“I wanted to tell you, I really did, The Over Tyrant, Bazerk, forbid me. You must believe me!” Tremendous said. His voice was cracking with the emotion. Tartum knew that he was telling him the truth. He knew that if he had been allowed, he would have told him the moment he asked the question. Tremendous was nothing if not accomodating. He saw that his shame wouldn’t allow him to face him.
“I believe you, my friend. I do. I also understand why Bazerk wouldn’t want anyone to know. Your village was the troll’s lair I was seeking. Thats the reason Bazerk was so protective of the location isn’t it? ISN’T IT!?!” Tartum screamed the last part at Tremendous. This was vital information. He needed to know for sure that it was the blood and not something else that granted them the regenative blood he sought.
“Yes, we are half human, half troll. Please forgive me…my friend.” as Tremendous finished his sentence he started to turn around to face him.
“I forgive you, Tremendous.” Tartum said.
Tartum opened himself fully to the magic now, allowing it to flow fully into his body. Made alive by its fire inside him, Tartum focused on Tremendous. In one hand held his staff, in the other, he held six rose petals. Releasing the petals in front of him, Tartum recited the words of his spell.
“Moro-yet krat-tu-veyin doro-peth!” he commanded. The rose petals fluttered down before bursting into white hot balls of flame. Pointing at Tremendous, Tartum spoke the word that would snuff the life from him.
“TORROTH! TORROTH! TORROTH! TORROTH! TORROTH! TORROTH!” he screamed, and the balls of flame flew at Tremendous.
Tartum watched, as too late Tremendous realized what was happening. Tartum saw how the realization of his betrayal overcame Tremendous’ fear of the flaming orbs, as he threw himself towards him, determined that if he was going to die then he would take his killer with him. Tartum didn’t move, he knew this battle was over before it started. He had planned it carefully to be sure.
As Tremendous leapt at Tartum, trying to span the twenty paces between them, the six fire orbs tore through him. Three of the balls hit him dead in the chest, one cleaved a section of his skull from his face, sending it spinning into the forest; the last two hit him in the legs completely severing one from his body. Tartum watched as his body tried to heal the wounds, but the burns from the white hot magic couldn’t be regnerated. The charred wounds prevented new flesh, blood, and organs to be grown.
Tremendous was dead before his body hit the ground.
Tartum walked over to the body of his former friend. He stood over his ruined remains and waited. He waited for the surge of guilt, the wave of sadness, the remorse for killing someone that had trusted him so completely. He waited for the Gods to punish him for his murder, he waited for the universe to enact justice upon him or the earth to swallow him up. He waited for some sign that he shouldn’t have killed this man just to harvest his blood. Nothing happened. The only emotion he felt was pride. He was proud of himself for thinking up and executing his plan so efficently. He was proud that he had been able to keep up the facade for so long when killing him sooner would have been so much easier. His only regret was that no one was around to share in his moment of triumph.
Kneeling over the body, Tartum removed Tremendous’s waterskins. The lummox had brought three with him to slake his giant thirst. Taking a long drink of the water inside, he dumped the rest of it out in the grass. Once all three were empty Tartum drew his knife and began cutting into the body of his former guide. The blood, no longer concerned with regenerating the dead body, flowed from the cut. Trying not to spill any of the precious fluid, Tartum filled the waterskins with as much blood as they could contain.
Chuckling at the irony, Tartum thought to himself; “The spell only calls for a vial of this stuff. A VIAL! HA! A vial my ass…now I’ve got gallons of this shit!”
After making sure the water skins were secured safely in his pack, Tartum took anything that looked valueable off the Tremendous’s body. There wasnt much, a few ivory buttons, the leather belt that held up his pants, and some pelts from hunting earlier in the trip. He then gathered all the pieces of his dismembered corpse into a pile in the center of the clearing, even going so far as to retrieve the piece of skull that shot off into the woods. Pulling out a pinch of sulfur, Tartum infused it with his magic.
“Doctay-von-we!” Tartum commanded. The sulfur jumped out of his hand and became a small green flame. Willing it into a spinning fireball, Tartum split his focus onto the pile in front of him.
