Brothers

by Viktor Zólyomi

  `No need. I can conjure the Portal on the bed, the ceiling is high enough.'

  `Alright. So let's...'

  At that moment, someone knocked on the door. We froze stiff, and held our breath. We looked at each other, thinking, how the Hell Matuak could have found us so fast... Then I remembered.

  `That must be Mandy.'

  Zack frowned.

  `You ladies' man...'

  `I can't help it. Chicks dig me...'

  `Send her away. You have no time for her right now. Unless you wanna bang her in three minutes...'

  `How am I supposed to tell her that? She'll be insulted...'

  `Tell her you're sick.'

  `I don't look sick.'

  He stood up and pressed his right palm against my left cheek, then uttered a few magic words.

  `What did you do?' I asked. `I felt nothing.'

  `Now you look sick... Just don't look in the mirror and you'll be fine.'

  `Why, what did you do?' I asked, worried.

  `It's just an illusion.'

  `Ah, okay.'

  `Now go get rid of her.'

  `Hey Zack... Why don't we just take her with us?'

  `What does Mandy do?'

  `Errr... she sells flowers. I think.'

  `That's why.'

  `Huh?'

  `Kh'Tal is a dangerous world. Skilled mages and skilled fighters can survive there. But her... What's she gonna do? Offer flowers to the assorted monsters of Kh'Tal so they won't eat her? She'd be doomed. Do you hear me? Dooooooomed...'

  `We could protect her.'

  `I don't want anyone to babysit. Get the fuck rid of her!'

  `Oh alright... but... there are cute girls in Kh'Tal, right?'

  `I'm sure of it.'

  `Okay then... The bedroom's over there, I'll be right after you.'

  He went to my bedroom with the book, while I opened the door. Indeed, it was Mandy. She was dressed in a simple, but nice dress adorned with flowers. It fit her well, she was really beautiful in it. As she looked at me, she seemed shocked.

  `Daniel... Is that you?' she asked. `What happened to you?'

  `I fell sick.'

  `Oh my... Is it... contagious?'

  `Yeah, I think so. It's better if you don't come in right now. I'm really sorry. It came sudden and unexpected. I'd have told you not to come otherwise.'

  `Do you need any herbs? Those blisters look very severe...' she said, with a worried voice.

  `Blisters? Oh yes... Blisters... Yeah, they are, but I have all sorts of stuff in the cupboard, no problem.'

  `What do you have?'

  `Well... All sorts of stuff.'

  `I think you could use something special. It looks like your nose is about to fall off. And that blister over your left eye... You might even lose vision with that eye of it's not treated properly.'

  At that point, I wanted to kill Zack...

  `Yeah, I know, but I have all sorts of stuff. I'll be fine by the morning.' I told her.

  `Listen, my mother is an herbalist. She has some very special herbs that can help you. I'll go get some for you, alright?'

  `Thank you, but it's really not necessary. You needn't trouble yourself with it...'

  `It's no trouble. I live nearby. I'll be back soon!' she said, and she turned around and left, walking very quickly.

  `Oh shit...' I told myself, as I slammed the door shut. `Zack... I'm going to kill you...'

  *

  I barged into the bedroom with rage in my eyes. Zack was placing all sorts of magical items on my bed, around a circle made of what seemed like silver dust.

  `What did you put on my face, you charlatan?!' I asked, demandingly.

  `What, did you look in the mirror? I warned you not to do that... Anyway, as I said, it's just an illusion. Don't worry about it.'

  `She said, my nose was about to fall off, and...'

  `Yeah, yeah. Illusions. Don't worry.'

  `But now she insists that I need help. She's going to come back with some herbs! What am I going to do?'

  `Nothing. We'll be long gone by the time she returns.'

  `She lives around the corner! She'll be here in five minutes!'

  `So shut up and get into your armor. And get your sword. You're gonna need it...'

