As he stepped into the white, brightly lit hallway of the mysterious ancient structure, President Cade could not help but sigh. He needed to try and get some rest, he knew this. He had been fighting against himself for too long, his betrayal of Leonic had prevented him from being as productive as he could. Cade knew he had to put it behind him.
Cade took another step, one resolute in finding a place to lay his weary head, and found himself crashing to the ground and landing on one knee. His head had began to throb, his mind seemed under attack by wave after wave of pain. Cade could not breathe and his vision went black. A great white light filled his mind and as vivid and real as could be he saw an image of a being. A Half-Blood with paled skin and shoulder length dark brown hair. His lower lip bore the tattoo of the Ancient Elven Fyres family and a soft, emotionless female voice rang in his head.
"Crinnan Jamiso, Demon. Terrorist conspirator under influence of the Lord of The Hells, Ashwraith. Wanted dead or alive. Last known location; Belhaasi Weald. Report whereabouts or deliver body to local inquisitors. Praise Dura'Ana. Praise Cidro."
Cade's vision returned and he fell forward toward the floor, barely stopping himself with the palms of his hands before his face hit. Sweat dripped from his brown and pooled on the floor he was staring at, a cold shiver ran through his body.
"No." Cade said shaking his head. He reached his arm out and grabbed the rifle he had dropped. As he hurriedly rose to his feet, he thought only of Crinnan, the Demon. Without much more consideration, he ran down the hall, intent on immediately departing for the Belhaasi Weald.
Chapter 3: Part One
The Demon III
22nd of Ramlia - 346 AG
13:00 - Belhaasi Weald
Crinnan dove toward the kitchen to his right just as the grenade exploded. Splinters of the wooden floor beneath what was once the grenade flew through the air, some embedding themselves into the flesh of Crinnan's back and legs, others peppering the wall and furniture around him.
After he crashed into the breakfast bar and subsequently fell to the floor, Crinnan scrambled to get to his feet, mentally double checking that he still had his revolvers in hand. Slightly dazed, and moderately confused Crinnan raised his guns.
With the sights of both weapons trained on the front door, Crinnan sidestepped around the breakfast bar and walked backward into the kitchen. He tried to steady his breathing and found that his nerves were quickly calming down and he was reclaiming his focus. He heard footsteps pounding against wood and a figure dressed in Govian army fatigues charged through the door. Crinnan fired the gun in his right hand twice, hitting the being in the chest, and then fired his left gun once. The bullet from Crinnan's left gun destroyed the face guard on the Govian's helmet, snapping his head backward. The attacker crashed forward and fell to the floor. Without hesitation Crinnan ducked down, taking cover behind the bar.
Kneeling, waiting, Crinnan tried to formulate an escape plan. He assumed he was outnumbered, as he heard at least three distinct voices shouting outside. While he believed he could ultimately best his attackers, he knew that even if it was slight, he did not want to take any unnecessary chances when it came to the possibility of dying. His father had instilled that ideal in him before he went on his first mission with Century Squad and it had stuck with him since.
"To the right!" Crinnan heard a voice shout, "Blast the windows!" Crinnan cursed, the windows were on the wall just to his left. Jumping to his feet and diving over the bar in front of him, he crashed into one of the wooden chairs from the table that he only moments before had been sitting at. Crinnan rolled off the broken chair and onto his back just as the wall across from where he had been hiding exploded, blasting more debris in all directions. Another grenade promptly sailed through the hole that was left behind and Crinnan frantically covered his head with his hands just in time for the blast.
"Check the house!" A voice shouted, "Find the Demon, he is inside!" Laying on his back, Crinnan trained a weapon at each of the holes that had been blasted into the house. He kept his breathing steady, and looked directly forward, watching for movement in each of his peripherals. He saw another Govian charge through the hole to his left, quickly adjusted his weapon and fired. His bullet hit the side of the Govian's helmet, ricocheting into the roof and leaving the soldier stunned briefly. Crinnan took advantage of the pause and put a bullet through the soldier's face guard, killing him before his body could hit the floor.
