Tartarus Beckons

by Edmund A. M. Batara

  Tyler looked at the einherjar and raised his eyebrow. He wanted to ask the einherjar about the decision to leave the company.

  “Forget what I requested, sire. We’ll talk about it when I had my fill of Titans,” said Tyndur, getting the import of Tyler’s action.

  The mage nodded and simply said thanks to the warrior. Tyndur grunted and moved to Tyler’s side. Kobu was already beside the mage, and Habrok positioned himself on the left flank while Astrid took the right. Tyler couldn’t help but marvel at the smooth coordination of the movements of members of the party. Even without commands, each knew precisely what to do.

  In a few minutes, the three dokkalfr were in front of Tyler, though Kobu didn’t allow them within four sword lengths of the mage. The three had been stripped of their armor and weapons. Tyler could feel the preternatural alertness of both Tyndur and Kobu, each watching for any sign of treachery. But the mage also had the utmost confidence in his shields. A sudden magical attack, even if powerful enough, might do away with two barriers, but for such magic to penetrate all three, a major deity’s power was required. He doubted if Freyr would grant the bastards such a boon.

  “Your guests, First Mage. They’re weaponless. They could try magic, but they’d be betting their balls if such exercises would work,” said Asag with a smile as he moved to one side. Then the demonic being graced the dokkalfr with his trademark smirk – an expression between a leer and a grin. As Tyler watched Asag smile, he couldn’t help but wonder how that expression came to be since the open-mouthed expression could only be explained if the person had gotten used to having fangs forcing the gap between the upper and lower jaws.

  “Oh, and until matters are satisfactorily resolved, my soldiers of stone will continue to attack,” said Asag, who gave a small bow this time.

  The three only nodded, and the mage could see the instinctive movements of their bodies, all trying to keep away from the demon. Tyler could only guess that his dokkalfr guests could involuntarily sense the darkness within Asag despite the entity’s efforts to appear nonchalant. Two of three were unfamiliar dokkalfr faces, but the third was High Thegn Galar, Hersir of the dokkalfr force they had met in the forests on the other side of the mountains. The same person who tricked them into stepping into an ancient Alfar terrestrial gate. The mage could see the angry reactions of Astrid and Habrok. He assumed the two other companions at his sides shared the same sentiment.

  “Speak,” said Tyler.

  “Why did you attack us? We were waiting for you! To escort you to dokkalfr lands!” came the accusation from Galar suddenly.

  The unexpected denunciation stupefied Tyler and the rest of the company. Of all statements the mage anticipated hearing, the words uttered by Galar were ones he never expected. The mage slowly shook his head, trying to clear his mind from the surprise brought by the sheer arrogance and audacity of the High Thegn. The ensuing silence which followed Galar’s words was broken by Asag’s laughter.

  “Now that’s a twist!” giggled the demon.

  Everybody stared at Asag, including Magna and Hoenir who had come closer to the gathered assembly.

  “And it’s funny because?” Tyler heard Kobu’s calm voice beside him.

  “Ah, Kobu-sama! There are times when a lie is so blatant that it amuses me. A lot,” replied Asag, who was now rubbing his eyes in the aftermath of his laughing fit.

  Galar tried to glare at Asag, but his fear of the demon masquerading as a mortal got the better of him. Instead, he turned to the mage.

  “Well? What do you have to say to that? This is war!”

  “Where’s the mage who was with you?” asked Tyler.

  War. What do you think is happening down in the valley? thought the mage.

  The unexpected response surprised Galar.

  “Gone. He was of a different House.”

  “And I guess that army down there belongs to your House and its allies or vassals. With no other Houses in attendance. A decision solely made by House Anari,” continued Tyler.

  The High Thegn abruptly found himself at a loss for an answer to the mage’s statements. If there was one thing the dokkalfr noble didn’t expect, it was the knowledge displayed by Tyler about dokkalfr society, especially the name of his House. Then he saw Magna and Hoenir.

  “Traitors! You shall pay for this!” shouted Galar. He tried to rush the two, only to fall flat on his face.

  That should hurt, observed Tyler.

