by Eden Redd
Renner stepped closer, “He’s hiding something from us. There were rows of coffins and giant vats in that room. Don’t let him bully you into something you don’t want to do.”
Drakkus let out a sigh before he spoke, “Sir Reed, I am willing to answer anything you may question. It would be rude to ask my honored guests to do something that would endanger their lives. My request is simple but we should go now.”
Jayson nodded again, “Renner and Vass, head upstairs. Tell everyone I will see them soon. And, try to stay out of trouble.”
Renner turned his attention to Drakkus, “If anything happens to him…..”
“I can assure you that nothing unpleasant will happen to Sir Reed. I welcome a chance for you to exact your vengeance but time grows short. The servants will escort you upstairs,” Drakkus said with a calm tone.
The servants stood to Renner and Vass’ sides. Drakkus turned and walked through the door. Jayson eyed Renner for a moment before following the lord. The servants stood patiently until Renner growled his discontent. The rogues walked out into the hallway to see it empty, torches flickering to the chilly draft.
Drakkus and Jayson walked side by side down a long corridor. The lord’s face was blank as Jayson took in his surroundings. He was mapping the area to ensure a quick escape but something about their host kept the player interested. The information was valuable to complete the quest and he waited patiently as they continued their steady pace.
It wasn’t long before they stood in front of the very doors Renner and Vass stood hours earlier. The doors were parted. With a wave of a hand, the doors opened further to Drakkus’ command. Stepping in, Jayson drank in the standing coffins and bubbling vats to the left and right of the vast chamber. The doors closed behind them and a sinking feeling took hold of Jayson’s heart. Had he really just walk into a trap?
“You are safe. What use would I have to trap you,” Drakkus said simply.
“To make sure no one can come to my aid,” Jayson countered.
Drakkus nodded, “You are a smart and skilled knight, Sir Reed. I do not doubt your abilities. It is the very reason why I have asked you down here.”
“What is this place?”
Drakkus took a strolling step forward, “It is a place where I build my order. A place to safely protect those who will one night, protect many kingdoms. There are five hundred coffins in this room but only ninety-nine are filled. Despite the outward appearance, this is not a prison, but a means to an end.”
Jayson followed and listened as Drakkus continued to walk between rows of coffins, vats bubbling along the walls.
“The west continues to be an unruly land where monsters walk and civilization barely exists. I have taken the mantle on myself to keep a sense of order in a lawless land. It can be exhausting work but I, and many like me, feel it is in the realm of possibility that the land can be tamed.”
The lord and knight continued on, Jayson glancing around and taking in the strange vault.
“The city of Nekross was meant to be the largest city to the west of Lukken, a safe haven for those travelling through the deadly western lands. It was built by those gifted by the Sormir, children with serpent blood. For a time, it shined brightly until madness took root. I saw what happened that very night when the moons aligned, nearly five hundred years ago. Neighbor turned on neighbor, family hacked down family and the cries of children were silenced forever.”
Drakkus’ eyes took a faraway gaze as he continued, “I hid, like the coward I was. I disappeared into the wilderness, expecting the mad hordes to come looking for me or the monsters in the forest to consume me. When neither came, I carved out a meager existence until I worked up the courage to scout out the city. It had fallen into ruin and skeletal bodies littered the streets. I began the task of trying to bury the dead. I was a fool for there were thousands of bodies and I could never bury them in my lifetime.”
The lord turned and walked down a small corridor to the back of the massive chamber, Jayson at his side.
“As I continued my duty to bury the dead, travelers from the east appeared,” Drakkus’ eyes flashed with a deep fire. “They wore black armor and walked with a sense of strength. I admired them as they approached and spoke with me. It was such a relief. I had not spoken to anyone for years and now I had companions. They took me under their wing and instructed me in their ways. They showed me skills and techniques to become stronger and I had fallen under their spell.”
Drakkus stopped walking, eyes gazing down the corridor to a large metal door with chains crisscrossing it.
