by Zac Atie
“What about his girlfriend?” Hime asked.
“Girlfriend?” Draynar asked. “What do you mean?”
“His heart’s desire, I think she means.” Glackan said. “She needs to spend less time with humans, lest she’ll keep returning with their phrases.”
“And the annoying accents.” Draynar said, poking Hime’s cheek, obviously joking.
“Nevertheless, if the girl gets in my way, I’ll kill her.” Ivorian said.
“She seemed smart enough to know I wasn’t normal.” Hime said, rubbing her cheek.
“A magi, no doubt?” Draynar asked.
“Yes, dressed in a stupid Victorian black dress. She was really rude!” Hime said.
“A black dress, and rude?” Ivorian asked. “Could it be Lorelai?”
“How old was she?” Draynar asked.
“I don't know.” Hime said. “She didn’t look all that much old. Same age as the boy, I’d say.”
“So it’s not Lorelai.” Draynar sighed. “That would have gotten complicated fast.”
“She had blonde hair and blue eyes. Really pretty, but she had the personality of a cow!” Hime moaned.
“That sounds a lot like...” Ivorian pondered.
“What is it?” Glackan asked, but Ivorian was lost in thought. Whenever this happened, Ivorian paused and thought about things, muttering under his breath, and nothing could snap him out of it till he was done. After a few moments, Ivorian looked up and said. “What was her name? Do you know?” Ivorian asked.
“Her name was... umm... Veronica.” Hime told him.
“It’s her.” Ivorian said, becoming excited. “It’s her! She’s the catalyst for Sanctum’s plans. She’s with the boy! It can’t be a coincidence.”
“The catalyst?” Draynar asked. “You mean... The Child of Omega?”
“Child of the end...” Glackan said.
“They need to die.” Ivorian said, alarmed and excited. He dropped to one knee. “Both of them. Send me, my lord, and I’ll snuff them out.”
“But...” Hime asked. “What’s this Child of Omega thing? Why do they need to die? They were... Bastion was nice...”
“He’s right.” Draynar said. Hime looked at Glackan for help, but she lowered her eyes and kept her mouth shut. “Go, Ivorian. Take some men, and march on Split. I’ll send Demands to Split. I’ll command Dante to look out for them, then kill them. I... I need proof. I need you to make sure they are dead Ivorian. Their heads, both of them.” He said, to Hime’s disgust. Hime ran away, like a small child having a tantrum. “It’ll be my pleasure, my lord.” Ivorian said, smiling a sick smile underneath his disturbing mask.
Chapter Eleven – Dante McAllister
Sebastian Slater
The crashing of waves. A familiar, and rather unsettling sound for Bastion, but what was even more familiar was the place he woke up in. It felt like an eternity since he last had been here, since the last time he slept at the Haven was a month ago. It was the ocean, right away he could tell from how clear the sky was. Much like in the dreams, this was real. Almost too real. Only, he could almost swear he was actually there now. He was completely conscious, and he could remember all that happened. This place was the place he would go when he went to sleep at the Haven, which would lead to him oversleeping and getting an earful from his mother. Then, he remembered the landmark. The statue. He turned to confirm his suspicions, and he was right. The waves were crashing against the statue, which had jagged piercing eyes, a sick smiling mouth, and gas emanating from his skull-like hole where his nose should be. This is where the voice had came from, this whole time. Was this really a dream? What was this place? “What is the matter, little vigilante?” The voice asks him. “You seem troubled.”
“It’s you... You’re the voice I hear. It came from here, all along...” Bastion says.
“Yes. This is where I reside, deep within your Magic Pool. Here, I see, I hear all you do.” The voice says.
“Why? Who are you? What is this place?” Bastion asks.
“This realm is your sub-consciousness. If you sleep near any source of mana, here you will reside. If you are knocked unconscious, here you will reside. The Magi call this your ‘Dream realm’, for obvious reasons.” The voice says.
“Wh...Why am I here? What I remember is all so confusing, like I was temporarily insane...” Bastion says.
“You were.” The voice says. “I ushered you to your goal, and you fulfilled it, and what happened afterwards was fortunate indeed.”
“Fortunate?” Bastion asks.