  “Bad Galar,” said Asag. “Attacking other guests of your host does not speak well of your manners.”

  Tyler couldn’t determine how Asag did it but assumed the entity surreptitiously placed invisible magical bonds on the three. He had to admit, with more wariness, that Asag was sneakier than he expected, and the mage knew this was not the last time he would come up with that thought. Magna and Hoenir had stood their ground and merely looked on the fallen High Thegn without any expression. Watching the two, Tyler remembered that Magna, and probably Hoenir too, belonged to a different House, though he couldn’t remember the name. He did recall that that she was a swordmaster, a High Jomsviking of her House, and more importantly, he recalled Magna saying that their two Houses were also rivals.

  “There will be no truce, Galar. You come here with lies and false accusations. That, in addition to the treacherous act back in the forest near Fargravik. You wanted us dead then, and you wanted us dead now,” said Tyler. “But I won’t be the judge of your fate. Magna will do that, and you better pray you’ve done good by her.”

  At Tyler’s words, the High Thegn quickly picked himself up and angrily glared at Tyler.

  “Her? House Anari is going to judged by a Lesser House? That bitch? That…”

  Galar was suddenly unable to say anything more. He struggled to speak, but it was as if all the muscles in his face were frozen. Then he became perfectly still, but as his body became immobile, his eyes moved wildly in panic. Tyler noticed that the High Thegn’s companions had suffered the same affliction. When everybody saw what happened, all attention was again on Asag. The mage was beginning to really worry about the demon and its powers, he clearly had underestimated the entity.

  “Tsk. No name-calling, you foul-mouthed, dung-eating, motherless skunk. We’re civilized mortals here,” severely reproached Asag. “Now stay still and be a good dokkalfr, or whatever they call your kind.”

  Tyler didn’t know whether to laugh or be further worried. Asag displayed a seeming innocence at times, though again, the mage couldn’t tell if it was all an act. But the kind of power the demon had shown kept him on edge, and Tyler admitted to himself that he was now terrified about what the monster was really capable of.

  The casual exhibitions of magical energy by Asag indicated that he considered them little tricks. Even the giant stone golem was nothing compared to the reality of the extreme difficulty in managing thousands of smaller constructs. In a battle, no less. That kind of magical control shockingly eclipsed anything he had seen, and only a fool would believe that was the limit of Asag’s power. Tyler had suddenly realized that fact and hoped that the others also noticed it. But then again, what Asag had shown so far had already ruined the acceptance by any of the company of the demon’s guise of an ancient, though magically proficient, warrior. Hopefully, the companions would take appropriate precautions.

  “So! Now that this fellow is quiet, what do we do next?” asked Asag expectantly. “Personally, I really would like to see how this drama plays out.”

  “Magna, please step forward,” requested Tyler.

  “May Hoenir join me, my lord First Mage?” asked the dokkalfr warrior.

  “Of course. It’s now your decision whether or not to spare what House Anari sent as their welcoming party. And tied with their fate is what will happen to the army down there,” replied the mage gravely. It was a serious matter and deserved a solemn approach, though he hoped Asag could keep his mouth shut for the duration of the trial. If there was one thing he wanted Magna to understand, it was the burden o
f deciding the life and death of thousands of her race. Snarky and snide comments from the demon would be unwelcome distractions.

  The two dokkalfr strode forward and stood in the rough circle formed by those on the rise. Magna spared Galar a quick glance and then addressed the mage.

  “This matter is left up to me, my lord? Or more precisely, according to the custom of my House?” asked the High Jomsviking.

  Tyler nodded. As soon as the mage dipped his head, Magna swiftly spun, ran to the three prisoners, leaped high in the air, upraised and glinting blade held with both hands, and brought the weapon down on the High Thegn, vertically slicing the dokkalfr in two. As soon as the sharp sword finished its gory work, it quickly rose in a diagonal arc, cutting through the dead Galar’s right thigh as it vivisected the dokkalfr who stood on the Thegn‘s right side. As Magna’s new victim was carved through, the weapon came back and again sliced through the noble’s neck on its way to behead the dokkalfr left alive. The three didn’t even have the chance to cry out.

