Monsters

by Viktor Zólyomi

  Since then I've been researching the secrets of the Multiverse through magical experiments, using black magic to give myself more and more time to continue my research. I know that I will sooner or later run out of time, I know that I will never be able to learn everything there is to know of the Multiverse, but I wish to learn as much as I can. I want to die knowing that I did my best.'

  `So, you dislike black magic yourself, don't you?'

  `That is a difficult question. Black magic is a necessary part of the Multiverse, as I had to learn. Yes, I do dislike the Blackest Ritual. I despise it. Yet I perform it when I must. I feel that I'd already crossed a line with the first rite, even if I did so under duress, and it no longer makes any difference that I keep doing it. But the rest of black magic I admire. There are many great things it can do. With you, I could see that black magic can even be used to save the life of another.'

  `I am grateful that you did. I thank you again.'

  He nods and smiles slightly. I say goodbye to him, and head for the door to retire for the night. I briefly turn back just before I would step outside.

  `One more thing...' I tell him. `I'm... sorry about the window.'

  *

  Late morning in Kh'Tal. The rain is falling violently, as it always does during day. Jason is outside in the rain, practicing...

  I see him from the balcony. I watch him, admiring his swordsmanship. I never really liked wielding swords, but I've learned the basics of it just fine. Those basics are nothing compared to what Jason can do...

  I've always known he was good at this, I've seen him fight before. But I was always involved, and had to focus on the battle. I never had a chance to admire his swordfighting skill outside of battle, where I could observe the little details of his moves.

  It is truly amazing! He moves with the swiftness of a wolf, and the agility of a cat. His strikes are precise and flawless. He is a true master of the sword. To think, that long ago, he was just a wizard apprentice. How much practice must it have taken him to get this far? How much patience and determination must lie beneath all that he's achieved to this day?

  He's a man of conviction, that much is perfectly clear to me. He has something to fight for, and he will do anything for it. He had to become a master fighter for the sake of his goal, and he spared no sweat and no blood to achieve that. As I look at him, a newfound admiration of him begins to grow within me. Admiration for the resolve that has guided him all this way.

  `You're something special, Jase.' I speak to myself aloud. `Arghard doesn't deserve one like you. That world can't appreciate resolve like yours...'

  `Sadly, that is indeed true of Arghard nowadays...'

  I am startled by the words of Kurt Aurach. I turn around, and see that he's standing behind me. How long has he been here, I wonder. How come I didn't notice him?

  `I'm sorry if I startled you.' he says, like he is reading my thoughts. Or perhaps he just saw it in my eyes...

  `It's alright.' I tell him, and turn back to watch Jason. He is still practicing.

  `How long has he been out there?' I ask.

  `A couple of hours.' says Aurach. `He got up early and spoke to me. I will send him back to Arghard today. I will conjure the Portal soon. He knows well what he will face, and he wanted to spend what time was left on practicing.'

  `Why out there? Why not in the castle?'

  `I don't know. It was his choice. There are plenty of places where he could practice inside, if he wanted to.'

  `Perhaps the rain invigorates him, helps him focus.'

  `Perhaps...' says the mage, and then we both become silent for a while. After a few minutes, he breaks the silence.

  `Flora, may I speak with you for a moment? About Jason and what he is about to do...'

  `Certainly. Go ahead.' I tell him, turning towards him.

  `Did he ever tell you what his ultimate goal is?'

  `Killing Th'Mesh. Isn't that right?'

  `Yes, that is correct. Did he say to you what that involves?'

  `I think he spoke of how he had to kill all his siblings for this.'

  `Yes. It is Jason's goal to ensure that Th'Mesh will not be reborn again in any form, and for that, he had to kill everyone who had a portion of Th'Mesh's essence within them. But there is the matter of the essence within Jason himself.'

  `What about it?'