Crinnan quickly looked to his right, expecting to see another attacker. He did not see anyone so he took the time to quickly scramble to his feet. Just as he found his balance, however, a Govian charged through each of the openings and immediately raised their rifles at him.
"Drop your guns!" The one on his right, the closer one, said with a young, unsteady sounding voice. "Do it!" Crinnan briefly watched as the soldier ran up and pointed his rifle at him. He noticed that the weapon was shaking in the soldier's trembling hands and decided to take a risk.
Crinnan locked eyes with the soldier and quickly lunged forward, locking the soldier's rifle beneath his left armpit and shifting the gun toward the other soldier. The frightened rookie pulled the trigger of his trapped weapon, sending a barrage of bullets into his partner. The other Govian, the receiver of the bullets, fell backward and writhed on the floor screaming for help.
Crinnan noticed that the standing Govian was still holding his finger down on the trigger even though the magazine had been spent. He had seen many inexperienced soldiers empty whole magazines on a target in his time and he had counted on the rookie soldier making some type of mistake like that. As the second Govian hit the floor, Crinnan reached his right hand out and grabbed the hilt of the trapped soldier's short sword on his hip and with a shove of his left arm, pushed the soldier away from him. The soldier's rifle fell from his hands onto the wooden floor and Crinnan, wasting no time, darted forward, short sword in hand, and sliced the Govian's throat.
Gasping, the Govian fell to his knees as blood gushed from his neck. He grabbed his throat, trying to stop the bleeding, and looked up at Crinnan with sorrow in his eyes. Crinnan's eyes met his for a moment, but Crinnan would not allow himself any more than that. Quickly, he shook his head and turned to the other Govian.
"Get back, Demon!" The Govian shouted as Crinnan stood over him. "We..." Crinnan pulled the trigger of his revolver and with a loud bang, the back of the Govian's head slammed against the floor beneath him. His head turned away from Crinnan and his body relaxed as his life quickly and violently had ended.
Crinnan wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand and looked around himself for more Govian soldiers. He had not seen anymore enter the house, though he thought he recalled hearing more voices outside than bodies that were inside. He stood silently and listened, trying to see if he could hear any more of the voices from before. He ultimately heard nothing and upon that realization became very concerned.
Crinnan slowly stepped backwards, past the ruined table toward the couple of stairs that went up to the raised level he had come from that morning. His eyes kept moving left and right, keeping watch over the two holes that had been blasted into the house. As he eased his way up the steps, he saw something pass by the hole on the left. He focused on the hole and aimed one of his revolvers toward it. Amid his focus, he heard movement from the hole on the right. Quickly he raised the revolver in his right hand and snapped his vision to the right.
"I should say..." Sage said, stepping from the hole. "My home has seen better days." Crinnan gritted his teeth at the sight of the Elf and adjusted his aim. His trust had been betrayed by Sage, and he was going to pay for it. It took no less than a second for him to set his sights on Sage's head and before the illustrious Elf could utter another flamboyantly orchestrated word, Crinnan pulled the trigger.
Crinnan watched in disbelief as the bullet whizzed past Sage, striking what was left of the wall behind him. Crinnan's aim had been perfect, his sights were set exactly on where the bullet had hit
the wall yet Sage's head was just to the left of where it had been less than a second before. Crinnan quickly adjusted his aim and fired again, yielding the same results. Once again, Crinnan fired his weapon and missed, by then Sage was no more than six feet in front of Crinnan. That was when he realized it was not his aim was off, it was that Sage was somehow phasing out of the way of Crinnan's bullets. Crinnan shook his head and dropped his guns on the floor.
"So kill me then." Crinnan said, walking toward the Elf. "Be done with it." Sage snickered at Crinnan, his head bobbing a bit as he did so, yet he said nothing. Crinnan looked at the Elf, almost feeling embarrassed, and returned his silence. For a moment the two stared at each other and then Crinnan, with his arms hanging at their sides, balled his fist and hurled it at Sage.