“Beath!” he said. The fireball crossed the short distance almost instantly before igniting Tremendous’s body. Tartum watched as the magical flames began to eat away at his former friend. He watched as the body sizzled and spit. Watched as the flesh ran like wax and the muscles and organs burst from the heat. He watched as the body of his companion turned to dust and ash. As he stood there making sure there was no evidence left, and no chance of Tremendous coming back to exact revenge on him, his thoughts wandered to his goal; the creation of his ring. As he stood over the crude pyre envisioning his prize, Tartum’s eyes began to glow with the eerie red light that sometimes took them when he was enraged.
Without looking, Tartum knew that his fireball had finished the job and now nothing was left of his late friend Tremendous.
“Uush!” he commanded. His voice was as empty as death itself. The fire winked out of existance, leaving nothing more than scorched earth as proof of his passing. Stepping over the ruined ground, Tartum continued on his journey. By nightfall, he had arrived at the gates of Yucoke.
CHAPTER 39
Tartum was exhausted, the last leg of his journey had become difficult thanks to the added weight of the bladders full of Tremendous’s blood and the other items he had taken from his body. By the time he arrived in front of his house, he was leaning heavily on his staff. He couldn’t wait to drop his burden and crumple into his bed. If it wasn’t for the guiding voice in the back of his head, the fact that there was light coming from inside his home would have eluded him until it was too late.
Stunned by the unexpected light, Tartum stood there for a moment trying to think. Surely, if he had left a lantern lit, it would have burned out by now. He had been gone for over a month! Also, wouldn’t Dannurn have noticed it and blown it out before then? Tartum was sure he would have. In the middle of his pondering, Tartum saw a hunched figure slowly walk in front of the light momentarily blocking it. The sudden outrage that filled him erased any fatigue he had been feeling. Dropping his pack on the road, Tartum opened himself fully to the magic and began pulling out a copper rod. He would blast the reckless son of a bitch that dared to intrude upon his home! A thought occured to him through the haze of his anger. Who was this person rummaging through his house, and how did he get inside? Tartum realized he had no answer for these questions but that he would need one if he ever intended to leave his home again. Swapping out the copper rod for a spider leg, Tartum quietly made his way to the door. A quick test of the knob showed it was unlocked, and with all the stealth of a mouse, Tartum made his way inside.
The intruder had lit lanterns in every room and had a fire going in his study. Tartum’s vision began to go red with the anger he felt towards the man. After he got the answers he required, he had every intention of killing the man for daring to trespass so beligerantly into his home. Infusing the spider leg with his magic, Tartum waited for the man to exit the kitchen, from the sounds he was making Tartum believed he was making himself something to eat. The audacity of this thief astounded him! If it hadn’t been for the fact he was an intruder in his own home, Tartum might have been impressed with the man’s boldness. Movement from inside the kitchen let Tartum know the man was heading towards him. Tartum brought the words to his entanglement spell to his mind and prepared to cast it the moment he saw him. The person who emerged from the kitchen halted his words before he could form them.
A very old, very tired looking man shuffled from the kitchen, holding a platter of thinly sliced cheese
and bread with shaking hands. He was wearing a very worn and stained white robe that hung loosely on his form. A simple grey shirt and brown pants completed his ensemble as well as a few pouches that hung from a belt that would have held his robe closed had he bothered to tie it. When the man saw Tartum he smiled happily as if they were old friends. Tartum was sure he had never met the man before, yet, something about him was very familiar.
“Tartum! I’m very glad to see you again, old friend! I hope you don’t mind finding me in your home like this, but after showing Dannurn that your ward spell would allow me inside, he let me stay here.” The old man said in a voice as old and weathered as he was.
