Chapter 33
After over half an hour of walking north, I remembered something.
"We're coming up on Gareth's family cottage. We should stop by and say hello," I said.
The Red Prince was about to say something, but I interjected.
"Don't worry, we'll only say hello and be on our way. It'll only take five minutes at the most."
"Fine," the Red Prince said. "I'll count the minutes. When time is up, I'm heading out."
"Fair enough," I said.
Five minutes later, we were closing in on Gareth's family's house. But instead of a warm welcome with good folks, what awaited us was the same thing we encountered this morning.
"Oh no…"
The door to the cottage was ajar and the front yard was littered with four bodies. We ran to the scene and noticed the bodies were draped in crimson and white. When we looked closer, they had the familiar black hue around the eyes and mouths. When we investigated the cottage, we saw a mess that was akin to the mess of Meister Siva's home. But a difference was the two pools of blood on the floor. When we turned around, we saw where the bodies that once contained the blood ended up. Two makeshift graves lay at the edge of the yard. It was then I noticed a paper hung on the inside of the door.
KILL THEM ALL!
I brought my palm to my face and sighed. But the scary thing was instead of weeping over this tragedy, I only felt down. Just this morning, I wept over the death of Paulie's mother. Not just an hour ago, I was cradled on the floor crying over the destruction of souls for my personal gain. But now, it seemed I didn't feel as affected over the death of our ally's family. Was I getting used to the constant death of innocent people happening around me already?
"Looks like Gareth had his vengeance already," Ifan said standing over the bodies of the silent monks.
"Nothing else to do except to restore our Source," the Red Prince holding his hand over one of the corpses.
"Might as well," I said. Each of us stood before the four corpses. We raised our hands over them and spoke the words. A green beam emerged tearing into the bodies. We pulled our hands away. The flesh from the bodies vanished leaving four mangled piles of bonds on the ground. I felt a surge of source fill me. With the extra space given to us by Saheila and Ryker, I felt like I could do this at least three more times before my body would be at capacity with source. With our feeding finished, I looked up to the others.
"Shall we move along?" I asked.
"Most defiantly," the Red Prince said. We left the dreaded scene and continued down the road. While we did this, all I could think about was the cruelty of the Order and looking back on myself before all of this. It surprised me how easy it was for me to kill people when not just a week ago, I had never killed anyone. I kept thinking to myself for another fifteen minutes until I noticed everyone stopped at the top of a hill staring into the distance.
Oh-no…
That could only mean there was something bad on the horizon. I took a deep breath and walked up next to them. But even with my expectations set so low, it was even worse than that.
"Good gods…"
Instead of the entirety of Paradise Downs set ablaze like the Blackpits, it was the land itself that was destroyed. It was as if an earthquake tore apart the land into scattered chunks to become almost unrecognizable. On top of that, we could see a dark cloud hovering over it raining down scattered balls of fire into the fractured landscape. What was once a rolling farmland with fields of wheat and glorious crops that could feed thousands, was now something you would see in a painting named simply "Apocalypse."
I looked over at Ifan.
"Is there another way around?" I asked him. He tore his eyes away from the scene.
"The only other way north would be to backtrack to the Cullwoods and head north from there," he said.
"And how long would that take?" the Red Prince asked.
"At least four hours," Ifan said.
The Red Prince grunted in frustration.
"That's too long," he said clenching his fist.
"What other choice do we have?" Sebille asked. "Even I think this is way too dangerous to cross."
The Red Prince shifted his eyes between us and the painting of the apocalypse. I could tell he was very torn about his own wellbeing. But something else was behind his confliction. He composed himself.
"I have faith that we can brave this together," he replied.
We all raised our eyebrows.
"That's really unlike you," Sebille said. "Just how important is it that you get where you need to get to in time?"
He looked at the revenged land before he closed his eyes and sighed.
"It's really, really important," he replied. "It's what I've been dreaming of ever since my birth. I cannot let this opportunity elude me. I'm willing to brave this apocalypse to accomplish this."
