The Shadow of All Worlds

by Shane Porteous

  Chapter 31

  “What do you think of it?” Krovin asked following the gaze of Morzu as his eyes rose upon the tower.

  “It is ugly,” Morzu stated flatly. At this Krovin smiled, Morzu was well trained, his mind molded to impress the Ulnath. The truth of it was that the Ebulon Tower was grander, carrying more awe within its structure than any tower at Za-xayek. Morzu had a bias opinion, an opinion that had been forged within him from a very controlled upbringing. Krovin doubted that Morzu would remember this city, he hadn’t been within its walls since he was an infant. To him this tower meant nothing, but to Krovin and the half a dozen Ulnath that accompanied them it carried a great heaviness. Krovin had never forgotten when the tower was built as a sign to Ebulon strength. It reminded him of why his kind hated this city and its ruling bloodline. This tower never could have been built if the Ulnath hadn’t saved this city all those years ago. He had been apart of the massive Ulnath army, hundred’s of thousands strong who had lifted the city from the siege of the human confederation. He remembered those days as if they had happened a week ago, such destruction had taken place here all those years ago. It was the same kind of destruction he had seen all through Ebulon in the present day. The Orc Confederation had left their mark on this city. Like all Ulnath Krovin never had much affection for other orc tribes, he still didn’t, but their usefulness in weakening such a city hadn’t been lost on him. With Morzu now having mastered the abilities of the call and that call having been answered, vengeance was finally in the grasp of the Ulanth and that summoned a smile to his face. That smile increased as he thought just how close the Ulnath now were to destroying Ebulon once and for all.

  The otherworld beings were needed because the Ulnath were too few in number to attack the city alone. They had used the Red Army, Aneeku, Crimson Claw and his minions to attack the Ebulon mines to test the strength of the Ebulon soldiers. The Ulnath had gotten them to attack the refugee camps to ensure Ebulon knew that it wasn’t just refugees attacking refugees, it also worked well to swell the Red Army. Knowing the state that Ebulon was in after the Orc Confederation attack, it was easy to predict that Yadi would march out to meet the Red Army and the Ulnath, to show how powerful he was. Leaving the city poorly defended and easy to maneuver through. King Yadi was as predictable as his ancestor Ebuwin had been. He had waited far too long for this day, the thought became too strong to keep to himself.

  “After all these thousands of years of preparing and waiting for a chance, finally everything went to plan…” Krovin could feel his mouth watering, the eagerness in his eyes caught the attention of all his companions. Krovin rarely showed such emotion, so his expression was a powerful thing to behold.

  “Not everything…” Morzu spat in anger. Krovin looked him in the eye as Morzu explained. “Those fools in the orc armor, with strips of sacks tied around their arms almost spoiled everything. Because of them the Ebulon soldiers almost stopped us from entering the city, there should have been 300 of us standing before this tower not eight.” Morzu’s dedication to the cause was admirable, in some ways he seemed to have more passion for it than any of the Ulnath.

  Krovin kept his smile as he explained. “Do not worry Morzu, the power that we are about to achieve is far greater than anything the Red Army, Rhaldan, Voak, Atacir or any of the others can give us. Once the Shadow Stone is found you shall see proof of its power in the armor you are wearing. Now it is as weak as paper but shortly it shall become more durable than any metal this world has ever produced.”

  Morzu nodded at the prospect, the white armor felt weak to wear, he looked forward to changing that. “Let us begin,” Morzu said.

  Now Krovin felt as nervous as he ever had for the most important part of his long existence was about to play out. He had spent many, many years forging what he took from under his cloak. To the common eye it looked little more than a cylinder of dark blue metal, but to the informed it was so much more. This small cylinder had been forged to open the underground of the Tower. Krovin had been there when the Shadow Stone had been placed under it, thousands of spells and enchantments used to keep it hidden. He had to focus to prevent his hand from shaking, there was no guarantee it would work. If it failed, he would be held responsible, he had sacrificed countless time in the bathhouse of Za-xayek, forging the right spells and powers to create the cylinder, he hoped it wasn’t for nothing.

  Placing one end of the cylinder on the tower he began very slowly spinning it as if he was trying to drill a hole. The other Ulnath and Morzu watched on with held breaths as nothing was occurring. Krovin kept calm, continuing the simple yet intense motions. He felt his hand beginning to shake when nothing happened further, then his hand became very still. A light from within the cylinder began to shine, its luminosity both brilliant and powerful. With a mouth opened as wide as his eyes Krovin moved his hands away. The cylinder stayed upon the wall under its own power, beginning to spin as fast as lightning striking the ground. They all watched on in amazement as the cylinder began to melt into the wall itself, its bright blue growing like a shadow in the light of a moving sun. It stopped moving when it took the form of a circle, the size of a doorway. Within the circle the white of the wall began to fade as if the materials had become ghostly. With that the wall within the circle had gone thus creating an entrance. To anyone else it would’ve been a simple thing to behold, but to the 8 of them it looked like the gods themselves had created it. They each stood with opened mouths, eyes filled with overwhelming awe. It had worked, the Shadow Stone was within their grasp.

