General Art The Dreamscape
- Thread starter Myriadviper42
- Start date
blue-eyes
Phoenix
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2010
- Location
- Among the stars
Agreed. And I have a few theories about this story, but I can't be sure. I'll Pm you them so you know.
Myriadviper42
Fulcrum Agent
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2010
- Location
- Control
Chapter 11: In the Presence Of His Majesty King Aeriam The Third
"I'm sorry?"
Michael shuffled around nervously. Bad news was never good, but of course that was obvious. Rauil was not one to take failure lightly, but Michael knew that he was far too valuable for Rauil to kill. After all, he needed his council. They spread his Influence when he could not do so personally, and most of the entirety of the army was Influenced by either Rauil, his council, and King Erum. All of them, with the exception of Awakened soldiers. And he couldn't afford to break the control over any Awakened soldiers.
"The scroll is now presumably in the hands of Morias. He will most likely return to Aeriam and help him prepare his defenses." Michael readied his mental defenses. He wasn't sure if Rauil would attack him or not, but he couldn't afford to be wrong. To his surprise, Rauil shrugged, dismissing the matter with a hand gesture.
"No matter, no matter. We'll reach Aeriam's castle soon enough."
"The entire city is built into a mountain. They'll be able to see our approach from all sides, but I suppose we don't really need subtlety."
Rauil chuckled. "I wish I could just will the castle to explode. However, that would drain far too much of my energy and leave me very, very vulnerable. But no matter. I don't care that they have the plans. We're too far ahead of them for that." Michael laughed silently in his head.
He bowed and left the room. Gabriella slipped up next to him. Over the past several days, she'd done her best to infuriate him about his injuries. The doofus who'd done this to him would pay in time, but Michael had gotten over the initial rage reaction when he had first received the injury. Thanks to Awakened healing techniques, his face had slowly begun its healing process, but it was slow. Gabriella wasn't helping matters either. Balthen had done nothing to help him, and Castor had quietly egged her on-which made Michael believe that something was going on between the two of them.
"Did the big, bad leader put you in your place this time? 'Cause you look pretty bad after that...oh wait."
Michael looked calmly at her. "You know he didn't. How could he?"
She smirked. "True enough. What's interesting....." She put her arm around his shoulder, which he slapped. "....is that you were always this disgustingly good-natured guy. And now you're quite moody, to say the least."
A growl rose in Michael's throat. He turned towards her and, using both arms, slammed her into the wall, causing it to crack. He glared at her. "My suggestion, Gabriella, is that you shut the **** up before you get hurt."
A smirk passed Gabriella's face, and Michael's hands began to burn, and Gabriella screamed, clutching her shoulders. The smell of singed flesh tainted the air, and she looked in horror at her burnt skin. A scream rose from her and she lunged for his throat. He barely dodged her knife, which was midroute to slitting his throat. He unsheathed his broadsword, and aimed for her neck. He wasn't concerned with what the boss would think, what Balthen or Castor would think. He just wanted to rid himself of this sadistic pain in his back once and for all. Gabriella laughed and met his blade with her knives, and suddenly, the sword blade melted off of the hilt, and Michael stood there in horror. Gabriella dropped the knives and started punching, pure, unadulterated punching with no Awakened powers involved.
He tried, time after time, to fight back, but she was far too powerful. She slammed him against the wall before spinning him to the ground and stamping on his face. She kept sadistically assaulting him, and he was crying, screaming, and then suddenly Gabriella screamed, and was flung back into a wall. Castor stood there, his face uncharacteristically filled with fury. He turned towards Gabriella and she felt paralyzed, like she couldn't move. He hissed, and turned towards Michael, helping the sobbing, pitiful figure up.
"The boss will hear about this, ok? This will not go unpunished." Michael screamed, spit flying, and Gabriella stared at him. They had known each other for months, years even, and he had always been sane. Had that just belied his crazy nature? Or had Gabriella done that to him? Whatever the reason, his behavior terrified her.
"GET HER OUT! I DESPISE HER! SHE CARES NOTHING FOR THE PLAN!" Castor calmly, and with uncharacteristic concern, shushed him and escorted him towards the healing room. When he turned to face Gabriella, however, his face was filled with rage, and Gabriella wondered if his unruffled demeanor was a mask as well. He grabbed her by the shoulders, holding her to the wall.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Gabriella?" he asked quietly, and Gabriella was afraid. "Was it just too much to resist? Could you have not just kept your damn mouth shut? Now Michael is close to broken, and now I have to fix him. And I don't want to throw you out. You know that."
She grimaced. "I'm sorry, Cas. It's just like you said-too much to resist."
"You know, half of your statement is true."
"Oh?"
"It was too much to resist." His eyes hardened, and his glare sent shivers up Gabriella's spine. "But you are not sorry."
Her grimace turned into a smirk. "True enough." Castor let her go, and she fell to her knees. Castor crouched down beside her, his face blank. "Get your act together, at least until Phase 2, ok?" She clenched her fists and nodded. He turned and kissed her, and then stood up. He walked away, and Gabriella's hands loosened.
Castor could be a real prick sometimes, she thought without any sense of irony, and stood up and dusted herself off.
*****
I slowly wake in the medical wing of the island. My back really hurts, and I remember breaking a couple of my ribs. Ah, yes. Lucien the snake. I still have no idea what his problem is, and I'm no closer to figuring it out after a second encounter with him. All I know is that he's powerful-even for an Awakened. That green energy shockwave? I've never seen anything like that before. I can't fight what I can't understand, which is why I was so focused on fighting Rauil-I can understand him.
I glance around and see Morias sitting in a chair beside my bed. He nods curtly, and I turn to the side to see Waide sleeping in the bed beside me. He looks worse for wear, that fight he had must have really taken his toll on him.
"Is he-"
"He's ok, but he's going to need a lot of time here. Luke and Jeyne were less severe cases-they've already checked themselves out of here."
I sigh in relief. "Good. So did they tell you what happened?"
"Yep. The whole thing. You guys found the book, however, Lucien attacked you, and you sent him plummeting into the chasm-at the expense of the entire structure."
"What?"
"The bridge was holding the two sides together. Afterwards, both sides fell into the chasm, and any hope we might have had of obtaining information from that place was lost."
"Did Jeyne get-"
"Of course! She got the freaking spell, and I'm going to fill you in on our plan. Oh, just so you know, Henry's mission was successful. They found the scroll and now here's the plan. Around twnety of us are going to appear to Aeriam and explain the situation. Then, when he agrees, we help him defend from Rauil's forces, stalling for time while our circle performs the Influence-breaking spell. Once that's over, we take Rauil and his council. Without his men, he should be considerably weakened. Then we get this whole business over with. Sound like a good plan to you?"
I nod. "How did it go stalling Rauil?"
"Counterproductive. Our hit and run tactics caused them just to send a small force to take us out while picking up the pace for the rest of them. The men who attacked us were Awakened, so they just were teleported back to the main force." He sighs. "Either way, they'll be at Rauil's castle in a matter of days, so we need to talk to Rauil. In fact, I've been waiting for you."
"You've been waiting for me?"
"Yep. You're coming with us. Jeyne told me about how you dispatched Lucien."
"I don't think I killed him though."
"I know you didn't." I try to stand up, and he helps me, and I look at the bandages on me. I look back to Waide to see Alden in the next bunk over. "What happened to him?"
"He nearly drowned." I decide not to pursue the matter, and I start walking. Morias walks alongside me, making sure I'm okay, and we reach the meeting room where a group of about twenty Awakened wait. I walk over next to my usual friends, and Luke smiles dopily (is that even a word?) when he sees me. I can't help but smile back, and Morias takes to the front of the room, addressing all twenty-three Awakened in the room.
"Ladies and gentlemen. As you all well know, Rauil is marching on the capital in an attempt to take King Aeriam's life. Such an event would throw everything out of balance for good, and we cannot let that happen. Therefore, we will be transported to Aeriam's castle to warn him and help him prepare. I assume there are no questions, and I assume you know some of you will not make it out alive. You have thirty minutes tosay your goodbyes. May the Overseer be watching over us." He steps back and the five elders hobble into the room, and people begin talking and others leaving the room. I slip out with the rest and head back to the hospital wing.
Waide and Alden are awake now, and they both acknowledge my presence as I walk into the room. "I know that I was a jerk to you at first," Waide says, "but I assure you I wish you the best of luck. Bring Rauil down."
I nod. "Thanks guys. I will, don't worry." I smile cheerily and leave the room. My smile drops. I try not to think about the fact that this might be the last time I see them. People mill around nervously, and I spot Prain leaning against a wall. I move over towards him. He was a nice person, an effective instructor. He deserves a goodbye as well. I turn towards him, and he begins to speak.
"I assume you've come to say goodbye?"
I nod. "You're a good teacher. I destroyed an entire bridge thanks to that lightning technique you taught me." He grins, and I remember several days ago when I had first summoned lightning. I'd nearly killed him, but he took it all in stride and taught me how to break a structure using it. That proved to be how I got rid of Lucien-I'm still not convinced he's dead.
"Well, I would wish you luck, but I know you won't need it." A glint comes into his eye. "And once you get Rauil out of the way, we can get back to work on how to not kill me." I grin and shake his hand. It's about time to return to the meeting room. I'm about to head in when that one kid runs up to me and gives me a hug. I'm surprised, but I hug him back and he laughs. He runs away, laughing. I wish I was his age sometimes-not a care in the world. I head inside and sit down next to Henry and Jeyne. Morias calls for attention.
"Okay, so I assume we're all ready to personally drag Rauil to our own personal hell?" There's a resounding cheer, and Morias grins. "All right then! Elders, if you would..." Once more, they hold their hands up and I close my eyes. I feel the all too familiar sensation of being jerked away from reality (then again, reality is a dream) and I open my eyes. We're in the middle of a town, and people scream as they see us materialize out of thin air. I look around to see that we're right in front of Aeriam's castle, and I smirk. If Rauil wasn't so reliant on non-Awakened troops, he could just blink and be here. As it is, he needs manpower, and even Awakened have their limits.
So we have a couple of days to prepare. A quick glance tells me that this town and the castle are built into a mountain, a tactical advantage. In order to reach the village itself, they would have to climb. A lot. A distinct advantage. I hear guards in the castle yelling and suddenly there are a multitude of bows pointed at us, and we all raise our hands in surrender. Morias steps forward, looking up at the one who appeared to be the leader. "Greetings. We need to see King Aeriam immediately in concerns to his health and the health of everyone here."
"What's going on?"
"Rauil is two days away from here and we have a way to help you."
The gate opens, and we are escorted in. I feel quite nervous, despite taking jobs from the royal family before, I've never met with the king personally. I'm not sure what to expect. Who will it be, the king fallen from grace, unfairly accused by the Insurrection? Or the greedy picture they paint of them? We are led inside, bows still at the ready. We're led through the halls and I glance around at the lavish nature of the castle. The door to the throne room opens and we are led inside, and I see King Aeriam the Third for the first time.
He's short, surprisingly short, but younger than I was led to believe. He is quite muscular despite his height, and his black hair is long and combed, and his beard trimmed. There are dark circles under his eyes and his finers drum on the hilt of his sword, never stopping. Perhaps at one point he was an impressive figure, but now, with all the pressure he's been through, he looks a bit haggard despite his general neatness. There's an uncertainty in his eyes that gives away his indecisiveness, and his weakness-both exploited by Rauil and the Insurrection. I see it all, but I also see that the honorable king is still in there somewhere. He clears his throat and he speaks.
"And who might you people be?"
Morias steps forward. "Before I begin, you must realize something. You are aware, of course, that the world we are living in is a dream?"
"Yes. Of course. Why wouldn't I?"
"Most common people don't, at least among the common populace. At one point, Awakened were seen as sorcerors and witches, and were often hanged as a result. And you want to know what? All of us are Awakened, I at their head. I am Morias. When I was a child, my siblings and I all had that power. However, while I kept mine a secret, they did not, and were reported as witches. They were hanged, just like the rest. And for a time I resented the world. I imagine that Rauil has gone through something similar. However, I do not hold anything against you, or anyone for that matter. In fact, I am here to help you."
Aeriam listens with uncertainty, and I look at Morias. Is this how he had come to control the island? Aeriam clears his throat. "Erm, yes. Well, thank you for warning us about Rauil, but what exactly are you doing here?"