We stood staring at him in silence. I looked out to the horrific scene. But before I could look at the Red Prince again, I felt a surge in my chest. I could tell it was Zorl-stissa calling out to me. But instead of wanting to speak to me again, I could feel something. It was like words were spoken to me, but I could not hear anything in my ears. The words passed through me and I understood.
"There's a source master in the middle of that," I said. The others turned to face me with their brows shot up.
"How do you know?" Sebille asked me.
"Zorl-stissa told me," I placed my hand on my chest. "I'm just as terrified as the rest of you, but I believe that it'll be worth it if we pass through there. We'll find the Source Master, learn what we need to learn, and we'll continue north. Are you in?"
I couldn't believe the words that came out of my mouth. Inside, I felt terrified. The place we were about to head into had death written all over it. Was I insane? Sebille and Ifan looked at each other with very conflicting looks. Eventually, both Ifan and Sebille looked over at me.
"You sidetracked us before and it turned out for the best," Sebille pointed at my amulet. "Even though it feels like suicide, I'll trust you with this."
I looked over at Ifan.
"We've survived fighting monsters and witches. This is a major step up from anything we've encountered before. But I have faith we can overcome something like this. I'm in."
I smiled then sighed looking back at the revenged land we were about to brave.
"Alright," I said. "Best of luck to us."
Everyone nodded. We went down the road and made our way to the broken landscape.
The road ended when the crooked earth broke the road apart. I took the first step over the crack onto the destroyed earth. We had to tread carefully now. We continued across the fractured landscape, climbing over the shifted grounds. The scattered meteors landed far from us. We had to be vigilant in case the random balls of fire decided to come on top of us. We continued to navigate the broken lands until we came to a tall cliff.
"No way we'll be able to climb up that," Sebille said.
"Maybe not climb…" I said unfurling my wings. Sebille looked over at me.
"Do you trust me?" I asked her.
"I'm not a fan of flying," Sebille looked up the cliff then at me again. "But I'll do my best to overcome that petty fear for now."
I grinned in response. I walked over and took a hold of her. With a huge jump, we launched into the air. I beat my wings again and again until we reached the top and landed softly onto the ground. I let her go and she stepped away. I gave her a smile before I dropped down to the others. I did the same with Ifan then the Red Prince, him being the heaviest. It took more effort, but I managed to get the both of us to the top. I panted as I contracted my wings back into my body. After I got my breath back, we continued our trek further north.
As we continued, the land became worse. Cliffs grew taller, chasms fell deeper, and gaps grew larger. All the while, houses were torn in half, sunk into the ground and sometimes even both. But the worst part came when I suddenly felt something in the air. It wasn't a smell that came over me, rather it was a feeling. A feeling that washed over every scale of my body. It felt like my entire outer shell was going to fall off at any moment. When I looked at the others, they expressed the same mannerisms as I did.
"What…," Ifan said feeling himself over. "What is this?"
I racked my brain thinking about the symptoms we were experiencing. Where have I read about this before?
"I think it's… a decaying aura," I said. Sebille looked over at me.
"Please, do tell us what this aura does. I'd like to know if we're going to die in the next five minutes."
I racked my brain from my medical classes.
"I've never experienced this personally. But I've read decaying bodies are more fragile. Furthermore, healing a decaying body would do as much harm instead of good."
"Great," Sebille said. "I hope you can remember if I get another gash across the hip, you shouldn't be my hero."
"Don't worry, I'll remember that," I said.
"Actually," Ifan said. "I think you can."
"How?" I asked.
"Since we have some Source in us, we can bless each other so we can heal each other if we do get hurt."
That was a really good idea.
"We don't have a lot of Source in us, so we should do it sparingly," I said.
"Save your source, especially for me, your frontline soldier," the Red Prince said. He did have a point because he was the one to go headfirst into the fire and needed all the protection he could get.
"Don't worry, I've got your back," I said.
With that, we continued across the landscape. After nearly twenty minutes traversing the hostile landscape, standing clear of falling balls of fire, maintaining our balance from sudden tremors and flying everyone over gaps and cliffs, we came to a rather intact cottage. I felt a surge in my chest.