“You’ll see soon enough, when you are plucked from this realm” The voice says.
“Who are you?” Bastion asks.
“I am nothing but a soul, with a voice. One that relies on your success and on your breath to continue to be drawn. I will not let you die, not yet.” The voice says.
“Wh...What do I call you?” Bastion asks.
“Names are of no good.” The voice says. “Call me what you will...” Bastion paused for a moment.
“I’ll call you Illuminos.” Bastion says.
“How cute.” The figure says, sarcastically. As he said that, the wind grew, whipping at Bastion’s hair, and the sea began to rumble. “What’s going on?” Bastion asked, looking around.
“You’re being revived...” The figure said. “You almost died. Do be careful, events in the future are intertwined with you...”
“The future? What do you mean? How would you-“ Bastion began, but the wind began to strong, and then... The world fell apart.
“Gagh!” Bastion gasped. He felt magic and hands pressing down on his chest, so he grabbed the person’s wrists with his right hand. They were small, and delicate. They felt as if a little more pressure would snap them like a twig, but something about them was satisfying, and comforting. He couldn’t see, there was liquid on his face, so with his left hand he cleaned his eyes, seeing blood and puke being washed away. Through his dizzy eyes, he could make out one person, while seeing the silhouettes of everyone else. The blonde hair was a giveaway, it was Veronica. As his vision cleared, he saw that her face was as messy as hers. She had puke and spit running down her face and chin, and it was obvious where it came from. What had happened here. “Bastion?” Veronica asked. “A-Are you...you, now?” Bastion felt weak from what he had been through, whatever it was. He contemplated the question, feeling the effects of his blood loss. “Am I me? Of course. Who else is this perfect?” Bastion asked, non-seriously. A look of relief went across Veronica’s face. “How did you survive that? What happened down there?” She asked.
“That’s what I’d like to know, too.” A voice said, from the background. He looked to his left, and saw Stark, standing in front of the door to the tent, blocking the light. Bastion wasn’t actually in any mood for Stark’s tough love approach on things. “What happened to your face?” Bastion asked Veronica. Veronica grabbed a nearby towel and wiped off her face, then moved onto Bastion’s face. “Same thing that happened to yours.” Veronica murmured.
“You spat at her. Called her all sorts of vile names, called her a Kinslayer, even a witch.” Stark said. Bastion’s heart stopped for a second, and Veronica didn’t make eye contact with him. “And some crap about a grim reaper too.” Bastion’s eyes flared. “Damnit! Crix, we gotta-“ Bastion began, sitting up, then coughed. He was too weak to do anything at the moment. “Calm down, Bastion...” Veronica said, pushing him back down. “You’ve been through a lot, you’re alright.”
“Whatever you saw down there was bullshit.” Stark said. “You were infected with Tartarus.”
“Tartarus? No, I couldn’t have been...” Bastion argued. “I saw it!”
“Remember the symptoms?” Veronica asked. “High body heat, delusions, puking...” Bastion thought back. When he went into the Caverns, he was sick, and he did feel hot, but he thought it was due to the magical residue and the burning smell. Even Crix confirmed that fire had been used. The ghosts... were they not there? And the reaper? Even
Illuminos said that he was fooling himself, was that what he meant? But, then who killed Crix? He saw Enlin too! How much of all that was real, was Crix still alive, was the witch really there? Unless... Bastion didn’t want to think about it, just in case he uncovered something he didn’t want to know. But deep down, he had strong suspicions about what he had did down there in the depths of hell.
“You said something about Crix. Nobody has seen him... Where is he?” Stark asked, harshly.
“I...” Bastion began.
“Let him rest, he’s-“ Veronica began.
“No, quiet! I want to hear this. Where is Crix, Bastion?” Stark asked.
“I took him with me... Into the caverns... I...” Bastion explained.
“He gave you Tartarus. On the way down, he gave it to you. At such close range, it would be impossible to resist Tartarus if he was a carrier... That was one of the MANY reasons I told you to go alone!” Stark roared.
“Hey! Leave him alone, he’s been through enough!” Veronica roared back.
“Where is he now? And Enlin? And that sorceress?” Stark asked.
“They’re all dead...” Bastion said, bluntly.
