Chapter 3:Garland
Emerald had awakened and sat whimpering in the corner. /At least she's being quiet./ Garland thought. /The spells almost finished./
Suddenly, the orb lost its luminescence and the dark clouds disappeared. He scowled at it. "What happened?!"
Voices drifted from outside the ruins. His head jerked towards the door. His eyes narrowed. /Of course. HE'S here. The Kajidoragon!/
Knock, knock, knock.
Andrew yelled at Alex, "What the hell are you doing?! Are you trying to give us away? We could have just snuck in there without you getting permission!! Now he has time to get ready!!"
"Are you done?"
"Yeah, I guess so!!"
"Good." Alex pulled open the heavy iron door. They stepped inside the ruins. Broken statues lay on the stone floor. Erin kicked at a large stone at her feet. It moved and she screamed as a large group of bats flew through a hole in the floor to the forest outside.
Andrew started muttering again. "Stupid...if the knocking wasn't enough...getting a fair warning..."
Brian gave him a withering glance. "Stop muttering and help us find him."
"Don't you think he'd be in the room right in front of us? I mean, he might not be waiting for us in the main chamber." His tone dripped sarcasm.
Thomas moved to the stone door. he tried pushing it, but it wouldn't budge. Finally, he kicked it and the door opened inwards.
Their first glance at Garland was an impressive one. He stood near an altar in the middle of the room, in the armor of the Cornerian army.
Andrew's attention was drawn to the figure sitting in the corner of the room. Emerald was a fitting name for the girl. She sat wearing an evening gown colored the same green showing in her eyes, a shade lighter than Erin's. He stood awestruck by her until Erin punched him in the shoulder. Hard.
Garland's voice echoed around the room. "So, you've found me. How you got through the imps, I have no idea, but you couldn't have gotten through the spider forest."
Alex laughed derisively. "The imps were easily taken care of and Arachnid's burned carcass is lying in the fields to the south. It seems you two were friends; he mentioned your name."
Surprise fleeted across Garland's face before being replace with anger. "You might have gotten through Arachnid, but I serve a much higher power than that Cornerian idiot, and the spider king served me. Prepare to stand and fight, Kajidoragon!"
Confusion at the name flitted across everyone's face except Andrew's and Alex's. Alex was undisturbed at the remark, but Andrew was furious. "What the hell does that mean?! Are you insulting me?"
Garland never answered. He raised one hand to the sky and called, "Lords of Darkness, lend me power!!! Let me destroy these useless humans!!!"
His armor changed from Cornerian red to a midnight black. His cape lengthened until half of it was dragging on the floor. A dark helmet with large, jutting horns appeared on his head. And a giant battle axe appeared in his hands.
He advanced upon them.
Andrew drew his rapier and ran forward. He met Garland head on, dodging and weaving, but couldn't find a spot to strike him. The others soon joined the fray, but Garland fought like a madman. Alex was sent flying into a wall when he was struck with the flat of the axblade.
Thomas scored a lucky hit and punched him hard in the face. Garland struck back and laughed as Andrew's arm was struck badly. Andrew backed off holding his injured arm. Not much blood was flowing, but the strike had sent pain glancing through it. It seemed that the hit was scored again and again as he stood away from the fight. /No doubt that the blade was enchanted./ he thought.
Erin brought her staff down hard upon Garland's helmet.
CLAAAAAAAAANNNNNGG!!!!!
His head ringing, he wiped the blood and sweat from his eyes. He struck down the mage and the girl.
Brian caught him in the stomach as he turned to face him. He looked into his bloodstreaked, surprised face and said, "That was for Jon." He pulled his sword out and struck again, in the same spot. "That was for me."
Garland backed into the altar and fell against it. Slowly, his armor came apart and melted away. The pain in Andrew's arm faded away. Erin healed the cut in his arm and the wound given to Matt as Alex and Thomas untied Emerald. Soon, all seven surrounded the fallen knight.
He looked up at them. A light of madness shone in his eyes. "So, you've won the battle. Still, you haven't won the war."
Brian asked, "Why did you do it? What made you do this?"
"What made me do this? What made me do this?!?" He laughed insanely. "Your precious king made me do this. I might have been his best knight, but he still treated me like dirt. 'Garland do this', 'Garland do that'. I lost faith in him a long time ago. The crown is corrupt, boy. I came here once to think of a reason for why I stayed with him."
He laughed again. "The only reason was that he was all that I knew! If I had left him, I would have been nowhere. As soon as I realized, they came." He fell silent.
Andrew waited, then blurted out, "Well, who were they, asshole?!"
"The Fiends of the Elements. The Great Lords. Masters of this world."
Alex started reciting.
"'The four will come out of the dark,
but six will come to clean their blight.'"
Garland's eyes widened, then he started laughing again. And didn't stop. His last trace of sanity had left him. He screamed at them from between cackles, "They will kill you...they will kill you all...no one can stop them...they will break prophecy..."
They left the room, Andrew last. He couldn't take the cries of the insane man.
"...The Great Lords will kill you... they will kill you all...THEY WILL KILL!!!"
"SHUT UP!!!" Andrew flung the dagger Blood with expert skill. The laughs cut off as the sound of metal hitting bone filled the ruins.
Andrew sighed and walked back to retrieve his dagger. He didn't notice the door closing until it was too late. He ran, but the door closed, sealing Garland and the dagger inside. He pounded and smashed the door over and over again, but it didn't budge. The others had to pull him away from the door as he clawed at them. "My brother's dagger!! The only thing I have of him!! Let me get it!!"
They left the ruins, dragging him back towards Corneria.
