by Beaux Riley
“The six of my brothers and sisters had turned over by a call the sisters used to contact us, through stones all created by Kaydren.” Said Talus, taking out two of the said stones and pushes them to the middle of the table. These stone were the same blackish color as the stairway in Midian. A strange carving within the middle of both stones glowed a blood red and then to a bright orange before dying out and repeating the process again.
“Could we not trace where the other stones resonate?” Illoke asked, staring at the stones then towards Talus. Talus shook his head before striking the runes, leaving two piles of dust in his palm’s wake.
“You know, I’d thought of that a long while ago.” Said Talus. “No such luck. The Char are many things we don’t know, but persuasive is a definite.”
Chapter 9- Shadow of his former self
Hours had gone by and much to his dismay, Kimura had wanted to relay the information to his other paladins. But only Angaea and Jaya had been awake at this time. Lizoke had been spending time in a small library reading on Ela'syn's history and he couldn't find where Asa and Kilo had ventured off.
He approached one of the servant elves that he’d come across several times during the meeting and in their first arrival. She bowed to him and he attempted the same.
“Ma’am, have you seen the taller man that arrived with us here? I’m trying to inform every one of our leave.” Said Kimura. She smiled apparently at the comment of being called ‘ma’am’.
“Allow me a moment to speak with our staff.” She said and Kimura nodded at her.
“This was a mistake to allow them a break. Now Crowlis is missing. Perhaps he ended up passing out somewhere and has not checked in.” Kimura contemplated to himself.
“Lord Kimura, We’ve everyone you came with, accounted for, except for Archen Crowlis.” She said as she returned.
“What of Cray and Lizoke?” Asked Kimura, feeling distraught.
“They are within the quarters near the library.” The servant stated, bowing slightly.
“I need you to ensure the paladins are all accounted for by the time I return.” The elf nodded and immediately relayed the orders to other elves within the city.
***
Kimura was taken to an area within the giant castle that housed the Armory. He'd never actually worn such extravagant gear before. To each of his sides were elves suiting themselves up in the most minimal amount of weapons and other defensive items that they'd possibly need. He noticed many of the elves who dressed in the black armor with him had battle scars, some with eyes that had long since been blinded and even more that couldn't help but make him feel like he was a nuisance.
He'd noticed Talus didn't try to put on anything protective.
"Talus, this will possibly be a dangerous trial we go through, aren't you going to wear some armor or anything at all?" Asked Kimura, as Talus was rummaging through his jacket pocket. Talus shook his head and didn't respond immediately.
"I have some pride for my people. I'd never be caught dead, dressed as an elf. No offense Caliya!" Talus called out. The Princess turned, giving him a snide smirk.
"We have some ladies breastplate armor over there if you feel insecure, little man." Caliya laughed a bit, forcing other elves to grin and they all went back to preparing.
"Hey Kimura, just between you and me, I think she likes me." Talus said proudly.
"She'd like you better if you were at least up to her hip." Said a dark haired elf, holding his helmet on his side.
Talus approached the elf and looking up to the taller man, he smiled. Talus dropped down and with a very fast leg-sweep, he knocked the smug elf right on his rear end. The elf was pounced by Talus to have the elf grab him by the shoulders and threw him up against a wall, holding him up by his neck alone. Talus smiled, choking slightly and pointed with his eyes at the elf's chest to have him realize that a rune had been placed on his dark armor. The rune exploded and threw the elf back to the ground, causing him to groan loudly.
The elf, known as Rokial, coughed and began laughing loudly.
"That dwarf is amazingly talented!" Rokial struggled to rise as the other elves began to approach him and he waved them off.
"Guess I am the taller man." Talus said, staring down at Rokial. Talus stood above him and offered a hand, lifting Rokial up.
"I'll be sure not to comment on a dwarf’s height again." Rokial said and noticed Talus took up laughing too.
