pane closest to him but it was not coming from the cage holding the two skeletons.

“Where are you? Hello?” he called out.

Checking the next cage, Joel pushed his eyes up against the glass and then his ear. The sobbing was coming from that cell. He banged on the glass which caused the sobbing to cease. He continued to call out and knock the glass but nothing appeared.

“Leena, is that you in there? Answer me! Your father sent me…” he pause and then cursed to himself as he remembered that she was Sarentian and probably didn't speak his language. “Pento sent me! Your father, Pento! Please… is that you in there?”

Slowly, a short crying girl appeared. She was gently rubbing her puffy red eyes and sniffing hard. She wore a dark cream colored skirt which had been dirtied by the waters and mold of the cave. Joel bent down and repeated the name of her father; she responded and started to bang on the glass, still crying her eyes out. Joel began pointing with his hands to the back of the cave trying to explain that he wanted her to get away from there until he smashed it. By force of habit he spoke as he explained and she seemed to respond and very slowly disappeared towards the back of the cave.

Taking a step back Joel placed his palms firmly on the glass. Progressively dust around him began to rise and spin around him. Cracks began to run from where his palms pressed against the glass spreading for the full length of the pane before causing it to crack and collapse in on itself. He could have just smashed it in with his fist, but that would have run the risk of stray shards hurting the girl. Stepping confidently over the pile of shattered glass, he offered his hand out to Leena. Joel lifted her up into a cradling position and stepped back out. Below foot the shards snapped and broke under the weight of his boots as they went.

“Thank…you,” Leena said shyly as she looked up at Joel’s face.

“Huh? You can speak Atraian?” Joel asked.

“Artemis taught me…how to.”

He was not sure which to be more impressed by; the fact Artemis (who must have been the Dau blacksmith) was able to teach a girl who seemed no more than ten or eleven a second language or that she already sounded fluent in it. She spoke a little slowly, but it was perfectly understandable. The old Dau must have been stubborn when it came to the language he spoke. Either that or Pento had some other reason for her speaking two languages. Walking to the opposite wall away from the cave that Leena had been kept in, Joel sat the girl down on top of one of the desks.

“Can you tell me how you got here?” he asked her.

She shifted about nervously, “Who are you?”

“Pento asked me to come find you; he'll be relieved to know you are alright. My name is Joel, by the way. I'll take you to him in a minute, but first I'd really like to know how you ended up behind that glass. Will you tell me? Please?”

He tried his best to sound sweet and amiable. He didn't want the girl to become scared of him.

Nodding, she smiled and her red iris eyes seemed to light up as if she now had a new found trust in him. She mixed her words quite a bit while trying to explain to Joel how she was captured, but he did the best he could to pick the facts out of her story. Her fluency in his language floundered when she was panicked or rushed, it seemed.

She was playing with friends when they all entered the mansion grounds. When Joel cut in about the fence surrounding the parameter she did not seem to know what he meant. They found the front door open and entered but something happened and an angry person started shouting at them. Her friends ran away leaving her with him. After that she remembered nothing apart from waking up in the dark cave with the glass blocking her way out. The person of which she spoke was Monter. When she reached that part of her story she began to cry again and called him a horrible old fool, mimicking a taunt Artemis must have used at some point.

“I’m sorry for making you remember that. Your dad must be waiting, right? Let’s get going,” Joel said, offering her a hand from the desk.

She accepted and continued holding Joel’s hand as they made their way back down the long cavern to the elevator he had used to reach the floor. As they went, Joel could not shake the feeling that they were being watched. He could not be sure where it was from, perhaps it was one of the creatures trapped in the cages, but it felt dark and powerful. It was an Aura that fluctuated from nothing more than a flicker to considerably large and then back down to nothing. Stopping in his tracks, he closed his eyes and sensed about him. Whatever was watching them was coming closer, from the direction they had walked. Turning to Leena he dropped to one knee again before talking swiftly.