As the man spoke, Buddy came walking out of the study. Tartum watched as his pet walked over to the old man and licked his hand gently before he ran to Tartum and jumped up on him. Too stunned to think, Tartum dropped the spider leg he was holding so he could absently acknowledge Buddy’s greeting. His confusion caused him to lose his focus, and his connection to the magic was severed. The weakness that followed was multiplied by his exhaustion. He collapsed onto one of the seats at his table as his strength left him. Never in all his life had Tartum felt as out of sorts as in this moment. Something about the man seemed so familiar, yet looking at him brought no one to mind. The fact that he had gotten past his warding spell was impressive, but Tartum had seen Rashlarr perform the same feat when they first met, Tartum knew the man before him now smiling like he should recognize him couldn’t be Rashlarr. Judging by the few pouches he had on his belt, he also wasn’t a powerful caster, so for him to circumvent his spell would mean the magic knew Tartum wouldn’t have denied the man access to his home had he been presented with the choice. The most astonishing part of all this was that Buddy seemed to be fond of the man. Not even Dannurn could knock at the door without Buddy barking savagely, ready to take his head off. Yet with this man, Buddy had gone to him first and kissed him before greeting his master. Tartum’s head began to spin.
“Old man…who are you?” Tartum asked in bewilderment.
A synical look appeared on the man’s face. “Old man!? Huh! Well, I guess the last time we saw each other I looked far different than I do now.” A look of deep sadness suddenly appeared in the man’s eyes, and in that moment, Tartum felt he knew him, he dug at the feeling to try and place a name to his face but it wouldn’t come. Something about the man’s eyes was so familiar so…wrong?
The old man seemed to be remembering something from a long time ago, “You used to call me, your “young friend”. Now, I’m just “old man”. You always were blunt, Jade Mage.” he said with a wink.
Tartum’s staff slipped from his grasp and almost hit Buddy as it fell to the ground. Barking his disapproval, Buddy walked around the table and poked his head under the old man’s hand for comfort, giving Tartum a hurt look. Tartum was too stunned to care. What the man said was impossible, he couldn’t be him! It was a lie! The man had found his friend and forced the information out of him so that he could infiltrate his home and steal his magic!
Even as he told himself that, he knew it wasn’t true, the guiding voice in his head berating him for thinking it was unnecessary. It was his eyes, those young blue eyes, to young and innocent to be in the head of a man as old as he was.
“That can’t be you, Vaund, it just can’t.” Tartum’s mind reeled at the idea, “Even if you healed a hundred people that were on the brink of death you couldn’t have aged this much. It can’t be you, it just can’t!” Tartum repeated. He wasn’t sure if he said it because he believed it, or if it was because he just wanted too.
The old man smiled his familiar sad smile and reached into a hidden pocket inside his robes. “You gave me this once as a gift after your first kidnap mission for the guild. Savall got one, Rashlarr, Elizabeth, and myself. You have one just like it, made from dragon bone as well as a few other. They’re on the shelf in your study.” he said, as he placed a bronze tankard on the table. Tartum looked from the tankard, to Buddy, who was still giving him a hurt look, and then back into the old man’s innocent blue eyes. He knew then that the man was telling the truth. This decrepid old husk was the young man of maybe fifteen or sixten that had saved Tartum’s life more times than he cared to count. As Tartum looked into his eyes, he saw that some of the innocence was missing, and it its place, more sadness was apparent.
“Gods, Vaund, what happened to you!?” he asked.
Vaund’s sad smile never left his face, “Well, that is a bit of a long story. Why don’t I get you something to eat before I begin. You look like you’re exhausted, but if I know you, you won’t want to wait to hear my tale until after you’ve rested.” he said, as he rolled his eyes.
Tartum nodded his agreement. Vaund’s delay reminded him his pack was still on the side of the road in front of his house. Leaping from his chair, Tartum hurried outside to retrieve it. It was where he left it, and after a quick inspection, he found everything was in order. Bringing the pack inside, he saw Vaund was already sitting at the table with a platter of sliced meat next to the platter of cheese and bread. He had brought the dragon bone tankard from his study and filled it with what looked like juice. Tartum guessed he had gotten it from Dannurn at some point. If the man was nothing else, he was accomodating. Picking up a handful of meat, Tartum offered it to Buddy as an apology for before. Buddy’s tail wagged as he made his way over to him and gulped down the food. Just like that, they were friends again; Tartum couldn’t help but grin at the easy going nature of his pet. Sitting down at the table, the scent of the food suddenly made him feel ravenous; digging into the meal, Tartum ate in silence with Vaund until his appetite was sated. Sitting back in his seat, he nursed the remaining juice in his tankard as he fixed Vaund with an inquisitive look.