"Best it was me and not Milla, she'd have gone lower with her rune...much lower." Said Talus. The elf groaned at the thought and considered himself thankful that Talus was only proving he wasn't a lowly fighter. Rune Lords had tricks up their sleeves, quite literally.
Kimura sat as he'd finally finished equipping himself, with a bit of help from a fairly attractive elf. He felt a bit awkward getting this much help from others. It wasn’t so much that he had a great deal on his mind, but that there was always something on his mind. He was always thinking of ways to better himself or continue to study the Light. It was never a feeling of being a chore, but a necessity. The others he'd trained and taught had surpassed him. He really believed that. To see some that he wondered if they could even hold a blade, be able to bring a library to life, or to witness a small girl blossom an entire orchard with the placement of her palm on a simple tree, was beyond reckoning.
He palmed the dagger that Illoke had given him several years, it was as pristine as ever. The blade was always cleaned and occasionally removed from his boot so that he could study its craftsmanship. Elven blacksmithing was truly a marvel, Kimura thought on occasion. Its shining silver surface was beautiful and he memorized the runes inscribed on it. They were elvish and gibberish to him and for a time, he believed it best to allow the words to remain a mystery, as some things in this world are best left that way.
Talus sat beside the quiet paladin. He nudged him a bit and noticed the elven dagger.
"You know, it won't change into anything else if you keep staring at it like that." Talus said jokingly. "We have a long day ahead of us. Before sun's rise, you'll find out if your friend's hunch is right...I won't lie. I hope we're not on a wild goose chase. I don't doubt you, Kimura. Things are so uncertain these days. It'd be nice to know for certain that the things we do, have meaning, am I right?" Talus asked. His tone was caring. The two had learned much about each other in the meeting hours prior.
“I can’t help but feel uncertain as to why one of my paladins has gone missing. Archen Crowlis was not the easiest student I taught.” Kimura said, his mind now torn.
“Are you wanting to go looking for him?” Talus asked.
“I doubt all these years would make him leave without some notice. Even Pate kept us in the loop. They all deserve a break, maybe that’s all this is.” Said Kimura.
“Aye, I follow you. They wouldn’t know what you’d be looking for in the first place. Restin’ up after six days of travel would be good on anyone.” Talus said in agreement.
“More than anything else, if something happens to me, they are safe in the heart of the Ela’syn Forest.” Said Kimura. “So are you ready to tell me where we are headed?”
“Mining shaft connecting to Imrosyn at the edge of the forest just to the west. Not even an hour or so from here.” Said Talus.
“I’ll never understand digging and dwarves.” Said Kimura. “Do you have ancestors that were moles?”
“We make moles look like amateurs.” Talus joked. “I’d show you what I did to the elf, but I’ve never fought a paladin.” Talus punched Kimura in the arm laughing a bit. Kimura didn’t continue the conversation immediately. He remembered being on the wrong end of his brother’s strikes. The Light was a powerful force.
“Pray you never have to.” Kimura said grimly. Kimura gripped his right palm, summoning the Light near Talus.
“On that note, you sad lack, let’s get going to finding your buddies in prison.”
Talus rose and made his way with the other elves to the western side of the city. They
were all dressed in similar garb thanks to the armor cache. Kimura was behind but kept up to an extent. The paladin was going through thoughts yet again, and Talus noticed it immediately. The dwarf called out to Kimura, who made no effort to hear the words. The other elves took notice and waited for Kimura to catch up to them. The pathways that curved down from the main stairway appeared on any map like roots leading to the gigantic tree. Kimura imagined this map and remembering back when he first came to Ela'syn, the heart of the city had these root-like pathways going in all directions. As they travelled through the city, citizens recognized the black armor they wore and bowed, nodded or generally acknowledged the presence of the elves and surprisingly, Kimura and Talus.
Once Kimura had caught up, they travelled in two lines, with the elves behind both the paladin and dwarf. It bothered Talus slightly that the elves remained silent this entire time. Perhaps it was their resolved discipline. Or it may be from the attitude most Ela'syn had when they were observing others whom they were not familiar.