  As Magna jumped back, Tyler could see that the dokkalfr warrior was spotless, not a drop of blood was on her, and the bloody remains of the dead trio were just starting to drop to the ground. The mage was himself shocked and bewildered at the sudden and lethal development, and knew that only his enhanced visual sense enabled him to see in its full gory detail the actions of the female warrior. He looked at the rest of the companions and saw that they had the same reaction to what happened – shock and surprise were on their faces. Only Asag had a different expression on his blood-splattered face. The demon was nearest to where the execution took place and took no action to avoid the sprays of blood and gore. Repulsively, the entity had a gleeful smile on his face as he wiped off the blood on his face with a sleeve. Then he took a long lick of the blood he had cleaned from himself.

  “Interesting. A fetid and repulsive vintage. Quite acceptable,” murmured the fiend to himself. Unfortunately, the mage could hear every word.

  Oh, my God. What have I unleashed? Tyler was horrified.

  Magna went back to the bodies lying on the ground and carefully wiped her sword on whatever part of their clothes unsullied by the red gore. Then she came back and stood in front of the mage.

  “A foul and despicable individual. As were the ones who came with him, I will not honor them by mentioning their names, but they were his claws. One dealt with assassination and the other with devious and cruel schemes for power in total obedience with that worm’s wishes.”

  Tyler could sense the venomous hate in Magna’s words, but still couldn’t understand the reason for her actions. Kobu beat him in asking the inevitable question.

  “Why?” was the exile’s simple query. The mage saw Asag had eagerly turned to listen.

  Right. That damned demon is starved for knowledge and information. He wasn’t even that familiar with the dokkalfr, observed Tyler.

  “Knowing what we do, and having suffered as I did, the decision was easy. The First Mage did say the matter was to be decided according to the practices of my House. In House Haffson, where the guilt is certain, the sentence is carried out first before any explanation is made. And between Hoenir and me, the requirement of two witnesses who had been victims of the criminal and his associates had been satisfied.”

  Then Galar and company were fucked the moment I let Magna decide their fates. But how was I to know? thought Tyler as he nodded, encouraging Magna to continue.

  “First, know that their deaths and the destruction of that army down there will allow the dokkalfr race avoid a much graver problem in the future, and possibly let the First Mage evade a situation where his aid might again be requested,” said Magna.

  Huh? Now, I am confused, thought Tyler.

  Magna explained that the Anari House, their retainers, and their vassals comprising Lesser and Minor Houses brought out most of their elite forces to the ambush. The Anari faction, admittedly the most powerful among the Great Houses, was the most violently adamant against strangers, the First Mage included, stepping on what they deemed as sacred dokkalfr lands. Though in the still-going battle, only House Anari was present. Other Houses didn’t participate.

  “But other Houses were in the forest where the Alfar gate was located?” asked Tyler.

  “Indeed. Some were convinced, others forced. The High Thegn’s argument was to send the First Mage to where he could do the most damage to the jotnar, and breaking the flow of reinforcements was, admittedly, a vital factor in the present dokkalfr-jotnar war. But this… ambush was never discussed as the other Houses would have never agreed to it. It’s tantamount to directly breaking our deity’s command and trust. Unfortunately, House Anari believes itself to be the ultimate interpreter of the Lord Freyr’s desires,” clarified Magna.

  “Wait, Magna. You mean that huge host down there represented only one Great House? And what do they have against humans or other beings on dokkalfr lands? The war with the jotnar or probably even Sutr’s forces in the past must have brought strangers to their midst,” noted Habrok.

  “That’s not all their forces. I hazard they only brought their elite with them, the rabid few among already fanatical believers in the twisted and heretical Anari vision, roughly a tenth of their entire military might. This small valley also couldn’t hold more than that number,” explained Magna.

  A tenth? In terms of raw military power, that’s incredible! observed the amazed mage.

  “Two questions then. How many Great Houses are there, and didn’t jotnar enter dokkalfr lands during your wars as Habrok mentioned?” said Tyler. He also wanted to know why Magna wanted House Anari crushed and the High Thegn dead. The mage could still hear the furious sounds of battle from the valley, and there must be a reason why the slaughter should be allowed to continue.