  I grasped the air with both hands and motioned like I wanted to strangle something, gritting my teeth and fuming, mumbling some curses under my breath. I felt like I was about to explode with anger, but he did have a point, so I did as he said. I put on my armor as fast as I could, gathered my traveling equipment, and armed myself with my sword and some extra weaponry. I pretty much gathered anything I could carry that I would not want to leave behind.

  `Are you done yet?' I asked, as I was finished.

  `Almost...' he said. A moment later, a loud knocking was heard on the door.

  `Oh shit. She's back...'

  `Ignore her...' said Zack. `I'm almost done.'

  `Wait a minute... She didn't knock so loud earlier.'

  `Maybe she's worried sick about you, haha...'

  `Doesn't it sound like a masculine knock, rather than a feminine one?'

  `I would not worry about her femininity right now...' said Zack, laughing. `The Portal is almost done.'

  `That's not what I mean. What if it's not her? What if it's... Matuak...?'

  He froze solid and blinked a couple of times. Then he hastily placed one final magical trinket on the bed, and then he grabbed the book and opened it. He started chanting some magical words.

  `Did you hear me?' I asked nervously. He ignored me. He chanted the words for a minute, while the knocking outside grew louder and louder. When he uttered the last words, a vertical, door-shaped watery surface appeared before us, shining in a silvery color. I was amazed at the very sight of it. I had never seen a Portal before, I had never even heard what one looked like.

  My jaws dropped as I stood there in amazement, and for the moment, I completely forgot about the loud knocking. But Zack was very much aware.

  He slammed the book shut, smacked it under his armpit, and then turned towards me.

  `Jump! Now!'

  Then he leapt through the Portal. I watched him disappear, amazed at the sight. Then I jumped after him.

  *

  On the far side, my amazement only grew. It was night, and the full moon was shining bright in the clear sky above. The woods around us had blue leaves, unlike anything I had ever seen before.

  Zack was not really admiring the place, he was staring intently at the Portal. Around half a minute passed, and the Portal closed behind us. Then, Zack sighed and nodded.

  `Finally... Now we're safe.' he said, and he looked around.

  `Looks great, doesn't it?' he asked after a while.

  `Yeah... Exotic, to say the least.'

  `Well, let's look around.' he said, and he walked off in some direction. Slowly, I followed him, all the while admiring the landscape surrounding us.

  *

  In the next couple of days, we took our fair share of battle in the wilderness of Kh'Tal. Various strange beasts attacked us, and sometimes we had a hard time trying to stay alive. But we managed to survive. It took us a few days until we found a town. I forgot what it was called...

  Anyway, it was like any town in Ess'yer, except that the locals were a bit strange. We rented a room in a tavern, and rested a few days. Then, Zack told me of his grand plan. He wanted to seek out the legendary Kurt Aurach, and become his apprentice.

  Kurt Aurach... You must have heard of him. A great wizard, who played a key role in the final days of the Great War against the dragons. Without him, the dragons would have enslaved all Ess'yer. Many looked up to him, despite how Jenathar exiled him from Arghard because of black magic. Now, Zack was of course thinking to study black magic as well as arcane magic, and I was a bit worried about all of that. But it was his choice to make, so I didn't argue.

  He asked around town, asking for directions, and eventually, we left. It took us two weeks to arrive at Kurt A
urach's castle. Zack was constantly complaining on the way, saying that had he had access to a Gateway, he probably could have opened a Portal closer to Aurach's place, and then we wouldn't have had to walk so much. He never complained about the fights we ended up in however. Not with the bandits on the road, nor with the monsters in the wilderness.

  Anyway, we eventually arrived. It was a magnificent sight to behold. Aurach's castle was gigantic, and beautiful. The sort I'd never seen before. I just stood there in amazement even as Zack was pounding on the door with his fist. Well, knocking, I mean.

  The door opened after a while, and Zack motioned me to follow him. Inside, the castle was even more beautiful than outside, but Zack barely allowed me to look around. He rushed up a set of stairs and after briefly glancing around he headed for a large wooden door. The door opened up before him and he stepped through.