“I am confident you know what a ‘Dread Lord’ is?”
Jayson nodded, “I heard the rumors. Even now, some have risen to the east and south of Lukken. They are dark paladins.”
The lord lowered his head, shadows covering his eyes, “They are worse than dark paladins. Their hearts hold no light. They wish to extinguish all life; be it a worm, a tree or the many people who live across the world. I didn’t know at the time; the dread lords were running from their own extinction. They made their way west to escape the eradication of their order. Three appeared and three stayed for a time, instructing me in abilities but never granting me the same power they held. I was their joke, their fool. They treated me as a pet to entertain them.”
Drakkus stayed still, eyes lost to shadows, “They experimented on me and I gladly accepted, thinking I was being given their power. I thought with their strength, I could rebuild Nekross and make it the shining city it once was. They fed me vile potions and watched as I squirmed in pain for weeks. Once the pain subsided, they gave me new vile potions to drink. My body changed and new thirsts took hold. Time lost all meaning as I grew powerful but not in their ways. My weakness was the need to drink and I had a thirst that could not be quenched.”
“Blood,” Jayson said with a grimace.
Drakkus continued, “After seventy years from their experiments, I had not aged a day. I confronted them, asking when I would become like them and they laughed before they…..”
The lord’s eyes glistened but only for a breath lost to time, “They defiled me for longer than I would care to admit. It is their way to not only destroy life but to twist it, making it into a deformed thing before they put it down. I had become one of the undead but a different kind in their eyes; I was seen as a mongrel creature to their perfect darkness.
“After spending many years as their…pet, two of them left to return east. They felt enough time had passed and wished to reclaim their fallen order. One stayed, haunting the very ruins I once called home.”
Drakkus stood at his full height, staring at the metal door, “The one remaining goes by the name Riktess Grimm. He has claimed the fallen ruins as his city of the dead and still resides there, hidden among the shadows. He grew bored of desecrating my body and cast me out, instructing me to never return. I wandered the forests, feeding on monsters until humans began to appear. Their group was small but filled with adventure. They had weathered the unforgiving lands and created the small town you just visited.
“With their numbers so small and my need to find a new family, I decided to be their protector. The town grew and so did my abilities. They built this very castle in my honor, for I had stopped many threats that would have destroyed their town. I offered the castle as their home but they were simple folk and wanted a simple life. Time moved on, some would come to me, wanting to serve and be behind the protective walls. Others kept to the old ways, staying in Dark Hearth and living their lives. It was and is a peaceful relationship.
“It didn’t take long before a traveler would happen on the town or my keep. In the many years here, I have met all kinds of people and races. The vault holds those who have agreed to take up the cause, becoming one of my Blood Knights.”
Drakkus turned and faced the knight, “You are a man of honor. My cause is to bring peace and protection to the western lands. I wish to extend the offer to you to join my order, to become one of my knights.”
> Jayson kept his face a blank mask as his heart beat a little faster, “Thank you, Lord Thorne but I cannot. I have many quests to complete and I couldn’t leave my friends.”
Drakkus let a small smile slip, “I understand, Sir Reed. Just know the offer is there if you do reconsider. I only make this offer to those with honor and a protective spirit, but we must move on to the task at hand.”
Lord Thorne turned his gaze to the metal door once again, “Seventy years ago a paladin came to my door and could not fight his code of light. He attacked me and nearly finished me off but my servants and knights came to my aid. He was slain but barely. He carried with him a special item that would surely have destroyed me. Due to the holy nature of said item, I had the servant’s wall up this section. Even after seventy years, the glow of the item still causes a sickness to my people. I ask you to remove the item and use it on your journey.”
Jayson looked to the door and back to the lord, “What is it?”
