DARKQUISITION
ADVENTURE ARC THE FIRST:
ENTITY OF ASCENDANCY
“Those who think that they’re better than the average person are usually worse.”
Published by Zürthüryx Hemtolig Qosdarlu and Thejyreq Vazgothicus Ldeikone
Copyright © 2011 by Zürthüryx Hemtolig Qosdarlu and Thejyreq Vazgothicus Ldeikone
SMASHWORDS EDITION, LICENSE NOTES
This adventure is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This adventure may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this adventure with another person, please purchase an additional spot on it for each recipient. If you’re reading this adventure and did not purchase one, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own spot. Thank you for respecting the hard work of these forgers.
CONSECRATION THE FIRST:
COUNTERCLOCKWISE
Deep in some beasts and men
Echoes “I decide when”
Dreams in the night of life
In the middle of strife
Coming out wielding might
As an arm for what’s right
Time may sing their song true
Igniting dreams anew
Onto an honored call
Naming the righteous all
Disclaimer:
Rating: Eighteen and over
- Graphic violence
- Graphic nudity and sex
- Harsh language
- Other adult issues
Forgature: Zürthüryx Hemtolig Qosdarlu and Thejyreq Vazgothicus Ldeikone
CHAPTER THE FIRST:
A JOURNEY IN THE KEY OF DEATH
Year of our Lord: Eighteen ninety
Month: May (Spring)
Day: The fifth (Monday)
Time: Four o’ clock in the afternoon
Out into the air arose spurts of thumping, which to the untrained ear sounded like mere movement but to the trained one sounded like so much more. Six people were walking side by side nonchalantly down an old dirt road. They were all dressed in black clothes with black cloaks covering them. Their faces were hard to see because hoods, which were a part of their cloaks, covered their heads. Lastly, they each had a sword that rested in a sheath. Each sheath sat in between their waist and belt on their side. However, they weren’t visible because they were covered by their wearers’ cloaks. Along each side of the road, mighty oak trees flourished. They formed a forest that was home to many forms of vegetation and animals. They included, but not limited to, grass, poison ivy, weeds, rabbits, birds, and deer.
Since it was late afternoon, the sun was beginning its decent downward. Despite this however, it still managed to bestow its bounty of light down upon the world. Up high in the sky, a few clouds quietly passed by watching all that dwelled beneath on the ground with an almost obsessive interest. Somewhere off to the right in the woods, they could hear the subtle crackling of a stream. Then suddenly, a man stepped out from the left side of the woods. He walked onto the road and then turned to face them. He was a good fifteen feet away.
“I’m so sorry, he said, “but I have to acquire all of your processions and money as well as your lives.”
He then removed his sword from his sheath and pointed it at them.
“Now of course,” he said, “I won’t be doing this alone.”
He snapped his fingers and out from both sides of the woods, seven more men emerged. They removed their swords from their sheaths as they walked.
“I’d like to introduce you all to my fellow comrades,” he said.
He then gave his attention to his men.
“So,” he asked, “are you ready to tear our victims limb from limb?”
“Yes!” they all yelled in unison.
The six warriors just gazed at them.
“Begin!” yelled the leader.
One of them charged at one of the six warriors with his sword, which was thirsty for blood, his blood. When he got within a couple of feet of the warrior, he drew his sword upward and slashed down. The warrior stepped to the side, evading the vicious attack. He then removed his sword from his sheath and plunged it right into the mugger’s chest. It went into his chest cavity and into his heart. It then went through it and made its way out his back. The man wiggled around on the sword for a few seconds, but then succumbed to death and fell limp. The warrior then tried to pull it out, but it had gotten stuck. He then lifted his leg up to the bleeding corpse and pushed it off with his right foot. It fell to the ground with a river of blood leaking from it.
“Shit!” yelled the leader of the muggers. “I’ll see that you’ll rot in Hell for this!”
He then looked around at his men.
“I want their bodies unrecognizable!” he screamed.
All the muggers ran towards the six warriors in one fantastical charge. The six warriors just stood there watching the oncoming onslaught move its way ever closer to them. Finally, when the muggers got within proximity, the other five warriors removed their swords and prepared for battle. One of the muggers flung his sword down at one of them. He flung his sword in a horizontal stance, thus blocking the slash. They both starred into each other’s eyes while trying to break each other’s stance by pushing on their respective weapons. The warrior quickly cocked his head backward and then head-butted the mugger in the center of his face. The bone in his nose cracked right in half creating a most horrible sound.
“Ahhhh!” he yelled as he stumbled backwards with blood gushing from it.
The warrior took his sword and turned it so that blade faced the right. He then shoved it right through his neck just under his chin. It went dead center into it where it hit his spine and went right through it. It then came out his back. Since his spine was severed high enough, it disconnected his brain from his vital organs, which killed him instantly. He yanked it back out. The mugger fell over forward and landed on his stomach. Blood spilled out of his broken nose and the entrance and exit wounds in his chest.
Another fighter was blocking a bunch of swings from another mugger.
“Come on and die already!” yelled the mugger.
He did a horizontal slash but the member ducked under it. He stood back up and then ran two steps forward in order to get behind him. Then, while still facing forward, he swung horizontally at him right below his neck. The blunt side of his sword flew right into his back hitting his spine with such force, that it cracked it into two halves, thus, killing him instantly. The mugger’s body toppled forward like a rag doll and hit the ground.
