The Sworn Defender

by The Ranger

  "Richard," Edmund called.

  He turned to see his companions had set down the path already and were nearly out of view.

  "I'm going, Ed," he answered, his voice the only thing he'd heard clearly since leaving Tala's cave.

  He continued after them, making a note to keep them in sight or risk losing them. The farther down the mountain they journeyed, the more Richard's senses were bombarded. He worried that soon enough, he wouldn't be able to discern their voices at all.

  As they walked, Richard questioned just what had pushed the lion to retreat. He wondered if the creature sensed the malicious power dwelling within him or if it somehow knew it was unwelcome. The essence of the Ancients was closely tied to nature and the earth around them; he wondered if it were somehow possible he communicated his fear with the creature and sent it away.

  He was not one for foolish ventures, at least not usually, but an idea formed on how he might test this theory.

  "Can you understand me?" Richard whispered.

  He stared straight ahead at the slow walking dog in front of him.

  "Ranger," he called.

  The dog turned its head back slightly upon hearing his name.

  "Can you understand what I'm saying?" he asked again.

  There was no change behind Ranger's blank eyes, but Edmund stopped in his tracks.

  He said nothing, at least nothing that Richard could quite grasp, but instead gawked at the gnarled tree branch high above them. On it rested three vultures. Their white, bald heads and broad wings twitched anxiously as the onlookers stared at them.

  Edmund crept closer to Richard.

  "Unsettling, aren't they?" he asked. "I never knew they were so big. You think they're… interested in us?"

  "You have no reason to be afraid, Ed. They prey upon the dead," Richard clarified.

  His eyes were drawn to the creature in the middle, and it returned his gaze, sitting still with lowered head and gathered wings.

  "Wait…" Richard murmured as the bird watched him intently. "G-go away?"

  The vultures hurled themselves back into the sky and vanished overhead. Edmund turned to look at him strangely, but he said nothing. He simply turned and kept on the path, seemingly deep in thought.

  "Animals?" he whispered to himself.

  If this was the power he had been given, he wondered how it could possibly help them defeat their enemy. While his newfound strength and stamina were much appreciated, his inability to accurately perceive his surroundings was troubling. If his only other gift was control over the woodland creatures that paid tribute to the Ancients, there was much more to fear.

  He was so deep in thought he hadn't noticed they were steps away from leaving the mountains behind them. However, it likely would have made no difference. The moment Richard's foot made contact with the grass, he collapsed onto the ground and began screaming.

  Khora and Edmund rushed to his side and attempted to speak to him, but their words fell on deafened ears. Even Ranger pawed at Richard's arm as the youth cried into the dirt.

  Whatever sensations he had felt on the mountain tripled the moment he touched the forest ground. There was so much more life here, whether it was above, below, or at all sides— and it was overwhelming.

  Then, suddenly, there was a single ominous feeling that rose from his stomach and began to overpower the rest.

  "A monster!" Richard yelled. "The-there's a monster coming towards us!"

  He spat out the words as best he could, and Khora turned to face whatever might creep out from the darkening land. Richard watched apprehensively; there was no mistaking his feelings— there was a cursed presence moving towards them, and it was coming quickly.

  "There!" he yelled. "I can almost see it!"

  Khora adopted a defensive stance as she stood in front of her friends, but she quickly relaxed. She moved away to allow him to look ahead, and he saw Lyla appear in front of them. She smiled slightly as she approached, and behind her, began to materialize two strangers. They were both young men and were both quite disheveled in their appearance. The older-looking of the two had brown curls of hair that reached just below his ears and a suspiciously deep grin on his face. He was tall and lean, overshadowing his companion by a few inches, yet the other seemed far more memorable. His short, black hair framed his emerald eyes, and a determined look within them showcased their sharpness. They followed Richard's movements with a hunter's watchful gaze.

  It took a second more than it should have for him to realize the two men were no strangers at all but his own friends: Eren and Aven. He could never have imagined them so far from home.