Crinnan tumbled forward, having put his weight into the punch, and crashed into the ground. Sage, who had once again evaded Crinnan's attack, turned and stared down at the boy with a look of pity.
"Stand up." Sage said, extending his hand toward the soldier of Black Knight. "I understand your confusion." Crinnan batted Sage's hand away with his own and helped himself up. He angrily dusted his shirt off and the two locked eyes again. Crinnan's eyes were flaming with anger and Sage's were cool with complacency. Neither spoke and Sage picked up the chair that had not broken and took a seat in it. He folded his hands on his lap and took a breath.
"Since you are saying nothing." Sage said calmly, "Then I should say that I would like to explain some things to you." Sage lifted his hand from his lap and extended his arm, keeping his fist open and his palm facing the roof. Crinnan watched the Elf, unsure of what was about to happen and whether he should stay or run.
"Observe." Sage said. Crinnan watched as a small white sphere of light appeared out of the air slightly above Sage's palm and burst into flame. The sphere slowly spun like a globe as the flames changed from orange to blue and then back to orange again. Sage stared at it with an unimpressed look but Crinnan's eyes grew a little wider and he took a step backward, surprised at what he was looking at.
"This is but a small splinter of a piece of a sliver of the power of the NaNe." Sage said, closing his hand around the ball of flame. The fire squeezed through the cracks between his fingers and dissipated into the air above him, leaving naught but empty air in its wake. Crinnan looked down at Sage's closed fist and then, without moving his head, shifted his eyes up toward Sage.
"An ancient power." Sage said, "A knowledge passed down through the years, through the generations." He returned his hand to his lap and returned Crinnan's stare. "This power moved my body before your bullets could strike me."
"Are you with Govia?" Crinnan found himself asking. He only wanted to know if Sage truly was his enemy as he felt fearful, though amazed, of the Elf's power. He had of course seen the magic before, harnessed by Govia's battle mages and by a few members of his squad. What he had seen, however, was chaotic, uncontrolled blasts of magic being hurled in the direction of it's target or invisible healing magic conducted by a Faire, who seemed to be the only beings capable of it. He had never before seen anyone actually manipulating or controlling the magic with any impressive degree of mastery or anyone capable of dodging bullets with the magic like Sage had done.
Sage cocked his head to one side and snickered at Crinnan's question of his allegiance. He poked the inner side of his cheek with his tongue and shook his head. With a sigh, he looked at the half-blood before him.
"Follow me." Sage beckoned as he stood to his feet. He glided past Crinnan, making his way toward the blasted out doorway at the front of the house. Crinnan watched the Elf for a moment and could do no more than leave his guns on the floor and follow after him.
As the two stepped out into daylight, Crinnan could not help but shield his eyes from the brightness of the twin suns. Sym and Syl, the Day's Brothers, seemed brighter and warmer than usual. The entirety of their beams seemed to be focused solely on Crinnan's eyes as the light felt like it was burning through his skull. As his vision began to adapt to the light, however, Crinnan realized that it was not the sun's power he had to worry about.
Before him, scattered across the surprisingly lush lawn, were the smoldering remains of the attacking Govian squad. All were dead and all were burnt to some degree, some more-so than others. Crinnan looked down at the body nearest to the wooden deck and noticed that a large chunk of the left side of his chest had been completely reduced to ash. He had no arm, no shoulder and his neck was only half there... Crinnan knelt down for a better look.
"You did this?" Crinnan asked, looking back and forth from the body to Sage. Sage bit one of the rings in his lip and slowly nodded his head. Crinnan shook his head and returned his gaze to the soldier. Sage's... magic... had been powerful enough to melt completely through the left side of the Govian's metal helmet, his skin, and muscle... only black charred bone remained. Crinnan thought that if he touched it it would collapse into ash. He stood to his feet and looked to the Elf.
"You killed... all of them?" Crinnan asked, surveying the handful of smoking bodies in the lawn. Again, Sage silently nodded.
"All but one I should say." Sage replied. He turned his eyes toward a body at the treeline which led into the dense Belhaasi Weald. Crinnan looked and saw half a body that had propped itself against a tree. He stepped forward, cracking his knuckles as he walked.