One of the muggers tripped over the body of the second person in his group to be killed. He fell onto his left side. All of a sudden, one of the members shoved his sword right through his neck and into the ground. A stream of blood started flowing out of his mouth like a slow moving river. He then pulled it out causing the mugger’s head to travel upward with it for a second before dropping to the ground with a dull thud.
“These guys are really good,” the leader thought. “I underestimated them.”
He then looked around at the remainder of his men.
“Keep on fighting!” he yelled. “We can defeat them!”
From out of nowhere, somebody crashed into his back, knocking him down. He then looked at whoever ran into him. What he saw was the lifeless carcass of one of his men resting a foot away from him. He had an entrance wound in his forehead and an exit one in the back. One of the warriors impaled him in the head with his sword and kicked him while the sword was still in it. He flew off it and into the leader, knocking him to the ground. He shifted his eyes toward fighter who had disposed of him. He was standing a couple of feet away from the body’s feet. The fighter returned the gaze and set his sights on him.
“Damn you!” screamed the leader. “Damn you all to Hell!”
He stood up and tried to impale the member with his sword. The man stepped to his right side and slammed his sword down on top of the leader’s sword. The leader’s sword then smashed into the ground. Then the man raised his leg and did a forward kick at the leader’s chest, pushing him back a foot.
“Now, you’re just playing with me,” he said.
He then lunged at him.
“You’re so dead, you asshole,” said another mugger as he was swinging his sword at another one of the warriors.”
He was easily evading the random slashes of the mugger’s sword. Then, while this was going on, he pulled out his sheath from his belt and smashed it against the side of the mugger’s face.
“Ahhh!” he yelled in pain as he spun around.
When he finally made it all the way around and faced the warrior, the warrior quickly positioned his sword right up to his neck. Then with a confident grin, he pulled his sword back. It sliced open the man’s neck, which caused blood to rush out a river’s speed. The man put his hands up to his neck and fell to his knees. He then fell to the ground on his stomach like an archaic stone that had existed for a thousand years.
Meanwhile, the leader kept swinging his sword like a madman at the member, but with every hit being blocked.
During a pause in his offensive attacks, the fighter went in for a quick decapitation kill, but the leader rolled under the flying blade. He stood back up.
“Fall back!” he yelled to the last member of his group whom still remained intact.
He then, along with his only comrade left, ran back about twenty feet and stopped. Dust flew into that air as their feet suddenly fell motionless.
“Should we permanently retreat?” asked the man.
“No,” said the leader. “We’ll stay and try to accomplish our mission. Also, we have another reason to kill them. We have to do it to avenge our fallen comrades.”
“You’re right,” he said as he turned to his left side to look at the leader. “We must continue the fight. So, how do you plan on doing this?”
“Okay,” said the leader as he turned his head to the right and looked straight into his eyes. “This is what we’re going to do. You…”
Out of nowhere, a sword flew right through the guy’s head. It went through one temple and out the other causing blood to splatter on to the leader’s face. There was also some brain matter on the tip of it. The leader just looked at him with a horrified look upon his face. Just seconds ago, he was looking into his comrade’s eyes, which showcased a flame that had flickered with life. However, that flame had been extinguished now. The empty shell of the mugger fell backwards onto the ground with the sword penetrating outward a little. He wiped the blood off his face with his hand and then looked at it. He then flicked it off to the side. Then, with fire in his eyes, he gazed up at them.
“You killed everyone!” he screamed. “You killed all of my men!”
They just all stood there and looked at him.
“Even if I can’t kill just one of you,” he screamed, “I’ll sure as hell try!”
He grabbed the sword sticking out of his friend’s head and yanked it out.
Just then, one of the fighters flew at him with impeccable speed. The leader took the two swords in his procession and formed an “x”, thus blocking the incoming blow. The member lifted his leg up and propelled his foot into the leader’s left kneecap to break his stance.
“Crap!” he said as he lowered his swords and knelt down on his other knee.
The warrior raised his sword and flung it down to cut his head in half, but he raised his swords over his head just in time to counter the blow. The warrior then flung his knee up and hit him right in the forehead. The leader yelled in pain as he flew right onto his back and dropped his swords. The member went up to him and put his foot on his throat and pressed down on it. Once again, the leader yelled in pain.
“I don’t know who the hell you guys are or where the hell you come from,” said the leader as he looked directly into his eyes, “but I won’t die this easily. No, you’ll have to do much better than this.”
He grabbed the fighter’s foot and pushed it upward with all his force. He jumped backward to prevent himself from losing his balance. The leader quickly grabbed one of the swords and sat up. He then thrust it at him in attempt to stab him. He parried to his left and slashed downward cutting off the leader’s hand. The dismembered body part fell to the ground along with the sword.
“Ahhh!” yelled the leader as he looked at his disfigured arm that had blood spewing out of its end.
The warrior then took his sword and made a cut right through the leader’s neck. The speed of the cut was so great, that after it had exited, his head still remained on his body. Then after a brief pause, his head fell backward onto the ground. His lifeless body then fell on top it. Then just like how a fine wine flows from its bottle after the cork has been removed, blood started to flow out onto the ground from where his head used to rest.
The warrior who threw his sword like a spear through the one mugger’s head went up to where the leader’s mutilated corpse lie, and picked it up. Then all the warriors walked off the road and into the right side of the woods. They walked a couple more feet and found the stream. It had a gorgeous blue color and flowed majestically as it carved, ever so slightly, the landscape that it was a part of. It was there where they cleaned their weapons of their enemy’s blood. After they had finished, they sheathed their swords and went back to the road from which they came. They then picked up the bodies and put them on the left and right sides of the road. That way, they wouldn’t be in the way of other travelers. Once they finished, they continued on their journey to the city of Vallone while basking in their newfound victory.