To either side of them they saw elven men and women, dressed in casual white and brown robes and garb. Beneath their boots were a constant crunch of fallen leaves, not dead just yet, but of course the color of the changing seasons. Talus had noticed it was much warmer in the forest, compared to the cold depths of the mountains. It was only when near a forge or smelting gold into extravagant pieces of jewelry or armor, that he was ever warm.
Talus noticed that he was the one most stared at, possibly due to his standing out wearing his brown armor, or perhaps it was because the rumors of the extinction of his race, that still turned heads. It was not widely known that there were the eight survivors of Stoneholt in order to protect them until they could deduce the real reason behind Kaydren's madness.
They continued their pace until they were right on the outskirts of the forest. To their left they could see the dead city of Stoneholt. In the several years that had passed since a single person had step foot into it, it remained silent. To the north most point of their sights, the silhouette of Imrosyn's massive fortress could be barely seen as though it were an illusion. The outer layer of the prison city appeared as a small rock in the distance. Kimura estimated it at least a five hours walk to get to it, though without seeing the tunnel, he continued to ponder. Talus pointed the three at several hills in the distance. They followed him over the first and at the base of the second looked to be an opening to a natural cave entrance. Talus pointed right to this and all four quickly approached it and to Kimura's surprise, there was a door. Not so much a door as two massive carved stones in the shape of arched door. Upon the stone arches were runes similar to the ones that Talus had been showing during their previous meeting.
"This my friends, is the gate. The tunnel beyond will take us to the third level down in Imrosyn. The prison cells are two levels up and I’ve long since forgotten what the depths were used for.” Talus pointed up at nothing to gesture what he spoke. The two elves, Mal’ka and Shaeth both nodded.
“Shaeth will cover the entrance here and Mal’ka will come with me and Talus.” Said Kimura. “I’d rather not have any surprises if we have to make a fast escape. Also, if for any reason something happens to us, Shaeth, I want to be sure the paladins are kept safe.” Shaeth, until now, had remained silent. It had been making for an awkward while the two elves had been with them.
“Are you worried?” Shaeth asked Kimura. Kimura turned to her. She could see him visibly shaking. So much was riding on Serict’s hunch being right. Why though, could Kimura not feel anything coming from Imrosyn? He wondered to himself what he would find, what good he could bring from this. He was anxious.
“I am ready to find my brothers.” Said Kimura, controlling his fear. He imbued his hand for a moment. Talus and both elves could feel the heat from it. Mal’ka knocked on the door. Talus tapped her on the back and motioned her to step behind him. Within Talus’ jacket could be seen a numerous amount of pockets designed for runes. He cursed in dwarvish tongue a few times until he came across a stone that contained similar markings to the doorway that they all stood in front of. It was with a few more words that the stone came to life and split down the middle, revealing the long-awaited tunnel.
Dust filled the air in the tunnel. It was obvious that it wasn’t tread within for a long time. Kimura went ahead of them, imbuing his hand and causing a glow in the tunnel.
“I’d lead the pack in this, but your interesting little glowey trick is by far more useful in this regard. You know, what with not blowing away a mountainside.” Talus’s joke was unsettling to Kimura, but the paladin tried to shrug it off. Kimura did understand that many saw the Light as a frightening thing. To bring sight to the darkest of places and even further, destroy those places. Kimura continued to tell himself that this power was not a burden. The belief that something like the Light is good for this world, it’s all that drove him.
“Just tell me where to go.” Said Kimura. Talus pointed straight and the three began their march.
“Shaeth, will you be fine here alone? Need something to read?” Talus joked. The elf gave him a look that ran shivers up his back. Talus chose to keep a mental note that elves have no sense of humor. “I’m leaving this doorway open, for the same worry that old Kimura has, reasons.”