"The Source master should be here," I said. "I'll go first."
I crept up to the cottage. The door had fallen off the hinges leaving the doorway wide open. I tucked my head and stepped through.
"Hel-"
Before I could finish, I felt the cold of a blade held against my neck.
"A guest," I heard a voice that felt like a breathy purr. "How brazen of you to enter without knocking."
Though I couldn't see who held the knife to my throat, I replied to her.
"My apologies, there was no door to knock on."
"Fair point," the voice said. "Step inside."
I walked further into the room. Once I stopped, the blade retreated from my neck, allowing me to gasp and rub my throat. I looked down to see a human woman in scantily clad cloths, similar to the attire of Redeka. And much like Redeka, she was rather beautiful and wore a smile that was somewhere between impish and cruel. Before I could say anything, Ifan was at my side pointing his finger at the woman.
"You're one of the Black Ring," he said. In response, the woman held her dagger up to her bosom in a defensive but not threatening manner.
"My name is Almira," she said. "And yes, I was a part of the Black Ring. But not anymore. At least that's what I want."
Ifan kept his finger trained on her until I put my hand on his shoulder. He looked up at me and I shook my head. He deflated his stance and put his hand down. Almira put her knife away.
"Might I ask who you four are?" she asked. "You don't seem to be part of the Divine Order. You absolutely reek of source."
If she could sense our source, she had to be the one we were looking for.
"I am Mahalia. These are Ifan, Sebille and the Red Prince."
"And what exactly are you doing here in this middle of this death-filled valley?"
I looked over at the Red Prince for a second.
"We needed to pass through for something important to the north. Along the way, we sensed that there may be a master of source around here. Are you that person?"
She looked down at her hand, turning it over and running her thumb over the tips of her fingers.
"I do have a connection to the Source," she said. "However, under the circumstances, I believe it'd be best if we make an exchange."
She motioned her hand to a bed in the corner of the room. In it lay a Magister curled up with a nasty wound on his hip.
"This is Mihaly," she said. "We absconded together. I from the Black Ring, and he from the Magisters. We fell for each other while I was his prisoner."
Her gaze trailed off looking into a corner of the room. She smiled like she was reminiscing about a moment they had together. She then brought her attention back to us.
"Mihaly put himself at great risk to free me from Magister captivity. We made it clear, but he picked up quite a nasty wound. We found refuge in this charming hamlet. But then… well I'm sure you saw for yourself."
A quick glance outside told us everything.
"Now the aura of decay is preventing his wound from healing. We can't go anywhere until he's been healed, or this aura is lifted. If you help us, I'll help you."
It was a rather interesting predicament. The first thing I thought about was how these two were deserters of two sinister groups: him the Order and her the Black Ring. Two sworn enemies. But when I thought of Ifan's time in the Order, it did make some sense. The second thought related to our talk when the aura of decay came over us. I felt the fresh source within me swirl. It wasn't a lot, but I felt it was enough to lift the decay off Mihaly.
"Well for starters, I know a way to circumvent the decay and heal him."
Her eyes spoke volumes.
"By all means do so," she stood aside.
I walked over to the wounded Magister. He lay on his side uncomfortably clenching his wound. I channeled the little source I had in my body. My hands radiated with the blessing glow. The glow enveloped Mihaly's body causing him to unfurl and relax. With the aura of decay lifted for the moment, I channeled the cold from my heart and spoke my healing spell. The wound closed and Mihaly gasped in relief. I stood up just as the blessing wore off. While the decay came back over him, he was no longer in pain. He put his feet over the side of the bed and looked up.
"Almira," he said with his eyes wide open.
"Mihaly," she said in response. She closed the distance and embraced her lover.
"Thank you," she said to me. "Now we need your help to get out of this place."
"Wait, I thought you said the deal was he was to be healed," the Red Prince interjected.
"To be healed and get out of this place," she said standing up. "If you want my help, you need to help us escape or find the source of this destruction and kill it. If you choose the latter, we'll make it on our own."