  I followed him and we found ourselves in a gigantic magical laboratory of sorts, filled with countless magical equipment. I had no idea about what those things were for, but Zack was looking around with a very impressed look in his eyes, and that made me think that this was no ordinary laboratory.

  After a while, a gray haired human man greeted us. He was dressed in casual clothes, and I thought he was a servant, but it wasn't. It was the great magician himself.

  `Good evening. Are you looking for me?' he asked. His voice was calm, and lacking any signs of anger. He apparently didn't mind being disturbed.

  `Yes, indeed.' replied Zack. `My name is Zack Sands, and I wish to speak with you. If you have some time to spare.'

  `Certainly. I rarely get visitors. What can I do for you?'

  `I would like to become your apprentice.' said Zack, getting straight to the point. The old magician raised his eyebrows. He was greatly surprised.

  `Well now... I have lived here for long, but none of the locals ever came to me with such a request.'

  `I am no local, actually. I came from Ess'yer. From Ashkel, to be precise.'

  `You did? Who in Ashkel helped you open a Portal here?'

  `No-one. I had to do it myself.'

  `That must have been quite difficult for one of your age. Especially under the... legal conditions...'

  `Yeah, it was a chore. But I managed it, that's what counts.'

  `You would go to all this trouble just to come here and ask to be my apprentice?'

  `Knowledge is worth all the sweat it takes. In Ashkel, there's nothing to be learnt beyond what I already know. Fact is, I am in no mood to have to work for let's say Councilor Jenathar.'

  `That, I can understand...' said the old mage with a sad face. `...but perhaps you have not come to the right place. I fear I am not the best teacher you could seek in the Multiverse. I have only had one apprentice all my life, and I have failed miserably with him...'

  `I doubt that it was your fault. Your former student must have been incompetent.'

  `Is that what you think?' he asked, raising his eyebrows again.

  `I have only heard good things of you. I am sure it was no fault of yours if your former student failed you. Trust me... He was probably an idiot.'

  `I am not sure. I guess he was weak willed, but... I don't know if I am not to blame. I should have seen it in him from the start. I should have seen it in him that he was not strong willed enough to be a magician. I should have seen that...'

  `So test me.'

  The old magician raised his eyebrows again, and looked at Zack with a thinking expression, staring straight in his eyes.

  `Test you?' he asked.

  `Yes. Test me.' said Zack. `Test me if I'm good enough. I have no objections against being tested. What pisses me off is when people don't let me do a test because they fear I will pass, like those fools in Ashkel...'

  The old mage looked him in the eye for a while, and then briefly smiled.

  `To be honest, I myself was also thinking of putting you through some tests. But I must warn you, they will be difficult...'

  `Bring it on!' said Zack with a smile. `If I screw up, I deserve my fate.'

  `So be it then.' nodded the old mage. Then he turned to me. `What about you? Are you also here to be my apprentice?'

  `Errr... no, not really.' I told him. `I'm just his friend, I came so that we could explore Kh'Tal together.'

  `Are you certain? I sense some talent for magic within you.'

  `Well... maybe it's because my parents were mages. And their parents, too. And their parents. And theirs. Well, you get the point. But I desired to be a warrior, you know.'

  `So I see.' he said. `Please, feel free to look around the castle while I speak with your friend. It will take a while.'

  I nodded, and patted Zack's shoulder before leaving.

  `Good luck, buddy! Try not to screw up, I'd hate to go back so soon.'

  Signs of trouble

  Somewhere in Draconia, present day (7 hours after Twilightfall)

  `Well, needless to say he gave me an angry look, but I just smiled and let him deal with the tests.' he says, finishing his tale.

  `Did he pass?' I ask.

  `Oh yes, he did. Aurach told me that Zack had surpassed his wildest expectations. To be honest... Wait. What's that?'

  He points to the distance ahead of us. There is smoke up ahead. I can't really make out what the source is.

  `Seems like fire to me.' I tell him.

  `Wait a second.' he says, and he looks around slowly. `Unless I am mistaken, there should be a village around there, where the smoke is coming from.'