  “Morzu it is only right that you be the first to enter,” Krovin stated, his words breathless with excitement. Morzu who showed such excitement did as he was asked, carefully being followed by the other Ulnath. Krovin took one more moment to admire the entrance, this was the greatest achievement of his life. His legs felt heavy, filled with ado as he entered the tower. As soon as they all were inside the entrance closed over once again, the cylinder reappearing before it struck the ground. The echo of its fall felt great in the silence that each kept.

  As Krovin reclaimed the cylinder the others admired the inner dwelling. To the eye it wasn’t much to look at, a large circular room with dirt for a floor and a pile of rocks within its center. The rocks were dull and brown, the kind of stones that could be found in any quarry. However other senses revealed there was much more to this place. The air was fresher than the scent of any spring, it felt like they were breathing in the nectar of the very gods. There were also no shadows in the room, it was bright and beautiful, despite the truth there was no source of light.

  “Where is it?” Morzu asked anxiously, having expected an altar or a chest to be waiting him.

  “Within that pile,” Krovin explained, his words remaining breathless.

  “How will we know which is the right one?” Morzu asked, sounding more like a young naïve man than ever before.

  Krovin nodded as the smile returned to his face. “When we find it you will know Morzu…let’s begin.”

  The Ulnath circled around the pile of stones and worked in flawless motion with one another. Each rock was picked up and passed around like the hand of a clock to Morzu. Krovin who stood next to Morzu would decide if the rock were simply a rock before placing it to the side. The work, which should have been arduous and boring, didn’t appear so. The idea of finally having the power for their own was more than enough to keep them motivated, they were working through the pile of rocks with greater efficiently than a labor force ten times their size. The rocks continued to be passed around before being discarded as anxiousness increased.

  Then a thumping sound that was both loud and dull could be heard from outside the tower. The noise violently grasped their attentions, their heads moving in sharp unison to peer in the sound’s direction. Together they looked like a pack of hyena’s whose scavenged evening meal had been interrupted.

  “Never mind that,” Krovin stated. “It seems that some Ebulon soldiers saw us enter here
, but even if they had a battering ram they will not get through, the outer walls of the tower are twice as thick as any mountain of this world.”

  He had barely said this when an explosion occurred, filling the room with thick dust and sending pieces of the wall through the air like they had been launched from tiny catapults. Many coughs filled the air as the dust, dirt and stone attacked all of their senses. Disorientated, they each tried to gather their bearings as sunlight slowly cut through the dust. Krovin was the first to see it and as the dust finally settled the others could see it as well. They stood in a very tense silence as they looked upon the wall, it had been smashed open far wider than what the cylinder had produced.

  With the light of the sun at his back a figure was standing there, one they immediately knew wasn’t an Ebulon soldier. No one from Ebulon carried such a presence within him or her. Upon an extraordinary frame the man was dressed in a black uniform. His hair white and sharp, what gathered their gazes the most was the man’s foot, it was raised slightly off of the ground. He had broken the thick outer walls like glass by doing nothing more than kicking it. As every eye the Ulnath had rose, they had to see what kind of eyes such a man possessed. They were red, the most powerful shade of crimson any of them had ever seen before. The Ulnath had seen great darkness in their lives, many unspeakable things, the kinds of things that would terrify the bravest of men, but none had ever seen physical strength like that before. As the man lowered his foot they continued staring, some even wondering if a god, so resentful of what they had doing, had come down to stop them. His gaze fell upon each of them like a judgment from the gods, perhaps he really had been sent by the divinity of this world.

  “Kill him!” Krovin barked in a growl. Like breaking a curse his words rallied the other Ulnath as they took their swords and axes in hands. The first to reach the man wielded an axe with skill, yet the man’s hand was exceptionally faster. Like he was swatting away a large ugly bug the man smacked the back of his hand into the Ulnath’s face. Upon impact blood exploded from the Ulanth’s nose, the blow powerful enough that it shattered his cheek bones and caused his face to sink into the skull. Ending the violent yet simple attack the Ulnath was hurled off of his feet striking the farthest wall, his broken and dead body then striking the ground like a stone. It was enough to make the others hesitate, they looked back and forth from the corpse towards the man, wondering how a single being could possess such strength.

  The moment didn’t last long as the next came for the man who seized the Ulnath by the throat and snapped his neck. The action was violent enough that the Ulnath’s head fell back from the shoulders like a rag doll sown from flesh. Using the corpse the man blocked the sword of the next attacker before ripping out their throat, using nothing more than a swipe of his fingers. The next two attacked together with well made swords. Their skills were evident, they moved their swords like the experienced warriors they were and yet the man barely even moved his body to avoid the blades, to him it seemed like child’s play.