Emerald had awakened and sat whimpering in the corner. /At least she's being quiet./ Garland thought. /The spells almost finished./
Suddenly, the orb lost its luminescence and the dark clouds disappeared. He scowled at it. "What happened?!"
Voices drifted from outside the ruins. His head jerked towards the door. His eyes narrowed. /Of course. HE'S here. The Kajidoragon!/
Knock, knock, knock.
Andrew yelled at Alex, "What the hell are you doing?! Are you trying to give us away? We could have just snuck in there without you getting permission!! Now he has time to get ready!!"
"Are you done?"
"Yeah, I guess so!!"
"Good." Alex pulled open the heavy iron door. They stepped inside the ruins. Broken statues lay on the stone floor. Erin kicked at a large stone at her feet. It moved and she screamed as a large group of bats flew through a hole in the floor to the forest outside.
Andrew started muttering again. "Stupid...if the knocking wasn't enough...getting a fair warning..."
Brian gave him a withering glance. "Stop muttering and help us find him."
"Don't you think he'd be in the room right in front of us? I mean, he might not be waiting for us in the main chamber." His tone dripped sarcasm.
Thomas moved to the stone door. he tried pushing it, but it wouldn't budge. Finally, he kicked it and the door opened inwards.
Their first glance at Garland was an impressive one. He stood near an altar in the middle of the room, in the armor of the Cornerian army.
Andrew's attention was drawn to the figure sitting in the corner of the room. Emerald was a fitting name for the girl. She sat wearing an evening gown colored the same green showing in her eyes, a shade lighter than Erin's. He stood awestruck by her until Erin punched him in the shoulder. Hard.
Garland's voice echoed around the room. "So, you've found me. How you got through the imps, I have no idea, but you couldn't have gotten through the spider forest."
Alex laughed derisively. "The imps were easily taken care of and Arachnid's burned carcass is lying in the fields to the south. It seems you two were friends; he mentioned your name."
Surprise fleeted across Garland's face before being replace with anger. "You might have gotten through Arachnid, but I serve a much higher power than that Cornerian idiot, and the spider king served me. Prepare to stand and fight, Kajidoragon!"
Confusion at the name flitted across everyone's face except Andrew's and Alex's. Alex was undisturbed at the remark, but Andrew was furious. "What the hell does that mean?! Are you insulting me?"
Garland never answered. He raised one hand to the sky and called, "Lords of Darkness, lend me power!!! Let me destroy these useless humans!!!"
His armor changed from Cornerian red to a midnight black. His cape lengthened until half of it was dragging on the floor. A dark helmet with large, jutting horns appeared on his head. And a giant battle axe appeared in his hands.
He advanced upon them.
Andrew drew his rapier and ran forward. He met Garland head on, dodging and weaving, but couldn't find a spot to strike him. The others soon joined the fray, but Garland fought like a madman. Alex was sent flying into a wall when he was struck with the flat of the axblade.
Thomas scored a lucky hit and punched him hard in the face. Garland struck back and laughed as Andrew's arm was struck badly. Andrew backed off holding his injured arm. Not much blood was flowing, but the strike had sent pain glancing through it. It seemed that the hit was scored again and again as he stood away from the fight. /No doubt that the blade was enchanted./ he thought.
Erin brought her staff down hard upon Garland's helmet.
CLAAAAAAAAANNNNNGG!!!!!
His head ringing, he wiped the blood and sweat from his eyes. He struck down the mage and the girl.
Brian caught him in the stomach as he turned to face him. He looked into his bloodstreaked, surprised face and said, "That was for Jon." He pulled his sword out and struck again, in the same spot. "That was for me."
Garland backed into the altar and fell against it. Slowly, his armor came apart and melted away. The pain in Andrew's arm faded away. Erin healed the cut in his arm and the wound given to Matt as Alex and Thomas untied Emerald. Soon, all seven surrounded the fallen knight.
He looked up at them. A light of madness shone in his eyes. "So, you've won the battle. Still, you haven't won the war."
Brian asked, "Why did you do it? What made you do this?"
"What made me do this? What made me do this?!?" He laughed insanely. "Your precious king made me do this. I might have been his best knight, but he still treated me like dirt. 'Garland do this', 'Garland do that'. I lost faith in him a long time ago. The crown is corrupt, boy. I came here once to think of a reason for why I stayed with him."
He laughed again. "The only reason was that he was all that I knew! If I had left him, I would have been nowhere. As soon as I realized, they came." He fell silent.
Andrew waited, then blurted out, "Well, who were they, asshole?!"
"The Fiends of the Elements. The Great Lords. Masters of this world."
Alex started reciting.
"'The four will come out of the dark,
but six will come to clean their blight.'"
Garland's eyes widened, then he started laughing again. And didn't stop. His last trace of sanity had left him. He screamed at them from between cackles, "They will kill you...they will kill you all...no one can stop them...they will break prophecy..."
They left the room, Andrew last. He couldn't take the cries of the insane man.
"...The Great Lords will kill you... they will kill you all...THEY WILL KILL!!!"
"SHUT UP!!!" Andrew flung the dagger Blood with expert skill. The laughs cut off as the sound of metal hitting bone filled the ruins.
Andrew sighed and walked back to retrieve his dagger. He didn't notice the door closing until it was too late. He ran, but the door closed, sealing Garland and the dagger inside. He pounded and smashed the door over and over again, but it didn't budge. The others had to pull him away from the door as he clawed at them. "My brother's dagger!! The only thing I have of him!! Let me get it!!"
They left the ruins, dragging him back towards Corneria.