“The Holy Lantern of Thunn. Thunn was one of the first dragons to arrive to Lukken. He loved the light and carried a personal hatred for the abyss and its minions. He crafted a number of these lanterns and scattered them across the world for those to find. The paladin managed to find one and use it on me. The light burns the undead and keeps them at bay. In the hands of those who follow the sphere of light, it amplifies their holy abilities. It will protect you as you travel through the dead city of Nekross.”
Jayson’s thoughts went to Thorrin, “Why do you want me to retrieve it? Thorrin could have easily gone in?”
Drakkus nodded with understanding eyes, “Thorrin shows his hate and disgust for this place and me. I can see it in his heart. If he retrieved the lantern, I could not risk him using it on me or my people. You on the other hand, show honor and respect even if you do not agree with how we live.”
Jayson was reminded of what Thorrin told him in Dark Hearth, how some of the townspeople were drained to the point of being sick. “What about those who were sick in Dark Hearth? Are you doing that to your own people?”
Drakkus regarded the knight before he spoke, “I do not harm the people I have sworn to protect. Some of my servants can be…overzealous… but I have already punished those who have taken too much. They are walled up in their chambers until I feel they have earned my forgiveness. I know the townsfolk have an idea of what is happening but they do not wish to openly accuse me, for fear I will take away their protection, something I will never do.”
Lord Thorne kept his gaze steady, “You and your party will never survive the city. If you wish to see the coast, you will need the very lantern behind that door.”
Drakkus lifted up a pale hand, a velvet sack appearing out of thin air, “Take this and place the lantern inside. It will provide me and my people with some protection. When you leave my castle, you will be able to use it in the open, then and only then, should you have your paladin carry it.”
Jayson reached up and took the velvet sack. Drakkus bowed slightly before turning and walking back the way they came. With a snap of his fingers, the chains burst into fire before falling away to ash and the thick door opened slightly.
“Please keep the lantern in your room until you are ready to leave. Afterwards, bring your party to the dining hall for a meal and your fill of drink. I would enjoy your company one more night before you continue on your quest.”
Before Jayson could reply, the lord turned the corner and was gone from sight. The knight held up the soft sack before turning his attention to the ominous door twenty feet from him. The air was still and a crawling sensation of being watched caused the knight a quick shudder. Turning, he walked to the door as he called on his angel.
An angel with white wings appeared in the corridor as Jayson stopped at the metal door. Sil regarded him with kind eyes and a happy smile.
“What can I do for you, Sir Reed?”
“Lord Thorne has asked me to join his Blood Knights. What would happen if I took him up on his offer?”
Sil nodded and spoke, “Your character would become retired from your journeys and become an NPC. From there, Sir Reed would become part of the many story lines in Lewd Saga.”
“Could I change my mind later?” Jayson asked with curious eyes.
Sil shook her head, “You would be unable to return to this character. You would have to create a new one. For such a deed as giving up your character, you would be rewarded with extra creation points for your next character but you would start from the beginning.”
“I would be permadead,” Jayson said in a low tone.
Sil smiled, “You would become a legend in Lewd Saga. Your story would be added to the histories of the game and live on as myth and legend.”
Jayson mulled it over for a few seconds, wondering if he could ever do such a thing. He had grown so much because of his adventures in the game that giving up who he had become was nearly unthinkable. In the end, he simply shook his head, looked up at the angel and smiled.
“Thank you Sil.”
The angel nodded before fading from view. The knight took in a deep breath as one hand took hold of the edge of the door while another hand curled fingers around the pommel of one of the swords over his shoulder. The door swung open easily despite the heavy weight to it.
The dim light from the corridor spilled into the small chamber. Green moss and small plants grew from cracks in the stone. They appeared healthy despite never seeing a single ray of sunlight. A skeleton lay, slumped against a wall. It was covered in rags and cracked armor. One hand held onto a rusty metal mace while another clutched at a simple lantern. As Jayson stepped in, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. The skeleton’s bones glowed white in the dim light. The plant’s leaves turned to the glow as if it alone was keeping them alive.