  `Jason is now the only child of Th'Mesh. If Jason does kill him, Th'Mesh will die and be one with the Afterlife. His power will live on however. His demonic essence will live on, but it will need a host. A host that already possesses a fraction of itself. Now, Jason is the only capable host.'

  `So... that demonic essence... or whatever... will want him for a... a host?'

  `Yes. If Jason does not reject the essence, then he will become the new Th'Mesh. He will still be Jason, but he will be a Demon Lord, and subject to the corruption of that demonic power. Jason doesn't want this. He doesn't want to become like his father. He wants to reject the power, even knowing what that means for him. If he does reject the essence, then it will die. It cannot exist for long without a host. If it dies, so will every previously severed part of it. Including the portion within Jason. He cannot survive any more without that spark of demon essence.'

  `Are you saying that... even if Jase kills Th'Mesh, he will die?'

  `Sadly, yes. If he can reject the essence, that is. But... honestly, the chance that he will be able to resist it, is slim.'

  `How slim?'

  `Very. He has only a very little chance to reject it. He knows this, yet he will try. He seeks to free himself of the essence, and if he wants to kill Th'Mesh, then this is the only way he can be free of it. He will try, but he has a very little chance to succeed in this.'

  `What will happen if he fails? If he takes the essence?'

  He sighs, and then looks deep into my eyes.

  `It is sadly simple, actually... He will rule in Hell, and destruction shall follow in his wake...'

  He will rule in Hell, and destruction shall follow in his wake...

  That doesn't sound bad to me at all... No, quite the contrary in fact! This might be something good...

  `So, you're saying he will have all the power of Th'Mesh?'

  `Yes, but do not take this lightly. He will likely lose control when he obtains the power. He might even try to kill you.'

  `No. He would never do that.'

  `Willingly not, I am sure, but he will likely not be in control of himself. If you still wish to accompany him, then you must be prepared to defend yourself when things get this far. Best if you flee. If you can.'

  `Thank you for telling me.'

  He nods, and then he leaves. I turn back to Jason, and watch him execute move after move with perfect precision. Even after all this time, I admire what he's doing in endless amazement.

  As for what Aurach said... It's like I told him. Thank you for telling me. Yes, thank you for telling me. Not for warning me, as there is no need. Jason would never harm me. I know it!

  But thank you for telling me that Jase will be a Lord of Hell! How wonderful... He will rule in Hell, and I will be by his side. Demon Lords have great power, and powerful beings have powerful enemies. If Jason becomes a Demon Lord, he will need someone to get rid of these enemies. He will need someone to hunt them down. I will be his greatest disciple, his greatest hunter. He will rule in Hell, and destruction shall follow in his wake... And I will be the one to spread all that destruction for him, to bring death to his enemies. Anything he wants hunted down, I will get them for him, no matter how powerful they may be. Yes...

  I will make him proud!

  Welcome to Coldrock!

  Somewhere in the northwestern regions of Mor'peri, present day (1 year, 1 month, and 8 days before Twilightfall)

  Mor'peri. The forgotten continent. The long abandoned third and final continent of Arghard. Fables speak of the history of this place. In a time long before the Great War, it was a prosperous place. Now, it is nothing but a desolate wasteland. A r
ock desert. In this place where we arrived, it is a foggy, mountainous region, and the climate is fairly cold, but no sign of snow. In other parts, it is said to be much warmer, but just as desolate as here. It wasn't always like this. At least that's not what the legends say.

  They say that in the beginning it was an uninhabited little continent. No wonder, given how far it is from Ess'yer, and that it's even further from Draconia, and much smaller then either of them. Then the mages of old times supposedly discovered it through magical means, constructed Gateways to travel to it, and they inhabited the place. They named it Mor'peri, but often it is referred to now as the forgotten continent.

  Then, something happened, and much of the continent was destroyed. No-one knows for sure what it was, or when exactly it happened. Some say it was the dragons, others say it was a magical experiment gone wrong. All that's known is that the Gateways were destroyed, and never recreated.