POEM THE FIRST:
THE ROAD OF DEATH
Down the road of death they walked
With ears paying close attention, no one talked
Then men of evil entered my friend
All of them did meet their end
CHAPTER THE SECOND:
SET THE STAGE ON FIRE
They finally reached the main entrance to the city one-hour later. The sun was now a little lower in the sky, but it still gave off enough light so that they could still see with no problems. The forest that they had been walking through was gone. It ended thirty feet back. Because of that, the city sat in a huge mostly empty space that also extended beyond its outskirts for quite a while. It was mostly empty because stones, trees, and other vegetation were scattered throughout it.
The six men knew that this was the correct city because of the wooden sign that was displayed right in front of them. It was nailed to a wooden post that was stuck in the ground right next to the right side of the entrance. Its name was written in calligraphy using black ink. The person responsible for this was exceptional at the art of writing as it was beautiful beyond words. They made their first steps onto the ground that lay within its boundaries. It was just as much a part of the city as the array of things that rested on top of it.
“We finally have made it to Vallone,” said one of them as they crossed over it.
He pulled down his hood so that his whole head was revealed. Everyone else did the same.
“This looks like a quaint little town,” said another one of them.
“So,” asked one of them, “how are we going to start looking for the Tablet of Omainu? We don’t know its exact location. All we know is that it’s located in this city somewhere.”
“Yeah,” said another one.
“We’re just going to have to ask people to see if they know where it is,” said the first one who stepped into the city. “We’ll split up so we can cover more ground. After one hour, we’ll meet back here. We have no other choice.”
They all agreed to this plan and then headed in separate directions.
The city itself was not extremely big. It was a mid-sized town that had an old world charm to it. As they walked around, they saw the various buildings that inhabited the city. It was a melting pot of the rural and the urban. There were apartments intermingled with various types of stores. There were about two feet of space in between each one to maximize the space. They were all made out of wood, and also quite plain. A lot of the buildings weren’t even painted, and for the ones that were, the colors were old and faded. They were either houses or businesses. The types of businesses consisted of the following: clothing stores, butcher shops, general stores, shoe stores, flower shops, toy stores, knickknack and trinket shops, as well as many others.
There were also buildings that lay on the outskirts of the town. Wooden sidewalks sat in front of them. They served as a convenience for people who wanted to travel by foot. Behind the buildings, lay townhouses similar in appearance to the buildings in the city. As for the streets and sidewalks, they were lined with people living their lives. They were just getting off of work and heading home to partake of their leisure time. Kids were also up about running and playing with each other. The sound of footsteps and chatter filled the air with a sense of accomplishment, as well as relief.
The six of them questioned all kinds of people about the whereabouts of this special artifact. One of them walked down a sidewalk and saw two relatively attractive women talking to each other in front of a store. He causally strolled up to them.
“Well, hello there handsome,” said one of the women as they noticed him coming up to them.
“What can we do for you?” asked the other one.
“I have a question,” he said. “Maybe you two can answer it for me, if you’ll be so kind.”
“Why sure,” said the first one. “What is it?”
“I was wondering if you know anything about an object called the ‘Tablet of Omainu?’” he asked.
After an hour of asking around about the tablet, all six of them started to come back to the city’s entrance. As they were all walking back, the sun was still getting ever closer to disappearing for the day. Within a half-hour, all six of them had arrived.
“Did any of you get any information on the tablet?” asked the first one who stepped into the city.
“Some of the people that I asked,” said another one, “thought that it was just a legend. However, most of them never even heard of it.”
Everyone else said the same thing.
“That doesn’t surprise me,” said the first one who stepped into the city. “It’s not a very well known item. I guess we’ll continue the search tomorrow. We’ve been traveling for quite a while so I think that it’s in everyone’s best interest to shift gears and look for a place to rest. This will also double as our base of operations as we continue the search. Did anyone see any inns while we were scouring for information earlier?”
“No,” they all answered.
“Then we need to find somebody who does,” said the first one into the city. “This is a city so there should be one around here somewhere.”
“Since neither one of us saw one,” said another one, “that must mean it exists deeper within the city. If that’s the case, I hope that there’s something that can get us there because it’d be a great deal away. And what makes it worse is that we’re exhausted from walking around all day.”
“Then I’m your man gents,” said a voice.
Startled, they turned around to see a horse-drawn carriage behind them. There were two brown horses in front of it with a burley looking man sitting on a perch behind them. He was holding the reins.
“I know of one, and it has a good reputation,” he said. “I can get you there with no problem. Climb aboard.”
“Thanks,” said one of them.
They walked around to the back of the carriage and climbed up into it. There was a bench on each side of the interior. They each plopped down on one of them.
“And we’re off,” said the driver as he snapped the reins.
They started to head east. Since the roads weren’t paved very well, it was a rickety ride. The men jostled around in their seats.
“This is like having sex,” said one of them to another, “except without the woman, and in your case, the man.”
Everybody laughed.
“Do you want me to stick my foot so far up your ass,” he inquired, “that I’ll be able to use your head as a shoe?”
“That wouldn’t even work,” he said. “My head wouldn’t even be the right size. It’d be too big.”