"Hmm," I brought my fingers to my chin and pondered out loud. "We could either go back the way we came to get these two to safety thus wasting precious time. Or we could deal with the source of all this destruction, so we won't have to waste anymore more time and make our trek north easier."
I looked over to Ifan who looked at Sebille who looked at the Red Prince.
"What do you think, your majesty?" she said with a curtsy.
The Red Prince brought his hand to his chin and pondered. I could see the confliction of his situation. He was the one who suggested we brave through this after all. Just how important was this personal quest of his?
"Though I think it is a terrible idea, under the circumstances, I believe it is best we find the source of this destruction and deal with it," he said.
"A bold choice," Ifan commented. "Perhaps being in the field of battle has done you some good."
"Maybe," the Red Prince fired back. "But I still yearn for the comfort of my palace once this adventure is finished."
"We'll be back once we've dealt with the cause of all this," I told Almira.
"We'll be waiting for you," she said. She sat down next to Mihaly on the bed. They brought their arms around one another to keep each other company.
Once we were outside, we looked around the torn landscape to figure out where to go to find the source of this destruction. Ifan pointed toward a formation of rocks. Behind it, we could see the tip top of the ruins of a castle. Along with it, we could see small strands of dark energy swirling between the rocks and castle.
"Better tread carefully to see what we're up against," he said. I nodded. He led the way across the chunk of land we were on until I needed to fly us over a gap. Once across, Ifan motioned us to wait. He climbed up the rocks to see what was over at the ruins of the castle we saw. He peeked over the edge then slowly climbed down the rocks back to us.
"What are we up against?" I asked.
"A dozen voidwoken?" the Red Prince asked.
"Not quite," he said. "There's a large monster sitting there. It's like a dragon mixed with a chicken."
I grimaced at the image of such a thing.
"But it's also accompanied by reanimated skeletons of Magisters."
Ifan took some small rocks and arranged them on the ground before us. The big one being the monster and the small ones the Magister minions.
"I figure Mahalia and I climb up and take the monster from the high ground."
He pointed to the top of a larger rock representing the formation behind him.
"Meanwhile you two deal with the four undead Magisters."
"Taking on the minions head on while not being able to receive sufficient healing if I get hurt," the Red Prince sighed. "Oh, the things I will do to regain my throne."
Well at least he has a passion to get done what needs to get done.
"I'll have Afrit join you," Ifan said. "Move in once we make the first strike. You ready?"
Sebille looked at each of us before she nodded. The Red Prince nodded then I did too. Ifan grinned. He stood up and summoned Afrit who stood by Sebille's side. With all the players ready, we dispersed. I climbed up the rock wall with Ifan, electing to not use my wings to draw any attention. Once we reached the top, we crawled on our bellies to the edge to see the monster for myself. It was indeed a dragon-like creature if it were fused with a chicken. Its body was nearly all skin and bone with stubby feathers on its head and skimpy wings. In front of it, four undead skeletons clad in Magister armor wandered around aimlessly. I turned my head to Ifan.
"Get a shock arrow ready, I know how to open the attack," I said.
Ifan nodded. He pulled an arrow with a violet arrowhead from his quiver and loaded his crossbow. I turned my head to see Sebille, the Red Prince and Afrit hiding behind a boulder. They were ready. I looked over at Ifan and nodded. I stood up and got to work casting the opening spell. I spoke the words and motioned my hands above me. From above, clouds emerged sending drops of rain onto the abominations soaking them. The monster took notice of me and reared its ugly hear. Before it could do anything, Ifan moved up from the ground and took his stance on his knee. He took aim and fired. The arrow soared through the air and hit the creature square in the head. The electricity surged through the arrow and coursed through the creature's body, unable to move.
Meanwhile, the puddle of water had soaked the undead, causing them to spasm when the electricity jumped to them. The three fighters then emerged and charged at the minions. Meanwhile, the monster managed to break out of its shock and prepared something horrible for the two of us.