From behind the visor of his helmet, what was left of the Govian soldier complacently watched as the Black Knight walked toward him. He was terrified, not of the Black Knight, but of the Elf who had destroyed him. His eyes looked down at where his legs should have been, and the blackened ground beneath that was once his lower section. He looked at his hands, gone, burnt completely off of his arms. All that remained was his torso and his upper arms.
As the Black Knight approached, the Govian could hear him snorting, not unlike a bull that was preparing to charge. He remained unafraid, however. He knew the Black Knight could do him no more harm and prayed to his beloved Dura'Ana that the Knight take him from his misery and send him to paradise.
The Black Knight stopped before the Govian and looked down at him. There was pity in his cold eyes, but not enough to comfort him. The knight reached out and slapped the helmet off of his head. The Govian groaned and darted his eyes up to the Knight.
"Why have you come?" Crinnan demanded, placing a hand on each side of the Govian's head. He squeezed the head between his hands so that their gazes met. The Govian, alive only as long as his adrenaline lasted, breathed heavily and occasionally choked on the blood that kept creeping up his throat.
"Orders, Demon." The Govian replied, spitting a glob of blood and mucus onto the ground. "We came for you." His voice was weak and angry.
"Why?" Crinnan asked, "What do you want with me."
"We want with you what the rest of the world wants." He replied. "We want... answers." He choked on his blood again and rested his head against the tree behind him. Crinnan looked back at Sage and then to the Govian again.
"How many more will come?" Crinnan asked, "How many more seek... answers?"
"All." The Govian said, his head had begun to bob with dizziness and his eyelids seemed to be too heavy to remain open. His adrenaline was running out and his blood was nearly drained. Crinnan spied a melted, disfigured short sword at the Govians hip and pulled it from its scabbard.
"Do you have anything more you wish to say?" Crinnan asked, "Before I release you?" A tear fell from the Govian's eye and he nodded his head.
"I want... my mother..." The Govian said, choking not on his blood but on the lump of sadness stuck in his throat. "I am... afraid..." Crinnan nodded his head and without wasting another second, jabbed the sword through the Govian's temple. Crinnan watched his body relax against the tree and let go of the handle of the ruined weapon.
"I need to get to my squad." Crinnan said as he stood and turned to Sage. He still did not know what to think of the Elf, but he did know that he was willing and able to kill Govian soldiers. He h
ad been convinced that at least at that moment, Sage did not want to kill him too.
"How do you feel?" Sage asked, stepping up to the half-blood.
"What?" Crinnan asked, "What are you talking about?"
"Do you feel anything?" Sage continued, "Do you feel sad for the Govian?"
"He brought himself to his end." Crinnan said, "As we all do. He is fortunate to not have to fight anymore... and he is Govian... so he now lives in paradise."
"All true." Sage said. "But do you feel sad?"
"No." Crinnan replied. "Now I need to get to the Izla'Axi caverns. Do you... do you know the way?"
Sage stared at what looked like a boy to him and nodded his head. "It is a day's walk by foot." He said, pointing to the west. "And I should say the Belhaasi Weald is not a friendly place.
"And I am not a friendly person." Crinnan replied, staring into the thick woods. "We should have no problem."
Chapter 3: Part Two
The King I
22nd of Ramlia - 346 AG
09:00 - Canruusi Wastes
The brothers light shone brightly, illuminating the tops of the clouds beneath him. It provided a seemingly spectral path for his travels, a road of white and blue lined with the light of the suns. Their light however provided him with neither warmth nor spiritual comfort for he was without flesh or faith in any higher power, save his own.
Solid ground was miles beneath him yet his gaze was not cast downward for despite his recent awakening and return to the world he already felt he had seen enough of it. For the moment he simply wanted to be free of it all; of his blithering host, of the mindless savages that followed him and of the confines of a mortal body. He had found in his time back that he could only find respite, ironically enough, in the heavens, away from his power, away from the world he dreamt of transforming.
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