“Leena, a little further down this cave is a big door that leads to an elevator - use it to get back up into the mansion and then run straight home, alright?”

“What about you?” she questioned.

“I just need to finish something up. Say hi to your dad for me, okay?” he smiled.

With that she began to walk on without him. He encouraged her to move with haste and she quickly broke into a run. He turned to face the direction he came and waited as the fluctuating Aura got closer. A normal person’s Aura remained dormant and was not visible to any other normal person, nor did it give a person power comparable to a Destined.

Monter’s Aura was surprisingly dark, far too dark for a normal person. Joel’s curiosity had gotten the better of him once again; he wanted to see Monter and to find out what he thought he was doing collected animals and people for his zoo.

From the shadows a figure appeared. It was an old Sarentian male who walked with a hobble and supported himself with a small wooden stick. He was wrapped in a long, dirty brown cloth and had a large white beard. He shuffled a few more steps forwards before struggling to raise his head to look at Joel.

“So, are you Monter?” Joel asked abruptly.

“Yes, I am,” he responded in a gritty voice.

Though on the exterior Monter appeared to be helpless and old, Joel trusted his feelings - there was more to the Sarentian than what he saw before him now. No elderly person could have created the zoo or library and its books. No, this was not an ordinary person before him now. As he thought to himself, Monter suddenly dropped his cane to the floor and stretched to full height.

“I see my guise is not fooling you,” he said more prudent and strong than before. “Yes, I am Monter and this is my home. Why do you invade it?”

“…Home?” Joel asked mockingly. “Are you twisted, old man? What exactly do you think you’re doing here? Making a zoo and kidnapping small girls?”

The old Sarentian laughed to himself and looked back down the passage to the smashed pane where Joel had found Leena. He then turned to his books before stroking his long white beard.

“The girl was not needed. I have collected all the information I require from the average Sarentian male and female specimens…perhaps you saw the bone samples? Did you know the male skeletal structure and female differ in over five separate locations and that they both have three more bones than an Atraian male?”

“To be honest, I don’t care,” he replied coldly. “You locked that girl up and kept her prisoner. That is a crime and you will be punished for it. Come with me without a fuss and I promise not to hurt you.”

Monter's expression turned dark, “My...you Destined are as arrogant as I imagined.”

Joel was suddenly silenced by his words as a rain of confusion came down upon him. How did Monter know about the Destined? The old Sarentian smiled, knowing that he had caught him by surprise. Slowly reaching into the brown tattered cloak around him, Monter revealed a dark colored hardback book with no distinguishing features on the cover. He began to recite passages from it. They were details about the Destined, starting with the fall of Yggdrasil. Eventually it got to the final battle of Atra, where many thousands of people died directly or indirectly because of the Sect and Destined.

“Atra was attacked by undead, whether we were there or not it would still have been attacked. If you're trying to make me feel guilty, you're barking up the wrong tree. I am curious how you know all this though, if you are just a humble researcher.”

The old man tutted, “I know not how this information was collected; I was simply given it and ordered to research it. At first I was skeptical, but now it seems that it is all true. Truly it is astonishing. Demons such as yourself do walk on our land, soiling it as you go.”

“We protect those who can’t protect themselves and we will stop the invading armies,” Joel retorted.

“...And you have certainly done a good job of that, haven’t you?” he taunted back. “There is no difference between you and them; you are all born from the same evil. The people of this world do not need beings such as you as we will defend ourselves. Now, I must collect more data so that I can formulate the report for my anonymous benefactor.”

The book vanished from Monter’s hand as he stretched out his arm and pointed at Joel. He began to chant and an intense gust of wind was summoned that struck him, knocking him backwards onto the ground. Joel immediately flipped backwards onto his feet and dodged a second attack. A ring of fire erupted around the Destined and began to close in on him. Joel formed a cross shape with his arms in front of his face before crying out loudly, causing an enormous white flame to appear around him, the circle of fire was blown back and extinguished instantly by the immense pressure exerted by his Aura. Joel moved his hand in a vertical line as a white light shined, forming into a white bladed sword.