  The exact location of the continent was lost, and no mages made any real effort to find it again, so no Gateways were ever made again. The tale of this place lived on though, and many have tried to travel here by ship. Some of them actually reached the shore. Most of them eventually returned, having found that the forgotten continent is a harsh place, where only the most sturdy can survive. They say that only orcs and trolls dared to stay, but it is said that a small human settlement was also formed by the shore nearest to Ess'yer. Since we are looking for a human mage, I would have thought that we would arrive in this settlement, if it exists.

  Instead, the place where we arrived is clearly a far way from the shore. Perhaps the legends were not entirely true. Or perhaps this mage chose to live a secluded life alone in the mountains, where he is left alone. Or both. Who knows...

  It is somewhere around noon here. As I look up, I see the sun just above us. I feel no pain. My skin isn't burning, and I'm not even feeling weak. Belwor was right after all... If I didn't know that I am a vampire, I'd think I'm not.

  `Where to?' I ask.

  He looks around, seeming surprised.

  `Aurach couldn't pinpoint the exact location, it seems.' replies Jason. `Strange. He should know exactly where we must go... Something must have gone wrong. No matter, our destination should be nearby. Let's look around.'

  *

  Nearby... The Hell is this nearby... We walked for hours and hours looking for that mage's lair, and found nothing. After all this time, the only thing we finally do find, is a ruin.

  `This is it. This is the place we've been looking for...'

  Jason seems all too confident about that. As I look at the tower before us, I do not feel such certainty as he did. Tower? Tower my pale ass! It's nothing but a pile of bricks, with barely a wall that's still intact.

  We've walked in this wasteland for almost half a day, and that left its mark on my mood.

  `Pfff. A ruined tower in the middle of nowhere. This entire continent is a wasteland, littered by ruins all over, how are you so damn fucking sure this is the one?'

  Perhaps I was a little... rude... in the way I responded to his... overly enthusiastic statement. It would really come as no surprise to me to hear him telling me to shut up, but he just keeps staring at the tower as he says:

  `I can feel it...'

  Now that surprises me.

  `What do you mean with that?'

  He points towards the base of the tower.

  `I sense... strong magics emanating from just below the tower. I sense a Gateway. It's right there. Somewhere just below the tower.'

  `So, what are we waiting for? Let's use it!'

  `Patience, Flora...'

  He steps closer to the tower and looks around for quite a while, investigating some of the bricks. Then he kneels and touches the ground with his left hand, closes his eyes, and stays like that for several minutes. Then he quickly stands up and starts walking towards the west.

  `Where are you going?'

  `We need to find Aurach's friend. This... Zack Sands. The tower is his place, we must get his permission to enter.'

  `So I take it he's not home, is he?'

  `No. He's not here. I checked...'

  You checked... Bah... Wizards...

  `Listen Jase, if he's not here, then why don't we just get inside and use the Portal? It'd save us a lot of time...'

  He stops, sighs, and turns towards me.

  `We can't. It's locked. Magically sealed. I can't break through it, it's too powerful. Even if I could, I'd rather not anger Kurt Aurach's friend by breaking in.'

  `How do you know where to go?'

  `I scoured the area with a simple spell. There's a village nearby. Maybe they'll know something. Come on!'

  *

  There's a village nearby, he says... Nearby, he says... Over thirty minutes walking at a fast pace. I hate this place...

  `Jase?'

  `What?'

  `I don't think they'll be able to give us directions.'

  `Maybe yes, maybe not. We'll ask them and then we'll see.'

  `Come on Jase, just look around, this is an orc village...'

  The village is fairly big for being in the middle of nowhere, but still just a village. Getting near the gates, the first thing that catches my eyes is a large sign written in common. It is a large wooden sign decorated with skulls. Typical orcish design...

