Upon his departure, he wrote the Crimson Clan a two hundred thousand gold check, and informed them that he would be returning periodically to monitor their progress and pay them further. He spent the next few days in the city of Dagus before returning to Cymbeline, to avoid raising suspicion as to where he’d been during his vacation.
Three years passed before Javan received a letter informing him that one of the coveted fragments had been found. As soon as possible, he left for Gethin Woods, only to be given dreadful news when he arrived. The men reported that shortly after its discovery, the fragment went missing along with Crimson Clan member Tarren Haden. Needless to say, Javan was infuriated by the news and nearly cancelled his arrangement with the men. But he knew that he would be unable to seek the fragment without their assistance, and instead ordered half of the remaining men to search Aria for Tarren and retrieve the fragment. The remainder of the group were to continue exploring the In Between for the second piece of the disk.
Weeks later, Javan was holding a party in celebration of his birthday. While he was not particularly fond of social gatherings, it was considered quite rude amongst Aria’s upper class to not hold or participate in them at least periodically. He occupied the time by drinking wine and making small talk with his guests. The night seemed relatively uneventful until he was approached by a beautiful young woman. She introduced herself as Mindy Kaster, a distant cousin of a fellow nobleman Fredrick Dawson.
Javan was instantly entranced by her presence. Regardless, he made great effort to withdraw from the conversation. Compelled by the fear of yet another loss, his apprehension was reinforced as he recalled the voice’s words. Nevertheless, she was persistent, and his attempt was futile. Once the two had spoken for a while, Javan soon realized that her interests were strictly carnal. More inclined to this notion, it wasn’t long before the pair retreated from the crowd.
Succeeding an intoxicating incidence of heated passion, Javan fell into a euphoric slumber with the young woman at his side. His blissful oblivion was short‑lived, however. The moment his eyes snapped open he saw, to his dismay, the woman hovering over him with a sharp dagger, poised to strike.
With adrenaline‑fueled strength, Javan shoved her away from him and sprung out of bed, slinging an onslaught of conjurations at the woman. Though he managed to injure her, she was far too quick and escaped out the bedroom window. He hurriedly dressed himself and pursued her, but by the time he’d run downstairs and made it outside, she was nowhere to be seen. Returning to the party, Javan informed his guests that the events of the evening were going to be meeting an early end. He did not mention what had taken place, leaving the attendees baffled as they exited the mansion.
Javan suspected that the attempted assassination could not have possibly been a random act. The following day, he learned that ‘Mindy Kaster’ did not exist at all. With this information, he deduced that the woman was, in fact, an assassin who had likely been hired to execute him. With his suspicions confirmed, he knew of only one man who would have any reason to call for his murder: Tarren Haden.
For the following months, Javan remained on constant guard, spending little time outside of his mansion and the castle. Then, nine months following his encounter with the woman, he got an unexpected surprise on his doorstep: a baby girl. When one of his servants informed him of the child’s discovery, Javan had no doubt it was his own. Deciding it was best to keep this detail to himself, he acted in the same bewildered manner as his servants. When one of them suggested taking the baby to a local foster home, Javan informed them that it was not necessary and that he would adopt the child himself. He named her ‘Zoe.’
It was ten long years before the Crimson Clan had at last found the fragment which remained in the In Between. Javan was astounded to finally hold the long sought treasure in his hands, and ordered the men to focus all attention on finding Tarren and the fragment he still held.
After several more years and a great deal of investigation, the Crimson Clan uncovered that Tarren was hiding in the wilderness just outside of the town of Anatolii and was the leader of a mysterious guild known as the Spades. Learning this, Javan ordered the men to raid the hideout in the cover of night. While the Crimson Clan were successful in killing several Spades, Tarren and the remainder of the guild fled with the fragment. In the months following their escape, the Crimson Clan continued to laboriously search Aria, but were ultimately unable to uncover the guilds’ whereabouts. Despite his great wealth, the hunt had begun to take a notable financial toll on Javan. It was in this moment of desperation that he hatched his scheme. Much to the surprise of the Crimson Clan, Javan commanded them to redirect their focus to their original work.
