This is the second part to the Origin of the Sphere. It takes place approximately one year after chapter 2. It should fully explain the origin of the Sphere, where it got its name, and why no one knows it exists, when chapter 1 failed to.
The Origin of the Sphere
Chapter 2: Reign of Terror
His wrists were beginning to chafe from the chain cuffs he was forced to wear as he was marched across the fields outside of Avarrocka with a contingent of Avarrocka guards along with the other prisoners of war or whatever crimes they'd committed. He didn't know how long this war would last, but he would be ever so grateful when it did end.
A cool breeze nuzzled his left cheek, refreshing him for the brief seconds it was there, then leaving him to the harsh, sweltering sun that unmercifully beat down upon them.
When he tripped over a rock dislodged by the prisoner before him, a guard prodded him with a sharp spear, yelling for him to watch his step. "Yes, I'm sorry for the trouble," he replied softly, not wanting to provoke the guard any further.
"Keep in step, you fool!" the prisoner behind him whispered venomously. "Next time you make the guards prod us, I'm going to teach you a lesson!"
How long has it been since the war had started? A year? It feels much longer, almost an eternity.
A murmur arose from the front of the line; they had reached the city of Avarrocka. It had all started here and it would end here. He was being taken to the prison to be executed for crimes against humanity. Granted, he couldn't see any other course of action that could be taken, but he still didn't really truly want to die with a bunch of murderers and rapists.
They'd arrived at the gate, which at the order of the ranking guard, was being opened by the gatekeepers so they could come in to the city proper. Though, what was left of the fair city wasn't much to look at.
The explosion from the Sphere had leveled half of Avarrocka, leaving the city prone to attack from neighboring cities such as Falador and Cahtonia. It had taken only one day for Avarrocka's citizens to either be captured as slaves or killed as meat. Luckily, the king of Avarrocka had lived, rallying the remnant of his city to come together in their darkest hour. The soldiers had hunted down the Falador soldiers and massacred them, rescuing the captured citizens.
Of course, the King opened an investigation of the blast, which led him right to the front door of Bardimous Alcarid the Avarrocka Mage. At first the king was shocked that Bardimous could live through such an event, but it later ignited into unrestrained anger as he deduced Bardimous to be the cause of the destruction.
That was when they discovered the Sphere.
It lay in the exact spot it had been when the explosion took place, ripping down Bardimous' house around him, then stretching its radius further to include the east half of Avarrocka. The king ordered it to be studied by his top mages. The mages, after hours of examination, told the king that the Sphere was a highly dangerous weapon of magical construct. His advisors later came to him to beg him not to destroy such a terrible, and powerful creation. They argued that the Sphere could be used against any threat to Avarrocka; the king agreed.
Two days later, the King of Avarrocka, Sir Amsian the Eighth declared war on the surrounding kingdoms. The bloodiest war in all of history began on that day and has been raging on for about a year, from what he could tell.
Avarrocka conquered Falador in one day, Cahtonia in two hours, and soon the continent followed. The only holdout was a large nation to the East called Ashetonia. This strange eastern country faired better than any other so far and this angered Sir Amsian to point of killing a peasant for every day Ashetonia continued to resist.
Ashetonia was not impressed, for they did not surrender; unfortunately, Amsian followed through with his threat and soon began the killings, starting with prisoners.
He found himself and the rest of them placed in a large underground prison, fit to hold thousands if needed. His cell was the sixteenth in a long row of cells extending further and further onward into the facility.
Testing the bars, he discovered that he wasn't going anywhere fast, unfortunately. Resigning himself to his fate, he seated himself on the uncomfortable spring-imbedded sorry excuse for a bed.
How had it come to this? First he'd been captured, then upon learning that he would be executed he tried to escape, but was soon recaptured; which explained why he was now under careful scrutiny even now.
Using his vast magical abilities, he probed the other cells seeking for anybody in common. 453 was the number of prisoners currently locked up with several hundred due for arrival in the next four hours.
No use, there isn't one person here I could use to escape this hellhole! How could I, Bardimous, become entangled in such an affair?