“You’re wrong,” said a third one. “It’d be too small. You don’t need much room for what you’re carrying in there.”
Everybody laughed again.
“Calm down,” said the one who the insult was directed at. “It wasn’t that funny. It was only mildly humorous.”
“No it wasn’t,” said another one. “It was absolutely hilarious.”
“Fine,” said the insulted one. “I admit, that was pretty slide-splitting, but it’s over now and we can all move on.”
After about ten minutes, they came up to a magnificent fountain that lay twenty feet to the left of them. In the center of it was a marble statue of a man that they didn’t recognize standing on a circular platform. Water shot out of holes that circled around the base of it into a marble pool below the statue. They all looked at the statue in curiosity as they passed it. Then all of a sudden, one of them spoke.
“Excuse me driver,” he said. “How close are we to the inn?”
“I reckon about a half-a-block or so,” he said.
“Can we get off here?” he asked.
“Sure,” he said.
He stopped the carriage.
“Here you go,” he said.
“What do we owe you?” he asked.
“Uh,” he said, “five griveers.”
He pulled out the money and gave it to him.
“I’m curious,” he said. “How did you figure out how much we owed you?”
“To be honest,” said the driver, “I wing it. I just make an educated guess. There’s no science behind it. Now off you go.”
All six of them climbed out of the back of the carriage. The carriage driver then snapped the reigns. He took off to pick up some more people, and to make some more money.
“Okay,” said one of them, “let’s go take a closer look at the statue.”
They all began to walk towards it.
“I wonder whom it represents?” asked one of them.
“I sure would like to know too,” said another one. “I hope that there’s something on it that will tell us.”
They finally reached it. They then looked for anything on it that would convey the information. Unfortunately, they couldn’t. However, their search was not a complete lose. They did find something else. At the base of it, a saying was carved out. It read: “I am everything. You are nothing.”
“That’s a very interesting saying,” said one of them.
“Okay,” said the first one who entered the city, “that’s enough sightseeing. Let’s continue to the inn.”
They continued to walk in the appropriate direction. On the way there, one of them noticed a store.
It was a small building that stood in-between two other builders. It was made out of gray round stones and had a cedar wooden door right in its center. Right above the door, hung a small bell that was ready to alert those who were already inside to others who were about to join them. Above that, hung a sign with the words “The Dark Zethen” crudely written on it in black ink. On each side of the door, a small window lay in wait for passersby to peer through. On the other side of them, obscure and exotic items rested on various shelves.
“Hey guys,” he said. “Wait a minute.”
Everyone stopped walking.
“We should inquire about the tablet in here,” he said as he pointed to the shop. “It looks like it sells items of that nature.”
“Okay,” said the one who had entered the town first. “Let’s do it. This’ll be our final stop before the inn.”
The person who led this trip went up to the door and opened it. As the door swung outward, it hit the bell, causing it to make a high-pitched ring. The rest followed him inside. The store was made up of one rectangular room. There were wooden shelves against all four sides of it with some in the middle of it too. A wide assortment of wonders from across the land far and wide lined them. The various items housed here included books, pots, necklaces, busts, trinkets, and other unclassifiable knickknacks. They all yearned for a home, but the ominous vibe of the store surely made that impossible. One could only wonder if they would ever come to this realization or not. The two windows in the front let in some light, but it progressively faded as it made its way to the back of the room. It was almost as if it was some sort of vacuum from which not even light could escape.
“Welcome strangers,” said a man’s voice.
The eyes of the six warriors shifted to the back of the room, where they saw an old man sitting on a wooden stool with three lit candles on his left side. He was Caucasian and seventy-two years old. He stood exactly five feet tall and weighed one hundred and twenty-nine pounds. He was completely devoid of all hair. However, if he had some, it would be wavy. He also had dark brown eyes. The flames next to him danced around in a hypnotic state as if they were possessed by some kind of spirit.
“My name is Potav,” he said. “I’m the proprietor of this fine establishment.”
“The name of your little shop is pretty mysterious sounding,” said one of the men as he was looking at a stone figurine on a shelf. “Is the word ‘zethen’ a real word, or is it a made-up one?”
“It’s made-up,” said Potav. “I wanted to come up with a word of my own that sounded mysterious.”
“Does it have a meaning?” he asked.
“Not at all,” said Potav. “It’s just a word and nothing more.”
His small narrow eyes shifted from him to another one. This man was holding a necklace up to his face. He was studying it.
“We come with a question,” said the first one into the city as he causally walked up to Potav.
Potav moved his eyes to him and starred at him as if he was looking right through him and at something else.
“We were wondering if you knew anything about a little object called the ‘Tablet of Omainu?’” he said.
The other five warriors stopped what they were doing and moved up behind him.
“The Tablet of Omainu?” asked Potav. “I know what that object is. But, tell me, why are you asking me about it?”
“So,” he asked, “you have heard of it? To answer your question, we noticed your shop and saw that it sold items that were of a similar nature. Therefore, we thought there’d be a better chance of an employee here knowing something about it.”
“You have good reasoning,” said Potav. “I commend that.”
“I thank you for your compliment,” he said. “So, now tell me. Do you believe it to be real, or merely a myth?”
“Of course I believe it to be real,” said Potav. “In fact, I know it to be real. I’ve seen it with my very own eyes. But who are you six and why are you interested in something like that?”
“I am Tearthis,” said the first one.