Assisting his men whenever possible, Javan proved to be exceptionally gifted with advanced necromancy, and eventually discovered a method to control the monsters he’d spawned. He discovered this was possible by embedding a sort of pecking order within the creation’s structure. Though it still acted wildly and impulsively, it was ‘embedded’ to fear Javan and the Crimson Clan, and thus would not attack them.
Though it took years of work and a long, grueling process of trial and error, the Crimson Clan and Javan at last succeeded in creating their ‘perfect soldier.’ It was human in appearance, capable of perfect speech, and followed their every command precisely. After dressing their creation in a dark‑green cloak, they began calling the creature a ‘Knowm.’
Not only was it given the ability to use advanced necromancy to create more like itself in the In Between, the Knowm was also capable of spawning and controlling monsters. Once they had built their army of Knowms and monsters in the In Between, the men created several well hidden gateways at various points of Aria.
They put the plan into action, sending wave after wave of monsters through the portals. Almost immediately, Aria fell into a state of chaos. The king’s knights fought rigorously against the invaders, but found themselves greatly outnumbered as they continued to emerge from seemingly out of nowhere. When a mysterious group called the Knowms stood before King Ashraf, promising safety for the land in exchange for funding, Javan was certain to be at the king’s side to persuade him in ‘the right direction.’
Not only did Javan and the Crimson Clan now have unlimited funding, but even more: they also possessed eyes and ears in every town across Aria. “Mark my words,” Javan told his men shortly after their plan’s outstanding execution. “I will complete Damiano’s Disk, and Tarren Haden will die by my hands.”
Chapter 51: Payback In Spades
Tarren looked around him, at the failure of his organization, and reflected on his life and his choices.
There are times I wish I’d never become involved with the Crimson Clan of Gethin Woods. Initially, it was nothing more than sheer curiosity that attracted me to the group. I had always wondered what a mage could be fully capable of without restrictions. Alas, I was but a lost boy then. But even in those days, deep down inside of my heart, I knew the practices we partook in were forbidden with good reason. It’s not man’s place to play God. The perfect soldier project... I honestly doubted the Crimson Clan would ever succeed... and as time went on, I began to hope they wouldn’t.
The thought of leaving the group had been swimming through my mind for days when we received a message from a spirit, foretelling the coming of a man who would lead us into an age of prosperity. The lone condition was that we complied with his request for assistance. We were wary of this information. Contacting spirits in the Netherworld is a risky endeavor to say the least. There was never a sure way to know the intention of the entity we were communicating with. Knowing this, we took its words with a grain of salt.
Then came the day Lord Javan Quinn arrived, seeking our help in exchange for vast wealth and positions of nobility in a new Aria under his rule, just as prophesized. To achieve this, he wished to locate the legendary Damiano’s Disk and harness the supposed limitless power it unlocked. He claimed that it had been broken into t
wo fragments, and was hidden in the In Between. The others seemed convinced that what they had been told was unquestionable truth. Personally, I remained suspicious, though I kept my doubts to myself.
It was something about Lord Quinn’s presence. It was so dark... almost incomprehensible within the barriers of language. However, the Crimson Clan didn’t seem bothered at all by this and sincerely swore him their loyalty. I, on the other hand, remained on guard. I no longer wished to be part of the group, and was looking to start a newer, better life elsewhere. But part of me just had to know if Damiano’s Disk was real. I couldn’t run away with the knowledge that I could have prevented a potential catastrophe.
All those years later I held the fragment in my hands. It was no myth. No, the disk was all too real. I couldn’t allow it to fall into Lord Quinn’s hands. So I pocketed it and fled the group. I knew the second fragment would be useless without it. I decided it was best to destroy the disk piece while I had the chance.