  “Most Great Houses are based in the capital, my lord First Mage. But there are, at last count, around fifty or so Great Houses. As I said, and must emphasize again, that the Great House Anari is, and now, fortunately, was, easily the biggest and most powerful among our nobility. Hopefully, they’ve lost most of their leading lights in the battle below us. As far as the jotnar were concerned, they have merely reached the outer domains of dokkalfr lands in the past. The inner realm, which starts past our internal strongholds and forts guarding the roads, had so far remained inviolate.”

  “But with that kind of military capability, I mean with the kind of force one House could bring to the battlefield, what more if the collective might of the dokkalfr goes to war as one combined host? The jotnar shouldn’t be a problem,” commented Tyler, who was already beginning to think that his presence was superfluous.

  “Dokkalfr politics, my lord First Mage. No House would be so rash to expose its forces to a battle which would reduce its capability for defense. Weakness and defeat would expose them to attacks by the other Houses. Though Great House Anari is of a different mold. It is fanatically obsessed with what they call dokkalfr purity.”

  Right. I did remember something about internal armed conflicts for power being a hobby of the dokkalfr. And I don’t think the adage that politics is merely war without bloodshed would apply to this race.

  “This is insane. Fifty or more Great Houses! That represents an unbelievable fighting force. With the numbers the dokkalfr have, the jotnar, as I said, shouldn’t be a problem. I really can’t understand why your people are losing the war, as mentioned by the deity Freyr. Even with your lethal political squabbles, there should be enough warriors left over to take care of Ymir’s minions,” exclaimed the mage.

  “I beg to disagree, my lord. Ymir’s domain is vast. Nobody knows for certain where its northern borders end. For every one of us, women and children included, there would be a hundred of Ymir’s minions. We do know large forces of the Ice Lord are still facing Sutr’s creatures along their long border, and more hordes are still on their way from the interiors of Ymir’s Domain.”

  What kind of figures is she talking about? Millions?

  Tyler sighed heavily. For
a while there, he thought the quest wasn’t necessary. And the numbers involved staggered his mind.

  How am I going to stop hundreds of thousands coming from Ymir’s Domain? Millions, even. Shit.

  “Back to the topic, lassie. Tell us why House Anari and those dead pieces of meat over there deserved to be grilled over a slow fire?” asked Tyndur. The horrific image raised by the einherjar’s statement jarred the mage.

  Fucking gross.

  “My pardon, lord Tyndur the Einherjar. But what I described is the reason why House Anari should be gone from dokkalfr society. They have subjugated other Houses by means fair and foul. Bribery, blackmail, name a devious method, and that House had used it at least once. They have destroyed those they cannot control even to the extent of weakening the defenses of our lands. They are attempting to subvert our beliefs and give rise to House Anari as the only true voice of our god,” said Magna.

  “I don’t think Freyr would be happy if that happens,” observed Tyler.

  The female dokkalfr explained that thought the Freyr was a patient and forgiving god, his sister, also a dokkalfr deity, was not. It was the wrath of the sister, the goddess Freyja, who was feared by those who opposed House Anari. Their priests and other mages believed she wouldn’t stand for such sacrilege, and her punishment will undoubtedly include the entire race for allowing such a travesty to happen.

  Yep. Sounds perfectly like any other deity to me.

  “And this Galar was instrumental in such fiendish machinations. Do you know why I was included among the ten? My House refused to give me to him as his concubine! We were somewhat protected from them by a treaty, which to the Anari is but a piece of paper, conveniently forgotten when the need arises. Somehow, he managed to include my name in those selected. With me dead, my House would have been easy to destroy. The arrogant, cruel bastard collects concubines from all Houses he had destroyed, subjugated, or enslaved. And from those who fear the Anari.”

  What the fuck? Don’t tell me Freyr did a job on me. Was it really about the jotnar or was it about House Anari? I doubt if he’s that ignorant about dokkalfr affairs, and he would have known that news of my arrival would stir up a hornet’s nest among the fanatics like House Anari. Don’t tell me I got played by Freyr too?