  `What village?'

  `I forgot its name. One of the settlements that are under my protection. There's quite a few of them.'

  `Your protection?'

  `Well, ever since I've lived in the Keep I've protected the nearby towns and villages from the dragons. In exchange, they've provided me with any supplies I needed. But let's hurry there! If the village is burning, I must help them. They're counting on me...'

  *

  We rush towards the source of the smoke. In a while I begin to see the houses. Many of them are burning, and many have collapsed. Daniel sprints forward but he abruptly stops about thirty feet from the edge of the village. He raises his left hand over his eyes and observes the sight silently.

  It is no wonder. The village has been completely destroyed. Smoke pours towards the sky at a steady pace from the smoldering embers that many of the houses have been reduced to. As for the people of the village...

  There are bodies in the streets. Everywhere... Dozens. Possibly the entire population of the village. They're all dead.

  `We're too late.' says Daniel with some anger in his voice. He walks forward and examines the corpses in the street. I silently follow him.

  The sight is unbelievable. The streets are covered with blood and corpses as far as the eye can see. Many of them are mutilated. Some are missing limbs, others are missing heads, yet others are torn in half. Innards and severed limbs are scattered all over...

  `What could have done this...?' I ask. Daniel doesn't reply.

  I kneel beside a corpse and observe the wounds. They were killed by slashing weapons for the most part. It could have been swords, or it could have been claws. Large claws.

  Was Meliorath able to retreat before the explosion? Was this her doing? No. Unlikely. The dragons would not likely do such a thing. They might burn the village to the ground, but to slaughter the villagers like this...

  No. This was something different. Something entirely different.

  Truth be told, it reminds me of Gatestown. Gatestown two years ago. When Jason destroyed it. When he assumed his demon form and slaughtered dozens of Jenathar's lackeys. When he tore them limb from limb and then burned the town to the ground.

  But he's gone... As are all his siblings. What could have done this?

  Zack claimed that if he managed to open that... that Rift, then creatures from the Shadowland could possibly pour into our world through it. But he failed. Or did he?

  Who knows how that explosion happened and what it
caused beyond the destruction of the Keep. I have no idea what kind of creatures those shadow beings are. Could they be worse than a half-demon? For all I know, they could be...

  Suddenly I hear something from the right. I glance in that direction, but nothing's there. But I know I heard... Wait...

  There is something there. Something... Something invisible. I can see a faint outline. A shape. A very strange shape. But I can't make out any details. What is that thing?

  `Do you see that?' I ask of Daniel, pointing towards the creature. He doesn't reply.

  I keep watching the invisible creature. It moves. It seems like it is cautiously moving away from us. Slowly. Silently.

  `Daniel!'

  `What? Oh, sorry... I was in lost in my thoughts there...'

  `Do you see that?' I ask, pointing towards the unseen creature. He steps beside me and looks in that direction.

  `See what? The grass?'

  `No. That faint outline. Look at where the grass bends awkwardly.'

  `There's nothing there...'

  `It's measuring us...'

  `What is measuring us?'

  `I don't know, but I can clearly tell that it's there.'

  `Don't worry about it, Beautiful! We'll deal with it if it attacks us. But I don't see anything there, it's probably just the wind. Come, we have work to do!'

  I glance at him briefly then look back towards the creature. It is still there, but while I looked away it distanced itself from us significantly. It is very swift... But looks like it does not want to attack. Not yet anyway.

  I turn back to Daniel.

  `What do you think did this?'

  `I think Zack would know...' he says, gritting his teeth. I sigh.

  `What now? Do you want to do something for them? Last rites?'

  `Huh? What, you mean, for the dead villagers?' he asks absently.

  `Yes.'

  `Well, no. I mean, why? I mean, I can't exactly bury the lot of them, let alone sort out which limb belongs to which torso... I'll send someone to take care of it later. Come, let's go. There's nothing we can do here any more.'

  Well, he doesn't seem to have cared that much about the villagers. Or did he?