"Take cover!" I shouted to Ifan as I unfurled my wings. I leapt into the air and flapped my wings just as a wad of poison collided into where I was. I landed on one of the intact towers of the fort. I spun around and immediately unleashed a hail of ice right on top of the beast. All shards hit the monster. But instead of freezing him entirely, it only slowed him down. Thankfully, that slowdown was all I needed to fly away from another attack. The tower I escaped erupted into flames as I landed into the adjacent tower. I made a glance over at the others. They seemed to hold their own. But when I saw the Red Prince take the head off one of the skeletons, I noticed he clenched his side. He must have been injured.
I turned my attention back at the monster who spread his frail wings. Despite the wings looking like they couldn't do anything in the shape they were in, they miraculously managed to lift the abomination off the ground. It lifted itself up to my level and was about to come careening into me. But a splash of water that came over it caused it to turn around. Ifan had managed to survive and shoot a water arrow at it. Now with it soaked, I thought quickly. I pulled my hand back and spoke the words. My lightning strike impacted the monster, causing it to flail and lose control. It impacted the ground with an earthshaking thud.
It was vulnerable. But how were we going to kill it for good? A feeling in my heart and thinking back to how we defeated Ryker gave me an idea.
"READY EXPLOSIVE ARROW!" I shouted to Ifan.
I leapt off the tower and floated to the bottom. I ran to the downed creature's head. Before it could recover, I inhaled all the air my lungs could hold and unleashed my cold breath. I blew everything I had right into the head of the monster. Layers and layers of ice encased the monster, seeping into the flesh and bone. When I blew out the last of my ice breath, I turned around and ran.
"FIRE!" I shouted.
Two seconds later, I heard an explosion from behind me. I turned around to see the result of Ifan's arrow. The monster was still alive, but its cranium was blown away, leaving pieces of its brain to hang out. It flailed around and roared in pain. Eventually the mortally wounded monster fell to the ground lifeless. After a few seconds, I suddenly felt a feeling wash out of me. The aura of decay had been lifted. I could safely heal our wounded now.
I turned my attention back to the others. Unfortunately, the skeletons didn't all die instantly when the monster was slain. Two of them were still standing and all three of our allies were on the ground clutching their wounds. Thinking quickly, I took my stance and unleashed a dizzying bolt from the sky onto the two skeletons well clear of the wounded. The undead jolted and their boney remains fell apart. With our enemies defeated, I ran to the Red Prince first who seemed to be the most hurt. He had gashes over his hip, arm and leg. Meanwhile Sebille received a single cut on her thigh. I closed my eyes and held out my hand over the Red Prince. I spoke the words and the cold channeled through me. With the aura of decay gone, his wounds disappeared leaving only his red scales that brightly contrasted with his darker blood. He gasped and sat up.
I turned my attention to Afrit and Sebille. Ifan had already descended from the rocks arriving to their side. Afrit dissolved and returned to Ifan's chest while Ifan pulled out a healing potion from his bag and gave it to Sebille. She popped the cork and ingested the liquid. After the bottle was empty, she looked down at her wound to see it slowly seal itself up. Wasn't as quick as my enhanced healing spell, but it did its job after a few seconds of waiting.
With our party healed, the Red Prince and Sebille stood up.
"Those undead were much harder to deal with than I anticipated," the Red Prince said. "But at least you two did your job with the monster."
"And thanks for dealing with the rest," Sebille said.
"We're a team," I said. "We look out for each other."
Sebille grinned. We looked around the battlefield. While the land was still broken, the chaos had stopped. There were no more tremors shaking the ground. No fireballs falling from black clouds in the sky. And most importantly the aura of decay was gone.
I looked over at the beast Ifan and I slew. It was unlike any voidwoken we'd seen before. Seeing it only made me imagine the horrors that were yet to come.
"Best to fill more of our source with this," the Red Prince said. "I reckon it has enough source for all of us."
"One way to find out," Sebille said. We walked over to the carcass of the monster. We each held up our hands and spoke the spell. Moments later, the body vanished. I inhaled as the Source flowed into me. I held more Source than I ever had before.
"Let's head back," I said. The rest agreed.