Jayson stepped in, hand still over his shoulder with fingers around the blade handle. Knees bending, he put the velvet sack on the floor and reached for the dust covered lantern. Heart pounding in his chest, he wondered when the skeleton was going to leap up and attack him. Touching the dusty lantern, he gave it a small tug and the skeleton’s boney hand fell away. Jayson took a better hold and lifted the lantern up when the skull of the skeleton shifted and turned its hollow eyes up to the knight.
Jayson drew his sword and pointed it at the skeleton, heart thudding in his chest.
The skeleton was still for a long moment before its ancient jaw began to work.
“Finish…my….work…” the skull said in a ghostly hollow voice.
Jayson stood up with the lantern and sack in hand but the sword still pointed at the skeleton, “I will use the lantern to fight the undead, you have my word.”
“Kill…Drakkus…Thorne…..” the skeleton wheezed.
“I will fight the undead,” Jayson said again, not wanting to get into a debate with a long dead paladin.
The skeleton shifted as it maintained a hollow gaze on the knight, “He will…..betray you. The undead will always betray the….. living.”
“You are dead. Sleep and know I will use the lantern for good.”
The skeleton attempted to stand. Bones began to crack and their glow diminished. As soon as it stood up on one foot, the bones snapped and the entire skeleton fell into a heap. Dust flew up and the glow died. The moss and plants began to wither into black and gray before they too turned to dust. Jayson had backed up to the door; he had sheathed his blade and was placing the lantern into the sack.
The knight didn’t realize he was holding his breath and let all the air out of his lungs. Closing the door, he turned away and began his slow walk back through the vault, heart filled with relief but mind racing, wondering if he was doing the right thing.
Seventeen
The day spun on and a normalcy had taken hold. The party spent most of their time gathering their supplies between grand meals. Jayson, Sonja and Lance oversaw the final leg of the journey planning and Oksuna was at her lord’s side, helping prepare anything they may need. The party was in genera
lly good spirits except for Thorrin and Lyra, whose expressions almost seemed as though they were in physical pain. Jayson tried to not think about it as sunlight came through what little windows the castle had.
Jayson noticed the servants avoided the actual rays as they walked down halls. Drakkus seemed unaffected as he would step through the light but Jayson caught hints of the lord’s discomfort by the raised veins around his eyes. Other than that, Lord Thorne was a gracious host, attending to their needs and providing last moment provisions and potions. The sun seemed to streak across the sky until finally it faded behind the vast mountains in the distance, and dinner was being served.
The party took their seats at the long dining table once again. The wine flowed and the meals were warm. Lord Thorne sat at the end with a subdued smile and an almost cheery demeanor. The group was mostly quiet until the wine knocked down their inner walls and a comfort flowed. It wasn’t long until Renner and his fellow rogues were laughing at stories once more. Lance and Sonja were caught in deep discussion while Wynter and Thorrin gave each other glances that they thought were hidden. Lyra sat silently, and Lunatina and Sardyna spoke like they were old friends. Jayson couldn’t help but feel this was going to be their last comfortable night before continuing on their quest and it seemed everyone was making the best of it.
Lord Thorne stood up, using a napkin to wipe a drop of wine from the corner of his lip as he addressed his guests, “I want to thank you for your time here. It has certainly uplifted the spirits of this dreary castle. I wish I could stay and enjoy our last meal together but the last few nights have tired my weary bones. Please enjoy your meal and enjoy the night.”
Drakkus turned to Jayson, “When will you be leaving Sir Reed?”
“First light,” Jayson smiled.
Drakkus bowed, “I wish I could see you off but I may not be up by that time. I wish you safe travels. You have a safe harbor should you return this way. You are always welcome, all of you. I bid you farewell until we meet again.”
The lord stood up, quickly bowed to the table and turned to leave. All eyes were on him as he stepped away, a servant opening a door and then closing it behind him when he was out of sight. A small relief fell over the group as they all felt they could be themselves once again.