“Dead?...” Stark asked. The second the word was uttered, fury evaporated from his face.
“Hard of hearing?” Bastion retorted, tired of the interrogation. He lay back down. Stark was about to unload his anger, but what would be the point? “You could be mistaken... We have to check...” Stark said, then he left before anybody could say anything. The two could hear Stark shouting orders in the background, full of rage and desperation. “Im sorry for what I did to you...” Bastion apologised.
“It’s alright...” Veronica said. “That wasn’t you... Your consciousness was not there.”
“What about everyone else, did you save them?” Bastion asked.
“I did my best... better than most people... but some died. Most have to be treated immediately, or they are lost... but you...” Veronica said.
“What?” Bastion asked.
“You should be dead. You were exposed for a very long time, losing a lot of blood and exerting your Magic pool. There’s no way you should be alive...” Veronica said.
“Like I said, I’m perfect.” Bastion chuckled.
“It’s not a joke!” Veronica scolded him. “I’m... I’m confused about what happened still...”
“Sorry.” He apologised. “I...feel so...”
“What?” Veronica asked.
“I think I did something horrible down there...” Bastion murmured. “I think...”
“It’s alright... just relax, go to sleep. You need rest.” Veronica said, covering him up. She got up, collected some things, then left, closing the tent up. In the darkness, Bastion contemplated what he had saw down there. The grim reaper... Why did he believe what his eyes saw? The grim reaper is most obviously a myth, it doesn’t exist! So who killed Crix? All went blank as he charged after the reaper... And that man he stabbed, was he real? The questions buzzed in Bastion’s head, then he decided to ignore them, to turn his back on whatever had happened down there. When he got some rest, he was going to get the hell out of this place.
Bastion was awoke by Veronica rustling through her belongings, next to Bastion. “Oh... Hello.” Bastion said, sitting up.
“You sleep a lot.” Veronica complained. “It’s daylight again.”
“Yeah, that sounds like me.” Bastion chuckled. “What’s up, what are you looking for?”
“...Nothing. Just double checking something... Say, think we could just get out of here?” Veronica whispered.
“What about... you know?” Bastion asked.
“Well... perhaps I could just go elsewhere. Another country perhaps...” Veronica said.
“We both know Rhenium has vassals even across the seas, what the hell are you going to do if they come for you? I mean, you are rather powerful... but...” Bastion began.
“No, of course I do. It’s just... This place is sick. I hate these people.” Veronica said. Bastion said nothing. “Not going to stick up for them, like last time?” Veronica said spitefully. “Besides, you almost got killed here. I don’t want your death on my conscience.” Veronica said.
“I saw some... things in the dungeons.” Bastion said.
“You saw a lot of nonsense in the ‘dungeons’.” Veronica said.
“There were some things down there that I’d have no reason to make up. I passed through it to get to the witch...” Bastion said. “She also said things that I doubt I’d make up, that are too complex for even me to understand... Anyway, how’s the situation in the camp?” Bastion asked.
“People are recovering. No talk of the emperor, and Stark is getting ready to send people into the caverns.” Veronica said. “Looks like you really did kill that woman.”
“I see...” Bastion said.
“What did you see?” Veronica asked.
“A coliseum... a type of arena.” Bastion said.
“Yes, that’s their sport here. If you have a vendetta, fight it out. They’re brutes, they can’t just forget about anything. They have to kill each other over it.” Veronica said. “Executions and everything are held there.”
“I saw a torture room...” Bastion said.
“Doesn’t surprise me.” Veronica grumbled “Dante truly does have Trigoma’s dirty blood.”
“Are you sure you want to continue with this?” Bastion asked Veronica.
“Of course.” Veronica said, “What’s next?” Out of nowhere, the tent flap opened and Stark stuck his head in.
“Come talk with me in a bit, you two.” Stark said “Something we need to talk about.” Bastion’s heart began to beat. Stark’s voice didn’t sound all that happy, and if they found out that Bastion had killed Crix... Bastion didn’t know if he did or not, but he had a suspicion.