When the Sphere had formed and released that flood of energy, Bardimous had thought the end had arrived; however, as fate would have it, he would survive the incident and live on, only to be killed later. Or so he thinks…
After dining on the meager scraps the guards had provided, Bardimous decided to sleep to preserve his strength so he could escape. The sound of yelling and footsteps rushing toward him, however, prevented him from getting any sleep.
A shadowy figure stood in front of his cell. "Bardimous? Is that you in there?"
Perplexed at the identity of his mysterious rescuer, he responded, "Yes, this is I, but who are you?"
The man slammed his foot into the bars, which amazingly snapped under the force. He pulled Bardimous to his feet and ran into the hall. "No time for introductions, sir, we have to get you out of here and fast!" Pointing down where he came from, the rescuer said, "There is where we need to go. My friends are there providing us a distraction."
Bardimous reluctantly followed his savior as they ran down the hallway and out a door that led to the prison court. He was shocked to find that it was crawling with dozens of strangely clothed men and women fighting against the Avarrocka city guards; and they were most definitely winning, if the amount of dead guards meant anything.
"What is this all about?" Bardimous asked his companion, as a flying spear flew past his head. The guard who had thrown it from several yards away drew her sword and, an enraged expression fixed to her face, began to charge toward Bardimous. Before she could reach him, however, a woman, her head shrouded in a black mask adorned with a white circle in the center, came from behind her and swinging her axe, decapitated the guard.
The blood, gushing from the neck, splattered all over the ground, soaking several combatants. Bardimous once again voiced his question. This time, the man answered. "I am part of an elite group of warriors called the Black Knights who have begun a rebellion against our so-called king. By rescuing the creator of the Sphere we have gained one victory against this empire of evil!" The man gestured that they should continue their escape as they talked.
"I am Jared Pehkayer and I started the Black Knights. Since the war began we have had several small victories over the Avarrocka Empire, but this-this will strike a blow to their plans." A wicked grin appeared on Jared's face, looking out of place. They had now reached the exit of the prison. All that stood between them and the open fields of the Avarrocka countryside was a giant steel door with dozens of Palace guards armed to the teeth with maces, swords, and spears.
However, before Bardimous could voice his concerns, a beautiful goddess of a woman materialized by Jared's side. She had long, flowing brown hair and sparkling green eyes, along with a set of lovely ruby red lips. Contrasting her natural beauty was the harsh reality of the adamant armor she wore to protect herself from harm.
Jared smiled proudly. "Bardimous, I would like you to meet my fiancée, Isabelle Dehcay. She is my lieutenant and the most amazingly gorgeous woman I've ever met."
Glowing from his praise, Isabelle withdrew her adamant two-handed sword and brandished it at the wall of guards. Bardimous saw her lips move in a silent incantation and seconds later, her sword erupted into flames; it was not melting, however.
She reared back and made a slashing motion toward the guards. A long strand of fire collided with the guards, reducing them to mere ashes on the stone court. Bardimous was once again dragged forward as Jared sounded a victorious retreat. The Black Knights finished their brawls early and made a break toward the exit.
An hour later, he found himself in the secret headquarters of the Black Knights located at the base of Ice Mountain. Normally such a trip would have taken hours, but the Black Knights had in their possession a teleportation rune.
The headquarters was hidden just at the base of the mountain, at a place nobody sane would bother to look since blizzards and Ice Giants were normal in the area. The Black Knight Fortress was a series of tunnels that bore deep within the mountain making it extremely warm and heated.
In a room somewhere a mile into the mountain, lay the Black Knight's war room where they met for, obviously, war. The room held a large circular table that could fit at least thirty people; however, tonight there was only Bardimous, Jared, Isabelle, and her brother Flowe.
He had a feeling that in this very fort, history would be made and the names Pehkayer and Dehcay would live on forever, never to be forgotten.
And thus ends Chapter 2: Reign of Terror. Look for Chapter 3: Allies sometime soon.
Review Q: What did you think of Isabelle? Lame, cool, or what? Tell me in your reviews.
Until next we meet, dosvidanya!