Chapter 13: The Mountain
"Inform the general that Lord Momin's ship has just arrived."
"Yes sir."
A line of soldiers stood at attention to the left of the ship as General Taurus approached. Kneeling as the door opened, Taurus watched as his master walked right past him without a word. Three more soldiers were following him, wearing black armor similar to the Demons.
"Lord Momin, this is an unexpected pleasure." Taurus said as he ran up to the Sith and followed. "My men are surely honored by your presence."
"My presence here is not an honor, Taurus." Momin coldly stated. "It is an investigation, one I sense requires my immediate attention."
"Is this in relation to my report?"
"It is. The Grimm seem to choose to leave this place in favor of going to the mountain, and I'm going to find out why."
"So you weren't sending them there." Taurus realized.
"No." Momin confirmed as he stopped walking. "How long has this been happening?"
"Two weeks, my Lord."
Momin pointed a finger at him. "Why did you wait two weeks before contacting me?"
"I...I assumed a group of the King's soldiers or the Magic wielders were in hiding there. After the second group failed to return, I sent a platoon to follow the third group of Grimm. They searched the mountain for hours."
"And?"
"They found nothing. No trace of anyone being there."
"Did they find where the Grimm have been going?"
"No, sir. They vanished. After we failed to stop the fourth one from joining them, I contacted you."
"I see." Momin walked towards the complex that his forces had established as a base, followed by his guards and Taurus. "Have you received the excavation equipment I sent here, Taurus?"
"Yes, my Lord. We received it this morning."
The Sith turned to his three black troopers. "Have a ship loaded with the equipment and a team of soldiers prepared. I will join you shortly."
One trooper responded in a modulated and distorted voice as two left. The third walked in front of Taurus and spoke in the same scrambled language.
"...What did you say?" Taurus asked in confusion.
The trooper responded in the same manner.
"I...I don't-"
Momin placed a hand on his general's shoulder. "He wants to know if there are any other Grimm here."
"Oh. Yes, they're in a cage back there." Taurus pointed in a direction behind him. The trooper walked in that direction.
"My apologies, Taurus." the Sith said. "I forgot not everyone could understand my new guards."
"What...what language was that?"
"The same as the one we're speaking right now. It's an experiment I'm trying. Their helmets scramble their voices in a way that only a device in my mask can understand."
"So you're the only one who can hear them?"
"They can understand each other as well."
"For what end?"
"To communicate better in the field. The enemy won't be able to understand them on the battlefield, they won't know what they plan to do. Only the troopers will know."
"An impressive strategy."
The first trooper returned and said something to Momin.
"We're ready." Momin said.
Salem and Ozma were continuing to train the people in Cadabra in unlocking what they began to call their 'Auras'. They encouraged people who didn't want to fight to unlock their own as well, so they could protect themselves and each other. In times of war, taking chances wasn't always wise. Oliver was happy to see his town making a stand, and he realized their was a way to expand the effort.
"The capital?" Salem asked.
"That's right." Oliver replied. "It's time for the rest of the kingdom to have the advantage we share."
"Oliver has a point." Ozma agreed. "I think it's safe to say we've perfected our teachings here. Once the king of Vale hears and sees what we can do, he'll take our offer to join forces in a heartbeat."
"Maybe there's a way to spread our word faster." Salem said. "Oliver, do you have a map we can see?"
Oliver opened a cabinet and pulled out a map of Vale. He pointed to a small spot near a mountain range.
"This is Cadabra." he said. "The capital is right...here." he pointed to another spot. "It should be about half a day's hike, we should be there-"
"In less than an hour." Ozma finished.
"What? How would we...oh yeah." Oliver realized that Ozma or Salem could fly there with Magic in no time.
"I was thinking we could travel to the other towns nearby." Salem said. "I can take one of my advanced students and let them teach the people. If I did this for each town, we'll grow stronger by the day."
"A good plan, Salem." Ozma complimented. "While you're doing that, I'll go to the capital with Oliver."
"Shouldn't we go together?"
"I'm afraid that would leave everyone vulnerable to another attack. We've gotten stronger, but they'll need you."
"If that's the case, we should do this now. I'll ask for volunteers and go...here." Salem pointed to a spot near Cadabra.
"Our talk with the king shouldn't take long, but teaching him to unlock his Aura will be a challenge." Oliver said. "So yeah, let's do this now."
Ozma turned to Salem. "I'll come back as soon as I can, but Carolus might want me to stay at the capital for a while."
"Stay safe." Salem said as she placed a kiss on Ozma's cheek. "I love you."
Ozma smiled. "I love you too."