The two gathered their things and went to the barracks where Stark was. Inside Stark was pacing back and forth, contemplating something. “Alright... so...” Stark began. “Veronica, you’ve done a lot for the village. You saved more lives than our doctors did, and you’ve become quite the talk. As you know, Tartarus has died down. The last to fall ill were the carriers, and most survived. We are in your debt.” Stark said. “And Bastion. You braved the caverns ‘alone’ and avenged the death of Enlin, and saved the village and the Emperor. We are also in your debt.” Stark finished. A moment of silence passed. “Erm... Thanks for your kind words?...” Bastion said, breaking the silence.
“Pfft. They’re not mine. They’re the emperors.” Stark said. “I don’t give a damn either way, as long as everything goes back to normal. Now, Veronica, you’re being asked go and heal the emperor, as you ‘foretold’. Bastion, you go with her. Don’t try anything, the guards there will mess you up bad.”
“Alright.” Bastion said, heading outside. “Look’s like you’ve done well.”
“Well, no, I just read books on Tartarus and the like. Healing the emperor should be easy.” Veronica said.
“If you get the chance for blood, take it. Then we’ll go.” Bastion whispered.
“I know, I get it.” Veronica said.
“You studied portal making too, right? That’s why they sent you to surrey to search for the portal?” Bastion asked. “How much blood do we actually need.”
“Practically nothing.” Veronica said “We’re only re-opening a portal. It hasn’t been sealed, for whatever reason, so it should be easy.”
“Yeah... Well, it doesn’t seem like your possession skills will be needed here, after all.” Bastion said.
“Perhaps... Just, don’t try to snatch anything. You done your part, let me handle this part.” Veronica said. The two headed towards the castle, where a crowd of people were gathered. They could already hear a barrage of questions from the crowd, all asking about the emperor’s well being. About half the village was there, which would make it hard to push through. It seems that these people were the patriots of the Blue Magi. “There!” A woman shouted, pushing through
the crowd. The crowds of people halted their questions and turned towards Bastion and Veronica, as a woman raced towards them. “You! You there, you’re the black maiden, aren’t you!?” The maid yelled, grabbing Veronica’s hand. “Black maiden?” Bastion asked.
“It’s what they call me... because of my clothes. I stand out.” Veronica said. Bastion stifled a chuckle. He had given her grief about choice of clothes before, as she said she had taken a bunch of Victorian clothes and put her own style to it, cutting and resizing it. “You ARE her!” The maid shrieked, “Please, you must hurry! You must heal the Emperor! Please, I beg of you!” The crowd behind the maid stood still, as silent as a crypt, waiting for a response. The maid stared into Veronica’s eyes, still holding her hands as she waited for a response. Then, she let out a sharp gasp, and looked startled momentarily, also startling Bastion slightly. He wondered why she did that, but the thought was cut short after the events that followed. Veronica smiled, and said “Aye. I shall.”. The crowd roared in appreciation, and parted way as the maid brought them toward the bridge. The spectacle had shocked Bastion. Either he had misinterpreted exactly how much Veronica had done for this village, or she was being modest earlier.
The two crossed the drawbridge, over the ash filled moat below them, charred remnants of Tartarus victims blowing over one another, each trying to make their way to float into the wind. The thick smell of smoke was unavoidable, making the two cough as they crossed the bridge. The guards guarding both sides of the bridge had gasmasks until the ash was cleared out. The castle was large, and could be seen from miles away, which is odd, since most settlements are meant to not have any landmarks. The castle itself was made from very hard, very stylish silver rock, and was the only pretty thing about Split. The pair entered through the castles main gates, and after a couple of corridors, they made it into the throne room. The second they entered, Bastion sensed the emperor’s aura right away. It was incredibly strong, almost disorienting to be exposed to an aura like this out of nowhere. The guards in here looked inferior to the leather-wearing guards in the village outside, as they looked to be wearing tight robes, with padding, but it was quite obvious that it was likely not the case. The room was very dark, and there were no windows whatsoever. There were a few candles in the room that illuminated the area around them, but that was about it for the light. Bastion wondered why this was, why it was so dark in here. The two stepped forward, and stopped as instructed. “Milord, I’ve brought the two you sent for.” The maid said. She sounded a lot less lively than she did earlier. “Good... I...” Dante coughed, blood dripped down his chin.
