“The vorpal, are you sure about that? You can pick a human again, no one would notice,” Thorim said to Grendil, picking up the papers and images that slid out of the folder.
Grendil got up and walked to a wall opening a safe that was behind an art piece of his parents. “The humans must not know about what is happening. If too many of their own go missing, the Draken would wonder what was going on, and they would continue to look in the undercity. They were already looking at the death of…the boy,” Grendil said taking a box from the safe and looking at the symbols that were carved into it. “No, as much as I do not want it to be this way, it is what we have to do to keep a low profile. Wait a few days before alerting the family.”
“That is true. Very well we will do it your way. I will let the others know about the choice and we will get to work on it. Keep holding on to the future, it’s a burden we hold onto, but you more so. You are the leader of our city, be strong my count,” Thorim said walking out of the throne room and flying out of the window.
Veronica stood there for a moment and decided to turn back and head to her room. Her body was trembling thinking of the thoughts of offering someone up, surely her father had a reason. What she was thinking, maybe it was different. Before she could take a step the count appeared in front of her. He towered over her, his hair covering most of his face and resting over his white shirt that was covered by a red and black coat. “How much did you hear?” Grendil said grabbing hold of her neck. “You shouldn’t have been listening to my meeting Veronica, how much did you hear?” His mouth was firm, fangs rising from his mouth.
“Nothing, I just got out of my room and heard you two talking about Jake's father,” Veronica said. Grasping at his hand and trying to force it open she could see his eyes bloodshot like daggers pointing at her, and his teeth grinding against each other. “I promise it was just Jake that is all.”
“So your mother told you what happened to him? He was good, he was meant for more,” Grendil said letting go of her. His eyes trailed to the distance, frozen, like a memory keeping him in place.
“It was horrible. What’s going to happen with Jake gone? who would do such a thing?” Veronica said lowering her head, thinking of his smiling face. She didn’t care how cocky Jake seemed. He was still her friend, her sparring partner. She wanted to know who murdered him, and for what reason.
The castle was quiet besides the sound of the rain tapping on the windows. They stood in front of her bedroom door both starring at the window and the blood moon that was peaking in. Grendil held the box in front of Veronica opening it revealing a vial that held dark liquid inside of it. “The aether is dwindling my dearest child. We have maybe fifty or a hundred years left before it vanishes, forever. There has to be something more, anything to replace it to prolong our life in this new world,” he said.
She could see the vial and its darkness pulling her in, attracting itself to her. She shut the box and waved it away from her sight. “The people need it to survive father. Do they know? Do you plan to tell them? This liquid that you have I don’t know what it is father, but it doesn’t feel right” she said. She walked to the window that was near them and pressed one of her fingers against it, following the droplets as they danced towards the bottom. “Vampires were on the apex, now we are struggling. It’s a losing battle.”
“When the time comes, they will know. There is no need to worry about that at this moment, but there are plans in the works to help prosper the lives of the vorpals my dear daughter,” Grendil said taking one of his fingernails and massaging it against her cheek. “This liquid is still a child just like you, but if we let it grow, let it simmer, it can grow into something far greater than anything we have seen.”
If we could help our people now and prepare for the future why wouldn’t we do it? She thought.
“Anyways, we had some idea of who could have killed Jake,” Grendil said.
“Who do you think did it?”
“Why it was one of the humans.”
“Why would the humans kill Jake, wasn't one of them murdered at the scene?”
“But a lady got away you see. She was probably part of a group. There was a human that was in the undercity with Jenni,” Grendil said walking away from Veronica.
“Jenni…what the hell is she still doing here? I thought she said she was leaving?” she said punching the nearest wall to her. She said after what happened with me that she didn’t feel like being near the eternals. Maybe she never left and just told me that so I would stay away. Jenni was someone that she trusted a long time ago before she became a vorpal. Jenni tried to get her to not go with the other girls to the parties in the undercity. She was one of the few that was turned at one of the nightly raves where she was with a few other eternals. It gave her the excitement she felt her life needed. One thing led to another and she went to a room with someone who offered her immortality, she wanted it, to stay young and to live forever. She didn’t know how painful the transformation would be. Jenni was sure pissed as hell at me. She called me a monster. That I was taking the easy way.How it was unnatural to live forever, that it wasn’t living. But she didn’t know that ever since I was a kid, never did I ever felt alive. She thought.
“Jenni was with some man who no one has seen before. He wore a long coat and looked like he was some investigator. They had a confrontation with one of the gargoyles and they were looking for something. I need to send the scouts once they come back from the darklands,” Grendil said rubbing his hands together.
Veronica looked at her pale white hand dressed in her blood. “Humans are a scourge on this planet and the two of them had to be involved with Jake's murder, or at least know who was the one behind it. I use to trust Jenni, but she has shown to act on impulse. She has shown me that all humans are liars and will leave you when you truly needed help. Greedy mortals. There must be justice,” she said pressing her palm against the window, her blood snaking down and crashing like spikes onto the passing raindrops.