“You are a strong mage, old man. I'll give you that. But I am far beyond your level. Back down. This is your only warning,” he demanded.

“I shall show you the price of arrogance you impudent boy!”

A ball of fire shot from Monter’s palm as he continued to mutter chants. Joel’s figure vanished in a flicker and appeared behind the old Sarentian. With a mighty swipe Joel brought his glorious white blade down on the figure, only to find it cut through nothing but air.

Surely he’s not faster than me!?

The old man stood next to one of the glass barriers laughing at him. Joel gritted his teeth and appeared next to him, only to strike through the glass and missing Monter completely. A ferocious brown furred beast leapt from the smashed glass, taking Joel to the ground and standing atop him. Its jaws opened as saliva dripped from its fangs onto his face.

Roaring with rage, Joel stabbed his sword into the chest of the beast before kicking it off him and back into the darkness it had come from. As he stood up, he grimaced as he felt along his face and wiped the beast’s saliva off. He then turned to face his right just in time to be stuck meters backwards by a mighty blast of wind. Striking the cave wall near to the door leading to the elevator, Joel landed on bended knee. His arm had cuts and gashes along it from the lashing the wind had given him.

He saw from the corner of his eye that Monter was standing next to him. He twisted around a full one hundred eighty degrees and kicked high with his foot, but the figure was gone and his boot smashed into the cave wall causing it to shudder from the blow. Joel moved using his instantaneous speed striking Monter everywhere he seemed to appear, but each time he would be a second too slow.

Damn it! How can he be faster than me?! It’s not possible! He cursed to himself. Unless…

As Joel struck the next image he swiped his hand sideways. He felt nothing but air. When the next appeared his figure flickered next to it, but he did not attack. The image stood and laughed at him but he did not strike out. Slowly, he moved his hand level with Monter’s head and tried to pat him. As he touched the head the image vanished.

“It’s a shadow, nothing more. Show yourself, coward!” he cried out.

The door to the elevator opened and Monter walked into the cavern, holding a black sphere in hand. It disappeared into a equally black vapor as the old Sarentian formed a fist.

He hissed, “You saw through my trick sooner than I thought. Well done.”

Not giving Joel time to comment, the old man raised his hand and sent another wave of wind at him. A white flame consumed Joel once again as he let Monter fire a few more blasts off, which did not affect him at all. A table in the library section of the room rose from the ground and flew towards him, but it was pushed back as he raised his hand towards it. As the two forces struggled for dominance, the desk snapped and shattered under the pressure. Its remains then fell to the floor.

Moments later, Joel appeared in front of Monter and grabbed him by the throat and lifted him inches off the ground with ease. The old Sarentian was laughing at him again, but this was the real person and not a shadow. He seemed to be looking over Joel’s shoulder. Slowly, he turned to see a white sphere floating in the air above him.

“A white magic sphere, what is that…?” Joel asked.

The white sphere began to emit a bright light which increased in magnitude, so much so that Joel had no choice but to drop Monter and shield his eyes from it. As Joel rubbed his eyes he was catapulted upwards into the roof by another forceful blow from Monter’s elemental magic. The floor became brittle rubble as his body pushed through it. He continued to be battered upwards before dropping back down onto the floor of the cavern above the one he had just been in. Monter floated up through the hole formed by the Destined and stood a few meters ahead of him.

“Well...” Joel coughed and then spat out blood, “I haven’t been this angry in a long time.”

“This is the floor dedicated to Atra, it is somewhat lax in detail and specimens due to the war, but I hope you will help me complete my catalog!”

Flames of white Aura around Joel’s body grew larger and stronger and the ground began to upturn and crack from the force. The whole cavern began to shake violently, as if scared by the display of raw power. Monter looked from left to right as his face dropped. He began to beg Joel to stop, for fear that his specimens or records would be lost. The Destined continued to summon power; he did not care what happened to the old Sarentian’s precious zoo.

