The Court of Souls? - Volume 1

by Andur

  Manticore follows me. “What happened to you and Legna to become such a monstrosity? And where is she?”

  I clench my teeth and debate with myself on how to answer this. This isn't a happy reunion with childhood friends. Aswang and Manticore seem to have taken a brighter path than me. They still have hope and obviously care for this clan and its people. That's something I can't do. For all this time I've steeled my resolve to do what has to be done to crush Inanimatum.

  “I killed Legna because she was weak when she should have been strong. Just like I killed that overseer and that boy.” I concentrate to show them my gathered soul orbs and green lights start orbiting me. “They died because they were too weak to make a choice!”

  Suddenly Tisha walks forward and takes my hand. “Please, don't let yourself get eaten up by your inner demons! Weren't you with Ishaan during these last years? I had hoped-”

  I pull my hand out of hers. “Ishaan isn't the person you once knew. And I would suggest that you don't get within his sight. He harbours less than friendly feelings for you.”

  Tisha drops to her knees with a pained expression on her face. “It wasn't like that. I never meant to-”

  I interrupt her. “I don't know what you meant. But you have to understand that my path doesn't let me stop until I have satisfied my thirst for revenge. Understood? I won't stop.”

  “Then you should better prepare yourself to lead us.” Aswang mumbles.

  I turn my attention to him. “What!?”

  Manticore gestures at the door. “The soldiers. They listen to you. You are their commander now. It won't be that easy to get that out of their heads now.”

  I rub my temple. “Foolish idiots altogether. One doesn't need a commander if he can think for himself. Attacking Parle is our only viable choice to solve the food problem.”

  And I want Enwick!

  Finally Tisha gathers herself and gets back to her feet. “I'll try to organize them. Since I had a good look at the city's government I am the best choice to organize what's remaining of it.” She stalks out of the room with a stiff expression on her face.

  Two hours pass while Aswang, Manticore and I wait for her return. We don't speak during that time. What's there to say? Probably a lot. But the manner of our reunion hangs like a big canyon between us. And I honestly don't know why I snapped like that. Maybe I had hoped that they would treat me as the big hero when they see me.

  Tisha returns after a while. The stiff expression is gone and replaced by something like determination. “We have six thousand people who can fight. Sixteen higher immortals were freed during the rebellion. That means, with us, we have twenty higher immortals on our side. Parle and Inanimatum have about fifty to seventy higher immortals. We don't know for sure because we don't know how many fell this night.”

  I place the fingers of my hands in a position of mediation and lean forward. “Tonight I saw three of them die. And as for the others... I strongly suspect that these also hold some value in Parle.” I raise my hands to show them both rings.

  “Why should they? Parle and Inanimatum aren't under the same leadership.” Tisha asks astounded.

  I furrow my forehead. “Because I know from Ishaan that Parle doesn't have someone who can forge slave collars. They buy all their collars from Inanimatum. And now tell me why Inanimatum should sell them a collar which they can't control with their master switch?”

  None of them has a suitable answer, so I get up and return to the courtyard. When I touched the portal I got a very good idea of where it leads to. I will simply use its energy signature to open portals all around it. Opening a portal directly on spot strikes me as dangerous if there are too many defenders in place.

  On the way out I rip off an arm from the immortal who fell at the entrance. Then I use the bloody arm to draw the rune systems for several portals. The stone pavement in the courtyard is a good surface for the task.

  When I am done I am approached by Tisha and a young girl who looks no older than fifteen. Her hair has the colour of straw and the eyes shimmer golden, even though it's dark. They remind me a little of my own eyes. But where my eyes are ominous, hers are beautiful to behold.

  “If we could suggest a little change to your plan. This is Shastra, one of our immortals. She is an Apsara.” Tisha explains as if that's already everything I need to know.

  I raise an inquisitive eyebrow and look down at Shastra who tries her best to hide behind Tisha. When I say nothing the girl decides to add an explanation. “Apsara are cloud spirits who have a strong affinity to air. I don't have many offensive capabilities, but if you give me those rings I can carry my voice to every corner of Parle.” She tries to smile, but it's clear that she finds me suspicious.

  I squint my eyes at her pull the rings from my hands. “Then I hope for your sake that your tongue doesn't slip while you give them the command to rise up against their masters.” Then I drop the rings into her hands. “Don't forget that I will be close to you.”

  She gulps. I don't know what she heard of me, but apparently it is nothing good.

  Finally we are ready and I throw a last, doubtful look at the sky. Maybe I have a two hours of darkness remaining. It has to be enough.

  Then we open the portals and jump through. The fact that I drew them beforehand allows our allies to open them simply by infusing their mana. I don't have to fuel all of them myself.

  I and Shastra step through first, followed by Tisha, Aswang and Manticore. The other higher immortals follow through other portals. It's too dark to see much without my special senses, but the lights under us reveal a normal city in a rocky landscape. The portal opened about a hundred metres above the city. Not exactly where I intended it to be, but close enough. It's not likely that one of our fighters gets killed by the height.

  I activate a levitation spell with an area effect to hold all of us in the air.

