oof, chapter late. ehehe.
I have my plot written out, and I swear I'm not trying to drag this long. I promise. Like, I delete paragraphs if I think it's too much fluff.
*pain*
He was cool. Calm. Watchful.
Hidden amongst the boughs of the tall poplar trees, he lay there with a detached rifle scope resting against the bridge of his nose. Overhead, The sky was dark and gloomy and the songbirds had long since fled the ground-eating parasite that inched closer by the day. The only noise that stirred the silent morning were the gentle gusts of increasingly foul-smelling wind and the calls of faraway carrion birds.
We only have a couple more days before The Crimson overruns us… this compound won't last long.
He sighed and shifted, adjusting the lens against his eye and pressing his back against the tree's papery bark. Below, his leather cloak and innumerable firearms were piled in a heap at the base of the trunk, and although he felt naked unarmed - he knew no corners could be cut when taking on such a fearsome enemy. If he were somehow detected, via the clatter of his guns or otherwise, the entire operation was thrown into jeopardy. He was playing a dangerous game. His prey was a vicious beast. A single slip, a single mistake, and not only his life, but the lives of his companions were forfeit.
Phew… don't get careless.
He breathed at a slow measured pace, taking care to make his movements as scarce as possible. This morning, after he and The Guide had been kicked out of The Nurse's 'Clinic' The Arms Dealer had sneakily slipped out of The Compound to find a faraway perch from which to observe The Monster Knight. Starting yesterday morning, he had been put in charge of tracking the creature in order to discover its spawn point - their ambush point. Yet despite his careful concealment, The Knight always knew exactly where he was.
Maybe he has a dog's nose... Or something. Monsters generally have a good sense of smell... I think
The Arms Dealer wasn't exactly sure what was alerting The Monster Knight to his presence, and decided the safest thing to do was observe from a distance. He had been straddling this tree and watching The Knight go about it's daily business for about two hours now, waiting for an opportunity for their group to install Big Betty's pressure plates on the red-bricked patio. Such a thing couldn't be done while The Monster Knight was in The Compound. They needed to wait until it strayed far away, far away enough that it would choose to recall back to the place it called home.
...huh?
Ah, what was… what is that? He pressed the scope against one eye and scrunched the other shut as he focused in on the commotion in The Compound. Not a few moments prior, The Demolitionist and The Merchant had disappeared into the castle-in-progress. Although The Arms Dealer couldn't hear the sounds of construction from such a distance, he was almost certain The Monster Knight was still inside. Why were his teammates visiting The Knight at such a critical time?
What the hell are you guys doing…?
He had little time to grow anxious, as The Merchant and The Demolitionist walked out shortly afterwards not with The Monster Knight, but rather with a spiny blue seadragon in tow. How odd! How unexpected? The Arms Dealer had to blink away and rub his eyes a couple of times before he was sure he wasn't hallucinating.
Holy moly...
It was a fairly large creature with a torso reminiscent of a man, but instead of legs it sported a heavy, muscular tail - with which it managed a strange sort of slither-walk. It was covered in a great array of vibrant fins and spines, and held itself in a decidedly regal fashion. Most shockingly of all, the seadragon was absolutely bedecked with golden ornaments. A crown sat atop its forehead, hammered gold made up its breastplate, a set of bracers glowed off his arms… it looked like it had walked straight off the pages of an underwater fairytale.
Oh damn… it's actually a seadragon. I guess The Demolitionist wasn't kidding. How long has that thing been here?
Well… as interesting as The Seadragon was, given that The Demolitionist was talking animatedly with it, The Arms Dealer could only assume they were already acquainted in one way or another. The Seadragon must also be a prisoner here, or at least it wasn't a threat. The Arms Dealer tracked the strange trio with his rifle scope as they chattered their way into one of the buildings and out of sight. Once they disappeared, he quickly refocused his attentions on the castle entrance. The Monster Knight should still be inside…
Or did I lose him?