A wry smile from Morias. "We're here to help you fight. The majority of Rauil's troops are under a subtle little spell. I assume you've heard of Influence." Aeriam nods, and Morias motions for Jeyne to come to the front. "Well, we've found a countermeasure. Jeyne here will lead a circle that will break all Influence over his troops. Then, it will be relatively easy to take care of Rauil."
"How long should it take?"
"Three hours. Which is why we need to gather as many troops as possible and keep the people safe. I say that you keep half of the townsfolk in here, and the other half in that fort about two days travel from here."
Aeriam flushes. "How did you...that fort is...it's SECRET! How did you find out about that?"
Morias shrugs. "I have my ways. So, what do you say?"
Aeriam steps towards Morias, and puts an arm on his shoulder. "I say...thank you. Let's blow Rauil to hell."
"I'm sorry?"
Michael shuffled around nervously. Bad news was never good, but of course that was obvious. Rauil was not one to take failure lightly, but Michael knew that he was far too valuable for Rauil to kill. After all, he needed his council. They spread his Influence when he could not do so personally, and most of the entirety of the army was Influenced by either Rauil, his council, and King Erum. All of them, with the exception of Awakened soldiers. And he couldn't afford to break the control over any Awakened soldiers.
"The scroll is now presumably in the hands of Morias. He will most likely return to Aeriam and help him prepare his defenses." Michael readied his mental defenses. He wasn't sure if Rauil would attack him or not, but he couldn't afford to be wrong. To his surprise, Rauil shrugged, dismissing the matter with a hand gesture.
"No matter, no matter. We'll reach Aeriam's castle soon enough."
"The entire city is built into a mountain. They'll be able to see our approach from all sides, but I suppose we don't really need subtlety."
Rauil chuckled. "I wish I could just will the castle to explode. However, that would drain far too much of my energy and leave me very, very vulnerable. But no matter. I don't care that they have the plans. We're too far ahead of them for that." Michael laughed silently in his head.
He bowed and left the room. Gabriella slipped up next to him. Over the past several days, she'd done her best to infuriate him about his injuries. The doofus who'd done this to him would pay in time, but Michael had gotten over the initial rage reaction when he had first received the injury. Thanks to Awakened healing techniques, his face had slowly begun its healing process, but it was slow. Gabriella wasn't helping matters either. Balthen had done nothing to help him, and Castor had quietly egged her on-which made Michael believe that something was going on between the two of them.
"Did the big, bad leader put you in your place this time? 'Cause you look pretty bad after that...oh wait."
Michael looked calmly at her. "You know he didn't. How could he?"
She smirked. "True enough. What's interesting....." She put her arm around his shoulder, which he slapped. "....is that you were always this disgustingly good-natured guy. And now you're quite moody, to say the least."
A growl rose in Michael's throat. He turned towards her and, using both arms, slammed her into the wall, causing it to crack. He glared at her. "My suggestion, Gabriella, is that you shut the **** up before you get hurt."
A smirk passed Gabriella's face, and Michael's hands began to burn, and Gabriella screamed, clutching her shoulders. The smell of singed flesh tainted the air, and she looked in horror at her burnt skin. A scream rose from her and she lunged for his throat. He barely dodged her knife, which was midroute to slitting his throat. He unsheathed his broadsword, and aimed for her neck. He wasn't concerned with what the boss would think, what Balthen or Castor would think. He just wanted to rid himself of this sadistic pain in his back once and for all. Gabriella laughed and met his blade with her knives, and suddenly, the sword blade melted off of the hilt, and Michael stood there in horror. Gabriella dropped the knives and started punching, pure, unadulterated punching with no Awakened powers involved.
He tried, time after time, to fight back, but she was far too powerful. She slammed him against the wall before spinning him to the ground and stamping on his face. She kept sadistically assaulting him, and he was crying, screaming, and then suddenly Gabriella screamed, and was flung back into a wall. Castor stood there, his face uncharacteristically filled with fury. He turned towards Gabriella and she felt paralyzed, like she couldn't move. He hissed, and turned towards Michael, helping the sobbing, pitiful figure up.
"The boss will hear about this, ok? This will not go unpunished." Michael screamed, spit flying, and Gabriella stared at him. They had known each other for months, years even, and he had always been sane. Had that just belied his crazy nature? Or had Gabriella done that to him? Whatever the reason, his behavior terrified her.
"GET HER OUT! I DESPISE HER! SHE CARES NOTHING FOR THE PLAN!" Castor calmly, and with uncharacteristic concern, shushed him and escorted him towards the healing room. When he turned to face Gabriella, however, his face was filled with rage, and Gabriella wondered if his unruffled demeanor was a mask as well. He grabbed her by the shoulders, holding her to the wall.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Gabriella?" he asked quietly, and Gabriella was afraid. "Was it just too much to resist? Could you have not just kept your damn mouth shut? Now Michael is close to broken, and now I have to fix him. And I don't want to throw you out. You know that."
She grimaced. "I'm sorry, Cas. It's just like you said-too much to resist."
"You know, half of your statement is true."
"Oh?"
"It was too much to resist." His eyes hardened, and his glare sent shivers up Gabriella's spine. "But you are not sorry."
Her grimace turned into a smirk. "True enough." Castor let her go, and she fell to her knees. Castor crouched down beside her, his face blank. "Get your act together, at least until Phase 2, ok?" She clenched her fists and nodded. He turned and kissed her, and then stood up. He walked away, and Gabriella's hands loosened.
Castor could be a real prick sometimes, she thought without any sense of irony, and stood up and dusted herself off.
*****
I slowly wake in the medical wing of the island. My back really hurts, and I remember breaking a couple of my ribs. Ah, yes. Lucien the snake. I still have no idea what his problem is, and I'm no closer to figuring it out after a second encounter with him. All I know is that he's powerful-even for an Awakened. That green energy shockwave? I've never seen anything like that before. I can't fight what I can't understand, which is why I was so focused on fighting Rauil-I can understand him.
I glance around and see Morias sitting in a chair beside my bed. He nods curtly, and I turn to the side to see Waide sleeping in the bed beside me. He looks worse for wear, that fight he had must have really taken his toll on him.
"Is he-"
"He's ok, but he's going to need a lot of time here. Luke and Jeyne were less severe cases-they've already checked themselves out of here."
I sigh in relief. "Good. So did they tell you what happened?"
"Yep. The whole thing. You guys found the book, however, Lucien attacked you, and you sent him plummeting into the chasm-at the expense of the entire structure."
"What?"
"The bridge was holding the two sides together. Afterwards, both sides fell into the chasm, and any hope we might have had of obtaining information from that place was lost."
"Did Jeyne get-"
"Of course! She got the freaking spell, and I'm going to fill you in on our plan. Oh, just so you know, Henry's mission was successful. They found the scroll and now here's the plan. Around twnety of us are going to appear to Aeriam and explain the situation. Then, when he agrees, we help him defend from Rauil's forces, stalling for time while our circle performs the Influence-breaking spell. Once that's over, we take Rauil and his council. Without his men, he should be considerably weakened. Then we get this whole business over with. Sound like a good plan to you?"
I nod. "How did it go stalling Rauil?"
"Counterproductive. Our hit and run tactics caused them just to send a small force to take us out while picking up the pace for the rest of them. The men who attacked us were Awakened, so they just were teleported back to the main force." He sighs. "Either way, they'll be at Rauil's castle in a matter of days, so we need to talk to Rauil. In fact, I've been waiting for you."
"You've been waiting for me?"
"Yep. You're coming with us. Jeyne told me about how you dispatched Lucien."
"I don't think I killed him though."
"I know you didn't." I try to stand up, and he helps me, and I look at the bandages on me. I look back to Waide to see Alden in the next bunk over. "What happened to him?"
"He nearly drowned." I decide not to pursue the matter, and I start walking. Morias walks alongside me, making sure I'm okay, and we reach the meeting room where a group of about twenty Awakened wait. I walk over next to my usual friends, and Luke smiles dopily (is that even a word?) when he sees me. I can't help but smile back, and Morias takes to the front of the room, addressing all twenty-three Awakened in the room.
"Ladies and gentlemen. As you all well know, Rauil is marching on the capital in an attempt to take King Aeriam's life. Such an event would throw everything out of balance for good, and we cannot let that happen. Therefore, we will be transported to Aeriam's castle to warn him and help him prepare. I assume there are no questions, and I assume you know some of you will not make it out alive. You have thirty minutes tosay your goodbyes. May the Overseer be watching over us." He steps back and the five elders hobble into the room, and people begin talking and others leaving the room. I slip out with the rest and head back to the hospital wing.
Waide and Alden are awake now, and they both acknowledge my presence as I walk into the room. "I know that I was a jerk to you at first," Waide says, "but I assure you I wish you the best of luck. Bring Rauil down."
I nod. "Thanks guys. I will, don't worry." I smile cheerily and leave the room. My smile drops. I try not to think about the fact that this might be the last time I see them. People mill around nervously, and I spot Prain leaning against a wall. I move over towards him. He was a nice person, an effective instructor. He deserves a goodbye as well. I turn towards him, and he begins to speak.
"I assume you've come to say goodbye?"
I nod. "You're a good teacher. I destroyed an entire bridge thanks to that lightning technique you taught me." He grins, and I remember several days ago when I had first summoned lightning. I'd nearly killed him, but he took it all in stride and taught me how to break a structure using it. That proved to be how I got rid of Lucien-I'm still not convinced he's dead.
"Well, I would wish you luck, but I know you won't need it." A glint comes into his eye. "And once you get Rauil out of the way, we can get back to work on how to not kill me." I grin and shake his hand. It's about time to return to the meeting room. I'm about to head in when that one kid runs up to me and gives me a hug. I'm surprised, but I hug him back and he laughs. He runs away, laughing. I wish I was his age sometimes-not a care in the world. I head inside and sit down next to Henry and Jeyne. Morias calls for attention.
"Okay, so I assume we're all ready to personally drag Rauil to our own personal hell?" There's a resounding cheer, and Morias grins. "All right then! Elders, if you would..." Once more, they hold their hands up and I close my eyes. I feel the all too familiar sensation of being jerked away from reality (then again, reality is a dream) and I open my eyes. We're in the middle of a town, and people scream as they see us materialize out of thin air. I look around to see that we're right in front of Aeriam's castle, and I smirk. If Rauil wasn't so reliant on non-Awakened troops, he could just blink and be here. As it is, he needs manpower, and even Awakened have their limits.
So we have a couple of days to prepare. A quick glance tells me that this town and the castle are built into a mountain, a tactical advantage. In order to reach the village itself, they would have to climb. A lot. A distinct advantage. I hear guards in the castle yelling and suddenly there are a multitude of bows pointed at us, and we all raise our hands in surrender. Morias steps forward, looking up at the one who appeared to be the leader. "Greetings. We need to see King Aeriam immediately in concerns to his health and the health of everyone here."
"What's going on?"
"Rauil is two days away from here and we have a way to help you."
The gate opens, and we are escorted in. I feel quite nervous, despite taking jobs from the royal family before, I've never met with the king personally. I'm not sure what to expect. Who will it be, the king fallen from grace, unfairly accused by the Insurrection? Or the greedy picture they paint of them? We are led inside, bows still at the ready. We're led through the halls and I glance around at the lavish nature of the castle. The door to the throne room opens and we are led inside, and I see King Aeriam the Third for the first time.
He's short, surprisingly short, but younger than I was led to believe. He is quite muscular despite his height, and his black hair is long and combed, and his beard trimmed. There are dark circles under his eyes and his finers drum on the hilt of his sword, never stopping. Perhaps at one point he was an impressive figure, but now, with all the pressure he's been through, he looks a bit haggard despite his general neatness. There's an uncertainty in his eyes that gives away his indecisiveness, and his weakness-both exploited by Rauil and the Insurrection. I see it all, but I also see that the honorable king is still in there somewhere. He clears his throat and he speaks.
"And who might you people be?"
Morias steps forward. "Before I begin, you must realize something. You are aware, of course, that the world we are living in is a dream?"
"Yes. Of course. Why wouldn't I?"
"Most common people don't, at least among the common populace. At one point, Awakened were seen as sorcerors and witches, and were often hanged as a result. And you want to know what? All of us are Awakened, I at their head. I am Morias. When I was a child, my siblings and I all had that power. However, while I kept mine a secret, they did not, and were reported as witches. They were hanged, just like the rest. And for a time I resented the world. I imagine that Rauil has gone through something similar. However, I do not hold anything against you, or anyone for that matter. In fact, I am here to help you."