He was a forty-two year old Caucasoid. However, despite his age, he could still hold his own fairly well against younger opponents. He stood six feet and five inches tall. He also weighed one hundred and seventy-nine pounds. He wore a flattop hairstyle. His eyes were of the color gray, which could represent this world since it was a mix of good and bad. His hair color was light blonde and its texture was wavy. He also sported a donegal, but of course, he always took his appearance seriously. This extended to his personality as well. He was a stern yet fair man. He was not one to joke around very much because he had a job to do, and very important one at that. As a side effect though, it affected his mood. Even though he was the leader of this outfit, he came off as sort of a father figure to the other members.
“I am Dragus,” said another one.
He was a twenty-three years old Australoid. His age allowed him to have energy to spare. He stood five feet and seven inches tall. He weighed one hundred and fifty-one pounds. Despite his small stature, he had a big ego to make up for it. Coupled with less experience, this made for an off balanced combination in the end. His eyes were the color of light brown. He also had long black hair that ran down just past his shoulders. It was also as straight as it could possibly be. However, his face was clean-shaven. Due to his youthful appearance, some even wondered if he was even old enough to grow any kind of facial hair. His age also made him more in tune with the times as well as flexible. He came off as the “child” of the group. He eagerly tried to learn everything he could from the other members. But during these times, he made more work from them as well since they had to look out for him more. Every once and a while though, he would manage to teach them something instead.
“I am Artain,” said another one.
He was a thirty-six year old Negroid. Because he was approaching forty, he tried to keep himself in his prime for as long as possible. He stood six feet and two inches tall. He also weighed one hundred and seventy-five pounds. His hair was coarse, which he wore in a high and tight hairstyle. He also had a soul patch. Like his skin color, his hair was black. As for his eyes, they were a dark brown. On the spaces between his left and right knuckles, the words “slay” and “evil” were tattooed in red respectively. His experience and stature also contributed to a certain kind of presence. In terms of personality, he was the best compliment to Tearthis. A little high strung, he saw the objective as a grail of sorts and this one was no exception. Even when making various comments, he wouldn’t change his demeanor. He expected everyone to do his job, and to do it well. He came off as the big brother in the group.
“I am Mondren,” said another one.
He was a twenty-eight old mix of all the different races. Because of that, diversity pretty much broke the mold with him. His skin color was a light brown. He also stood six feet and zero inches tall and weighed one hundred and sixty-seven pounds. His left eye was light green, while his right one was dark brown. One could say that these colors represented the world he embraced. He had reddish brown straight hair that was styled in small diameter dreadlocks. They ran down to his waist. He also had a goatee to complement it. He had a pentagram tattooed on his back. He also had a lip ring, septurn ring, left and right earlobe rings, right eyebrow ling, and left and right nipple rings. His appearance and attitude were questionable at best, but everybody else in the group just took it in strides. He was the most laid back member of the group. The unusual never seemed to faze him that much. Deep down he took his job seriously, but he wouldn’t let it interfere with having a good time. Because of these things, some would say that he was the hippie of the group. Some would even go as far as to say that he was a hippie period. He found this classification to be insulting because it was false.
“I am Nios,” said another one.
He was a twenty-five year old Mongolic. He stood five feet and nine inches tall. He also weighed one hundred and fifty-seven pounds. His head was shaved. However, his hair color was black if he let it grow out that is. His eyes were the color of dark brown and he sported a Fu Manchu style moustache. On his right arm was a tattoo of a dark green cross. He also had a ring in his left nostril. He was not one to “rock the boat” so to speak. He could think for himself, but tried to respect the wishes of others within reason. If he did have a problem with something however, he’d usually take a more subtle approach to it. This journey, however, was largely an exception to that line of thinking. Because of that, he’s tried to deal with it in any way he could. He so far had been successful in his efforts. He came off as the team player in the group. Because of his willingness to always keep the peace, he just kind of blended in.
“I am Rykarn,” said the last one.
He was a thirty-one year old Caucasoid. His age allowed him to have some experience as well as energy to spare. Therefore, some would argue that he had the best of both worlds. He was five feet and ten inches tall. He also weighed one hundred and sixty pounds. His hair was curly and light brown. It also went down to the middle of his back. Because of its length, he could wear it in different ways. Right now, he had it in a ponytail. His eyes were the color of amber. He had some stubble on his face, which alluded to his laziness to completely shave it off. A ring in his left eyebrow was also present. He had a tendency to take things personally and let people know it too. Everyone saw this as more than just a job, but words can’t quite describe what he thinks about this. In times where togetherness was needed, he kind of became a liability.
“What you have just heard,” said Tearthis, “is who we are as individuals. But when we are combined, we are Hex Immortal. Our pasts as individuals wanting to do that which is right have brought us to the present as such. We are the greatest good, against the Tablet of Omainu, the greatest evil. Hopefully our future, or futures, will tread such similar tides.”
“Yeah,” muttered Rykarn sarcastically as he rolled his eyes, “let’s end on a note of uncertainty. That’s comforting.”
“How very interesting,” said Potav as he rubbed his chin. “However, that doesn’t answer my second question.”
“We’ve heard about it,” said Mondren, “and our mission is to get it in our possession so that nobody can use the evil that is can cause. We don’t want the world we all know and love to come to an end.”
“That’s an extremely noble thing of you to do,” said Potav.
“Thank you,” responded Mondren.
Potav lifted his hand up to his mouth and coughed.
“I suppose you should be told where it is then?” he asked.
He then slowly took his feet of the rungs on his stool and put them on the ground. He slowly stood up.