  After a single moment of evasion he smacked one of the blades with his bare hand. His great strength too great for the Ulnath to withstand, causing its entire body to spin redirecting the blade through the other’s throat. The simple smack had caused one Ulnath to decapitate the other. The man didn’t make the surviving Ulnath pity the accident, he killed him with a blow that drove his head into his spine.

  The final Ulnath before Krovin rushed forward before the body of his companion had even fallen. He attempted to bring his axe down but the man’s movements were on another level entirely. Grasping the handle of the axe he drove it backwards where it cut straight through the Ulnath’s head. It was perfect symmetry, cutting the skull, mucus and brain in flawless halves before the body descended. The man now looked to Krovin, the last living Ulnath under the tower.

  Krovin wasn’t disturbed just by what the man had done but by the look in his eyes. He showed no emotion about it, as if these great feats of strength were no more to him than watching grass grow. Krovin stepped forth placing himself between the man and Morzu. He didn’t dare taunt this man, he didn’t want to see what he was like angry. Instead Krovin reached both hands under his cloak, bringing forth a pair of blades that seemed half metal and half magic. The man narrowed his eyes slightly, clearly he had seen a similar magic before. Krovin came to realize that this man must have been an otherworld hero called forth by Yadi. That didn’t matter to Krovin, he had waited too long for the Shadow Stone and not even this man would stop them.

  Krovin spun his blades, forging strange shadows to dance off the set of weapons. These blades were some of the most powerful weapons he had ever held, he was sure they would make quick work of the man. He took a careful step forward wanting to kill this man before he had a chance to draw his sword. Hoping the shadows would disorientate his foe he continued to spin the weapons taking another careful step. Even though the man didn’t flinch Krovin felt the time was ready and he rushed towards him, his swords spinning with purpose.

  He may have moved faster than he once had but the man still showed little effort in avoiding the many strikes. Krovin continued his attack and the man continued to avoid it. Amongst the fray the man suddenly raised his foot, bringing it into Krovin’s stomach. The force of the blow was undeniable and Krovin was thrown through the air with as much violence as speed. His body struck the farthest wall and the thick white stone cracked all around him. The wall didn’t collapse, rather it seemed to hold onto Krovin, trapping him within it. He looked like a bloody statue that had been molded to decorate the wall. His attack had utterly failed.

  Morzu had watched the whole thing and he had to drag his eyes like heavy boulders to look back upon the man. Morzu was astonished by what he was capable of, it was as surreal as it was frightening.

  “Who are you?” Morzu asked, half-mad, half-terrified.

  “I am Cada Varl,” the man answered. His voice was as awe inspiring as his strength and actions. Even Oos didn’t possess a voice quite like it. “Why do you walk in the company of monsters?” Cada Varl asked, his eyes like swords upon the gaze of Morzu. Morzu gasped as Cada Varl reached for the sword at his side, taking it from its sheave with unparalleled precision. Morzu had seen what Cada Varl had done with his hands he could only imagine what that sword was capable of.

  “You’re the only monster here,” Morzu replied. “The killer of my companions.” Cada Varl shook his head, even this slight notion was terrifying to look upon.

  “You have thrown away your humanity?” Cada Varl said in disgust. “Do you have any idea how precious of a thing that is!” There was anger in his tone, an anger that seemed to make the walls shake in fear. Morzu couldn’t bring himself to reply, he had no defense against this red eyed man. Morzu had never seen anyone move so fast before. It seemed not a spilt second had passed and Cada Varl was upon him, his sword raised in an attack. The blade got to about an inch from Morzu’s face when it suddenly stopped. Or to be more accurate it was stopped suddenly.

  Morzu stared at Cada Varl who now looked as bewildered as he did. Then a very dark light began to rise into vision as Morzu could feel a great power within his hands. He had forgotten completely about it, but when Cada Varl had smashed open the wall he had been holding a stone, a stone that was now shining with a black reverence. There was a faint hum in the air now, one that sounded like a whisper in the darkest tongue ever forged. Cada Varl couldn’t move, his sword felt frozen in the air. He had seen magic before, but this power was something else entirely. As both looked up from the stone and to each other the blackest smile Cada Varl had ever seen appeared on Morzu’s face. He was now holding the Shadow Stone, the most powerful artifact in this world. Cada Varl still couldn’t move the sword, nor could he step back as something dark and unseen fell across him like heavy rainfall. Morzu was no longer afraid, he felt the power surging through him like a million replenishes. As the dark light illuminated his face, Cada Varl could see the power within his eyes, a power like
none other.

  “You say that I threw away my humanity?” Morzu asked, his voice echoing within itself like he was casting countless black spells. His voice was disturbingly calm, the kind of voice that could sing while the entire world burned around him. “I say that I never had it to begin with!”