Monter was twisted; that much was clear. He had kidnapped a little girl and held her captive, tried to kill him with his knights and set wild beasts on him. It was doubtful any other Guild members or knights in Utada would be able to handle him. There was only one fate for Monter that was safe and acceptable and that was death.

“I was holding back because you were old, but I can’t let this continue. Plus…you got me mad. Prepare yourself, Monter!” Joel cried.

From the glass pane of the cage on Joel’s right a black shadow passed through it like vapor and shot straight to the other end of the cavern. Joel dropped do his knees, grasping his chest and coughing violently. The Aura around him extinguished itself immediately. The black cloud appeared again, materializing through one of the book shelves and hovered behind Monter.

“Damn it...a Wraith…” Joel cursed between gasps.

“Yes, a fine specimen of a gaseous spectral anomaly. Deceased Brood can become these dark demons to serve their successor and many who have studied them believed it was through mind control that they were dominated, but I discovered the truth. Collecting the ashes of the physical form it once possessed and dropping ones blood into a pot of it seals it to you so that you can control it. So, you see, unlike most would have you believe Wraiths are created forcefully. They are mindless slaves, like the automatons Brood use to do their bidding… It is comparable to…”

A huge screech erupted from the Wraith as it began to twist and rive in immense agony. From the bottom of its swaying form the dark mist which made up its body began to evaporate into dust. Monter watched in horror as all its body and even its huge clawed talons turned to grit on the ground.

“How…?” Monter stuttered with shock. “How did you do that to my Wraith!?”

“…I guess…” Joel stuttered as he tried to stand to his feet, but fell back to his knees, “...I guess your demon…couldn't handle the immense heat of…my Aura, they are weak against fire…didn’t your studies find…that out?”

Monter was furious now and shoved Joel’s helpless body backwards into the cave wall with another blast of elemental magic. As he brought his hands to the base of his stomach he chanted another incantation forming a sparking dark cloud in his hand that rumbled with the sound of thunder. A bolt of lighting fired from it, striking Joel's upper left shoulder and corkscrewing his body backwards into the wall. The tanned shirt he wore turned to tatters and dropped to the floor along with body, exposing bruised and bloodied skin. As Joel stumbled to his feet a desk smashed into his side knocking him down once again.

“I am a master mage in all elements, you cannot hope to defeat me now Destined!” Monter cackled, his voice echoing through the dreary cavern.

The old Sarentian mage began chanting again as daggers crafted out of ice formed in front of his body. Joel gritted his teeth as he found the strength to leap sideways as they shot forwards, smashing into the rock wall and shattering. However, he could not move with his usual speed due to the effects of the Wraith and was caught by the last dagger as it pierced his lower shin. He rolled to a stop and tugged the ice dagger from his leg before crushing it in his hand.

“You’ll have to…do better…than that…”.

Continuing his assault, Monter knocked Joel backwards again then through the glass protecting the cave the Wraith had hidden in. After tugging him from the smashed glass using the wind elemental attack, Joel was tossed up into the air and smashed back into the ground forming a small crater. The rocks on the cavern roof began to shake as a large section of it was tugged free from the rest, controlled by Monter’s chants and hand movements.

Dust dropped down the sides of the huge chunk of stone onto the helpless Destined below as he stared up at the rock. He could not move anymore or recover enough strength to withstand a boulder that size. He had been careless and far too over confident and he realized that now.

Damn it…not like this…

The rock plummeted towards him, picking up speed as it went.

“Stop, Monter!” a voice called.

Sitting inches above Joel’s forehead, the rock swayed in the air. A tall figure wrapped in a similar brown cloak to the mage approached Monter from the shadows and placed a hand on the old man's shoulder before putting his mouth to his ear.