Aeriam listens with uncertainty, and I look at Morias. Is this how he had come to control the island? Aeriam clears his throat. "Erm, yes. Well, thank you for warning us about Rauil, but what exactly are you doing here?"
A wry smile from Morias. "We're here to help you fight. The majority of Rauil's troops are under a subtle little spell. I assume you've heard of Influence." Aeriam nods, and Morias motions for Jeyne to come to the front. "Well, we've found a countermeasure. Jeyne here will lead a circle that will break all Influence over his troops. Then, it will be relatively easy to take care of Rauil."
"How long should it take?"
"Three hours. Which is why we need to gather as many troops as possible and keep the people safe. I say that you keep half of the townsfolk in here, and the other half in that fort about two days travel from here."
Aeriam flushes. "How did you...that fort is...it's SECRET! How did you find out about that?"
Morias shrugs. "I have my ways. So, what do you say?"
Aeriam steps towards Morias, and puts an arm on his shoulder. "I say...thank you. Let's blow Rauil to hell."
*M i d n a*
Æsir Scribe
And I sure hope Rauil flies high after the explosion, but I have doubts that he will be beaten that easily. As always, good update, chap; I really enjoyed reading it. 
blue-eyes
Phoenix
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2010
- Location
- Among the stars
Somehow, I think it won't be as easy as they think it is. But great writing!!
Myriadviper42
Fulcrum Agent
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2010
- Location
- Control
Chapter 12: Siege
"Are we ready?"
Rauil unsheathed his sword, glancing over at the castle. Finally, the march was complete and they would begin the assault. The mountain was a slight problem, but not unsolvable. They would break through the village and fight their way to the castle. Most likely all of the villagers were being protected inside the castle or had been moved elsewhere. Most likely the latter, and he cursed under his breath. If he hadn't had to lug around the dead weight of his non-Awakened troops he could just blink and be inside the castle. As it was, he would just have to settle with moving more slowly.
As for his council, things seemed to be very contentious. Michael seemed to be losing his mental stability, and Gabriella seemed to be doing all she could to push him over the edge. Which was a pity, Michael had been a friendly guy to talk to, despite his wishy washy behavior. Gabriella had been reprimanded for her actions, although she certainly didn't seem sorry in the least. Balthen kept to himself and Castor seemed to enjoy machinating conflict. One big happy family.
"We're ready, Erum. Prepare your forces. The majority of us will break through the village while Awakened troops will scale the mountain. Are we clear?"
Erum nodded, in full battle armor for once. Having seen Aeriam personally, Rauil could see that Erum was the more confident and royal-looking of the two. He was well-liked by his people and was known for making good choices. Which is what separated the two kings, Rauil mused.
"Very well." Immediately, the troops began to march towards the town, preparing to storm the entrance. Crude, but effective. However, there was no need for yells. Every single soldier who was not Awakened was now linked psychically to Rauil and Erum. Castor, Gabriella, Michael, and Balthen were intermediaries. That required them to stay far, far away from each other, which was most likely a very good thing. Fights would not be tolerated under his rule, he thought to himself, and once more a pain pierced his head but he quickly got over it.
Castor would go with Rauil, Gabriella would lead the scaling troops, Michael would take care of reinforcements, and Balthen would hang back and use that bow ofh is to some use. His accuracy with the damn thing was devastating. That way there would be no infighting, and Rauil smiled as he saw troops preparing to fight. Spies had reported that Morias and around twenty Awakened had appeared to Aeriam some days ago and offered him their assistance. Their talents were wasted on a man like him. Now they would have to pay with their lives for choosing the losing side.
Cries rang out among the cold light of day. The enemy were engaged.
*****
I quickly run outside on top of the wall at the sound of battle cries. It's the break of dawn, and I see a large mass of troops surrounding the mountain, and the majority of them breaking through to the village. I quickly slip some light armor on, despite the fact that I don't really need it. However, facing Awakened, and Rauil himself is a different matter, and I can't afford to be overconfident. Rauil, Castor, Michael. All of them are here somewhere, along with two other council members. So it begins.
Luke runs down the hallway, hair a blond birds' nest, and quickly tries to get his armor on, messing up in just about every way possible, backwards, upside-down somehow, hitting himself in the face with it. I walk up to him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"You scared, big guy?"
"Y-yes...I'm scared. I might get died, of course I'm scared. A-and there's all those people down there...and a-all of them could kill me, andIcoulddieorgetmybuttkickedormyneckslicedopenormyfaceburntoffandIreallydon'twanttogetmyfaceburntoffpleasepleasepleasedon'tletthathapp-"
"Whoah! Calm down! Everything is going to be just...fine, ok? You. Are. Not. Going. To die. Thank you. Good night." He calms down, and looks at me.
"Sorry Rainheart. It's just...I'm nervous."
"I understand, buddy." An explosion, and Jeyne runs down the hallway. "Hey, Reinhart? I'm going to be part of the Awakened circle. Which means a couple of hours of concentrating, so I thought I'd say bye first."
I smile. "Bye." She hugs me and walks away, lightly tapping the sword at her belt. People are running to and fro, preparing, and I look outside to see that the guards are quickly being overwhelmed. I'm caught in a stream of people moving towards the entrance, and I spot Henry and Lia, and they smile at me. We're outside now, and Aeriam and Morias stand in full armor, Aeriam on horseback, Morias standing. Aeriam addresses the soldiers, and he seems to be trying to look confident, but he does not succeed. He looks about as confident as a fish in the desert. In other words, it looks like he's about to die.
He sighs, and closes his eyes. When he opens them, I see a new determination in them, and he raises a broadsword. "Let's show them hell!" We head to meet the enemy, who have entered the town and have started moving in. Metal on metal fills my ears and any ounce of rest is purged from me. I draw my sword, and see Luke on my right, Henry and Lia on my left. We meet each others' eyes and prepare ourselves. The first soldier to make the mistake of attacking me is decapitated. At one point I might have felt sympathy for him but I do not now. Now they are just animals.
Luke brings his arms down and suddenly the men closest to them drop to their knees, apparently bound by an increased gravity. He makes short work of them, making killing them look like dancing until he accidentally stabs himself in the foot. Henry punches one, sending him flying back into his friends, and Henry takes his chance, slicing and hacking. Flame surrounds his sword, which I would have found amazing had I not known how common a power it is among Awakened. Lia stops an attacker from stabbing him in the back, taking him by the hair and sending him flying into a wall.
Morias takes on about ten men at once, cutting precisely and accurately, never going out of control until they swarm him and he releases a miniature lightning storm. I jump about ten feet to the walls of the city and look outside. A graycloak and an indistinct figure in brown remain, and appear to be commanding the other forces. Is that Rauil? If so, he's a bit less dramatic than I expected.
"Look out!" A guard pushes me out of the way just as an arrow zooms past me, hitting him in the throat. Someone I never knew just sacrificed his life for me...I stifle a tear. Another arrow whips past me and I see the source. Standing on the other side of the wall is a grizzled, graycloaked figure. One of Rauil's council, and he brings back arrow after arrow, and as I examine, every arrow finds its mark, killing instantly. I jump towards him and he yells, and I punch him in the face. He drops the bow and unsheathes his sword, and brings it to mine. I slice at his leg but he easily knocks it aside.
He aims for my head but I duck, shooting flames at him. He yells, and is knocked over the wall and into the battle. Suddenly I am sent flying to the ground. He teleported back up. I stand. "What's your name?" he asks.
"My name's Reinhart..."
"Well, you're a good opponent, Reinhart. I'm Balthen. And I am truly sorry for this."
He blasts me with some form of red energy, similar to Lucien's green energy a couple of days ago. I'm knocked into the battle and the bow is in his hands again. He fires, and I telekinetically slam one of his own men into the way of the shot. I'm quickly attacked by more men and am overwhelmed, but several more soldiers fight them off. Suddenly they start screaming, hands covering their eyes, and they writhe in some unseen pain. A graycloak materializes in front of me, causing a minor explosion as he does so, and I am blown back. I stand up to amend my statement. It's a she.
She has long, dark red hair and a lithe pose, scanning the battle sadistically. Her eyes glint cruelly, and there are two long, deadly-looking daggers in each of her hands. She smirks at me. "Well if it isn't that pained nuisance who burned poor Michael's face off." I realize now that she is not talking to me. She's talking to Luke, who takes several strides towards her, katana held up and ready to block her strike.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Gabriella. Who are you, pup?"
"...." He mutters something indistinguishable.
"I'm sorry?"
"I am not a puppy!" He flings her back against the wall with a flick of his wrist, and she looks at him in shock as he charges at her. She laughs hysterically, and meets his strike with her two knives, and knees him in the balls. He falls over and I get up to help. I shoot lightning at Gabriella, and she is hit, sending her flying back. She closes her eyes and suddenly I am sent flying into the air, where I stay. Did she just turn off gravity?
She jumps into the air, intent on slitting my throat quickly. However, I use telekinesis to stop her slice before it is too late, and I punch her in the face, my punch being surrounded by fire. She's sent spiraling to the ground and I drop, cracking something on the stone. I see Morias jump up onto a food stand and send it crashing through the men. I see Henry and Lia, back to back, fighting off Balthen and his arrows. I see Luke slowly getting up, face contorted in pain. Then I see Aeriam. He rides over any man in his way, charging towards the gate. I need to protect him. He has no next of kin, no siblings, and he must not be allowed to die.
I quickly jump over to his location and he notices me. "What are you doing?"
"Making sure you don't die, of course. You're the king."
He smiles. "Finally someone notices." An archer nearly takes him out right then and there, however I raise a telekinetic shield just in time. I quickly run towards the archer and stab him in the chest. I quickly backflip back towards the king, who quickly takes out three men assaulting him. Perhaps I underestimated him, he's a capable fighter in his own right.
"Where are you going? Where are your men to guard you?"
"I'm going to find Rauil. Morias and five others were with me, but we got separated."
"So you're going to go after him alone?"
"...yeah, that was a stupid idea. You're here with me now, but could you find several more Awakened to help me?"
I nod. "Don't die."
He grins. "Don't worry."
I run back into the battle, slashing and stabbing when I can. I see Morias, and call out to him.
"How's the circle coming along?"
He closes his eyes in concentration, observing the circle currently held inside the castle. "Barely begun! What do you need!"
"Awakened troops! Aeriam's planning on confronting Rauil!"
"Does that man have a death wish?"
"Men please!"
Luke, Henry, and Lia turn up behind me. Henry sighs. "Reinhart. Let's protect the king, okay?" I nod. "Thanks guys." We run through the battle, all of us injured. However, we have the ability to slowly heal our wounds on our own, and that is helping us keep going. I look around the battle, taking in the bloodshed. An Insurrectionist splits open a soldier's head. Two soldiers gang up on an Insurrectionist and decapitate him. Battle is not glorious, not in the slightest. It is brutal and bloody, and I have an unfair advantage. But hell am I going to use it.
We reach Aeriam and he nods in approval. "Good. Let's kill that *******." He rides, but we still keep up with him easily, subtly warping reality to suit our own ends. So it is, so it has been, and so it shall always be. Or will it? I remember Morias saying that if the Overseer wakes, we all are erased. We go to sleep when he is the one to Awaken. Except our sleep is permanent. I shake out of my philosophical thoughts. They will do me no good right here and now.
We clear the path for Aeriam, protecting him by any means possible. Luke slices open soldier after soldier, Henry shoots continuous streams of flame from his hands, and Lia hacks viciously at anything she sees. I take out the most immediate threats to Aeriam, the ones that the others would be too late to do anything about. Then there's a scream and an explosion, and we are all knocked back.
I stand. A brown-cloaked figure walks slowly towards us. He is surprisingly attractive, with long brown hair and bright, intelligent eyes, and some stubble. He wears a self-satisfied smile, and if I didn't know who he was I would find him a likable character. He walks towards Aeriam, sword raised. That confirms it. That confirms what I thought. This is the man who is the catalyst of my troubles in life. This is Rauil.
"Good morning, your majesty. Beautiful day, isn't it?"
"Are we ready?"
Rauil unsheathed his sword, glancing over at the castle. Finally, the march was complete and they would begin the assault. The mountain was a slight problem, but not unsolvable. They would break through the village and fight their way to the castle. Most likely all of the villagers were being protected inside the castle or had been moved elsewhere. Most likely the latter, and he cursed under his breath. If he hadn't had to lug around the dead weight of his non-Awakened troops he could just blink and be inside the castle. As it was, he would just have to settle with moving more slowly.