17
Nick and Janet entered the alley that held the dead aerion. It looked and felt darker before. He saw death a lot growing up. It was shown on the news, movies, video games, or even a random image online, but you never got used to it especially when it came to someone close to you. Having to say goodbye was never easy. He told Jenni to go back to Mary’s to see if she could find anything when it came to who could travel from hell and back without Lucidian noticing. He got out his phone and saw it was close to midnight. “God Breakers will be patrolling the streets soon enough, we better hurry up,” he said going to the back of the alley and shining a light on the wall.
“You don’t like the God Breakers do you?” Janet said. She smiled at Nick and walked around the alley examining different areas.
“Dislike is an easy word for how I feel towards them. They are just a bunch of meat for brains. The type of people that have power and will do anything to hold onto it. They harass regular people who don’t follow their holy sayings and try to hide behind the shield of the cross that they have plastered all over them,” he said grabbing his phone and taking photos of the symbol. “Gotcha.”
“That’s true, but sometimes they help when it comes to assaults the Draken can’t handle on our own. Like the ghoul attack from years ago. Man, you never think a ghoul could run fast until they attach more legs to their torsos and rush you like a spider,” Janet said letting out a small chuckle. “Those were interesting times that’s for sure. Our world was still getting used to the awakening, new laws, new ways to treat incidents, and just trying to keep the peace even if there were bad actors. I always tried to go by what my family taught me, help those around you like your neighbor, and protect them like your sister Janet.”
“Anyone can pretend to be nice, to care about others. You don’t know anyone truly, you think you do but one day they can just vanish,” He said touching the wall, feeling the cold hard stone rake against his fingertips. “Sometimes the people you hold the closest to you, let you
fall the furthest.”
Nick examined the symbol closely and rubbed black mud from the symbol with his hands. The smell made trash stink pleasant. The symbol revealed itself to have more tentacles surrounding it like some cage. What he thought he saw in his phone was different than what he was seeing now. Just an eye in the middle, and a star surrounding it like from a pentagram. Something was calling him, in the back of his mind like a howling wind. A whisper that seduced his thoughts.
He got his phone one last time to take another photo. He could hear the symbol whisper in his head. Emptiness is what is in the future. He turned around thinking something or someone was behind him, but all he could see was Janet talking on her cell phone. He couldn’t be going crazy, no that wasn’t it something must have followed them, but could it be the symbol calling for him?
“No this is just a symbol, nothing more, stop it,” he said putting his phone away. Trying to convince himself what he was thinking was nothing but foolish talking.
“Something up Nick? You got what you needed?” Janet said walking towards him.
“I got some photos of it. I think we should ask Cameron about it first. He could probably tell us where this symbol comes from,” he said.
“Sounds like a good plan, but send me a few images of it I want to show the other officers so they know what we’re looking for.”
Nick stood in front of Janet with his hands in his pockets biting his tongue from asking about his father, his mother. He wanted to know more, he knew how close the three of them were. Better talk about it another time, we have more important matters. He thought.
“Look…I’m gonna regret telling you this probably, but there was a murder in the undercity. That was Bran I was talking to on the phone. He said there were two people killed in some room, one of those sex clubs that people and others beings go to. One was a human female, and another was vorpal, both got their heads bashed in. I know you will go back to the undercity but, just be careful,” Janet said rubbing the back of her head, her eyes averted.
“Someone is looking for a death wish by killing a human and an eternal. Whoever did it had a hatred for both. I’ll be careful though tia, don’t worry about me,” he said taking his gloves out of his coat pockets and putting them on. “I have some magic that I can use. It may not be mine but it does the trick when I’m in a tight spot.”
Janet looked at Nick with disapproval. She sighed and slapped him across the head. “The only one that seems to have a death wish is you. You use magic that isn't even yours, and it’s weak magic. The only thing you can do is go for short sprints with it, you’re not prepared for a marathon. Just don’t try to get into any fights, keep a watchful eye.”
Nick starred at his gloves, metal coating different sides, he knew she was right. He was using the magic that wasn’t his own and it was just barely enough. He didn’t like having to buy more, it was expensive, rare, and one of the reasons he stopped smoking. “It gets me by for now. I can’t go around without protection, and I sure as hell not using my magic, hell no.” He said. His magic was always on his mind and something he deeply feared. At times he would think that today is the day that he slips up and uses it, but he knew better not to give in, no matter what. Magic has a price, and at least with this magic I don’t have to pay it, the one it came from already did, and all it takes from me is some of my energy. He thought.
“You just be okay, you take care of yourself. I worry about you, you don’t eat a lot, and you are out messing with supernatural beings. Just be safe tonight. I have to go and meet officer Bran about these murders. Promise me you’ll stay out of danger and get back to the topside as soon as you can if you go to the undercity,” Janet said grabbing nick and pulling him in for a hug.