  Shastra doesn't lose any time and starts chanting. Then her loud, yet melodious voice booms all around us. “I am your master and I order you: 'Kill your masters and free your fellow slaves. Fight!'”

  All of us stare in anticipation at the city under our feet. I actually hold my breath and sigh in relief when the screams start. We watch while our soldiers drop out of the portal and down towards the city to join the fight.

  “This one will be harder. Parle doesn't rely that heavily on slave soldiers. So the people down there won't have hardened warriors in their ranks.” Aswang mumbles.

  “That's the price one has to pay.” I answer and wait. All of us decided beforehand that we would hold our higher immortals back until it becomes clear where they are needed. So we watch the fight and wait.

  But the request never comes.

  It's dawn when the battle finally ends and I walk through the streets of the ravaged city. Tisha is giving me a summary of the battle as it was reported to her.

  Apparently Enwick and his allies fled from Parle the same way the did from Inanimatum. Their reason was that Parle had been already weakened by a previous battle with another clan. So they simply ditched the sinking ship a second time. But this time we don't know where they went.

  “...and so we are left with about four thousand people to care for. We also have eighteen higher immortals, us already included. We are currently transporting all of Parle's resources to Inanimatum. It's not much, but it should be enough to give us time to plant crops in Inanimatum. With luck we can start a new clan if the others leave us alone.” Tisha ends her explanation.

  I snort. “What about all the others? Shouldn't there be much more survivors?”

  She nods. “The other higher immortals already left. They also took some of the lower classes with them. You have to remember that many of them were abducted. They said that they want to try to reunite with their kin. And there are also others who can't manage the journey on their own. And some who haven't stated their intentions. It's still one, big chaos at the moment. We also lack the means to get word around on what is going on. Some don't even believe t
hat they are free to go.”

  “I see,” I mumble while entering a wide plaza with a lot of cages. Something tells me that these cages weren't for animals. It is even more demoralizing than the corpses and the blood in the streets.

  In another world the weaker individuals would run away and try their luck in the next city. Here, everyone knows that this place is their only chance. So they stay and fight where they stand. Even if it means dying. Because running out into the wilderness may be a worse fate.

  A scream draws my attention. I follow it and find a group of our soldiers surrounding a young woman. She is covered in blood and wounded, but that doesn't stop one of the men from trying to force her legs apart. Two others are holding her at her arms.

  I let my eyes wander to Tisha, but she is looking away and clenching her jaws. “That's the way this world works. It doesn't matter if there is slavery or not not.”

  I rub the bridge of my nose. “They want me to lead them. Well, that's their problem then.”

  Walking fast, I reach them in a few seconds and tap one of the bystanders on the shoulder. “Give me your sword.”

  His eyes widen upon recognizing me and he hands his weapon over. “Yes, Sir!”

  I take it and swing it as a test, then I casually approach the three rapists and bring the sword down on the one who tries to force himself between the girl's legs. Blood sprays and his head falls onto her belly and rolls off. The eyes of the two who are holding her widen shock, but I am not done.

  The tip of my sword returns from the swing and I ram it hilt deep into the chest of the man to her right.

  The man to her left lets go and tries to get up, but I grab his throat while retrieving the sword.

  The soldier isn't even a mid, so all his struggles are in vain as I lift him above the ground and watch his face change colours. When I feel his soul entering my body I drop the empty corpse and turn around to face the men who were watching.

  “They aren't dead.” I gesture at my chest. “I took their souls and it is up to me when they have redeemed themselves.”

  I grab the sword between two fingers at the pommel and hold it out to its owner. He takes it back, very carefully and in a way which doesn't look aggressive at all.

  I look at him. “There are concepts like decency and moral values. Do you know about them?”

  He nods.

  “Good. Then let everyone know that if they don't uphold these values I... Will. Add. Them. To. My. Collection.”

  I place my hands behind my back and wait until he steps out of my way. Then I return to Tisha's side. “Where were we?”

  She continues to inform me about the current state of things until we arrive at Parle's government building which is essentially just a huge, ugly block of stone. It is our improvised headquarters.

  There I finally get some sleep, but only a few hours. Soon after going to bed I wake up again. When I searched my provisional quarters I found a real bath. An opportunity for a hot bath! It has been so long since I had a bath. No, actually I never had a real bath in my whole life. By the time I discover the toilet paper I have tears in my eyes.

  When I return from the bathtub I face yet another disturbing situation. My clothes are gone! I storm out of the bath and almost run over Tisha. “Where are my clothes!?”

  Her eyes wander from my head down to my body and then to my feet. “You mean those furs?”

  “Yes, my furs!” I call out.

  “I incinerated them! You looked like some kind of savage in them. Not worthy of a clan leader,” she answers quickly.

  “You did what!?” I almost choke on my own words. Those were from the biggest tundra wolf I ever caught! A single, grey wolf, big enough for an entire set of clothes.

  She holds out a black tunic with trousers, boots and a coat. “Sorry? I didn't think that they had any value? Would you wear these instead? You should wear at least something, though the women who get a good look surely wouldn't mind a body like yours.”