As for his council, things seemed to be very contentious. Michael seemed to be losing his mental stability, and Gabriella seemed to be doing all she could to push him over the edge. Which was a pity, Michael had been a friendly guy to talk to, despite his wishy washy behavior. Gabriella had been reprimanded for her actions, although she certainly didn't seem sorry in the least. Balthen kept to himself and Castor seemed to enjoy machinating conflict. One big happy family.
"We're ready, Erum. Prepare your forces. The majority of us will break through the village while Awakened troops will scale the mountain. Are we clear?"
Erum nodded, in full battle armor for once. Having seen Aeriam personally, Rauil could see that Erum was the more confident and royal-looking of the two. He was well-liked by his people and was known for making good choices. Which is what separated the two kings, Rauil mused.
"Very well." Immediately, the troops began to march towards the town, preparing to storm the entrance. Crude, but effective. However, there was no need for yells. Every single soldier who was not Awakened was now linked psychically to Rauil and Erum. Castor, Gabriella, Michael, and Balthen were intermediaries. That required them to stay far, far away from each other, which was most likely a very good thing. Fights would not be tolerated under his rule, he thought to himself, and once more a pain pierced his head but he quickly got over it.
Castor would go with Rauil, Gabriella would lead the scaling troops, Michael would take care of reinforcements, and Balthen would hang back and use that bow ofh is to some use. His accuracy with the damn thing was devastating. That way there would be no infighting, and Rauil smiled as he saw troops preparing to fight. Spies had reported that Morias and around twenty Awakened had appeared to Aeriam some days ago and offered him their assistance. Their talents were wasted on a man like him. Now they would have to pay with their lives for choosing the losing side.
Cries rang out among the cold light of day. The enemy were engaged.
*****
I quickly run outside on top of the wall at the sound of battle cries. It's the break of dawn, and I see a large mass of troops surrounding the mountain, and the majority of them breaking through to the village. I quickly slip some light armor on, despite the fact that I don't really need it. However, facing Awakened, and Rauil himself is a different matter, and I can't afford to be overconfident. Rauil, Castor, Michael. All of them are here somewhere, along with two other council members. So it begins.
Luke runs down the hallway, hair a blond birds' nest, and quickly tries to get his armor on, messing up in just about every way possible, backwards, upside-down somehow, hitting himself in the face with it. I walk up to him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"You scared, big guy?"
"Y-yes...I'm scared. I might get died, of course I'm scared. A-and there's all those people down there...and a-all of them could kill me, andIcoulddieorgetmybuttkickedormyneckslicedopenormyfaceburntoffandIreallydon'twanttogetmyfaceburntoffpleasepleasepleasedon'tletthathapp-"
"Whoah! Calm down! Everything is going to be just...fine, ok? You. Are. Not. Going. To die. Thank you. Good night." He calms down, and looks at me.
"Sorry Rainheart. It's just...I'm nervous."
"I understand, buddy." An explosion, and Jeyne runs down the hallway. "Hey, Reinhart? I'm going to be part of the Awakened circle. Which means a couple of hours of concentrating, so I thought I'd say bye first."
I smile. "Bye." She hugs me and walks away, lightly tapping the sword at her belt. People are running to and fro, preparing, and I look outside to see that the guards are quickly being overwhelmed. I'm caught in a stream of people moving towards the entrance, and I spot Henry and Lia, and they smile at me. We're outside now, and Aeriam and Morias stand in full armor, Aeriam on horseback, Morias standing. Aeriam addresses the soldiers, and he seems to be trying to look confident, but he does not succeed. He looks about as confident as a fish in the desert. In other words, it looks like he's about to die.
He sighs, and closes his eyes. When he opens them, I see a new determination in them, and he raises a broadsword. "Let's show them hell!" We head to meet the enemy, who have entered the town and have started moving in. Metal on metal fills my ears and any ounce of rest is purged from me. I draw my sword, and see Luke on my right, Henry and Lia on my left. We meet each others' eyes and prepare ourselves. The first soldier to make the mistake of attacking me is decapitated. At one point I might have felt sympathy for him but I do not now. Now they are just animals.
Luke brings his arms down and suddenly the men closest to them drop to their knees, apparently bound by an increased gravity. He makes short work of them, making killing them look like dancing until he accidentally stabs himself in the foot. Henry punches one, sending him flying back into his friends, and Henry takes his chance, slicing and hacking. Flame surrounds his sword, which I would have found amazing had I not known how common a power it is among Awakened. Lia stops an attacker from stabbing him in the back, taking him by the hair and sending him flying into a wall.
Morias takes on about ten men at once, cutting precisely and accurately, never going out of control until they swarm him and he releases a miniature lightning storm. I jump about ten feet to the walls of the city and look outside. A graycloak and an indistinct figure in brown remain, and appear to be commanding the other forces. Is that Rauil? If so, he's a bit less dramatic than I expected.
"Look out!" A guard pushes me out of the way just as an arrow zooms past me, hitting him in the throat. Someone I never knew just sacrificed his life for me...I stifle a tear. Another arrow whips past me and I see the source. Standing on the other side of the wall is a grizzled, graycloaked figure. One of Rauil's council, and he brings back arrow after arrow, and as I examine, every arrow finds its mark, killing instantly. I jump towards him and he yells, and I punch him in the face. He drops the bow and unsheathes his sword, and brings it to mine. I slice at his leg but he easily knocks it aside.
He aims for my head but I duck, shooting flames at him. He yells, and is knocked over the wall and into the battle. Suddenly I am sent flying to the ground. He teleported back up. I stand. "What's your name?" he asks.
"My name's Reinhart..."
"Well, you're a good opponent, Reinhart. I'm Balthen. And I am truly sorry for this."
He blasts me with some form of red energy, similar to Lucien's green energy a couple of days ago. I'm knocked into the battle and the bow is in his hands again. He fires, and I telekinetically slam one of his own men into the way of the shot. I'm quickly attacked by more men and am overwhelmed, but several more soldiers fight them off. Suddenly they start screaming, hands covering their eyes, and they writhe in some unseen pain. A graycloak materializes in front of me, causing a minor explosion as he does so, and I am blown back. I stand up to amend my statement. It's a she.
She has long, dark red hair and a lithe pose, scanning the battle sadistically. Her eyes glint cruelly, and there are two long, deadly-looking daggers in each of her hands. She smirks at me. "Well if it isn't that pained nuisance who burned poor Michael's face off." I realize now that she is not talking to me. She's talking to Luke, who takes several strides towards her, katana held up and ready to block her strike.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Gabriella. Who are you, pup?"
"...." He mutters something indistinguishable.
"I'm sorry?"
"I am not a puppy!" He flings her back against the wall with a flick of his wrist, and she looks at him in shock as he charges at her. She laughs hysterically, and meets his strike with her two knives, and knees him in the balls. He falls over and I get up to help. I shoot lightning at Gabriella, and she is hit, sending her flying back. She closes her eyes and suddenly I am sent flying into the air, where I stay. Did she just turn off gravity?
She jumps into the air, intent on slitting my throat quickly. However, I use telekinesis to stop her slice before it is too late, and I punch her in the face, my punch being surrounded by fire. She's sent spiraling to the ground and I drop, cracking something on the stone. I see Morias jump up onto a food stand and send it crashing through the men. I see Henry and Lia, back to back, fighting off Balthen and his arrows. I see Luke slowly getting up, face contorted in pain. Then I see Aeriam. He rides over any man in his way, charging towards the gate. I need to protect him. He has no next of kin, no siblings, and he must not be allowed to die.
I quickly jump over to his location and he notices me. "What are you doing?"
"Making sure you don't die, of course. You're the king."
He smiles. "Finally someone notices." An archer nearly takes him out right then and there, however I raise a telekinetic shield just in time. I quickly run towards the archer and stab him in the chest. I quickly backflip back towards the king, who quickly takes out three men assaulting him. Perhaps I underestimated him, he's a capable fighter in his own right.
"Where are you going? Where are your men to guard you?"
"I'm going to find Rauil. Morias and five others were with me, but we got separated."
"So you're going to go after him alone?"
"...yeah, that was a stupid idea. You're here with me now, but could you find several more Awakened to help me?"
I nod. "Don't die."
He grins. "Don't worry."
I run back into the battle, slashing and stabbing when I can. I see Morias, and call out to him.
"How's the circle coming along?"
He closes his eyes in concentration, observing the circle currently held inside the castle. "Barely begun! What do you need!"
"Awakened troops! Aeriam's planning on confronting Rauil!"
"Does that man have a death wish?"
"Men please!"
Luke, Henry, and Lia turn up behind me. Henry sighs. "Reinhart. Let's protect the king, okay?" I nod. "Thanks guys." We run through the battle, all of us injured. However, we have the ability to slowly heal our wounds on our own, and that is helping us keep going. I look around the battle, taking in the bloodshed. An Insurrectionist splits open a soldier's head. Two soldiers gang up on an Insurrectionist and decapitate him. Battle is not glorious, not in the slightest. It is brutal and bloody, and I have an unfair advantage. But hell am I going to use it.
We reach Aeriam and he nods in approval. "Good. Let's kill that *******." He rides, but we still keep up with him easily, subtly warping reality to suit our own ends. So it is, so it has been, and so it shall always be. Or will it? I remember Morias saying that if the Overseer wakes, we all are erased. We go to sleep when he is the one to Awaken. Except our sleep is permanent. I shake out of my philosophical thoughts. They will do me no good right here and now.
We clear the path for Aeriam, protecting him by any means possible. Luke slices open soldier after soldier, Henry shoots continuous streams of flame from his hands, and Lia hacks viciously at anything she sees. I take out the most immediate threats to Aeriam, the ones that the others would be too late to do anything about. Then there's a scream and an explosion, and we are all knocked back.
I stand. A brown-cloaked figure walks slowly towards us. He is surprisingly attractive, with long brown hair and bright, intelligent eyes, and some stubble. He wears a self-satisfied smile, and if I didn't know who he was I would find him a likable character. He walks towards Aeriam, sword raised. That confirms it. That confirms what I thought. This is the man who is the catalyst of my troubles in life. This is Rauil.
"Good morning, your majesty. Beautiful day, isn't it?"
Raindrop14
Soldier for Christ!
Aww, I'm so far behind. 
I'll have to catch up later. BUT THIS IS SO GOOD! 
Oh yay, I read it all up to date! And its SOOOO GOOOOOOOOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'll have to catch up later. BUT THIS IS SO GOOD! Oh yay, I read it all up to date!
And its SOOOO GOOOOOOOOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Last edited:
Myriadviper42
Fulcrum Agent
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2010
- Location
- Control
Chapter 13: In The Flesh?
Castor's keen eyes scanned the battlefield, taking everything in. He had been ordered to stay with Rauil at all times, however, Rauil was going off to kill Aeriam and therefore his thoughts would not be on the battle at hand. Most likely, his assault on Aeriam would cause all the other soldiers under his control to attack Aeriam. Therefore, Castor had taken his place as commander while Rauil fought. He smiled to himself, taking in the battle at hand. He was in his natural element, in control once again. He grinned. It would soon be time to kill Aeriam, and only then would things be complete.
Balthen materialized beside him as they watched the battle. Technically, Balthen was supposed to be elsewhere, but his bloodied face made it clear that he had something to tell Castor. Balthen interested Castor, because unlike the others, Balthen had not been sought out, rather, he had come of his own volition. Did he have his own agenda? Did he really care? He was older than Castor and Rauil combined but held a natural deference despite that uncanny accuracy with his bow-no doubt honed over years of Awakened training. Castor shook himself out of his thoughts, which was a bit hard. He spent three times as much time thinking as opposed to talking.
"Yes, Balthen?"
"Bad news, sir. I scouted around the place and I sensed something that could be very troublesome. Apparently, a circle of seven Awakened are concentrating on a spell that will remove all Influence from the area." Something flashed in Castor's eyes, and his eyes set in a determined glare.
Balthen cleared his throat. "Sir. What do we do?"
Castor tensed slightly, tilting his head like a bird. "Well...Stop them!" He waved a hand at him, as if shooing him, and Balthen bowed with a completely straight face. He vanished, and Castor turned around, letting the worry slowly and subtly slip onto his face.
*****
"If you're going to kill me, just say so."
Aeriam slowly gets up, using his broadsword as support. I step between Rauil and the King, and he chuckles. "Who might this be? Another one of Morias's pets?"