  A pulse of power came from the stone resonating into Cada Varl. It launched him like a rock from a catapult into the air. His body impacted with a higher part of the tower and it shattered against his frame. His world was consumed by a cloud of dust and broken stone for an agonizing moment before the sun’s rays filled his vision. Helplessly he sailed through the air as if he had been tossed from the hand of a giant. His senses were all over the place, he couldn’t comprehend what was happening to him until he struck a wall.

  This time he didn’t go through it but the impact was great enough to cause the wall to crack in many places. Pain plagued his body as his frame slid down upon the ground. The agony of the impact jolted his senses and he could see, smell, touch and hear again. There was no denying the taste of blood in his mouth as he spat it out and looked back towards the tower. He had been thrown hundreds of feet away from it and in his vision the white tower looked ominous, the lair of a great evil preparing to be unleashed upon the world.

  The footfall of horse hooves soon filled his ears as two Ebulon riders were quickly approaching. Cada recognized one of them instantly, his thick blonde beard and marble like blue eyes weren’t easily forgotten. Rushing to his side Captain Juruz dismounted while Lieutenant Luvis stayed on her horse. Juruz remembered Cada Varl all too well, but he had no explanation for what he had just seen.

  “Are you alright?” Captain Juruz asked, disturbed that such a powerful being could be thrown so far.

  Cada Varl gritted his teeth, showing a rare emotion of pain as he nodded, “I will live.”

  “It is good to see you again Cada Varl,” Captain Juruz said, still fearing what could have possible thrown Cada Varl so far, considering he knew the power the red eyed man wielded. Captain Juruz was rarely unsure of himself, but Cada Varl was one of the very few things that accomplished that.

  “And you Captain Juruz,” Cada Varl said. “I apologize for not coming sooner, I heard King Yadi’s call but I was in another world, separate from my own.”

  “Saving it from destruction?” Juruz asked, his voice unusually somber.

  Cada Varl nodded, “Indeed.” That single word had a powerful effect on Juruz. His concerns about otherworld powers coming into his own had always been valid, this whole attack on the city and the battle of Sorn field were evidence of this. However he now remembered, truly remembered the selflessness of those who had come to aid the city during the battle of Ebulon.

  “What happened?” Juruz asked remembering the moment at hand. Cada Varl looked back to the tower, the sheer notion that he was startled frightened Juruz.

  “There were monsters…” Cada Varl began for he could still feel slight remnants of the stone’s power within him. “Green skinned things.”

  “Ulnath,” Juruz began. “The most ancient and powerful of the orcs.”

  Cada Varl nodded, the Ulnath had vaguely reminded him of Grock, the would be King Killer that he had slain during the battle of Ebulon.

  “There was a young man with them, he had a stone…”

  Juruz leaned back slightly upon hearing this, the words fell upon him like an avalanche. “The stone isn’t like anything I have ever seen or felt before…such power…” Cada Varl who almost never struggled for words was doing that right now. Juruz looked to Luvis who stared back with the same deathly hollow expression. The young man he saw really was Viadi. The Shadow Stone had always been considered a myth. The handful of times kings and queens of Ebulon believed otherwise they never found anything, some dedicated their entire rule to the search and died, broken and defeated. But looking back now towards the tower, Juruz was filled with a kind of fear he hadn’t felt since he was a child and older boys had tried to scare him with such tales.

  “The Shadow Stone is real…” Juruz whispered, struggling under the weight of the revelation. Juruz and Luvis both looked back to the tower, terrified by what was waiting inside of it.

  The soldier inside of Juruz took complete control, pushing away everything else. “The king must be informed of this, only his bloodline has the power to control the stone, meaning King Yadi is the only one able to stop him.” Strength returned to his voice, hiding all of his fear. “Lieutenant Luvis, return to the battle against the Ulnath, neither one of us will be any good against the Shadow Stone. I shall hurry to Sorn Field myself and get the king.” Luvis nodded, before sending her horse into a full on gallop.

  “I will do what I can against the stone,” Cada Varl said standing up once more.

  “I am grateful,” Juruz said meaning every word of it. He rushed back upon his horse, knowing time was against him, but before he galloped off he had to say one more thing. “Thank you Cada Varl, this city is in your debt.” It was a heavy truth but a truth none the less. Juruz had never questioned the reasons why Cada Varl had entered this world. For every Malik that had entered this world there was a Cada Varl, someone who had never demanded so much as a single coin of compensation for his actions.

  Cada Varl glanced over to him, he had never heard such a tone from Juruz. He simply nodded before he looked back to the tower, his sword grasped firmly in his hand. Juruz admired how Cada Varl showed no fear, it was the same admiration he had had for the red eyed man when he had walked alone against thousands of orcs.