The Arms Dealer didn't need to wait long for his answer. It was only a couple of minutes before The Knight appeared on the castle rooftop, wielding its wooden mallet as it detailed the ramparts. That was relatively pedestrian - The Knight had been single-mindedly working its project since early this morning. It hadn't taken a single break, to either eat, drink or rest, and it certainly appeared it wouldn't be leaving The Compound until the castle was finished.
It's almost done… I just need to keep watch.
What The Arms Dealer didn't expect to see was The Guide slinking out of the castle's half built entrance with a nervous cringe in his step. The man looked…anxious and rather battered as he carefully checked his surroundings before gingerly making his way onto the clipped lawn. Blood stood bright scarlet against his pale hands and his chin, likewise staining the hems of his shirt. It wasn't easy to read his expression through a rifle scope, but it was very clear he wasn't happy - not that he ever really was.
What the hell happened to him? Did The Monster Knight do this?
The Guide stood still for a long moment before catching sight of The Monster Knight on the roof, who was making a very clear effort to ignore him. The man scurried around the building and appeared to begin pleading with The Knight from the ground. What was he saying? The Arms Dealer couldn't hear, but he could easily imagine the contents of that one-sided conversation.
Is he begging The Monster Knight to free us? Did that monster hurt The Guide? I mean, he doesn't look badly injured… maybe he shoved him over or something…
The Arms Dealer emitted a deep sigh. He hadn't known The Guide for very long, but he had taken a liking to the young man. He was very sharp, well spoken and although nearly always pensive - made it a point to be polite to everyone. The Arms Dealer simply could not imagine what must have happened for this man to attach himself to The Monster Knight. What sort of manipulation had he endured before becoming almost 'protective' of his abuser and captor.
Poor kid…
The Arms Dealer shook his head. He pitied the man. Perhaps The Guide had been brainwashed or worse. The Monster Knight's sins seemed to pile higher and higher the longer he watched. First, the capture of himself and everyone else in The Compound. Then, the torture of the pink-haired woman who was laying unconscious under The Nurse's care… finally mental manipulation and abuse? Truly this creature must have been borne from the very depths of hell.
This world was a better place without it.
It'd been a long time since The Sea King had tasted alcohol. In fact, during his ten year hibernation, he'd subsisted off nothing but water and plankton. His species was far hardier than the humans which lived aboveground, and the clams he had devoured upon waking would keep him well sated for at least another week.
Still, he appreciated the glass of ale which were offered to him as he folded himself uncomfortably around some puny kitchen chair, taking care not to crush it in the coils of his tail. Behind him, a warm fireplace roared - drying out his scales and making them itchy. He could hardly wait for The Slayer to finish building the castle so he could finally be underwater again.
… the longer I subject myself to these furniture deathtraps, the worse my spine is going to ache afterwards. I need to find somewhere to lay down…
Still, The Sea King was well aware that a decade long isolation meant he was desperately behind on current events. Although he had a great reservoir of ancient wisdom, it couldn't be put to use tactfully until he had a working knowledge of the current factions at war. Unfortunately, although The Guide knew a great deal of general information, he lacked the insider knowledge of Resistance dealings that The Sea King so dearly needed. He had been anxiously pondering his re-entry into the war arena when The Demolitionist appeared before him.
How timely. It appears destiny has finally smiled upon me.
After negotiating an alliance with The maybe-Terrarian, something which was accomplished with suspicious ease (Amidas would keep his eye on The Slayer), a Dwarf had interrupted the tail end of their conversation. He called himself The Demolitionist, and was an active officer in the resistance army. Their introduction had been cordial as, much to Amidas' surprise, he had gained a sort of 'legendary status' among this age's resistance fighters. It had been only two days since he'd dragged himself out of a self-imposed imprisonment beneath the desert, and already he was sitting across a kitchen table listening to a detailed eyewitness account of the current war which was raging between Statis, Braelor and Yharim.
The dwarf pounded his mug against the table as he narrated.
"...a battle goin' on right now in the North. Tyrant Bastard Yharim," The Dwarf snarled the name like a curse. "Heard a single whisper of our new Terrarian, and got so scared that he's throwing everything he's got at us. The Brimstone Bitch even burned our sacred mountain!"