I tense, raising my sword. "I am Reinhart, and I am not letting you kill him."
"Oh. Hmn. I thought you'd be a bit more interesting than that." He waves his hand, dismissing me. I stand there in shock. He just dismisses me, after all of this? He doesn't even bother to show any form of respect? Does he view me as that insignificant an obstacle. I clench my fists. Well then, I'm going to prove him wrong. I am not entitled to be dismissed with a wave of his hand. I am more than that, and I am about to tell him right then and there that he is wrong but Henry steps in front of me just before he's about to stick me full of lightning, and he pauses.
"And you are?"
"Henry. You're not going to kill Reinhart. Or Aeriam. Or anyone else for that matter. You're a concern, Rauil, because you are threatening to upset the dynamic the Overseer has set in motion. So you must be stopped."
Rauil laughs. "What makes you so sure I'm defying him?" He seems to tense for a second, eyes wincing almost imperceptibly, and he unsheathes a long, curved sword. He grins. "At any rate, none of you will make it out of here alive! How can you defend him? Humans hate what they cannot understand! This man's father hunted down Awakened, burning and hanging them as witches! How can you defend that? It is much better, much easier to live in an Awakened-controlled world, where we are dominant. I'm taking it one step at a time. Miria is on my side now, and Exeria will soon be mine. Then, I shall take the other three nations. Sounds like a cliche, I know, but what can I do to avoid that? Give up?"
Luke and Lia ready themselves, and Aeriam stands as well, raising his sword. Rauil smirks. "But no matter. You will all perish." With that, he stabs the ground and an explosion knocks us all back. Soldiers of both sides keep their distance, and I get up, bloodied. Luke lies on the ground, and I extend my hand to help him up. Suddenly, a whirling blur slices towards my hand and Rauil is right in front of me. I barely move my hand in time, a split second later and my hand would have been chopped off. I hit him with lightning and he stumbles back. Henry aims for his neck but he blocks with his sword, and like a windmill slices him, making a long, thin cut down his front. He cries out in pain and Rauil is about to finish him, but Henry is flung out of the way with telekinesis, he hits the ground hard but that is better than the alternative.
I turn to see that Luke has his arm outstretched. He just saved Henry. Suddenly, a stab of pain fills my chest, and I crumple. Rauil looks at me. I fall over, gasping. What...the...hell...did...he...do...my vision begins fading in and out, and from what I can tell, my hands are turning blue. Suddenly a blurry figure charges Rauil. "STOP it!" He cries out and I am released from death, getting up and breathing heavily. Lia hacks viciously at Rauil, but he easily blocks after the initial surprise of the first attack. However, he is caught off guard once again when Luke sends a stream of fire at him, scorching his upper leg and causing him to cry out.
He falls and I step over cautiously, looking at his leg. My blood runs cold when I realize that the wound is healing itself. All Awakened have healing powers like this but I've never seen anything like this before...suddenly, shards of fire slice through the air, causing all of us to drop to the ground as it cuts through our skin. Rauil rises and he raises his hand. A shockwave and the lot of us are sent flying backwards. I land with a crack and I get up slowly. Luke moves faster than I could have thought to be possible, and quickly slices at Rauil, which he blocks. However, a split second later, he knees Rauil in the balls, and he keels over in pain. I laugh and I stand as Luke grabs Rauil by the hair and spins him to the ground.
Then it all goes wrong. Luke raises his sword to finish Rauil off and suddenly his body ripples and vanishes. Then he reappears behind him and sends him flying so hard he crashes straight through a wall, where he lies deathly still. A split second later and Henry attacks him with a flaming sword only to be sent hurtling up into the air, and flung down with a crash. I charge, and Lia and I face him at once. He unleashes a labyrinth of feints and dodges, occasionally cutting one of us, but not doing any major damage. Lia switches to a backhanded grip and spins her sword in an 'X' shape, and her blade crackles with lightning. He raises his hand and suddenly the lightning is turned in on her, and she screams, and is knocked back as well.
He reappears in front of Aeriam, and turns toward me and I am paralyzed, unable to move. The intent is clear, he doesn't care about me, so he's keeping me out of the way while he takes care of Aeriam, completing his goals. But apparently, that is not the end of his goal. The end of his goal is the conquering of the entire dream. I can't let him win. He laughs at Aeriam.
"Such a pitiful figure. You once again prove how right I am. You just sat back and watched while your more powerful friends fought for your life. In the name of whatever respect for you I have left, I have spared them. In exchange for your life. They seem to think that it is their obligation to protect you. In that case, they cannot be called Awakened. They are not enlightened, merely dull and dreaming themselves." He touches his forehead. "The fate of the world rests in the hands of those the Overseer has chosen. Not idiots."
Aeriam readies his sword. "So you would forsake all of our lives for an equal society? I loathed you, and I still do, but now I at least can understand you."
"You're wrong. You do not understand me, you do not understand anything. None of you do." He raises his sword, and I am helpless to watch as he prepares to end the King's life.
Suddenly, Aeriam yells and slices at Rauil's leg, and he cries out. Rauil looks at his bleeding leg. Aeriam hit him in the calf. Fleshy and painful. He glares at his prey and his eyes seem unnaturally bright, and he yells. There's a huge explosion and Aeriam is sent flying back into the front of the city. He lies still, battered and bruised but still breathing. Rauil screams and he stumbles, glaring at me, and I realize that I can move. I stumble, and he glares at me, his eyes still brimming with an unnatural hatred and malice.
"DAMN YOU! DAMN YOU ALL! I CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO LOSE!" He cries out as he tries to walk towards me and stumbles. He glares at me, but he seems to calm down, and I take a step back in terror. "...I spoke out of turn," he says, more quietly. "I'll deal with you later." He vanishes. I look around at the raging battle, still continuing throughout all that happened. I collapse, and my last thought is that if anyone were to come across me, I'd be dead. And that would be a terrible way to die.
Castor's keen eyes scanned the battlefield, taking everything in. He had been ordered to stay with Rauil at all times, however, Rauil was going off to kill Aeriam and therefore his thoughts would not be on the battle at hand. Most likely, his assault on Aeriam would cause all the other soldiers under his control to attack Aeriam. Therefore, Castor had taken his place as commander while Rauil fought. He smiled to himself, taking in the battle at hand. He was in his natural element, in control once again. He grinned. It would soon be time to kill Aeriam, and only then would things be complete.
Balthen materialized beside him as they watched the battle. Technically, Balthen was supposed to be elsewhere, but his bloodied face made it clear that he had something to tell Castor. Balthen interested Castor, because unlike the others, Balthen had not been sought out, rather, he had come of his own volition. Did he have his own agenda? Did he really care? He was older than Castor and Rauil combined but held a natural deference despite that uncanny accuracy with his bow-no doubt honed over years of Awakened training. Castor shook himself out of his thoughts, which was a bit hard. He spent three times as much time thinking as opposed to talking.
"Yes, Balthen?"
"Bad news, sir. I scouted around the place and I sensed something that could be very troublesome. Apparently, a circle of seven Awakened are concentrating on a spell that will remove all Influence from the area." Something flashed in Castor's eyes, and his eyes set in a determined glare.
Balthen cleared his throat. "Sir. What do we do?"
Castor tensed slightly, tilting his head like a bird. "Well...Stop them!" He waved a hand at him, as if shooing him, and Balthen bowed with a completely straight face. He vanished, and Castor turned around, letting the worry slowly and subtly slip onto his face.
*****
"If you're going to kill me, just say so."
Aeriam slowly gets up, using his broadsword as support. I step between Rauil and the King, and he chuckles. "Who might this be? Another one of Morias's pets?"
I tense, raising my sword. "I am Reinhart, and I am not letting you kill him."
"Oh. Hmn. I thought you'd be a bit more interesting than that." He waves his hand, dismissing me. I stand there in shock. He just dismisses me, after all of this? He doesn't even bother to show any form of respect? Does he view me as that insignificant an obstacle. I clench my fists. Well then, I'm going to prove him wrong. I am not entitled to be dismissed with a wave of his hand. I am more than that, and I am about to tell him right then and there that he is wrong but Henry steps in front of me just before he's about to stick me full of lightning, and he pauses.
"And you are?"
"Henry. You're not going to kill Reinhart. Or Aeriam. Or anyone else for that matter. You're a concern, Rauil, because you are threatening to upset the dynamic the Overseer has set in motion. So you must be stopped."
Rauil laughs. "What makes you so sure I'm defying him?" He seems to tense for a second, eyes wincing almost imperceptibly, and he unsheathes a long, curved sword. He grins. "At any rate, none of you will make it out of here alive! How can you defend him? Humans hate what they cannot understand! This man's father hunted down Awakened, burning and hanging them as witches! How can you defend that? It is much better, much easier to live in an Awakened-controlled world, where we are dominant. I'm taking it one step at a time. Miria is on my side now, and Exeria will soon be mine. Then, I shall take the other three nations. Sounds like a cliche, I know, but what can I do to avoid that? Give up?"
Luke and Lia ready themselves, and Aeriam stands as well, raising his sword. Rauil smirks. "But no matter. You will all perish." With that, he stabs the ground and an explosion knocks us all back. Soldiers of both sides keep their distance, and I get up, bloodied. Luke lies on the ground, and I extend my hand to help him up. Suddenly, a whirling blur slices towards my hand and Rauil is right in front of me. I barely move my hand in time, a split second later and my hand would have been chopped off. I hit him with lightning and he stumbles back. Henry aims for his neck but he blocks with his sword, and like a windmill slices him, making a long, thin cut down his front. He cries out in pain and Rauil is about to finish him, but Henry is flung out of the way with telekinesis, he hits the ground hard but that is better than the alternative.
I turn to see that Luke has his arm outstretched. He just saved Henry. Suddenly, a stab of pain fills my chest, and I crumple. Rauil looks at me. I fall over, gasping. What...the...hell...did...he...do...my vision begins fading in and out, and from what I can tell, my hands are turning blue. Suddenly a blurry figure charges Rauil. "STOP it!" He cries out and I am released from death, getting up and breathing heavily. Lia hacks viciously at Rauil, but he easily blocks after the initial surprise of the first attack. However, he is caught off guard once again when Luke sends a stream of fire at him, scorching his upper leg and causing him to cry out.
He falls and I step over cautiously, looking at his leg. My blood runs cold when I realize that the wound is healing itself. All Awakened have healing powers like this but I've never seen anything like this before...suddenly, shards of fire slice through the air, causing all of us to drop to the ground as it cuts through our skin. Rauil rises and he raises his hand. A shockwave and the lot of us are sent flying backwards. I land with a crack and I get up slowly. Luke moves faster than I could have thought to be possible, and quickly slices at Rauil, which he blocks. However, a split second later, he knees Rauil in the balls, and he keels over in pain. I laugh and I stand as Luke grabs Rauil by the hair and spins him to the ground.
Then it all goes wrong. Luke raises his sword to finish Rauil off and suddenly his body ripples and vanishes. Then he reappears behind him and sends him flying so hard he crashes straight through a wall, where he lies deathly still. A split second later and Henry attacks him with a flaming sword only to be sent hurtling up into the air, and flung down with a crash. I charge, and Lia and I face him at once. He unleashes a labyrinth of feints and dodges, occasionally cutting one of us, but not doing any major damage. Lia switches to a backhanded grip and spins her sword in an 'X' shape, and her blade crackles with lightning. He raises his hand and suddenly the lightning is turned in on her, and she screams, and is knocked back as well.
He reappears in front of Aeriam, and turns toward me and I am paralyzed, unable to move. The intent is clear, he doesn't care about me, so he's keeping me out of the way while he takes care of Aeriam, completing his goals. But apparently, that is not the end of his goal. The end of his goal is the conquering of the entire dream. I can't let him win. He laughs at Aeriam.
"Such a pitiful figure. You once again prove how right I am. You just sat back and watched while your more powerful friends fought for your life. In the name of whatever respect for you I have left, I have spared them. In exchange for your life. They seem to think that it is their obligation to protect you. In that case, they cannot be called Awakened. They are not enlightened, merely dull and dreaming themselves." He touches his forehead. "The fate of the world rests in the hands of those the Overseer has chosen. Not idiots."
Aeriam readies his sword. "So you would forsake all of our lives for an equal society? I loathed you, and I still do, but now I at least can understand you."
"You're wrong. You do not understand me, you do not understand anything. None of you do." He raises his sword, and I am helpless to watch as he prepares to end the King's life.