Little did I know, it wasn’t going to be so easy. The fragment remained intact no matter what amount of force I applied to it. I didn’t leave so much as a scratch on its surface. Even magma could not damage it... I watched in disbelief as it simply floated in the pool of raw thermal heat, unscathed. I couldn’t believe my eyes. The fragment was completely indestructible. The only way to ensure that the Crimson Clan or Lord Quinn would never find it was to guard it myself.
Fortunately, I was able to find an Ice mage to assist me in retrieving the fragment from the magma. I told him of Lord Quinn, and all that I had witnessed over the years. Through him, I learned of The Order of the Sacred Blade. I paid that guild nearly all the gold I had to place a hit on Javan Quinn. But it seemed that he was just as indestructible as the fragment I held. The assassin never returned from the mission... and was likely killed.
From that point on, my newfound ally gave me shelter in his home just outside of Anatolii. As for the fragment, we removed a few floorboards and buried it in a small box several feet below the house. I soon came to the realization that even if Lord Quinn were no longer in the picture, anyone could use the disk to do just as he wished. My companion and I agreed: no living man deserves such power. And so began the Spades.
Though our organization grew tremendously over time, Javan was relentless. The night the house was raided, I managed to escape with the fragment, though many of my associates weren’t as fortunate. Alas, that terrifying event proved to be only the first of several to come.
The most recent raid was perhaps the most devastating to date. So many casualties... And the death toll only increased with Morice and, likely, Roshan. I had honestly believed that the fragment was safe at last in this new base...
Exiting the confines of his inner thoughts, Tarren opened his eyes and looked down at the large table in the base’s meeting room. Many Spades were seated, anticipating the purpose of the emergency meeting they’d been called to. When at last the final Spades entered and took their seats, Tarren spoke.
“It pains me greatly to deliver this news,” he began, pausing for a moment. “The disk fragment has been stolen.” Tarren watched as a look of panic appeared on the faces of each of the meeting’s attendees.
“But how?!” a Spade exclaimed.
“Was Gavin unable to stop them?!”
“What are we going to do?!”
“Settle down!” Tarren ordered, causing a hush to fall over the room. “Allow me to explain. I awoke to the sound of the main gate opening. I jumped out of bed to see who had left the base without permission, but they had disappeared by the time I’d made it there. I didn’t think much of the incident until I returned to my room to discover that my keys had been swiped while I was asleep. I quickly ran to check on the fragment, and found Gavin unconscious beside the open chest. Unable to awaken him, I noticed a sandwich resting nearby. I’ve since deduced that it was tainted with Somnus Potion and likely given to him by the thief. More upsetting than that, I’ve also determined the culprit to be a trusted member of our own. Though we will be unable to truly confirm my suspicion until Gavin has awoken, Zoe Quinn appears to be the only Spade missing.”
“She wouldn’t!” a Spade interrupted.
“Don’t be so sure,” another replied. “She’d been acting strangely since she returned from that last mission. Do you think it’s possible, Tarren, that she was sent back to the base by Lord Quinn to steal our fragment?”
“I see no other explanation,” Tarren responded. “I’m theorizing that far more happened while Zoe was gone than she told us. I’d hate to think that she willingly betrayed us; still, we must take defensive action immediately. Charles, Amy, Xander, and Gregory: you are to remain at the base and monitor Gavin. The moment he awakens, I want a full report on exactly what took place. Meanwhile, I will accompany the remainder of our members to Nazareno Island. Once there, we will await Lord Quinn’s arrival. Unfortunately, we have nothing to go on at this moment but speculation. Regardless, we cannot allow him to reach the temple at any cost.