The Sea King blinked at him, suppressing the bubbling rage which rose within him at the mere mention of 'Calamitas'. He exhaled hard through his nostrils and clicked his transparent double eyelids shut several times as he put away his emotions and processed the statement. He had awakened to the beginning of an all out conflict, but perhaps that wasn't a coincidence. This Dwarf was claiming that the origin of such conflict was The Terrarian - who according to The Guide - had only appeared a week ago.
The Dwarf continued to talk. He was clearly very excited.
"The Hero's powerful ... and not only that, but he doesn't get tired and he can't be killed. Whatddya think?! If everything Braelor says is true, then we'll win this war in no time. Yharim's right to be scared. His rule is coming to an end!"
The Sea King furrowed his brows. True, King Yharim was famous for his ruthless and cruel methods, and he wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone who posed a threat to his rule. Historically, Terrarians had enough power to charge the tides of war, and it was certainly in Yharim's best interest to quash the threat as soon as possible.
Still...
What an unfortunate turn of events. The Sea King knew both Statis and Braelor well. They weren't so careless to reveal such a secret before the time was right. The Terrarian - as he was now - was in no shape to fight a war. He hadn't grown strong enough. How troubling. Had The Resistance been infiltrated and this information leaked? That's probably why The Terrarian is hiding here. He was brought here by this dwarf officer so he could outlast the war.
Amidas snorted and shook his head.
"Dwarf, how did Yharim discover The Terrarian? Was there a spy within the ranks?"
The Dwarf took another jolly swig of his ale before responding with gusto.
"A spy? No, no. Lord Braelor himself spread the news far and wide. He's finally got the key to defeating that Tyrant, and he's stirrin' up all the smaller pockets of resistance around the country. They're giving Yharim's Army a right tough time I tell ye. It's a war on all fronts for them."
The Sea King widened his eyes in shock, but remained silent. As The Dwarf jabbered on, he turned the situation over and over in his mind. Statis and Braelor had intentionally leaked this information? What sort of benefit were they looking to derive from such an announcement? Could it be that The Resistance leaders were simply using The Terrarian as a propaganda piece to rile up his allies against The Tyrant? But how immature! If they would only wait a few months, The Terrarian would be a powerful force in his own right, and surely be able to contribute to The Resistance in a more meaningful manner.
But… hold on, The Terrarian follows The Guide, and The Guide has nothing to do with The Resistance at all! In fact, he had at one time promised that he and The Slayer would join the resistance after The Crimson was defeated. What in the world is going on...
The Demolitionist continued to ramble, offering no gap for The Sea King to interject with questions.
"And what a mighty war it is! That's why we need to kill The Monster Knight and escape this prison to go support the effort. My men up North need me, as I'm the officer in charge of explosives - be they traps or otherwise," The Dwarf raised his eyebrows knowingly, "And I'm sure Statis and Braelor'd be thrilled to see ye too!"
The Sea King's spines rippled in shock. He interrupted sharply.
"Kill The Monster Knight? Surely you don't mean The Slayer."
"The very same, Sea King."
The Demolitionist nodded gravely before spilling further secrets.
"That creature has been keeping us locked up here, and I have no doubt in my mind he's part of Yharim's army. The Guide is an evil sorcerer" He nodded to The Old Merchant, "who wants to keep us here to test the effects of The Crimson on living bodies."
The Sea King blinked once more, this time in disbelief. The Guide was a sorcerer? What sort of conspiracies had these men convinced each other of? The Dwarf officer was rather flippant with his reasoning though. It was clear that it didn't really matter whether The Guide was a sorcerer or not. He had other, more personal, reasons for wanting to escape the compound.
He took another swig of ale.
"But whether The Guide is really some mage or not doesn't matter. I'm not sure whose power is keeping us inside this town, but if it's The Slayer's - it will disappear once we kill him. If it's The Guide's we can just threaten him after we kill his monster. Your Majesty, I'm sure yer just as eager to get out of this pace as we are. Will you help us?"