Suddenly, Aeriam yells and slices at Rauil's leg, and he cries out. Rauil looks at his bleeding leg. Aeriam hit him in the calf. Fleshy and painful. He glares at his prey and his eyes seem unnaturally bright, and he yells. There's a huge explosion and Aeriam is sent flying back into the front of the city. He lies still, battered and bruised but still breathing. Rauil screams and he stumbles, glaring at me, and I realize that I can move. I stumble, and he glares at me, his eyes still brimming with an unnatural hatred and malice.
"DAMN YOU! DAMN YOU ALL! I CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO LOSE!" He cries out as he tries to walk towards me and stumbles. He glares at me, but he seems to calm down, and I take a step back in terror. "...I spoke out of turn," he says, more quietly. "I'll deal with you later." He vanishes. I look around at the raging battle, still continuing throughout all that happened. I collapse, and my last thought is that if anyone were to come across me, I'd be dead. And that would be a terrible way to die.
Myriadviper42
Fulcrum Agent
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2010
- Location
- Control
Apologies. I meant for this chapter to be put up yesterday, but events of an unforeseen occurrence prevented me from doing so. One chapter left in Act 1...
Chapter 14: The Price of Victory
Balthen materialized inside the castle, smiling as he startled the men inside. He quickly dispatched them with a flick of his hand, and turned to see Michael standing before him, broadswords out. They nodded curtly at each other. The two had decided that it was much wiser to stay close to each other, as they trusted Castor and Gabriella about as far as they could throw them without getting a knife in their back. The council was certainly not the epitome of a happy family. No one trusted one another, and Castor and Gabriella seemed suspicious, so both men had decided that it was for the best to stick together. After all, you never know what might happen.
"Michael. I'm sorry. If I could get away with it I'd beat Gabriella up, but as it is, that's not the best career move."
Michael chuckled. "It's okay. I'm fine, I'm healing at any rate, right? I've acted rashly when it comes to revenge though. I need some more time, and screaming won't help matters."
Balthen nodded. "It seems as though Morias has found another damned way to screw us up. A couple of his cronies found a way to break Influence, and they're concentrating on it right now. It's been almost two hours, and it takes them three hours. We need to stop them." Michael nodded. Morias was an interloper, getting in the way at the worst of times. The time was ripe to dispose of Morias, and all the Awakened who followed him. But not just yet. Plus, Gabriella and Castor had already called dibs. And what they wanted, they got. However, these helpless Awakened whom if left unchecked would ruin everything would be easy targets.
"This way, Michael." The two men ran down the corridor. Balthen groaned. They could both be there in a wink of an eye if they knew where they were going. But, unfortunately, they didn't. So running it was. It wasn't much of a problem for Michael, but Balthen wasn't as young as he used to be. After all, he was more accustomed to shooting people from a distance and not having to move around all that often. If he could get away with it he probably wouldn't walk at all, and just teleport everywhere. As it was, teleportation was costly if used too much. Even so, that still didn't stop Balthen from complaining in his head.
A couple of the king's men noticed them and readied themselves. Michael grinned, and looked at Balthen. Balthen had seen the expression many times before on Michael's face. However, with his injuries it seemed unnatural and stretched. "I'll take care of them." Balthen stepped back and Michael readied his broadswords. He quickly sliced his swords at their midsection. He was the butcher, Balthen mused, and they were the pigs. Balthen did not revel in the gruesome deaths of the guards, merely observing Michael's handiwork. "Nice work. You were a little sloppy, but nice work. You certainly could inspire fear in the most confident of warriors-except for Gabriella."
"Don't mention it."
They reached the door and Balthen closed his eyes. "This is the place. Take it cautiously, don't get in too big of a hurry...but still hurry." Micael nodded, and opened the door. A group of Awakened, Jeyne included, sat in deep concentration. Energy filled the room, and the two graycloaks stepped cautiously into the room. They weren't sure what was going to happen, but they most certainly did not want to be surprised. Balthen readied his bow. "Let's make short work of them. Be cautious though."
Michael quietly stepped towards the closest one, a girl with brown hair and freckles. Jeyne. He smiled sadly. "Sorry 'bout this." He held one of his swords back, and then readied to end her life. Suddenly, a flame burst hit him in the chest, sending him flying back. Balthen turned. Morias stood there, and made a huge show of shrugging. Balthen smirked and shrugged back. Morias sent a shockwave of lightning at Balthen, and Balthen merely absorbed it. Michael got up, cursing. He didn't like having been knocked down so easily, Balthen knew. As a result of that insult, he would work towards killing Morias in reprimand. Balthen stepped back. He was curious to see how far Michael would go, and he hoped that while Morias was distracted that he would be able to break the circle.
Michael charged at Morias, both blades enveloped in red energy. Morias's eyes widened, and he barely managed to ripple away before he would have been turned into an ash spot on the floor. Morias reappeared behind him and struck Michael with a shockwave, sending him flying back. Balthen sent an arrow flying at one of the Awakened, but Morias quickly halted it in midair, and it dropped to the floor. A stream of fire and Balthen was sent flying back into a wall, where he lay in a daze. Michael coughed violently, getting up. He'd been blown into the library. Morias cocked his head slightly at him.
"Look out."
Michael was just too late as he looked up to see a bookshelf sliding towards him. He screamed as it crushed him between the wall. The universe just seemed to hate him...the bookshelf quickly slid away and Morias walked over to him, keeping one eye on Balthen as he did so. Michael was not dead, merely in a daze. He breathed heavily, slightly bloodied. Morias was about to subdue him when he vanished, and Morias quickly turned around to see Balthen getting up, and his bow dropped from his hands. His eyes were unnaturally bright, and he looked at the room of Awakened in front of him. He could kill them all to keep the plan going. Could and would.
Balthen sent red energy shockwaves at Morias, who quickly managed to block with a barrier just in time. He couldn't dodge any of Balthen's attacks because there would still be a chance of the Awakened circle being disrupted. The two older men fought for several minutes, neither breaking through the other's guard. Footsteps. Balthen turned towards the door and soldiers barged in, weapons raised.
"Graycloak! In the name of King Aeriam, surrender! Now!" Balthen shrugged. He seemed to be fond of the gesture.
"I will not surrender, thank you very much. But for now I must take my leave. I don't want things to get any messier than they already have." With that, he mock bowed deeply, and rippled and vanished. Morias sighed and turned towards the men.
"Thank the Overseer you came when you did. Any longer and I might not have been able to hold him off. Although, why he retreated is beyond me. No offense, but he could have easily dispatched all of your men."
The captain of the guard shrugged. "It doesn't matter. He left, so we just need to establish a garrison here in case they return."
"Which is what I was doing. I am more effective than twenty of your soldiers."
"Well yes. But, you see, I came to deliver some news. Reinhart is awake. If you could explain the situation...?"
"I understand. I'll get there right away."
*****
"He awake yet?"
Something slaps me across the cheek, and I moan.
"Looks like he's getting there." Another slap and I get up, yelping and nearly setting the medic on fire. He yells as his coat is caught on fire, and he runs around, trying to extinguish it. He manages it, and sighs in relief. I look around. I see Luke, Henry, and Lia on beds to my right. They all are unconscious, and I search for the memory of how we got here. Yes...of course. Rauil had attacked, and nearly killed us all and Aeriam. Where is Aeriam? I look around the room to see Aeriam lying in a bunk across from me. I sigh in relief. At least he's not dead, at least we still have a fighting chance.
"What happened?" I ask, my throat dry and raspy. The medic motions for me to wait a second, and he gets a pitcher of water for me. I hear battle cries from outside. So the battle isn't over yet. Yay. He hands me the pitcher and I gratefully gulp down the water. I smile. I didn't realize how thirsty I had been until I drank the water. I thank him, but he hurries outside, talking to someone. Morias walks in, nodding curtly at me.
"Good to see you're awake. Medics found you and your friends all unconscious, plus Aeriam. We took you all back in here. How are you feeling."
I grimace. "Not the best, not the worst..."
He nods. "Good. Rauil has retreated and left the assault to Castor. He seems to be recuperating from his injuries at an alarmingly fast rate. Castor seems to be in control of the forces now. If we can disrupt him..."
"We can disrupt the army's assault."
"They're aware of the Awakened circle. Two council members already tried to breach it, but I stopped them. There's a garrison led by my lieutenant stationed there now. I'm actually in control of all of our forces now. Aeriam didn't like second-in-commands."
I nod. "So what can I do?"
He smirks. "I thought you might have a score to settle with Castor."
I flash back to all those weeks ago, to the Insurrectionist rally that started it all. I have been itching to get back at him for that. "You're asking me to go after him?"
He shakes his head. "No. I'm asking you to help me take him out, and then hopefully take Rauil out. We only have forty-five minutes longer to hold out. Castor's men seem to be acting desperately, which must mean that Castor is acting desperately in order to take the Awakened circle out. If we can take him on, he'll have to transfer control to someone else, but the others don't have as much of a strategic mind as he does. We'd set them back a lot."
I nod. "Let's go." I stand, feeling my muscles and my bones, making sure nothing is broken. After I am satisfied with my search, I begin to walk, following Morias. He glances back at me every once in a while, making sure that I'm still going. The battle rages on, and I notice that both sides have Awakened troops. Rauil has been busy, I think, and smirk. For once it seems as though he's out of his natural element-control. I applaud Aeriam for slicing him in the calf. If anyone deserved it, it would have to be Rauil. Several troops make the foolish mistake of attacking us. I motion for Morias to let me take care of it. I quickly decapitate one and stab another, the blade going right through his armor. They both crumple to the ground, and Morias nods.
"Nice work. Now if you ever feel like that you can't continue due to your injuries...I'll teleport you back to the infirmary with necessary. Perhaps your friends will have woken up by then." I nod, conceding the point. But I do not want to go back there. I want to take on Castor and Rauil, and bring them to justice. Their actions really have upset the dynamic the Overseer had put into motion. And it is our job to stop them. It is as simple as that, so why am I feeling uneasy. We fight our way through the halls.
"Why can't we teleport directly to Castor?!" I yell over the sound of attacking enemies. He subdues a couple of soldiers with telekinesis before answering.
"Residual magic! It throws off the calculations and can be fatal!"
"I remember that now!" A soldier is about to stick a sword in Morias's back but I unleash a lightning bolt at him, frying him. Morias nods his thank you, and we break out of the front doors. Men are dropping left and right. I see a force of about seven Awakened taking on Gabriella, but we have no time to stop and help, we run through the crowd, dodging sword blades and whatnot. I flash back to the obstacle course. The arrows and fire then had been fake. This is the real deal. I calm myself. This is just nothing, just a training exercise...I dodge arrows, swords, fire, lightning, the like as we make our way down. Morias jumps on top of the wall protecting the city and I follow his example. He jumps into the battle outside. Once more, I follow.
We slice and hack, and I notice that men are taking much more of an interest in us two than everyone else. "Castor must be close!" I yell. "The men are attacking us like they know we're the biggest threat!" He does not say anything immediately, but drops to the ground and a horizontal fire windmill chops off several soldiers' heads. The wounds are cauterized, so there is not blood. I wince.
He nods. "Let's find him then!" We charge through the men, slashing and hacking as we do so. Eventually I see a gray-cloaked figure moving through the crowd, and soldiers with the six-fiongered hand on them part for him. Combed black hair, a thin, pale face, and bright and clinical eyes. Castor. I ready my sword, and Morias does as well. Castor chuckles.
"I know what you are thinking. That if you engage me that the men will be much less effective. You are wrong. True, I was given control over the army in the beginning, but I passed that along to someone else...Gabriella is in charge of all of the men, while Rauil and I keep up the charade of being in charge. You think that he is still recovering? Well, sorry to break it to you, but..."
A figure materializes in an explosion, sending Morias and I flying back. Rauil stands, sword ready, grinning. Castor steps to his side, and Rauil laughs. "It was all a ruse to get you, Morias, out here. You've interfered far too much, and you cannot be allowed to live. Balthen and Michael failed to kill you...so I'm going to have to take care of you personally."
"Wrong, Rauil. You can't win, you know that? It is not in your nature." Rauil winces, and Castor unsheathes his sword, eyes hard and cold, staring at Morias.
"Don't pay any attention to them, sir. Shall we kill them?"
Rauil nods. "So we shall..."