“Based on what we know at this time, we must prepare ourselves for war. All members assigned to Nazareno Island are to promptly ready themselves at the dismissal of this meeting. There is no way of knowing exactly what’s in store for us, so I implore that you brace yourselves for the worst. To those staying behind, once you’ve learned all that you can from Gavin, I need one of you to head for Nazareno Island and update me immediately. I will determine our next course of action based on what we learn. Until then, we are to assume that Javan Quinn now possesses both halves of Damiano’s Disk. This leaves us only two options: take it from him, or die trying.”
Chapter 52: Zoe’s Great Escape
Zoe slowly lifted her head off of the pillow. As her eyes darted about her room, she tried to remember exactly what had happened. Recalling her moment of blinding rage, she noticed that the bookshelf was now back in place, though a few of her books appeared to have suffered damage. All at once, she came to a startling realization. It’s morning! She jumped out of bed and ran toward her door. Please, please don’t tell me Javan has the fragment!
As she swung the door open, the two guards positioned just outside of her room turned to her. Zoe’s facial expression quickly changed from fearful to a blank stare. “Oh, that’s right.” She slammed the door shut before either guard could say a word.
Zoe turned around. I have to get out of here. There’s no guarantee I’ll make it far without magic, but now I don’t have a choice; I’m the only person left who can stop Javan from completing the disk. But how the hell am I going to get past those stupid guards? Her eyes were drawn to the window. Duh, the window! She bolted toward it, quickly unlocking and sliding the glass open. If I’m careful not to be seen, I can climb down and get a look at what’s going on in the meeting room from outside. But once I’m out, I definitely don’t want to end up back in here. It’ll probably be a good idea to take something I can sell for gold, at least. She looked down at her bare feet. Shoes would help too.
Zoe walked to her closet and looked inside. Disgusted by the sea of pink dresses, she hurriedly diverted her attention to her shoes. She carefully looked through the selection before her. Where’re my boots?! Great, he’s ‘updated’ my shoes too. They’re all heels! I might as well go barefoot! Browsing her collection further, she came across a few pairs of bath slippers. Well, it’s better than the other ones. She grabbed the only pair that weren’t pink and shut the closet.
After putting on some stockings and slipping her feet into the fuzzy, light‑blue slippers, Zoe approached her dresser and collected the jewelry box resting on top of it. Next, she took a pillow from her bed and pulled its case off, creating a handy tote sack in which she concealed the box of expensive trinkets. Tying it shut with a large knot, she threw it out the window and onto the grass below.
Carefully, Zoe stepped out of her window onto the slanted roof, cautiously making her way to its edge. Briefly examining the area below, it appeared that no one w
as in close proximity to witness her escape. Here it goes. She slowly crouched down and lowered herself by grabbing the ledge, dangling her feet as close to the ground as possible before letting go and landing on the soft grass.
Picking up the pillowcase, Zoe quietly walked around the exterior perimeter of the mansion, occasionally crawling to avoid being seen as she passed by each window. Eventually, she reached the outside wall of the meeting room. Gently placing the pillowcase back on the ground, she gradually inched her head toward the window and peeked inside.
With his back to Zoe’s vantage point, Lord Quinn was seated at his usual spot at the end of the table with Veronica in the next chair to his left. It looked as though she were still heavily concentrating. Zoe moved her head away from the window. I don’t see Laverick anywhere. It’s not too late after all! If it weren’t for this stupid jinx, I’d bust through this window right now and put an end to this. But that’s not the only thing in my way. Even if I had my scythe, Javan would just use effect magic to stop me before I could land a single hit on him.
She grabbed the pillowcase and took off down the hill on which Quinn Manor rested. My only chance at keeping the fragment out of Javan’s hands is to stop Laverick. He’s probably having trouble getting into the chest, which should give me enough time to sell this junk for gold and buy a weapon. Then, I’ve got to make it to HQ as fast as possible. From what I learned earlier, the portal in Roshan’s Café is heavily guarded. It’ll probably be less risky to use the one south of Cymbeline.
Tales of Aria: The Legend of Damiano's Disk Page 26