  The majority of the sign is a bunch of crude, blood-red letters saying: Welcome to Coldrock! Below that, with smaller letters, it says: Be sure to check into the Beheaded Buddy Tavern! We've got the best of meals made by the best cook of the Multiverse (so says the Boss, and he should know).

  That alone was a clear indication that this is an orc village. Seeing the architecture I could tell that I was right. The typical battered-and-beaten-but-still-standing wooden houses, the broken windows, the skulls and bones used for decoration, and so on.

  So, we got to an orcish settlement, and Jason is hoping to find information about a human mage here?

  `Yes, I can see what it is.' he says. `It doesn't matter. It's the closest village to the tower, they should know something.'

  `Come on Jase, how would orcs know anything about a human mage, especially one that travels the Planes all the time?'

  `They'll have to know something about the tower. That is a good start. Let's ask around!'

  Let's ask around he says... Pfff... The place is completely deserted. It took us a while to find the one building in the village that seemed to be a little bit less deserted. The Beheaded Buddy Tavern... It was easy to recognize thanks to the sign on top of the door, which was written in blood-red letters saying: Beheaded Buddy Tavern. Enter at your own risk.

  It was not only easy to recognize, but it was also easy to spot. It seemed to be the largest building of the village by far. In fact, it was the only one with more than one level above ground. For the guestrooms, perhaps? Probably... but how would they get enough guests to fill five stories worth of rooms?

  Proceeding towards the building I suddenly spot something unusual. There are two large banners hanging on the walls on each side of the door. The letters on it are printed in gold and are anything but orcish in design. The text is the following. Tonight's extraplanar music is provided by the greatest musicians of Arghard, the Monsters of Coldrock! Brought to you by: The Boss.

  Jason seems to be less surprised at that sign. Or perhaps he just doesn't want to show his amazement? Or he doesn't care?

  I guess he doesn't care...

  He steps into the tavern and I follow quickly. Inside, the building proves to be the typical orcish tavern. Except for the lack of customers. There are about two-three orcs scattered in a room with over twenty tables. And then there's the bartender. Jason walks straight towards him and greets him in common. The bartender nods, growls, then turns to the left and spits. Twice. I think that was his way of greeting us. Us both.

  `You want somethin'a drink, kiddo?'

  Oh my, I haven't heard such a growling voice since we killed that dragon. Ah, this thought brings back such nice memo
ries...

  Jason pulls a smooth crown coin out of his pocket.

  `No thanks, we're just passing through and we're in a hurry. I was wondering if you could perhaps help us out with something else.'

  The coin quickly vanishes in the bartender's hand.

  `Aye? What'd that be?'

  `I'd like to get into the old abandoned tower to the east, but it's magically sealed. Can you...'

  The bartender replies surprisingly quickly.

  `The tower? Heh, then you wanna talk to the Shaman. He's downstairs. Just don't call him Shaman. He hates that. Call him Boss, and he won't be pissed. You don't wanna see him pissed...'

  He points towards the staircase to his left, leading down. Then he turns back to his duties, picks up a dirty cup, spits into it, and starts rubbing it clean with a towel.

  `Thanks!'

  Jason heads straight for the stairs, and I follow. At the bottom of the staircase we encounter one very unusual looking orc. Perhaps the biggest orc that I ever saw.

  No...

  Definitely the biggest orc I ever saw...

  He is about as big as a troll. He holds the kind of oversized wooden club in his hand that trolls like to use. I could swear he must have some troll-blood in his veins, but his body doesn't have any typical trollish traits, other than his enormous size. No cankers on his face, no animalistic facial expression, nothing. Just the typical rugged facial bones and the gray skin that all orcs are known for.

  Whatever he is, he is blocking our way.

  `Here for the show?' he sneers.

  `We're here to speak with... the Boss.' replies Jason.

  `Ha! If you're here to speak with the Boss then you're here for the show. If you're here for the show, you have to pay the entry fee.'

  `How much is that?'