“The Tablet of Omainu,” he said, “currently rests in the hands of our government. However, it is not a freedom loving one. It is a dictatorial one. The name of the man who runs the show is Contanis. He, along with his followers, want to use it in their quest for power. Six years ago, he and his men appeared in our town without warning. Then one day, with a swift wave of violence, they overthrew our current government at the time. After that was done, they went after our police force and completely obliterated that as well. No one from either of those groups was spared. They then replaced the people in both groups with themselves. That way, both groups would be on the same page. I have no idea how long they were here before they started the transition. What I do know however is that ever since that day, our lives have been an absolute nightmare.”
Hex Immortal just looked at him, listening attentively.
“They control this city with an iron grasp,” he continued. “We’re not allowed to own any swords, guns, gunpowder, bombs, etc. They don’t want us to be able to defend ourselves. They took the already existing ones and either kept them for themselves or destroyed them. However, we can own tools that are needed for work such as farming, carving, building, etc. They have also outlawed all religions. They don’t like the idea of people believing in a being, or beings, who are above them. They see themselves as being the supreme rulers of the city with Contanis being the highest of all.
They also impose a great number of heavy taxes on us. They see the money that we earn as belonging to them, not us. They then use it to fund their totalitarian endeavors. They also impose food quotas on us. We have to give them specific foods in specifics amounts when they come around to collect it at specific times. This is how they feed themselves. If any one of us is caught not following these rules, or not being able to meet them, we’ll suffer dire consequences.”
“Sounds like we’re dealing with some despotic fucks,” said Dragus.
“Damn right,” said Potav. “After they settled in and explained to us how our city was going to operate from then on, they quickly discovered my shop. Then, just like how you all came to my shop for answers about the tablet, Contanis and Kotlor did the same. But instead of asking where it was, they wanted to know how to activate it. They did that because they had it with them at the time. I have no idea when they got a hold of it because they didn’t tell me. However, I’d say that they probably had it before they took over the city because of the short timeframe between taking it over and coming to my store. Anyway, they demanded that I tell them how to do it or it would be forced out of me. I was honest with them and said that I didn’t know how, but they didn’t believe me. Therefore, they tried to beat it out of me.
They did it in this very room, so some of my merchandise got destroyed. After two hours, they finally decided that I was telling the truth and stopped. They then just left in disgust. Luckily, I suffered no permanent damage. Also, some of the townspeople helped fix up my shop. They also gave me some money as well as some items to sell so that I could get back on my feet.”
Rykarn just had a realization.
“I have a question,” he said. “We saw a fountain in the middle of the city earlier today. In the center of it was a statue. Could that statue be one of Contanis?”
“You’re correct,” said Potav. “He hired a sculptor from another village to make it for him five years ago. However, I never learned what his name was or even where he came from. Anyway, it is a testament to our oppression.”
“Haven’t you ever tried to take him and his minions down?” asked Nios.
“Alas,” said Potav, “we tried once, but failed miserably. A little over a year since we were taken over, a bunch of villagers banded together and tried to stage a coup d'état against them. Their weapons consisted of tools, guns, swords, and bombs. Some people still had some of the forbidden objects because they had hidden them. However, Contanis and his followers killed them all. They either died in battle or were captured and executed. Also, anybody who was connected to it, but didn’t actually fight, were rounded up and killed too.
We have officially named that day “The Day of the Great Contention.” Now on every anniversary of it, we mourn those who tried to free this city from the stranglehold of Contanis and his group. However, we must do so in secrecy. For you see, Contanis outlawed the anniversary because it honored something that defied him and his régime. If anybody is caught acknowledging that day, the consequences will be dire. We also would like to build a memorial to honor them someday. Of course, it’s obvious why we haven’t built it yet and why we aren’t currently building it now. As a matter of fact, the anniversary is tomorrow.”
“Where’s the compound located?” asked Tearthis.
“It’s by of the river that passes next to the city,” said Potav. “It’s to the east from this location.”
All of a sudden, Tearthis took a deep breath.
“I guess we know what we must do,” he said. “We have to take down this government and get the Tablet of Omainu. This is just what the people of this city don’t need, a government with even more power.”
“It won’t be easy,” he said. “They’re a highly skilled group of fighters.”
“We’ll try our best,” said Tearthis. “Thanks for the information.”
He turned around and walked towards the door with the other five members of Hex Immortal following behind him. He opened the door and they all walked out in single file.
“I wish you God’s speed Hex Immortal,” said Potav to himself. “The future of our town, as well as the future of our world, depends upon you.”
At interim, another event was just taking place.
“Stop!” yelled a woman. “Let me go!”
She was white and twenty-nine years old. She also had straight brown hair that ran down to her shoulders. Her eyes were of the color blue. She also stood five feet and eight inches tall. She weighed one hundred and fifty-eight pounds.
A man was dragging her by her hair across a dirt road. He was taking her to the government compound.
“Shut up you stupid cunt!” he said.
He was white and thirty-five years old. He also had straight brown hair and a goatee. Both of them were short. He also had brown eyes and stood six feet tall. His weight was that of one hundred and seventy-nine pounds. He was much stronger than her, so her chances of escaping were earth shattering low.
After a few more minutes, he reached the stonewall that wrapped around the compound in a rectangle. In the center of it was an oak door that led to the courtyard that housed all of the buildings in the compound. The main building’s front entrance faced this door, which was about thirty feet away from it.
After a few seconds a small window on the door opened, revealing a man’s face.