“I see,” Monter mumbled with a look of annoyance eventually. “You were lucky, Destined. Had he arrived a second later, you would already be dead.”

The boulder flew sideways and came to a stop next to Joel's helpless body. The figure that had stopped Monter from striking seemed familiar. Though the face was hidden the stature and costume matched that of the one who had stolen his journals. He could not be sure it was the same person, but the likeness was almost exact. They both walked forwards and looked down at him. He tried to stand and was instantly kicked down.

“So he did survive the poison - look there,” the clocked figure said, pointing to Joel’s exposed shoulder.

The faintly green scar left by the poison had almost faded but some marks still remained. Monter seemed to take an interest and mentioned something about his notes. Joel’s consciousness was swaying and the dialog became distorted. They seemed to be talking about a metal cage and someone who had been in it before. Joel felt himself being lifted up by the shoulders before receiving a few strong punches to the gut and face to ensure he was truly down for the count.

“We need to make sure he cannot summon his Aura,” the figure ordered.

“Yes, we do not want to make the mistake we made with Deus,” Monter replied.

********

Xavier entered the blacksmith shop and sighed to himself with immense satisfaction. He enjoyed the liveliness of the market place of Utada. There was nothing like that in his homeland, no markets, no shops, there was no need for such things. Nor was there need for weapons or amours so he was always happy to see the latest designs of all of them. The way Atraians, Sarentians and other races lived had also appealed to his curiosity, just as it had to Esmeleda. However, she took her interest too far and it ultimately led to her becoming one of them. Though he enjoyed watching them live out their lives, he could not imagine himself as one of them again.

There seemed to be raised voices from the room beyond the shop floor, someone was crying and another was exclaiming their delight. A short Dau male poked his head around the side of the door and noticed the waiting patron. He called to others in the back room before wiping his eyes and hailing Xavier.

“Restolen de tresmala? How may I help you today?” the Dau asked, speaking both Sarentian and Atraian.

“You seem in good spirits,” Xavier noted.

“Truly, my colleague’s daughter has been returned to him after being missing for some time. It is a miracle! I only wish the one who helped her would return to claim his reward, but he hasn't.”

“Oh,” Xavier said in reply. “What happened to the one who saved her?”

“I don’t know. He was a brave man hailing from Atra. He left his things here and went to the old mansion on the cliff to find her, asking only that I restore a broken sword in his possession as a reward. Leena, the girl he saved, says he stayed behind but that was a few hours ago and he still hasn't returned. Apparently there is some kind of zoo up there and she was put in a cage! Monter truly is mad. We have reported this to the Guild…hopefully they will put an end to his mysterious ways.”

The Dau’s news left Xavier unsettled. He bid the blacksmith good day and left the shop. The test had been passed, the daughter had been successfully saved, but Joel was meant to safely return with her. If he had fought with Monter there would have been no question that he would win, unless a trap had been laid for him. He would suffer during the battle, that much was a certainty, but would win in the end - that is what he foresaw. Esmeleda’s warning stung at his thoughts; had she been right? Had Joel been killed in the battle?

If that had indeed happened then it confirmed the fears of the council regarding an outside presence helping Monter in his research. Joel was meant to battle Monter, be injured but survive and return with Leena. That was the plan. Xavier was not allowed to intervene with the actions of the Destined yet, other than explaining the tests set out by the council, so even if Joel was in danger his hands were tied.

If it was as the council feared, the Destined would most likely be held prisoner in order to discover more weaknesses, but it was also possible that Esmeleda was correct in her prediction. Perhaps he had been killed some how by the old mage. If that was the case things had gone horribly wrong and yet he could not shake the feeling that this chaos had an order to it. Had the council played into someone’s hands by splitting up the surviving Destined?

“I cannot think such things,” Xavier muttered out loud. “I must trust in the foresight of the council.”

Regardless of Joel’s fate, he now had to move onto Leon’s test as per the orders of his superiors.

He would follow his orders, but with a heavy heart.

 

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