  She bites her lower lip. “Too bad that I am your mother.”

  Her expression tells me that she really doesn't know what she did. But the way she looks at me now causes me to grab the tunic and get dressed as fast as possible. Ishaan said something about Empusas being sex demons who drink the victim's blood and eat them afterwards! I don't want that creepy look of hers on me.

  When I am done she grabs my hand and pulls me out of my living quarters. “Good! Now to the important part!”

  “You are making me angry by treating me like a child,” I growl.

  She lets go as if having touched red-hot iron, but apparently we are already at our destination. She opens a door to a roomy salon with a chair in the middle. “Please take a seat.”

  The chair is unnecessarily big and comfortable. It also looks strange. Like the ones you chain people to and torture them.

  I squint my eyes at her and make no attempt at following her suggestions. Without knowing what's going on I won't move an inch.

  She rolls her eyes. “Please, it's a present. A peace offering? You saved me? I am not as stingy as Aswang and Manti. Though I think instigating a rebellion overnight and killing thousands to achieve your goals was a bit over the top?”

  I slowly move to the chair and sit down, ready to jump at any moment.

  Then Tisha takes a small gong from a close table and beats it once. Six beautiful women enter the room, each carrying a tray with various utensils in her hands. And... err... they are... lightly dressed.

  “What-” I try to get up, but the red haired one drops herself onto my lap, not giving me a chance.

  “Please, Sir. We know what we are doing.” She smiles and circles her finger on my chest while trying to get her butt into a more comfortable position.

  My first impulse is to push her off, but the two blonde ones grab my hands as if they belong to them. Then they start giving me a manicure, starting with the nail clippers from their trays.

  A third, brown haired, one does something with the chair and tilts me backwards to an almost lying position. The redhead lies down on top of me and reaches for something next to my head. Then a pair of scissors enters my field of vision and she starts snipping away at my beard! “My, my. So much facial hair. The skin beneath it must be damaged beyond recognition.”

  “Who-”

  “Ah! Don't speak. I might snip off something important!” She smiles mischievously.

  At the same moment I feel my boots being removed and can only guess that number four and five are working on my feet.

  The boobs of number six enter my field of vision as she starts working on my hair. I try hard to avoid an accident. Both between my legs and with my heart.

  “He got so stiff. Are you sure that he is alright with this? He won't pass out on us or something?” The redhead applies some foamy stuff to my face and starts shaving me.

  Tisha enters my field of view with a smug expression on her face. “They are Enwick's ex-harem and wanted to express their gratefulness for saving them. So when they heard that you don't look like a decent human being, we came up with this.”

  She pulls at her lower lip. “Oh, could it be that you are bad around women? Fifteen years in that tundra. I imagine it must be hard on a man. How did you manage to get through puberty with just stones and ice around you?”

  The redhead pushes her chest against mine. She is too close! “Oh, he keeps it well under control. Until now. I am almost a little disappointed. Seeing us must have been a shock to him.”

  Another girl enters my field of vision. It's the woman who I saved on the plaza earlier this morning. She offers a glass of wine to Tisha.

  Mother smiles and takes it. “Thanks. Oh, that's Anna, by the way. The men brought her in because they thought she is your type.”

  “Are they deaf? Were my words hard to understand?” I press the words out from between my teeth, fearing the redhead's sharp shaving knife in front of my nose.

  “Not really. But those guys are just grunts. They don't know much e
lse besides slavery. It will take a lot of time if you want to correct their ways. At least Anna will be safe while she is here as our servant.” Tisha takes a sip and smiles. “You really aren't good with women.”

  She knows! And enjoys it! Is it the revenge for what I said to her?

  “It's really annoying me that he doesn't react to my service.” The redhead shifts and starts circling her hips on top of me. After a few seconds her expression turns smug. “There we go.”

  I knew it when I first saw the chair! Torture!

  22. ~On the battlefield.~

  “The soul in many religions, philosophical and mythological traditions, is the incorporeal and immortal essence of a living being. According to Abrahamic religions, only human beings have immortal souls. For example, the Catholic theologian Thomas Aquinas attributed "soul" (anima) to all organisms but argued that only human souls are immortal. Other religions (most notably Hinduism and Jainism) teach that all biological organisms have souls, while some teach that even non-biological entities (such as rivers and mountains) possess souls. This latter belief is called animism.”

  The Journey to the Afterlife

  Dedessia, the Sea of Souls, Clan: Parle

  Elona

  “Are you sure that we aren't taking yet another detour? It has been five days since we started gathering support.” I can't believe that we came all the way out here to talk to a single man. And all he said was 'No'.

  “We could waste another day while searching for rocks,” I suggest, surveying the tundra all around us.

  Doreen sighs. “Ishaan has exceptional power. I didn't have much hope that he would help, even after seeing all the people we gathered. When push comes to shove, he might well make the difference between victory and defeat.”

  I bite my lower lip and wait for Moonray's people to open the portal. Grandma's efforts ensured us the support of sixty-three higher immortals and about a thousand mids and lows. It took us so long to gather necessary people because we had to visit over twenty small clans to gather enough fighters.