Mal’ka followed the two, occasionally coughing and muttering to herself as she held her bow and arrow at the ready. Of many elven weaponry, swords, daggers and distant combat choices, Mal’ka preferred the less hand-to-hand approach. Much to her opposite, Shaeth carried several sets of daggers, two short swords and other long sharp and pointed objects on her person, as Talus noticed.
“Not much uniformity within those ranks of soldiers you run with eh, Mal?” Talus said, trying his best to break the silence. It’d seemed to be about an hour into the half-circle shaped pathway that lead straight.
“I’m not sure I follow your question.” Said Mal’ka.
“Before I put your man Rokial down, I noticed he was carrying some kind of shield, which of course you are stuck with your bow there. Are you multi-talented?” Said Talus.
“Ela’syn are trained to wield all assortments of weapons, including those of our enemies.” Said Mal’ka as though she was reciting something from a manual.
“And how about the mystical elements that myself and the long haired light-stick we have guiding our way?” Asked Talus.
“While I am not specialized in it, you’ve seen the bridge that brought you back to Ela’syn. That was solely our King’s work. We can command the very ground beneath us.” Said Mal’ka. Talus laughed a bit at Mal’ka. She remained silent with her bow pointed right at the back of Talus’s skull. She moved it away a moment later, muttering something in elvish. The tunnel showed no sign of ending. Just as Kimura expected, it was taking a long while to traverse through. The dwarf-made cavern was surprisingly cold. Only when near Kimura’s illumination did the others manage to stay warm.
“What else can you tell me about the layout?” Kimura asked, trying to pass the time.
“The cells lined circularly against the outer walls of each level going down. There’s close to about a hundred of them. So if you’re thinking this is bad, we got a lot more ground to cover.” Said Talus. The dwarf stopped for a moment, he felt as though something had moved around them.
“Stop.”
The three immediately looked at each other. The voice hadn’t come from any of them and the voice was clear.
“Ghosts?” Kimura threw out a suggestion.
“Could chalk it up to an echo. I am not a rightful believer in ghosts, but I think we ought to serpentine. We’re almost there anyhow.” Talus said, a bit worked up. Kimura and Mal’ka could both see his fear in his tone. Kimura agreed and they started to sprint to the end of the tunnel.
As the group reached the end of the underground path, Kimura could see an identical door to the one that Shaeth was now most likely standing at, waiting impatiently for news. Talus stepped in front of Kimura, who had at that mo
ment raised his right arm up to brighten the doorway. Talus flashed the same rune and the doorway parted ways. Kimura and Mal’ka were smart to cover their faces in a precognitive fashion, to avoid any debris from this door. Talus stepped inside, looking around and signaled Kimura to follow. Mal’ka stepped back, kneeling with her bow pointed at the door. Kimura felt the Light weighing down on his hand as he entered the hallway. He saw that there was a light coming about ten feet down looking faintly like a torch.
“Well, let’s get this over with. Time you saw the fruit of my loins, so to speak.” Said Talus as he marched ahead of Kimura, taking quick looks down the hallway. To Kimura’s left was a smooth wall, though hanging above were glowing rocks attached to a stick with a rope in a makeshift torch which Talus was looking at intently. “You mind grabbing me that?” Talus pointed at the stone as it continued to glow a bright orange. Kimura reached up and realized it was a rune-carved rock. He tossed the stone to Talus and saw similar stones at the same height placed every twenty feet. As they walked the room curved to the left and to their right were empty rooms with open bars for prison cells. Kimura approached each cell with caution, and with every look, his fears of Serict’s hunch being wrong, grew.
“He-has-to-be-here.” Kimura grunted as he continued checking faster and faster. Talus had a difficult time keeping up. “Any of them have to be…”
“Wait up, Kimura!” Talus said, trying to keep his voice down. The dwarf caught up to Kimura as they reached the last cell. This one had been much different from the others as it was locked. Kimura put his hands on the cold iron bars, which stood taller than the paladin by at least several feet in length and the bars reached out to his full arm’s length to both sides. He peered inside and could see the silhouette of a person, chained against the wall.