Salem left to find her volunteers. Before Ozma left, Oliver placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I unlocked my Aura and I understand the concept. I can stay in the capital and you can come back here if you want."
"Thank you Oliver. But your family will need you here."
"I should still go. I think Carolus will trust me after-" Oliver froze in place.
"After what?" Ozma asked.
"Hold on." Oliver requested as he ran out the door. "SALEM!"
The woman turned to see her friend running up to her.
"While you're gone...can you do me a favor?" he asked.
"Of course." Salem replied. "What is it?"
The Demons and Momin had arrived at the base of the mountain, with three Grimm in cages behind them. The Grimm were banging the doors of their confinements, trying to get out.
"Set them free." he ordered.
Momin's personal guard went to each cage and unlocked the door, watching the Grimm run up the mountain.
One trooper pressed his hand on the side of his helmet. He turned to his master and spoke in his scrambled voice.
"Good." Momin replied. "Tell the pilot to be our eyes."
Momin had ordered one ship to watch the Grimm from the sky. Chances were that the Grimm would outrun the soldiers so they needed a guide as they walked up the mountain.
As Momin led the hike and the Demons began to excavate the mountain, two of his guards began to converse in their scrambled language, only understanding themselves and each other.
"What do you think is going on?"
"I'm not sure. It shouldn't be good, though."
"I wouldn't worry about it. If the humans kill one Grimm, two more will take its place."
"I know, but I have a bad feeling about this."
"What's wrong? You scared of mountains or something?"
"No. I'm scared of the things inside mountains."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm pretty sure I came to this same mountain with my family before I joined Lord Momin. My dad went missing on a hunting trip and we came here to find him. All we found was a bow inside a cave...with his hand holding it."
"So he got eaten by the Grimm. If we see it here, Lord Momin can take of it."
"No, I don't think he was eaten."
"Humans?"
"Maybe. There was something else I remember. A piece of writing carved on the side."
"What did it say?"
A voice cut them off. "Let the humble man claim his prize."
The troopers looked to their master.
"My Lord...how did you know that?"
Momin pointed to a piece of rock. There was a sentence carved on it: 'Let the humble man claim his prize.'
"This...this is..."
Salem was at a loss for words when she saw the sight before her.
Oliver had asked Salem to go to a place he went to long ago. A place where Momin made his first impression on Remnant. A place where hundreds suffered from his sadism. This was Gefahr. Only now, the people of Vale have come to know it as 'The City of Fear.'
And for good reason.
The people Momin petrified were still standing, untouched, unmoved. Everything was as Momin had left it.
Oliver was hoping that Salem knew a way to help the people of Gefahr, to let them feel anything other than fear.
But this was beyond anything Salem had imagined. She knew the Force was capable of moving things with the wave of a hand, read people's thoughts, but this...was something new. Something horrible.
But that wouldn't stop her from trying to help.
At first, she tried an old healing method she learned once upon a time. Creating an orb in her hand, Salem expanded it until it enveloped a child who tried running from Momin's weapon. When the light died down, the child was still frozen. It seemed whatever Momin did wasn't an illness.
Salem took a moment to consider her next plan. She learned many healing techniques, but she doubted they would work. This required something way beyond her expertise. Maybe...maybe Momin was the only one who knew how to undo all of this.
Salem hated feeling useless. The fact that it seemed Gefahr would have to wait a little longer didn't help. But she had a plan. One that would require some...research.
Momin and his men were standing outside a cave near the writing. He knew they were in the right place. The cave entrance was smoking, as if something was on fire. But it didn't smell like smoke from a fire. No, it was dust from dead Grimm.
Momin was staring at the piece of writing while one of his guards walked up to him.
"My Lord, what does it mean?" she asked.
"Let us find out." Momin said as he turned to the trooper. "Enter the cave."
The trooper complied and entered the cave. The others looked at each other, unsure about their master's decision. Thirty seconds passed before one trooper placed a finger on his ear.
"What do you see?" he asked.
"Nothing unordinary." she replied. "Rocks, mostly."
The second one placed a finger to his ear. "My father was killed in that cave. Do you see any weapons or anything that looks dangerous?"
"Other than some sharp stalagmites, no. I think it's safe for Lord Momin to enter."
The second trooper told his master what the scout had seen.
"Let us see for ourselves." he said as he entered the cave.
They found the third trooper leaning on a wall. She spoke once they regrouped.
"See? Nothing."
"No, there's something here." Momin said. "Something has been killing my Grimm here. This will not stand."
The group continued their march into the cave. After a minute, they found a decomposing body with a hand missing. One trooper ran up to him. His friend called out to him.
"Is he...?"
"It's him." he said sadly.