He closes his eyes. There is still a whole bunch of rubble from the last time he used an explosion. He lifts up the rubble using telekinesis and hurls it at us. I dodge just in time, but Morias is not so lucky. He is hit in the face, and he cries out. Morias sends a continuous stream of flame at Rauil, but Castor intervenes, absorbing it. Castor leaps towards me, slicing and spinning his sword. I stab, attempting to break through his defense, but he leaps to one side and sends me flying backwards. I vaguely see Morias taking on Rauil, but I can do nothing to help. Castor starts flinging me around like a rag doll, clearly enjoying himself. At one point he throws me up into the air, and sends me hurtling down before stopping a moment before I hit the ground.
I shoot lightning at him, taking him by surprise. I manage to get up and chop madly at him, aiming for his throat. He ducks and shoots a burst of red energy, not hitting me, but I cry out, covering my eyes. I think he temporarily blinded me. I concentrate, and manage to block his next killing stroke. Suddenly, the ground feels heavy, I feel heavy, and I sink to the floor, and I can hear his footsteps, his sword ready to end my life. Suddenly, he yells, and there's a crash. I can see again, and Morias stands over me, offering to help me up. I take his hand, and suddenly Morias is flung backwards, and Castor leaps towards him. Rauil looks at me, and tilts his head slightly.
"I suppose I could take you on." Rauil slowly moves towards me, and I ready myself. He lunges but I dodge, and I aim for his throat or head. He vanishes and reappears behind me, and a sonic boom sends me flying backwards, landing with a crash on the ground. He runs towards me, and I shoot bursts of alternating fire and lightning, keeping him on edge. I get up and quickly attempt a horizontal slice. He blocks and slices up, up, down, left, right, down, and I block every one. Then, he stabs, with electricity running down his blade, and I barely manage to dodge. I can smell the lightning. A split second later and I would be dead.
Suddenly, Castor crashes between us, his cloak in tatters. Morias seems to be too strong of an opponent for him. Rauil turns towards Morias, and he shoots lightning at Rauil. He is hit with it, and yells, crouching over. I attack Castor, who is much weaker, and he barely manages to block my attacks. He backflips, flicking his cloak off as he does so. Underneath, he wears gray light armor with the six-fingered hand on the front. He readies his sword, and his face gives nothing away. Once more, he seems to be adept at controlling his emotions. Let's see if I can get a response.
"Back at the rally, it was obvious that you didn't really care. So how the hell did you gain Rauil's trust?"
He shrugs. "Does it matter? I'm only here to kill you, so-" He lunges, and I barely have time to redirect his blade. His hand grabs my throat, and he drops his sword, going for the old-fashioned way of killing-choking, or asphyxiating. Whichever term you prefer. I gasp, and my sword drops. I try to build up some power, however, I can't. I can't explain why, I just can't. I gasp for breath, the life slowly leaving me, his firm hands showing no indication of ever letting go, and then I kick him in the groin. He gasps in surprise, fire curls around my fingertips, and I punch him in the face. He falls to the ground, unconscious, and I hear an explosion.
Morias crumples to the ground in a heap and Rauil stands over him, ready to finish him. "NO!" I yell. This man, Morias, was responsible for bringing me into this world of magic and dreams, and I am not about to let him die at the hands of some self-titled revolutionary. I hold up my hands and Rauil turns toward me, only to be yanked up into the air and slammed into the ground. That...that was the first time I've truly used a telekinetic hold. He gets up, cursing and spitting.
"I must admit that you didn't really concern me. I would have allowed you to live, why else do you think I put you in a trance?" he says, steadying himself on his broadsword. "Well, you've done it now. You've got what you wanted. I will fight you, and I will make sure I send you home in as many pieces as possible." He looks towards Castor's unconscious body, and teleports him away. Looks like the guy has a sense of honor towards his subordinates after all. He starts walking towards me, and I ready my sword. It's time. I try to control my breathing. This might be it...my last chance.
Shards of fire come piercing down at me from out of the sky. I duck for cover, rolling instinctively towards him, and slice at his wound in his leg. He yells and kicks me in the face. I quickly leap to my feet and block his next attack, twisting and stabbing whenever I can. I knee him in the groin, and he wretches, and I punch him in the face. He raises a hand and I am blasted backwards, skidding to a halt at the entrance of the town. Whoever is in charge of the army now, they're keeping the other men far away from us, thankfully. I still see the battle going on, but no sign of my friends. They must still be recovering.
Every inch of my body hurts but I know that I cannot give up. Morias will die if I do not fight back, and I only have a little longer before the spell is complete, and the tides will be turned against Rauil once and for all. I stand slowly, Rauil slowly walking towards me, taking his damn time about it. He grins, and sends lightning bolts crackling towards me. I dodge, and run towards him. I try to stab his chest, but he easily, almost contemptibly blocking it. I fling him upward in a telekinetic hold, and swing him around a bit before crashing him into a wall. I grin.
Suddenly, my grin is wiped off of my face as I am sent flying into the air, and he holds my arms out like a cross. He gets up, sword out, and jumps into the air, and I can see what will happen. He will slice right through me, and I will be held in place, helpless to stop him. I concentrate deep within myself. Suddenly, fire explodes outwards from me, sending him crashing to the ground. However, his grip slips as a result, and I crash to the ground for the second time today. He gets up before me and moves towards me, tossing me around like a rag doll.
He flings me into the air and slams me into the ground, dragging me across and sending me flying into a wall. He flings me directly into a lightning bolt, and I scream in pain, and he drops me. Every single inch of my body is in agony, and I reflect that Morias and I were foolish. We were foolish to take him on alone, even though we had no men to spare. We were foolish to even fight against him in the first place, and now we are all going to pay the price. We are all going to die.
"Now I hope you understand why I wanted to spare you the trouble. You are weak, and strong men are the ones to rule. Aeriam is weak, manipulated by his followers and weak-willed. And you, despite your distinction, are weak-willed as well." He raises his sword, ready to end my life. "Now, it is time to end this, and I will get back to dealing with more important matters." He is about to kill me when it starts.
There's a ringing in my ears, and I think that it is all in my head, spurred on by the prospect of death. However, Rauil stops, and suddenly the fighting stops as well, and it is too quiet, just that ringing noise. I run over to Morias and he smiles weakly. "They...did...it." Suddenly, people begin groaning, shaking their heads. I realize what's going on...we did it! They completed the spell, and all of the Influence is breaking! Rauil's men are shaking out of their confusion, some of them dropping down, unconscious. I grin. We've turned the tides.
Then I hear a scream. Rauil drops his sword and holds both hands to his head, screaming endlessly and sobbing. He stumbles around, breathing heavily and coughing between screams, and tears run down his face. What the hell? I move towards him as he continues in his agony, and he looks at me and I see an expression there I've never seen before-fear.
"This...can't...be..." He falls to his knees, tears still running down his face. What the hell is going on? I quickly punch him in the face and he goes sprawling on the ground. It's over.
Or is it?
Chapter 14: The Price of Victory
Balthen materialized inside the castle, smiling as he startled the men inside. He quickly dispatched them with a flick of his hand, and turned to see Michael standing before him, broadswords out. They nodded curtly at each other. The two had decided that it was much wiser to stay close to each other, as they trusted Castor and Gabriella about as far as they could throw them without getting a knife in their back. The council was certainly not the epitome of a happy family. No one trusted one another, and Castor and Gabriella seemed suspicious, so both men had decided that it was for the best to stick together. After all, you never know what might happen.
"Michael. I'm sorry. If I could get away with it I'd beat Gabriella up, but as it is, that's not the best career move."
Michael chuckled. "It's okay. I'm fine, I'm healing at any rate, right? I've acted rashly when it comes to revenge though. I need some more time, and screaming won't help matters."
Balthen nodded. "It seems as though Morias has found another damned way to screw us up. A couple of his cronies found a way to break Influence, and they're concentrating on it right now. It's been almost two hours, and it takes them three hours. We need to stop them." Michael nodded. Morias was an interloper, getting in the way at the worst of times. The time was ripe to dispose of Morias, and all the Awakened who followed him. But not just yet. Plus, Gabriella and Castor had already called dibs. And what they wanted, they got. However, these helpless Awakened whom if left unchecked would ruin everything would be easy targets.
"This way, Michael." The two men ran down the corridor. Balthen groaned. They could both be there in a wink of an eye if they knew where they were going. But, unfortunately, they didn't. So running it was. It wasn't much of a problem for Michael, but Balthen wasn't as young as he used to be. After all, he was more accustomed to shooting people from a distance and not having to move around all that often. If he could get away with it he probably wouldn't walk at all, and just teleport everywhere. As it was, teleportation was costly if used too much. Even so, that still didn't stop Balthen from complaining in his head.
A couple of the king's men noticed them and readied themselves. Michael grinned, and looked at Balthen. Balthen had seen the expression many times before on Michael's face. However, with his injuries it seemed unnatural and stretched. "I'll take care of them." Balthen stepped back and Michael readied his broadswords. He quickly sliced his swords at their midsection. He was the butcher, Balthen mused, and they were the pigs. Balthen did not revel in the gruesome deaths of the guards, merely observing Michael's handiwork. "Nice work. You were a little sloppy, but nice work. You certainly could inspire fear in the most confident of warriors-except for Gabriella."
"Don't mention it."
They reached the door and Balthen closed his eyes. "This is the place. Take it cautiously, don't get in too big of a hurry...but still hurry." Micael nodded, and opened the door. A group of Awakened, Jeyne included, sat in deep concentration. Energy filled the room, and the two graycloaks stepped cautiously into the room. They weren't sure what was going to happen, but they most certainly did not want to be surprised. Balthen readied his bow. "Let's make short work of them. Be cautious though."
Michael quietly stepped towards the closest one, a girl with brown hair and freckles. Jeyne. He smiled sadly. "Sorry 'bout this." He held one of his swords back, and then readied to end her life. Suddenly, a flame burst hit him in the chest, sending him flying back. Balthen turned. Morias stood there, and made a huge show of shrugging. Balthen smirked and shrugged back. Morias sent a shockwave of lightning at Balthen, and Balthen merely absorbed it. Michael got up, cursing. He didn't like having been knocked down so easily, Balthen knew. As a result of that insult, he would work towards killing Morias in reprimand. Balthen stepped back. He was curious to see how far Michael would go, and he hoped that while Morias was distracted that he would be able to break the circle.
Michael charged at Morias, both blades enveloped in red energy. Morias's eyes widened, and he barely managed to ripple away before he would have been turned into an ash spot on the floor. Morias reappeared behind him and struck Michael with a shockwave, sending him flying back. Balthen sent an arrow flying at one of the Awakened, but Morias quickly halted it in midair, and it dropped to the floor. A stream of fire and Balthen was sent flying back into a wall, where he lay in a daze. Michael coughed violently, getting up. He'd been blown into the library. Morias cocked his head slightly at him.
"Look out."
Michael was just too late as he looked up to see a bookshelf sliding towards him. He screamed as it crushed him between the wall. The universe just seemed to hate him...the bookshelf quickly slid away and Morias walked over to him, keeping one eye on Balthen as he did so. Michael was not dead, merely in a daze. He breathed heavily, slightly bloodied. Morias was about to subdue him when he vanished, and Morias quickly turned around to see Balthen getting up, and his bow dropped from his hands. His eyes were unnaturally bright, and he looked at the room of Awakened in front of him. He could kill them all to keep the plan going. Could and would.
Balthen sent red energy shockwaves at Morias, who quickly managed to block with a barrier just in time. He couldn't dodge any of Balthen's attacks because there would still be a chance of the Awakened circle being disrupted. The two older men fought for several minutes, neither breaking through the other's guard. Footsteps. Balthen turned towards the door and soldiers barged in, weapons raised.
"Graycloak! In the name of King Aeriam, surrender! Now!" Balthen shrugged. He seemed to be fond of the gesture.
"I will not surrender, thank you very much. But for now I must take my leave. I don't want things to get any messier than they already have." With that, he mock bowed deeply, and rippled and vanished. Morias sighed and turned towards the men.
"Thank the Overseer you came when you did. Any longer and I might not have been able to hold him off. Although, why he retreated is beyond me. No offense, but he could have easily dispatched all of your men."
The captain of the guard shrugged. "It doesn't matter. He left, so we just need to establish a garrison here in case they return."
"Which is what I was doing. I am more effective than twenty of your soldiers."
"Well yes. But, you see, I came to deliver some news. Reinhart is awake. If you could explain the situation...?"
"I understand. I'll get there right away."