  Lyla quickly kneeled at his side and mumbled a few words he couldn't hear. Eren stood behind her, sword drawn, his words beyond Richard's understanding as well.

  Lyla cupped her hand over his ear.

  "Can you hear me?" she asked, her voice cutting through the haze.

  "Yes," he answered, a small smile forming on his lips. "Yes, I can."

  He felt the small victory envelop him, and he grew warm, for a moment.

  Eren approached Edmund and asked him something Richard couldn't quite decipher. The youth simply shook his head solemnly, causing Eren to throw his sword onto the ground. His face contorted angrily as he paced around them. Aven simply cast his eyes to the ground and sheathed his blade. Lyla turned back to Richard and gripped his hand tightly.

  "I'm so sorry," she whispered. "We should have found another way."

  He turned away from her and let his gaze fall to the trees.

  "Can you help me?" he questioned. "I can't endure this much longer…"

  Lyla nodded and released his ear, and the moment she did, the cacophony resumed. She dug around her bag and retrieved a small, pink vial. She inched it towards Richard's mouth, but he turned away from it sharply.

  Lyla rolled her eyes and cupped his ear once more.

  "Drink this," she ordered.

  "What is it?" he asked.

  "Just… drink it. You trust me, don't you?" the witch poked.

  Richard opened his mouth, and Lyla poured the contents of the vial within. He coughed and gagged as the liquid burned its way to his stomach, but slowly his senses returned to a relatively normal state.

  Lyla removed her hand from his face.

  "Can you still hear me?" she asked.

  Richard nodded, and she stepped away from him.

  "What was that?" he asked tepidly.

  "Bane of the Witness," the witch meekly returned. "I wasn't sure it would work, but I'm glad it did."

  "Bane of the… the name sounds familiar to me…" Khora trailed.

  Lyla allowed a slight smile before clutching her hands together over her stomach.

  "It's a concoction that binds the perception of any who drink it. The average… user would completely lose their senses until the brew has run its course," she explained. "But your predicament was too much perception, so… I made an assumption."

  "Thank you for the poison, I suppose," Richard groaned.

  He rose to his feet and turned to Eren and Aven.

  "Why are you two here?" he inquired.

  "We heard screams," Aven said, setting his hands on his hips. "Thought there might be trouble."

  "I mean-" he tried to say.

  "He means 'here' as in outside of Azra," Eren interrupted, wiping the dirt from his sword. "The moment I fully recovered, I set out to join the rest of you. The Steward you left behind wouldn't let me come alone, so he sent Aven along with me. We departed three days after you did but assumed you could still use all the help you could get."

  "T-three days? But we've…" Richard began.

  He turned to Lyla, who shook her head solemnly.

  "Everything within Tala's domain works exactly as she wants it to, including the passage of time," she revealed. "You were in there for nearly a week."

  Edmund plopped onto the ground as he heard the news.

  "It only seemed like two hours," he whispered. "Two hours…"

/>   Khora sighed, her broad shoulders drooping somewhat as she did.

  "There's more," Lyla began. "Our little corner of the realm has changed drastically in the time you've been gone. The sorcerer you hope to defeat has brought darkness to the land. Roving bands of foul skeletons have been scouring the area, killing almost anyone they come in contact with; we've seen as little as twelve and as many as forty herded together."

  "Skeletons like… drauger?" Edmund questioned.

  Khora turned to look at him.

  "How do you know about drauger?" she asked.

  "My father liked telling me stories he had been told as a child," Edmund shrugged.

  "They're not the undead, Edmund," Lyla corrected. "These things have never lived. I believe they're called Soul Seekers: constructs formed through the life force their master has claimed. It's that same essence they seek to take from those still living."

  There was a moment of nervous silence, but Khora quickly filled it.

  "If these things are as widespread as you claim, why haven't we seen any?" she questioned.