“Oh, it’s you Kotlor,” said the man behind it.
“Greetings Balaz,” said Kotlor.
Balaz closed the window.
All of a sudden, the door opened from the inside. He walked in while still dragging the woman by her hair. She continued to scream.
“What’s with the broad?” asked Balaz.
“There’s a small incident that must be attended to,” said Kotlor.
“What happened?” asked Balaz.
He explained the situation to him. After he finished, Balaz kicked her in the back, causing her to scream again.
“Thank you for the thoughtful gesture,” said Kotlor.
He then started dragging her to the destination that he had mentioned earlier. Balaz closed the door and locked it. Kotlor dragged her into the main building and up to the fourth floor. He then dragged her into the throne room. He let go of her and let her lay on the ground. She was sobbing.
The room was one of the biggest in the building. It contained six windows that were stationed on the right wall. They let all those inside view the outside world. There were also brass torches along the walls, which were all sparkling with flames. The light given off by them engulfed the entire room in a bright yellowish glow.
“For what is this, Kotlor?” asked a man’s voice.
The man who just spoke was white and forty-six years old. He had straight black hair that was starting to turn gray. It also went a little past his shoulders. He also had brown eyes and was six feet and one inch tall. He also weighed one hundred and eighty-four pounds. He sat upon a huge throne made out of solid marble. On the left and right sides of the throne, a sword stuck out of the top of the two armrests. Above him, at the top of the throne, a huge dragon’s head sat. The head was carved with such exquisite detail that if glanced at for a second, the viewer would swear that it was real. It was if the dragon’s head was there to protect him from any danger that may arise.
All of a sudden, Kotlor kicked her in the stomach.
“Ah!” she yelped in pain.
“Overlord Contanis,” he said, “this wench has been hiding food from us. I discovered a secret stash under the floorboards in her house. Here it is.”
He dropped a bag onto the ground. Inside of it were rice balls, meat, and vegetables.
“Woman,” asked Contanis, “is what Kotlor says the truth? Have you been withholding food from us?”
Contanis knew that this accusation was indeed true because Kotlor would never lie to him. He was too loyal. He did this just because he was interested in what she had to say about the matter.
The woman knew that if she told him that this was a lie, Contanis wouldn’t believe her and kill her. She also knew that if she told him that it was true, he would kill her still. Therefore, she decided that her best option was to obtain sympathy and try to make a deal with him. She felt that if she could do these two things, or at least one of them, he might let her go. If he did in fact do that, she hoped that he would just let her off with a verbal warning as opposed to him inflicting physical harm upon her. Either way, it was better than falling prey to the cold hands of death.
“Yes,” she whimpered as she continued to lie on the ground, “but I needed it for me and my children. The amount that we’re allowed to keep is barely enough. Listen, if you spare me, I’ll give you the food that I owe you now along with the food that I’ll owe you next time. That way you’ll get all the food that you originally were supposed to get. I’ll also throw in some money as well. Lastly, I’ll promise to never do this again. I swear.”
“That’s a pretty tempting offer,” said Contanis as he leaned back on his throne. “However, you must be made an example of to the other villagers. That way, we can reinforce the idea that if you fuck us, we’ll fuck you right back.”
“No!” she yelled as she looked up at him. “I beg of you. Please, don’t!”
“Pull her off the ground, Kotlor,” said Contanis as he stood up from his throne.
Kotlor grabbed her shirt and yanked her up to her feet.
“Strip her of her clothes,” said Contanis as he removed the sword from the right armrest.
Kotlor pulled her shirt off and then flung it to the side.
“Stop it!” she yelled.
He then did the same to her brassiere.
“Okay,” said Koltor. “We’re halfway there.”
He then threw her to the ground. He grabbed her pants and took them off.
“Please have mercy!” she yelled.
He took her underwear off. She was finally fully exposed.
“Good,” said Kotlor. “You’re now ready for your punishment.”
He grabbed her right arm and got her on her feet. He put his right arm across her throat and pressed her up against him so that she couldn’t escape. His grasp was so tight that she couldn’t make any sounds.
Contanis descended the steps of his throne and walked up to them.
“I’ll guarantee you that this will hurt a lot,” he said to her as he looked right into her eyes. “It’s such a shame because you’re so attractive.”
He gently caressed her left cheek. He then shifted his eyes at Kotlor.
“Pick her up and have her buttocks face me,” he demanded.
Kotlor picked her up and got her into position.
“Listen you whore,” said Contanis. “Let this teach you that you don’t defy the will of your government. “
He raised his sword so that its tip faced her buttocks. He moved it backward, and shoved it right up her anus. Her eyes looked like they were about to bulge out of her head as she screamed louder than she had ever before. The sword cut through her insides, thus causing massive internal bleeding. Blood began to drip out of her mouth and anus.
Kotlor dropped her to the floor.
Since she was still alive, she started to gasp and made some subtle motions with her arms and legs. She then let out a cough, which resulted in a small amount of blood to spew out of her mouth.
“Tomorrow Kotlor,” said Contanis, “we can stick her dead carcass on a spear in the ground outside of this building. It shall tell the others what their fate will be if they choose to defy us.”
“That’s a fantastic idea,” said Kotlor. “That’ll definitely scare them into submission.”
Contanis then bent down and pulled the sword out of her. She screamed again in agony. He put it up to his face and examined it.
“What do you know?” he asked. “Some shit got on here. Kotlor, bring me a towel.”
He walked out of the throne room and came back with a towel a few seconds later.