*****
"He awake yet?"
Something slaps me across the cheek, and I moan.
"Looks like he's getting there." Another slap and I get up, yelping and nearly setting the medic on fire. He yells as his coat is caught on fire, and he runs around, trying to extinguish it. He manages it, and sighs in relief. I look around. I see Luke, Henry, and Lia on beds to my right. They all are unconscious, and I search for the memory of how we got here. Yes...of course. Rauil had attacked, and nearly killed us all and Aeriam. Where is Aeriam? I look around the room to see Aeriam lying in a bunk across from me. I sigh in relief. At least he's not dead, at least we still have a fighting chance.
"What happened?" I ask, my throat dry and raspy. The medic motions for me to wait a second, and he gets a pitcher of water for me. I hear battle cries from outside. So the battle isn't over yet. Yay. He hands me the pitcher and I gratefully gulp down the water. I smile. I didn't realize how thirsty I had been until I drank the water. I thank him, but he hurries outside, talking to someone. Morias walks in, nodding curtly at me.
"Good to see you're awake. Medics found you and your friends all unconscious, plus Aeriam. We took you all back in here. How are you feeling."
I grimace. "Not the best, not the worst..."
He nods. "Good. Rauil has retreated and left the assault to Castor. He seems to be recuperating from his injuries at an alarmingly fast rate. Castor seems to be in control of the forces now. If we can disrupt him..."
"We can disrupt the army's assault."
"They're aware of the Awakened circle. Two council members already tried to breach it, but I stopped them. There's a garrison led by my lieutenant stationed there now. I'm actually in control of all of our forces now. Aeriam didn't like second-in-commands."
I nod. "So what can I do?"
He smirks. "I thought you might have a score to settle with Castor."
I flash back to all those weeks ago, to the Insurrectionist rally that started it all. I have been itching to get back at him for that. "You're asking me to go after him?"
He shakes his head. "No. I'm asking you to help me take him out, and then hopefully take Rauil out. We only have forty-five minutes longer to hold out. Castor's men seem to be acting desperately, which must mean that Castor is acting desperately in order to take the Awakened circle out. If we can take him on, he'll have to transfer control to someone else, but the others don't have as much of a strategic mind as he does. We'd set them back a lot."
I nod. "Let's go." I stand, feeling my muscles and my bones, making sure nothing is broken. After I am satisfied with my search, I begin to walk, following Morias. He glances back at me every once in a while, making sure that I'm still going. The battle rages on, and I notice that both sides have Awakened troops. Rauil has been busy, I think, and smirk. For once it seems as though he's out of his natural element-control. I applaud Aeriam for slicing him in the calf. If anyone deserved it, it would have to be Rauil. Several troops make the foolish mistake of attacking us. I motion for Morias to let me take care of it. I quickly decapitate one and stab another, the blade going right through his armor. They both crumple to the ground, and Morias nods.
"Nice work. Now if you ever feel like that you can't continue due to your injuries...I'll teleport you back to the infirmary with necessary. Perhaps your friends will have woken up by then." I nod, conceding the point. But I do not want to go back there. I want to take on Castor and Rauil, and bring them to justice. Their actions really have upset the dynamic the Overseer had put into motion. And it is our job to stop them. It is as simple as that, so why am I feeling uneasy. We fight our way through the halls.
"Why can't we teleport directly to Castor?!" I yell over the sound of attacking enemies. He subdues a couple of soldiers with telekinesis before answering.
"Residual magic! It throws off the calculations and can be fatal!"
"I remember that now!" A soldier is about to stick a sword in Morias's back but I unleash a lightning bolt at him, frying him. Morias nods his thank you, and we break out of the front doors. Men are dropping left and right. I see a force of about seven Awakened taking on Gabriella, but we have no time to stop and help, we run through the crowd, dodging sword blades and whatnot. I flash back to the obstacle course. The arrows and fire then had been fake. This is the real deal. I calm myself. This is just nothing, just a training exercise...I dodge arrows, swords, fire, lightning, the like as we make our way down. Morias jumps on top of the wall protecting the city and I follow his example. He jumps into the battle outside. Once more, I follow.
We slice and hack, and I notice that men are taking much more of an interest in us two than everyone else. "Castor must be close!" I yell. "The men are attacking us like they know we're the biggest threat!" He does not say anything immediately, but drops to the ground and a horizontal fire windmill chops off several soldiers' heads. The wounds are cauterized, so there is not blood. I wince.
He nods. "Let's find him then!" We charge through the men, slashing and hacking as we do so. Eventually I see a gray-cloaked figure moving through the crowd, and soldiers with the six-fiongered hand on them part for him. Combed black hair, a thin, pale face, and bright and clinical eyes. Castor. I ready my sword, and Morias does as well. Castor chuckles.
"I know what you are thinking. That if you engage me that the men will be much less effective. You are wrong. True, I was given control over the army in the beginning, but I passed that along to someone else...Gabriella is in charge of all of the men, while Rauil and I keep up the charade of being in charge. You think that he is still recovering? Well, sorry to break it to you, but..."
A figure materializes in an explosion, sending Morias and I flying back. Rauil stands, sword ready, grinning. Castor steps to his side, and Rauil laughs. "It was all a ruse to get you, Morias, out here. You've interfered far too much, and you cannot be allowed to live. Balthen and Michael failed to kill you...so I'm going to have to take care of you personally."
"Wrong, Rauil. You can't win, you know that? It is not in your nature." Rauil winces, and Castor unsheathes his sword, eyes hard and cold, staring at Morias.
"Don't pay any attention to them, sir. Shall we kill them?"
Rauil nods. "So we shall..."
He closes his eyes. There is still a whole bunch of rubble from the last time he used an explosion. He lifts up the rubble using telekinesis and hurls it at us. I dodge just in time, but Morias is not so lucky. He is hit in the face, and he cries out. Morias sends a continuous stream of flame at Rauil, but Castor intervenes, absorbing it. Castor leaps towards me, slicing and spinning his sword. I stab, attempting to break through his defense, but he leaps to one side and sends me flying backwards. I vaguely see Morias taking on Rauil, but I can do nothing to help. Castor starts flinging me around like a rag doll, clearly enjoying himself. At one point he throws me up into the air, and sends me hurtling down before stopping a moment before I hit the ground.
I shoot lightning at him, taking him by surprise. I manage to get up and chop madly at him, aiming for his throat. He ducks and shoots a burst of red energy, not hitting me, but I cry out, covering my eyes. I think he temporarily blinded me. I concentrate, and manage to block his next killing stroke. Suddenly, the ground feels heavy, I feel heavy, and I sink to the floor, and I can hear his footsteps, his sword ready to end my life. Suddenly, he yells, and there's a crash. I can see again, and Morias stands over me, offering to help me up. I take his hand, and suddenly Morias is flung backwards, and Castor leaps towards him. Rauil looks at me, and tilts his head slightly.
"I suppose I could take you on." Rauil slowly moves towards me, and I ready myself. He lunges but I dodge, and I aim for his throat or head. He vanishes and reappears behind me, and a sonic boom sends me flying backwards, landing with a crash on the ground. He runs towards me, and I shoot bursts of alternating fire and lightning, keeping him on edge. I get up and quickly attempt a horizontal slice. He blocks and slices up, up, down, left, right, down, and I block every one. Then, he stabs, with electricity running down his blade, and I barely manage to dodge. I can smell the lightning. A split second later and I would be dead.
Suddenly, Castor crashes between us, his cloak in tatters. Morias seems to be too strong of an opponent for him. Rauil turns towards Morias, and he shoots lightning at Rauil. He is hit with it, and yells, crouching over. I attack Castor, who is much weaker, and he barely manages to block my attacks. He backflips, flicking his cloak off as he does so. Underneath, he wears gray light armor with the six-fingered hand on the front. He readies his sword, and his face gives nothing away. Once more, he seems to be adept at controlling his emotions. Let's see if I can get a response.
"Back at the rally, it was obvious that you didn't really care. So how the hell did you gain Rauil's trust?"
He shrugs. "Does it matter? I'm only here to kill you, so-" He lunges, and I barely have time to redirect his blade. His hand grabs my throat, and he drops his sword, going for the old-fashioned way of killing-choking, or asphyxiating. Whichever term you prefer. I gasp, and my sword drops. I try to build up some power, however, I can't. I can't explain why, I just can't. I gasp for breath, the life slowly leaving me, his firm hands showing no indication of ever letting go, and then I kick him in the groin. He gasps in surprise, fire curls around my fingertips, and I punch him in the face. He falls to the ground, unconscious, and I hear an explosion.
Morias crumples to the ground in a heap and Rauil stands over him, ready to finish him. "NO!" I yell. This man, Morias, was responsible for bringing me into this world of magic and dreams, and I am not about to let him die at the hands of some self-titled revolutionary. I hold up my hands and Rauil turns toward me, only to be yanked up into the air and slammed into the ground. That...that was the first time I've truly used a telekinetic hold. He gets up, cursing and spitting.
"I must admit that you didn't really concern me. I would have allowed you to live, why else do you think I put you in a trance?" he says, steadying himself on his broadsword. "Well, you've done it now. You've got what you wanted. I will fight you, and I will make sure I send you home in as many pieces as possible." He looks towards Castor's unconscious body, and teleports him away. Looks like the guy has a sense of honor towards his subordinates after all. He starts walking towards me, and I ready my sword. It's time. I try to control my breathing. This might be it...my last chance.
Shards of fire come piercing down at me from out of the sky. I duck for cover, rolling instinctively towards him, and slice at his wound in his leg. He yells and kicks me in the face. I quickly leap to my feet and block his next attack, twisting and stabbing whenever I can. I knee him in the groin, and he wretches, and I punch him in the face. He raises a hand and I am blasted backwards, skidding to a halt at the entrance of the town. Whoever is in charge of the army now, they're keeping the other men far away from us, thankfully. I still see the battle going on, but no sign of my friends. They must still be recovering.
Every inch of my body hurts but I know that I cannot give up. Morias will die if I do not fight back, and I only have a little longer before the spell is complete, and the tides will be turned against Rauil once and for all. I stand slowly, Rauil slowly walking towards me, taking his damn time about it. He grins, and sends lightning bolts crackling towards me. I dodge, and run towards him. I try to stab his chest, but he easily, almost contemptibly blocking it. I fling him upward in a telekinetic hold, and swing him around a bit before crashing him into a wall. I grin.
Suddenly, my grin is wiped off of my face as I am sent flying into the air, and he holds my arms out like a cross. He gets up, sword out, and jumps into the air, and I can see what will happen. He will slice right through me, and I will be held in place, helpless to stop him. I concentrate deep within myself. Suddenly, fire explodes outwards from me, sending him crashing to the ground. However, his grip slips as a result, and I crash to the ground for the second time today. He gets up before me and moves towards me, tossing me around like a rag doll.
He flings me into the air and slams me into the ground, dragging me across and sending me flying into a wall. He flings me directly into a lightning bolt, and I scream in pain, and he drops me. Every single inch of my body is in agony, and I reflect that Morias and I were foolish. We were foolish to take him on alone, even though we had no men to spare. We were foolish to even fight against him in the first place, and now we are all going to pay the price. We are all going to die.
"Now I hope you understand why I wanted to spare you the trouble. You are weak, and strong men are the ones to rule. Aeriam is weak, manipulated by his followers and weak-willed. And you, despite your distinction, are weak-willed as well." He raises his sword, ready to end my life. "Now, it is time to end this, and I will get back to dealing with more important matters." He is about to kill me when it starts.
There's a ringing in my ears, and I think that it is all in my head, spurred on by the prospect of death. However, Rauil stops, and suddenly the fighting stops as well, and it is too quiet, just that ringing noise. I run over to Morias and he smiles weakly. "They...did...it." Suddenly, people begin groaning, shaking their heads. I realize what's going on...we did it! They completed the spell, and all of the Influence is breaking! Rauil's men are shaking out of their confusion, some of them dropping down, unconscious. I grin. We've turned the tides.
Then I hear a scream. Rauil drops his sword and holds both hands to his head, screaming endlessly and sobbing. He stumbles around, breathing heavily and coughing between screams, and tears run down his face. What the hell? I move towards him as he continues in his agony, and he looks at me and I see an expression there I've never seen before-fear.
"This...can't...be..." He falls to his knees, tears still running down his face. What the hell is going on? I quickly punch him in the face and he goes sprawling on the ground. It's over.
Or is it?