  "She's kept up some sort of protection," Aven answered. "Like a repellent that masks our presence."

  "And I doubt any of those wicked things would dare cross into Tala's mountains," Lyla explained. "We still have to be careful. This warding won't hold up too long against them. They'll be compelled to pursue us and capture our souls to strengthen their numbers."

  Richard chuckled dryly.

  "That's not a great sign," Eren mumbled.

  "Vicious bands of skeletons driven to murder us, and all that monster gave me was the ability to command her forest animals. I-I don't want to believe it; this is what… what we've paid for," he grumbled.

  "Whatever you've got in you, Richard, it's much more than that. I can't quite assess it myself, but there is much of Tala's strength in you. More than I might care to witness," the witch murmured.

  Suddenly, they heard a distinct cracking sound from the woods ahead. They turned towards it, nervousness creeping into their spines.

  "It's just a deer," Aven announced, his glittering green eyes peering off into the trees. "Nothing too threatening…"

  "We should appreciate the reminder," Eren cut. "Let's get moving. We have no business being here longer than we must."

  He and Khora marched away first, with Aven, Edmund, and Ranger trailing behind. Lyla took a few steps forward before turning back to Richard.

  "We can talk as we go," she promised. "Your friend is right; we shouldn't stay here. My cabin is safer— there are protective runes etched into the foundation."

  Richard nodded and followed her lead, a hint of dread wandering through his mind as he thought of what they would soon face.

  Chapter Three

  Eren

  The flames from Eren's campfire flickered against the black sky, providing a simple respite from the darkness gathered around him.

  The door to Lyla's cabin opened slightly, and Aven ambled out quietly, slowly closing it behind him.

  "The others?" Eren asked.

  "Lyla's giving them an ointment to provide a deep, healing sleep," he answered. "It's just us for now."

  Eren nodded slightly.

  He had never met Aven before their journey east, but he had proven reliable, if not extremely thorough, on the road. While Eren noticed his traveling companion occasionally seemed anxious, it was an understandable feeling. These were, after all, troubling times.

  He saw Aven staring up into the sky, his face illuminated by the starlight.

  "No moon tonight, huh?" Eren commented.

  "No," his friend replied. "No moon."

  He kept his eyes on the stars before quickly turning his attention back to Eren.

  "Want to roast these rabbits I caught earlier?" he asked, revealing three eviscerated rabbits in his left hand.

  "I can eat," Eren smiled.

  Eren groaned as he bit into the rabbit leg.

  "I should have maybe left them a bit longer, eh?" he asked.

  Aven tore into his portion without a trace of hesitation.

  "It's fine," he chewed. "I've had raw meat before; it doesn't matter to me."

  He glanced to his side and tossed a few bits of rabbit shoulder onto the ground, where Ranger lapped them up thankfully.

  Before Eren could finish formulating a quip, they heard a noise behind them and twirled around to find its source. It was Richard, creeping out of Lyla's home awkwardly.

  "Hello," he whispered, shuffling towards them.

  Eren and Aven had rolled a log and a few boulders to fabricate a sort of makeshift campsite where they had sat to look at the stars. It was eerily peaceful, almost as if the forest and the sky above failed to notice the terrors that resided just steps away.

  "Rabbit?" Aven offered, holding out a leg.

  "Please," Richard answered, grabbing it tightly.

  He sat across from them and nibbled on his meal.

  "This wasn't cooked properly, was it…" he mumbled.

  "I know!" Eren spat, crossing his arms over his chest. "Why don't you-"

  "I thought Lyla was going to administer a medicine so you could rest," Aven interrupted.

  Richard's eyes surfaced from his food before quickly darting to the fire between them.

  "It didn't affect me," he answered. "She prepared a potion to ease me into slumber, but that didn't work either. She tried… everything she could think of, but there were no results. It's fine, though; I don't even feel tired. At least Khora and Edmund will sleep well."