“Yea, sure I’ll stay out of trouble, you be safe too,” he said
Nick waved goodbye to Janet and walked away from the alley of the dead aerion, constantly thinking about their death, and still wondering what their final thoughts were. He had other questions on his mind, but at the moment he was more focused on Cameron and trying to find information on the symbol. Because if there is anyone that knew about the darkness it would be those who lived in the light, who fought it daily.
18
Minutes later, Nick was walking through a park, whistling to himself, feeling the cool breeze against his skin. This life of his was so different from when he grew up. It felt like it was yesterday when the great awakening happened. When the fallen Decayer planted themselves in the earth, wounding the planet, and poisoning it with magic.Magic that was given to some but not others.
His mind forgot some events and kept others closer. Moments of his parents off to help aid in a big battle. His father's memories were more concrete than that of his mother's. People saw the new world as a new dawn. People profit from it, others died because of it, but it still brought out the worse in people. He could hear parents talking to their children, and kids yelling throwing bolts of magic missiles at each other. The magic brought the worse out of humans, but the good still held. Something he always loved about mankind was how even in darkness they always tried to find the light.
The darkness would try to hold onto them and drag them down. Politicians took advantage of the new world, and so did corporations, but they were the same, they never fought for the people, not when they needed it the most. They would sell magic for years of their life and people would go for it because the price was just right and magic was once in a lifetime to them. He wondered where it came from, how it was made, and just the purpose of it. Sure the Decayer brought the magic, but they were also a being, a huge being, but still, a being who had to get their magic from somewhere else.
People are so easy to use, but I don’t blame them. They were thrust into this world with nothing but an empty chute and nowhere to go but down. He thought.
Nick could see Cameron's in the distance. “Getting a bit late, hope they are still awake,” he said rubbing his arms.
At that moment a person wearing a blank mask showed up a few feet in front of him. He was not familiar with them, but they wore a cloak that covered most of their body. They stood cocking their head to one side. He could smell citrus like an orange coming from them.
“Hey, can I help you, you lost?” he said digging into his coat pockets fumbling for his gloves. Don’t know who this person is, but I don’t like it. He could feel the blood inside of him rise, his body starts to shake, and his mind racing on what was going to happen next. If you’re gonna get me, fucking come already. He thought.
“You were in the undercity, why?” The person said stepping a few inches towards him.”You didn’t belong there, you came, you left, but out of all the people, you were someone who tried to start trouble.”
The streets were almost barren, only a few were in the dark, and a few were starring at the both of them recording, taking photos, but no one did anything like calling the Draken or the god breakers.
“It’s none of your business, I didn’t do anything wrong. It wasn’t me who caused trouble,” Nick said putting on both of his gloves, starring at his masked opponent. He stood waiting for them to come closer, to prepare to defend or attack, he wasn’t going to back down.
“I'm going to have fun killing you, for what you did. Do you think you can do whatever you want to do and expect no one to notice? but I did,” The masked person said lifting their hand and emitting dark mist from their body materializing a double-bladed staff. “Not many times I’d do this, but for Jake, I’ll make an exception.”
Nick pulled the gloves out from his coat pockets and put them on. He looked at the vial of magic and saw that it was half empty. Got to learn to fill up. Don’t have time to second guess, have to take this person out as quick as possible. He didn’t like to use the magic powder for long periods, it always gave him a bit of worry about relying on it as much as he already was. A part of him thought of using the powder from Lucidian's realm, but that was something he did not want to test out in this situation. Whoever this p
erson is, they messed with the wrong person. I don’t know who Jake is, but they sure are ready to slice me into pieces. He thought.
“I have hated humans for so long. I thought they were monsters from stories I read growing up. The wars, the deaths caused by them. Even when I was a part of this world they always disgusted me, just use, manipulate, for something so pathetic as power, you all disgust me,” The masked person said. “Truth is, you don’t know how much of a monster I can be. You don’t know the horrors I have seen, but I can show you.”
With a flash like lightning, the masked person took the blade of the staff and pierced it through Nick's leg, pushing it in deeper and then twisting it. The pain was like a jolt of lightning that shot through his leg up into his arms, it was terrible.
Blood started to run down to the grass from his leg. He looked at the masked person holding the staff in place, with no emotion, just the sound of breathing and the feel of cold steel. He could see a dim of light and feather wings from behind them. They stood still and Nick could feel his body heating up.
He pushed the staff out of him and snapped his fingers materializing a small dagger. “Fuck,” He said grabbing the dagger and pointing it at the masked person. “Stay back, I’m warning you.”
“I'm gonna have some fun. If you are this weak then I guess Jenni did help you,” The masked person said thrusting their blade towards other parts of his body. They aimed quick and fast and all Nick could do was use the little bit of magic he did have to force a small magical shield around him.
I’m gonna die, I’m gonna die. He could feel his breathing get deeper and quicker, his body was growing weaker as blood continued to escape him and lay on the grass painting it red. Every hard knock, every kick made him go back and think about when the world fell when the war his parents went to fight in took their lives. The blast, the bolts of lightning, and the cracking of fire engulfed his life and twisted it. Please, please God, help me. He thought.
The God Breaker's Ruin Page 10