The Sea King tapped his claws on the tabletop, imprinting tiny dents in the hardwood as he pondered. The room fell silent as The Dwarf and The Old Merchant stared eagerly at him.
What an… interesting turn of events.
Firstly, This dwarven officer had no idea The Slayer was A Terrarian - or, at least half of one. Secondly, there was another Terrarian in the Northern Mountains under Statis' and Braelor's custody? It was possible the entire thing was a farce, mere propaganda to stir the masses and provoke The Tyrant's wrath… but for such an event to coincide with the appearance of an actual Terrarian was far too unlikely.
Chances are, there's another Terrarian up north… perhaps they appeared at the same time...
Nobody knew where Terrarians came from. It was commonly believed that they just appeared, as if placed in the world by the hand of destiny. They likewise disappeared in similarly mysterious fashion. As far as The Sea King could recall, there was never a time in history when more than one Terrarian existed in the world. Two Terrarians was already an anomaly, and for one of them to lack several attributes common to the legends of old indicated foul play.
Perhaps some black magic… or aberrant summoning? But nobody had ever succeeded in summoning a Terrarian before. How many lives would be needed to fuel such a ritual?
The Sea King sighed and shaved a long groove into the hardwood table. It was possible he was also indulging in conspiracy at this moment… but as he carefully considered the situation, he came to the conclusion there were only two options.
One, The Slayer was not a full Terrarian and 'The Hero' was. If this was the case, Amidas would need to head north straightaway. The war was already in full swing and Amidas didn't have enough time raise The Slayer for battle. If The Slayer needed to die for him to journey North, then so be it. The fight for freedomwas greater than any single life.
The second scenario was that The Slayer and The Hero were two halves, the powers and attributes of a Terrarian split into two separate entities. If this were the case, then it was imperative for The Sea King to determine which of these two had the power of resurrection. A Terrarian who could die was no better than an ordinary man.
I need to see what happens when The Slayer dies... how fortunate that This murderous Dwarf appeared before me...
Destiny had truly smiled upon him. The Sea King would discreetly help The Demolitionist kill The Slayer for the purpose of testing him. If The Slayer was killed and didn't revive, then he wasn't worth the trouble. The Sea King would head North to meet with Statis, Braelor and their 'Hero' as an accomplice to the slaying of a monster. If The Slayer did revive, then he was somebody worth taking advantage of. The Demolitionist would take the fall; he'd likely be executed by The Slayer in retaliation for killing him. Meanwhile, The Sea King was free to work on bending The Slayer to his will. A task made leagues easier, now that the seeds of distrust had been sown between The Guide and The Slayer.
This assassination attempt will be beneficial to me as long as The Demolitionist succeeds.
So, with a carefully manipulated smile, The Sea King looked The Demolitionist and The Old Merchant in the eyes and nodded in solidarity with them.
"I understand, Dwarf. Tell me, what can I do to help slay The Slayer."
Merchant: Your fish friend gives me the heebie-jeebies
Demolitionist: more heebie-jeebies than The Monster Knight?
M:... no.
Demo: Then stop complaining.
Age chart!
Slayer: 1 week
Stylist: Early Twenties
Guide: 26 yrs
ArmsDealer & Nurse: mid Thirties probably, they both worked for like 10 years.
Demolitionist: ?
Amidas: 600
Notes: omgggg I re-wrote the second part of this fic like three times, and I'm still afraid it reads confusing. I guess TLDR:
Demo does NOT know Slayer is a Terrarian. He is telling Amidas about the rumors that Braelor has been spreading about 'The Hero' who is apparently a Terrarian in the North. Says they need to break out of prison to go join the fight up north. Only way to break out is to kill The Slayer.
Amidas KNOWS The Slayer is a Terrarian, but does not disclose this fact to Demo. Says Slayer lacks a lot of qualities commonly found in Terrarians (he knew a few in the past) and suspects that maybe Slayer is part of some strange summoning gone wrong. Its possible that The Hero has the other half of T's power. The Sea king is like... well I need to know if this guy can resurrect. So imma help kill him. If he stays dead, then I'm heading north.
kk phew. sorry for late chapter this week. Leave me a note! thx