  "It seems a lot of things are changing for you, Rich," Eren sighed. "You're not going to go crazy again, right?"

  Richard smiled slightly and shook his head.

  "That was terrifying," he mumbled. "It was one of the worst things I've ever felt."

  "Not the worst?" Eren inquired.

  "No," he answered flatly.

  "You thought there was a monster approaching, right?" Aven questioned, staring at Richard warily.

  "I don't know why I did, but yes," he remembered. "Lyla thinks it's an instinct Tala left behind. She hates Lyla and probably considers her a monster, as well as a few other things."

  "Hmmm," Aven hummed, pulling a small canteen from his bag.

  A sweet aroma penetrated the air as he pulled the stopper and drank some of the liquid within. He coughed as he set the container down, sealing it and placing it at his side.

  Richard shared a look with Eren, but the latter simply shook his head.

  "It's his medicine; he drinks it every night," Eren explained.

  Aven's eyes darted up as they talked about him.

  "Oh… yes, Edmund mentioned you have some kind of sickness," Richard recounted.

  "I do," he confirmed. "Once night falls, I… I get incredibly nauseous and nervous, and I eventually lose my sense of balance. Sometimes it's so intense I can't even move."

  "It's a woman's ailment; my mother's got it too. It's manageable," Eren added.

  He suddenly felt a tinge of guilt at his dismissal of his friend's sickness.

  "I don't mean to say that it isn't a serious affliction, though," he amended.

  "I know, and it's fine, Eren," Aven shrugged. "I've always known how… serious this affliction is. My mother had it, too. It's what put her in an early grave. When my father found out I carried it too, I thought he would kill me, but no… he just left. Couldn't stand our familial curse."

  "You were afraid your father would have killed you over a bit of night fear?" Eren questioned. "That's quite a reaction."

  A forced smile crept across Aven's face as he sighed.

  "We all have our feelings…" he said before presenting his canteen. "In any case, this helps soothe my condition. I couldn't be here with you now without it. At least not… comfortably."

  The wind suddenly picked up, and the harsh cold cut through Eren. He shivered beneath its icy grip, but he had already become familiar with a much fiercer frost during his time at the Dawn Tower. As if he had come to the s
ame realization, Richard's attention turned to his old friend.

  "Eren," he whispered. "The sorcerer… you guarded him for years. What— what do you know about him?"

  Eren let out a slow breath and moved his hands over the fire carefully.

  He had been stationed at the Dawn Tower for nearly four years, leaving only for the occasional visit home. In that time, he had come face to face with their adversary many times. He had collected a few fragments of an idea of the man they had locked up, but most of what he knew came from another.

  "I know his name is Lucan," Eren revealed. "I heard your— I heard the Captain call him that from time to time. He didn't like us talking to him, and even when we did, the prisoner would hardly answer. He wore this black helm sort of thing, so it was always hard to tell where his attention was."

  "That's all you know?" Richard criticized.

  "Well, mostly…" Eren trailed. "The majority of us there were either very young or recruited from outlying regions. The only one besides the captain who knew more was Gerald."

  "Why was he special?" Aven entered.

  Eren allowed a slight grin while he remembered more peaceful times.

  "We called him The Custodian," he smirked. "He was maybe sixty years old and had never left the Tower for more than a week at a time. His family had been responsible for its upkeep since King Levi's days, and they kept it in good condition in all the years it stood empty."

  Richard's eyes brightened as he finished speaking.

  "He was there, then?" he asked. "He was there when the wizard was brought in?"

  Eren nodded.

  "Gerald said it was a day unlike any other. A legion of mounted soldiers made their way to the Dawn Tower, led by King Lacerne and Master Uros, with the prisoner shackled between them. Even then, Gerald said he wore that ghastly mask. Apparently, it was rune-sealed— a dragon couldn't pry it off his face if it tried," he recounted. "After that, Master Uros remained at the Dawn Tower until his death, at which point he was replaced… he was replaced by Captain Robert."