“Here you are my overlord,” he said as he handed it to him.
“You’re a good soldier,” he said as he began to wipe off his sword with it. “You’re very loyal to me. I can always trust you to do what’s necessary.”
“Well,” he said, “you know what you’re doing. You opened up a whole new realm to me, which turned out to be true. You saved me from myself. If you wouldn’t have done that, I could’ve been this very person on the ground right now. I’m proud to call you my overlord.”
Contanis finished cleaning his sword. He then walked up to his thrown.
“I appreciate that,” he said as he put the sword back in the armrest. “I really do. All of this gets stressful sometimes and it’s nice to have a comrade nearby.”
“Well,” asked Kotlor, “what do we do now?”
“Like I always say,” he said as he walked back to him, “pleasure after business. Let’s retire to my chamber for a game of chess.
They then headed towards the door.
“You know,” said Kotlor as they walked out of it, “I’ve always wondered why you’re so fond of chess. It seems to be one of your favorite pastimes.”
“Chess is lot like my life,” he said. “I used to be a pawn. I was controlled by all of the other pieces. Then one day I said ‘no more’ and rose to the king that I am today. Now I control all of the other pieces, and it’s only a matter of time and maneuvers before I declare checkmate. How I yearn for that declaration. That moment’s beauty is unimaginable to me.”
After a few more minutes, they reached the two doors to Contanis’s room. They were of an arch design and were made out of cedar. There were virtually no flaws in the wood to speak of. Each door also had a lock that was made out of steel. They were each positioned in the middle of them with the one on the left one being on the right side and the one on the left one being on the right side. Lastly, his name was spelled out in big steel letters that were nailed near the tops of them. They were also all capitalized. “CONT” was spelled out on the right one, while “ANIS” was spelled out on the left one.
Contanis opened the right one and the walked in. Kotlor followed and then closed it. The room contained the types of items that would not be out of place in one. To the right was a table with a chessboard sitting on it. The pieces were all sitting on it in their proper places. The board and pieces were all hand carved out of wood. They were made so well that they were work of art. Because of this, they sat out on this table permanently.
There were also non-lit candles in candleholders surrounding the whole thing. One chair sat on the left side of the table and one sat on the right. There were several candleholders along the four walls with non-lit candles in them. On the left side of the room there was a closet in front of the wall. It contained all of his clothes. Next to it was another closet. However, this one contained his swords and various other weapons. On the right side of his room, there sat a fireplace which contained some burnt wood leftover from the multiple times that he had used it. At the far end of the room there was a four-post bed raised two feet off the ground. The bed contained a wool blanket and two fluffy pillows. Next to the bed, stood a table made out of cedar, just like the door to his room. On top of the table, a knife and a candleholder with another non-lit candle in it rested.
Contanis walked up to the table with the chessboard. He then pulled a matchbook from his right pocket. He removed a match from it and lit the candles on the table. After a few moments, he was done.
“Take a seat,” he said. “This is all the light that I want. I like the presence of a small amount of light in a dark room. It’s like the light’s trying to light up the whole thing, but to no avail. It’s a losing battle. No matter how hard it tries, it will never win.”
“I like the atmosphere that it presents too,” said Kotlor.
He then sat down. Contanis took his seat and then pulled out a silver steal cigarette holder from his left pocket. He opened it and extracted one. He then closed the holder and put it back. He then lit his cigarette. After it was lit, he waved the match up and down until he was extinguished. He then placed the cig in his mouth and sucked in the intoxicating fumes. He removed it and then blew them out.
“I still don’t understand why you smoke,” said Kotlor. “It’s bad for your health.”
“A lot of enjoyable things are,” said Contanis. “Even the ones that aren’t bad for you can be if you do them enough. Life is about making choices and accepting the consequences of them. Let’s begin now, shall we?”
Meanwhile, Hex Immortal stepped out of The Dark Zethen and began their trek to the inn.
“This place better be decent,” said Rykarn as they walked. “I don’t want to be staying in some dilapidated piece of crap.”
“Well,” said Tearthis, “the carriage driver said that it was good. All we can do is hope that he was telling the truth.”
“You’re right about that,” said Rykarn.
“Man,” said Artain, “it would burn me big time if what he said to us was just a scam to get money from us.”
Dragus then saw it a couple buildings up ahead.
“There it is,” he said as he pointed to it.
“Good,” said Rykarn. “Now, we’ll get our answer.”
They finally reached it. It was two stories tall and was made entirely out of elm. There was no other building to the left or to the right of it. The main entrance was on the right front side of it. A sign hung a foot above the door. It had the words “Tranquility Inn” written on it in an assortment of gemstones. Then to the left of both the door and sign, two rows of windows dotted the wall. They obviously belonged to the rooms that people rented. However, one could not see through them for blinds hung behind them.
“So far, this looks nice,” said Mondren. “I hope the inside is as well.”
“Well,” said Artain, “whatever it looks like, it matters not. We just need a place to stay.”
Dragus started to walk to the door.
“Hold it,” said Tearthis.
Dragus stopped and turned around.
“I just want to remind you all,” said Tearthis, “that there’s no timeframe for how long we’re going to be here. We’ll be here as long as it takes to get the Tablet of Omainu. We’ll also share one room so that we may conserve money. We don’t have that much left. This means we’ll have to keep our eyes and ears open for opportunities to make some more. Of course, we’ll only do that if we have the time. God only knows what’s going to happen while we’re here.”
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