Momin was more interested in the fact that he reached the end of the cave. He felt the stone, it seemed to be solid. But this didn't make sense.
"Our eye in the sky said he saw all three Grimm run in here." the female said. "We have the place right."
"But everything else wrong." Momin said as he continued to hold his hand on the wall. "We've missed something. Look around."
The two standing troopers looked at the other walls, but couldn't find anything. The kneeling one looked at the wall behind Momin and spoke.
"My Lord, what are you doing?" he asked.
"I am trying to see if there's something on this wall." Momin answered, slightly annoyed at such an obvious question.
"What wall?"
The trio turned to the soldier on the ground.
"Are you blind?" the female asked. "It's right there."
"I don't see a wall."
The second male began to pick him up. "Lord Momin, I think seeing this body may have given him a shock. I will take him outside and-"
"Wait." Momin ordered. He walked closer to the trooper. "What do you see?"
"I see a light."
"A light?"
"Right there." the trooper pointed at the wall. There was something he was seeing that everyone else wasn't.
"Show me."
The trooper walked towards the wall. Right when he was about it collide into it...he vanished.
"What the-?!"
"Where'd he go?!"
The trooper looked behind him to see a wall. Pressing his hands on it, he felt that it was solid. He was trapped. He turned around to see a glowing object in the center of the room.
He suddenly remembered the message on the cave entrance. It seemed he was the 'humble man'. And his prize was right in front of him.
"But why me?" he asked himself. It seemed he was the only one capable of seeing the object. Lord Momin and his fellow soldiers only saw a wall. Perhaps they weren't as...humble. But what did he do that was so different than the others?
As he approached the glowing object, he began to think of what it meant to be humble. It was the opposite of arrogance and pride. He was just a soldier, nothing more and nothing less.
The object was within his reach.
This wasn't right. What did he do that was so humble?
Well, what does a humble man usually do?
"The humble man...the humble man..."
He went to reach the object. His ears perked as he heard something in front of him activate. That's when he understood the riddle.
"KNEELS!"
He hit the floor as a burst of energy ran above his head and destroyed the wall. Momin and the soldiers were on the other side, coughing and moving the dust in their vision. Their eyes landed on their comrade and they moved to him.
"You okay?" the female asked.
"I'm fine." he replied.
"What happened?" Momin asked.
"Some kind of light tried to kill me." he replied as he looked back at the object. He took it in his hands.
"But it's fine. Now we have the..."
The trooper removed his helmet to get a better look at his 'prize'. It was a golden object with three red jewels in it, the center being the largest.
"Um...what is this thing?"
A Beowolf was losing its mind as it kept trying to reach the object in the Sith's hands.
Momin returned to the Land of Darkness to study his new treasure in solitude. Other than noticing it was some kind of crown, he also discovered this is what the Grimm were after. They seemed...drawn to it.
According to what his guard had told him, the whole thing was some kind of test, which the Grimm kept failing. All that was left was to figure out why they wanted it.
"Master?"
He turned to see Tock standing behind him, a tablet in her hands.
"Tock. I didn't hear you come in."
"It's about that crown, ain't it? Any luck figurin' it out?"
"Not quite." Momin said as he removed his mask. "All I know is that it's why those Grimm were running to the mountain."
He looked into a mirror he had on the wall and placed the crown on his head. It seemed to fit him well, but that wasn't very important.
"Well, it looks ravishing, my Lord." Tock said with a soft laugh.
Momin had to admit, he was slightly intrigued in the crown. It was a piece of art, one that made him feel...powerful. Like any crown, it was a symbol of authority. One the people of Remnant would grow to fear.
"Did you need something, Tock?"
"Oh, right." Tock pressed a few buttons on her tablet. "The Albains have started using those new Grimm you made. I have their report right here, but I can see you're busy with that crown. Would you like to see it now or should I come back later?"
"Let me-AAAAHH!"
Momin fell to the floor and grabbed his head, the crown falling off him.
"Lord Momin!" Tock rushed to his side and helped him stand. "Are you alright? What happened?" She looked back at the crown and she realized that caused his pain. Whatever it was, it was dangerous. Taking out one of her swords, she prepared to destroy it.
"WAIT!"
Momin looked back at the crown. Picking it up, he turned to Tock. "...Let me see that report."
Author's notes: thanks for bearing with me. I'm sorry it's been taking me so long to write new chapters, I've had writer's block on this story for weeks. But I'll be sure to add more content as soon as I have a good idea for where the story should go.
To Ser Dorito of Aisle 13, yeah I did that by mistake. Fortunately, I fixed it. And the Faunus will be dealt with soon.
To D.N Works, the ancient Grimm will be seen sooner or later.
Thanks for the continued support.