“So, tell me what you’ve been up to since the guild was abruptly disbanded.” Tartum began.
At the mention of the guild, Vaund frowned. “I wasn’t in the compound when the Bishop and his guards raided it. I was with Liddia at her compound.” The shame Tartum saw on Vaund’s face troubled him, “I didn’t even know about the raid until almost a week later when I tried to return to see why Savall hadn’t contacted me.” he said. His voice began to quiver as he recalled the memories. “Our compound is completely destroyed, Tartum, there’s nothing left. After the raid, they must have caused some sort of a cave in; not even the entrance remains. I thought everyone died until I happened upon this town. I was staying at the inn when the innkeepers told me the story of a caster with a jade green staff coming to town almost a year ago and killing off a family that had plagued the town for years.” Vaund said with a knowing grin.
Tartum suddenly felt uncomfortable, “It wasn’t exactly like that. I did kill them, that much is true. One of them had been trying to rape the mayor’s daughter…” he began to explain. Vaund’s piercing laughter stopped him cold.
“Tartum, I have heard the tale many times now and with a hundred variations. I get the general idea of what happened. I, for one, am proud of you for ridding the world of such a vile family.” Vaund said. “Although, I would have perferred it if you had found a way to deal with them that didn’t end with so many deaths, but that isn’t your way, is it?” Vaund asked, more to himself than to Tartum. “Oh well, more’s the pity, I suppose.”
Vaund noticed Tartum waiting for him to continue, “Sorry, where was I? Oh yes, the compound is gone. I raced back to Liddia and told her what I had discovered. Tartum, she was very concerned. She told me that the day before, Sasha had gone to the palace to present the king with the proof you found when you raided his rooms. She hadn’t heard anything since then, but she assumed Savall and Sasha were busy disposing of the Bishop and hadn’t gotten around to sending the other cells a message. She sent her best scouts out to investigate, it didn’t take them long to find out what had happened. Liddia’s girls were very, very good at making men talk.” Vaund said with a blush. Tartum recalled that Liddia’s cell was basically a high-end brothel that catered to the rich and
influential of Saroth. The amount of information she garnered from the men and women she entertained within her compound probably made up for half the missions the other cells went on.
Tartum nodded his understanding and motioned for Vaund to continue.
“Well, it turned out that the king already knew about the Bishop’s plans. In fact, the king is nothing more than a figurehead for the nation. The Bishop is the one that makes all the decisions, he then informs the king on what orders to decree, and they are carried out without anyone the wiser! Sasha was apprehended immediately. The Bishop then used some very frightening and terrible magic to force her to give up the location of Savall’s cell.” Vaund explained. As he finished this part of his story, his face became pale, and he looked at Tartum as if he’d seen a ghost.
“Apparently, something you took from his rooms was very valuable to him. Sasha gave him your name, as well as the names of every one of the member’s of Savall’s cell. She told him that you, The Jade Mage, were the one that more than likely took the item he sought, and she showed him where to find you. The raid on the guild was sent in order for the Bishop to retrieve whatever it was that you took from him! Sasha was killed shortly after opening the way for the Bishop and his men. Her head is on a spike on the main gate of the city as a warning to would-be thieves and burglars. It has been a very effective message.” Vaund looked down as he said this. Tartum grew concerned about the news Vaund had given him. He knew the Bishop must have been refering to the regent ring scroll he took. He remembered one of the guards pointing at him during the raid and saying, “That’s him!” just before Tartum had killed him. Vaund’s story brought many questions to mind that he needed answers to before he could continue.
“Vaund, you say the Bishop is looking for me so he can reobtain his property. Does he know my name? Or does he only know me as The Jade Mage?” he asked.
The Jade Mage: The Becoming: Volume 2 Page 42