"The air is certainly better now," Almira said when we returned.
"The monster is dead," I said. "You should have no trouble getting out of Paradise Downs now that the 'weather' has cleared up."
She stood from the bed.
"I owe you a debt and I intend to pay in full."
She crept closer to me. The sway in her step suggested something. She stopped merely inches away from me looking straight into my eyes.
"Tell me. Do you know exactly what I am?"
I moved my eyes around observing her face then her scantily clad attire. She seemed to be a normal human being. But when I looked closer, I could see traces of energy radiating under her skin. That energy was seeping into me, bringing feelings out of me the same way incense did. When I recalled my studies, it made sense.
"You're a succubus," I said.
"Excellent eye, my dear," she said with her seductive grin. "I am indeed a succubus. Love is my power; it enthralls those who lie with me and feeds me yet more power. My Source abilities are linked to this aspect of me… and it is through this aspect that I must reward you…"
It was then I realized she was caressing my arm. Her eyes were oceans of violet. Anyone who looked into them could drown in them. I closed my eyes and took a step back.
"Sorry," I said. "The last time I interacted with a seductive woman, I was given a kiss that resulted in hundreds of bugs crawling into my mouth. I had to use my fire breath to clean it out and kill the witch."
Almira's brow shot up.
"You've had an encounter with Redeka?"
I looked up in surprise.
"You know of her?"
"She and I were partners in the Black Ring for some time until we parted ways. But now that she's dead, it doesn't matter."
She took my hand.
"But I promise you, there won't be any bugs this time. Nor will I use my powers to make you my thrall. Just as I hope you won't use what I show you to become some sort of tyrant."
This was jarring for me. I never kissed anyone besides my parents in all my time growing up in the Empire. I never even met Brell's lips after he proposed to me. My first actual kiss was with a vile witch who tried to have my insides be eaten from the inside out by insects. Now, I was asked by a succubus to kiss her to expand my source.
"But what about the rest of us?" the Red Prince asked. "Do you plan to have a kiss for all four of us?"
"You won't have to wait in line," Almira said. "Just put your hands onto her back and your knowledge of source will expand when I'm finished."
The Red Prince looked at the others. Eventually they nodded. Almira looked up at me again. She stroked my cheek.
"Are you ready?" she asked.
I felt very, very nervous. I've read tales of people who lost their minds to succubus. But something in her seductive eyes told me she was genuine. The way she embraced her Magister partner was one of actual affection, not just lusting over one's form. I took a deep breath, taking in a whiff of her aura.
"Let's do it," I said.
I felt three sets of hands touch my back. Almira grinned devilishly and brought her other hand to my cheek holding my head in place.
"Let's see what you're made of."
She kissed me. She devoured me. Instead of insects seeping into my mouth, it was an aroma that flowed to the top of my head and down the length of my body. I was completely enraptured. Every corner of my body was filled with pure bliss. I felt the heat of her soul surging through me. Thrust upon thrust. Echoes of moans. Gasps of ecstasy. Nothing in me could resist this feeling. My body gave in to the most primal desires. The pure lustful energy surged in and out of me. Harder and harder until I felt my entire body convulse. I had reached the peak of a mountain, holding my arms to the stars above. I felt my soul leap from the top and float down to the earth below.
I gasped. I opened my eyes and felt my body's senses return to me. My heart was pounding in my chest. I felt like I had run a hundred miles without stopping. I was on my knees with my hands over my chest, my lungs desperately trying to bring in much needed air.
"A lesson worth learning was it not?"
I looked up to see Almira standing over me with her impish grin.
"Take your time to catch your breath."
She walked over to the bed and sat beside her lover again.
I continued to sit on the floor, panting. I looked behind me to see the others were the same way. The Red Prince, the one who slept with these creatures before, was on all fours trying to catch his breath. When I looked over at Ifan, he held his hands on his knees. When I tried moving my gaze away to Sebille, I couldn't. I couldn't break my eyes from Ifan. I watched as drops of sweat ran down his check, disappearing into his beard. I felt something. Something deep within me. At first, I thought it was empathy. The same he gave to me time and time again when I was upset. But it was more than that. I wanted-
"Are you okay?"
I gasped. I shook my head, as if snapped out of a trance. I looked up to see Sebille standing over me. I shuttered and scurried to my feet.
"I-I…" I backed up against a dresser on the other side of the room. I breathed faster. Not from exhaustion, but from nervousness. "I…I'm fine. I'm more than fine. I'm great."
Sebille looked at me with her brow raised and head tilted. She made a glance over at Ifan who got onto his feet along with the Red Prince. Sebille looked back at me with the same grin she had the night before. Before she could say anything, I turned my attention to Almira.
"Thank you, Almira," I said. "For what you did for us."
When I felt what she gave us, I could feel once again my body opening to allow more space for more Source. The fresh source we pulled from the monster no longer filled me to the brim. There was another gap that needed to be filled.
"It's the least I could do," she said. She looked out the window. Her grin turned into a frown. She looked back at me.
"However, I actually have another little request."
I raised my brow. I brought myself off the dresser.
"And what is that?" I asked.
Almira stood up from the bed and walked over to me, standing a more polite distance this time.
"You have helped me to escape immediate danger, but I remain a fugitive from my old life, and the promises I made to it."
I tilted my head.
"The Black Ring swear allegiance to a powerful being, the God King. This is not a mere oath of duty. This is the Covenant. Those who accept it are bound to the God King. They are Sworn. I am Sworn."
She brought her hands together, rubbing them nervously.
"You have to understand; Lucian's Deathfog broke us. We were left defeated, leaderless. Then the God King started to speak to us. He offered victory, immortality, anything we desired, in exchange for loyalty. How could we refuse? Once you are Sworn, there is no escape. Your life is the God King's. Fail or betray him, and you are doomed. Unless you find a way to break the Covenant."
"Hold that thought," I raised my finger. I took off my backpack and pulled out the tablet.
"Is this what you were going to ask us to find?"
Almira took the tablet in her hands. Her eyes widened seeing the inscriptions.
"My… you are a special one, aren't you?"
"I had a gut feeling about luging it with me," I said. "Turns out it payed off."
"Indeed," Almira said. She walked over to the nearby desk and took a backpack off it. She stowed the tablet inside and pulled it over her shoulder.
"That settles it then, we will join you on your journey," she said.
Before the other others were about to speak, Almira raised her hand.
"Don't worry, you can go attend to whatever business you need to accomplish here on Reaper's Coast. A black little birdie told me you've a ship along the shore."
"That's correct," I said.
"Then that is where we'll go," Almira said. She walked over to Mihaly and took his hand. He stood up from the bed.
"Thank you, my friend. We'll see you again soon."
The human and demon walked hand in hand out the doorway into the ruined but sunny landscape. The four of us stood in the room looking at each other awkwardly. Ifan was the one to break the silence.
"Well… this was quite an adventure wasn't it," Ifan said.
No one responded immediately. The silence returned until I spoke.
"Indeed, it was," I said. But still no one said anything until Ifan spoke again.
"Guess going into the eye of the apocalypse was worth it after all."
He gave a playful nudge on the Red Prince's shoulder.
"Thanks for suggesting it, your highness," he said.
The Red Prince looked at Ifan with a wince. But then his eyes opened wide.
"My word!" he exclaimed. "I've completely forgot why I wanted to come through here. We need to get going!"
He darted out the door leaving only three of us to look at each other instead of four. Ifan took a breath and walked to the doorway. He stood in the middle and looked at Sebille and me.
"Onwards?" he asked.
When I looked at the landscape out the window, there really wasn't anything to gain from staying here any longer. I took a breath and renewed my confidence.
"Onwards."
Author's Note: Damn it! Why do my chapters always end up being so long?! Oh yeah, it's because this game is long. That makes sense.
Anyway, here's my take on the journey through Paradise Downs. Stick around because I'm really looking forward to writing about what happens next 😉.
Thank you again for reading my story and a review goes a long way. See you next chapter.