Chapter 6
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Notes: There are several.
Don't own it, yadda yadda, no money, yadda yadda, don't sue me, etc, pocky, and so on.
Slash warning. Umm... boy/boy action. No likey? Then go away. I'm not responsible for your bad reaction if you read this, because you have been warned.
Read the first chapter first. If you're here first somehow, it will be too confusing to catch up now. Go back to the first chapter now.
Even though the game is not mine, the story is, and I would appreciate it of you did not use it without my permission. I think that's all, so on with the fic!
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Kaelay
I don't have time to worry about this. Chaelar is on the move. There's no serious threat at the moment, but it's only a matter of time. I think I'll play down my own power for the moment and let Mortagui take him on. That should take care of any pesky creatures he's gotten from the Temple.
I'm seriously worried about the turmoil in the Shadowlands. The Darkness can't tell me what's going on, which scares me more than anything else. I'll set more creatures in the training rooms and battle pits. If something's going to happen, then I need to be ready for it.
My Master is pooling almost all of its power into my hearts and me. I can take at least a small bit of comfort in this. Most Darknesses, including Red, keep one of their minor Keepers in favor through the Temple, in the case of a fall. That way, someone else will be there to catch them.
I know the other Red that my Master has its eye on. The Keeper's name is Evain. He's a decent enough fellow; a good strategist, kind to his creatures, and VERY intelligent. He lacks, however, the killer instinct that makes a Keeper good enough to be Chosen. I believe that this means either that the Red Darkness believes it can instill that instinct into Evain, or that my Master has enough faith in me that it believes it won't matter. I like to assume the latter.
There is an imp addressing the Heart. It is Seiat. Hm. I remember feeling his presence going after Tarkasas. Is he reporting what Tarkasas witnessed? I already know all of that, but it is good to see loyalty like this.
Yes? I address the imp.
He stutters a little, awed (as most imps are) to be in my presence. "U-um. M-m-master? I... I just spoke with Tarkasas Master.
Yes? Oh, this should be interesting.
"W-well, Your Excellence, Master, he said... Um... he said that, well. You see, he told me..."
Spit it out, imp.
"Tarkasas told me that he suspects that the green keeper is going to turn on us."
I am annoyed. Why didn't he come tell me himself?
"Well, he said that he did not have proof, and that he didn't want to tell you unless he was certain."
I frown. Seiat can feel my emotions quite well through the bond, if I let him, and I don't see why I shouldn't. Tarkasas always tells me his suspicions. Why not this time?
"Well, that's the other thing he said," Seiat whimpers, "I don't know if I should tell you this, but he said... he said he's in love with a creature from the green dungeon."
Ah. Now things start to get interesting.
Thank you Seiat. You have been very loyal. You will be rewarded. I focus my energy briefly, pulling a secret from the library. Secrets are hidden within spiked boxes all over the Underrealm, you just have to know where to look. They are remnants of high-magic pockets left to disintegrate by long-dead keepers. I have many in my library, and now I select a small one. Taking the ball of glowing energy from the box, I concentrate, sending the glow into the heart of the imp. He jumps slightly, and his power and experience shoot up a level.
He bows, scraping the ground, and looks at me worshipfully. "Th-thank you Master," he manages to stutter, before running out of the Heart Chamber to attend to his next job.
So Mortagui intends to betray me? That in itself would not really be a big surprise or a big problem, but I have an uneasy feeling that this is somehow related to the disturbance in the Shadowlands.
Seiat
I never intended to betray Tarkasas, really I didn't. And it's not really betrayal, I keep telling myself. Keeper should know from me, because if she found out on her own, she would be angry. Besides, Keeper needs to know when Her Dungeon might be threatened, and I can never withold something important from Her.
I feel bad about it though. Tarkasas confided in me, and now I just went and told everything to Keeper. But it's for his own good. I need to keep telling myself that.
There are only a few more plots to claim. I rush to the front ranks to do so, and very rapidly we close the gap between Keeper's Dungeon and the green. Five left. Two. One. There. We have now reached the green dungeon. I decide that I won't be missed for a few seconds, and take off into the green dungeon. I should get to know this place, just in case.
Just in case I need to follow Tarkasas again?
If that it was Keeper wishes.
Tarkasas
Somehow, I've managed to run into him again. It's sad the kind of luck I have. He offered to show me around the Dungeon, and like the fool I am I agreed. So now we're walking together side by side, he telling me all about the Dungeon, me trying to listen and not stare at him too much.
And not really succeeding.
I decided that I have to find out more about the betrayal. I must be certain, because if it's true, well, then I'll have to tell Kaelay. I hesitate to tell her before I'm sure though, because I don't want to betray him. Ramasha.
He gives me the fourth weird look since I came. I must be staring again. I quickly look away and try not to blush. Oh Gods. It's a sad day indeed when I am in danger of blushing. I try desperately to cover. "Um... I'm sorry. I must have been drifting. What did you say?"
He frowns ever so slightly, then sighs. "I *said*, the reason you don't see any dragons is because my Keeper doesn't let the Demon Spawn change."
I blink. This could be important. I should really try harder to listen. "Why not?"
He shrugs noncomitally. "He doesn't like having to deal with creatures that *could* be level ten turning back to level four. It's hard enough to get them to level 10 in the first place."
I nod. Kaelay does something similar. She lets only half of the Demon Spawn morph. Her reason though (or so she tells me) is that Dragons and Demon Spawn have different fighting styles, and the more varied your army was, the more types of attacks you were prepared for. Still. "No dragons at all?"
"Well, maybe one or two. We get a few that join the Dungeon as is. As you know though, they can smell gold even in the Shadowlands. They are attracted to it like Flies to light. And unfortunately, there are some around here who have more wealth than us." He doesn't meet my eyes.
Wow. He sure knows how to make one feel guilty. I doubt he's doing it on purpose, but still.
"Well, to the victor go the spoils, and all that," I say nonchalantly.
He smiles. "I know. I just wish..."
He stops, and the mood suddenly takes a decided turn towards the more serious. "You wish what?" I ask softly.
He looks at me. "I wish... well. I guess I wish that Mortagui would get his act together so that we *could* have the wealth to attract dragons. I wish... I wish that I had chosen better."
Ramasha
I don't know why I'm revealing this much of myself to him. I've never really told anyone about myself, mainly because no one ever cared enough to listen. Now that I've started however, it's like a floodgate has been opened and I just can't help myself.
I turn to him, stopping in the corridor. He halts uncertainly, also turning to face me. "Have you ever regretted giving your alleigance to Red?" I ask.
He shakes his head vehemently. "Not once."
"That's what I wish. I wish that I had no reason to regret belonging to Mortagui. I wish that Mortagui was more like... more like Kaelay." I stop talking, ashamed of saying so much aloud to an almost complete stranger. What's even worse, I can feel slight tears starting to well up in my eyes. I hurriedly turn away from him and begin walking briskly down the hallway.
After a stunned moment, he jogs to catch up with me. I haven't gone very far, so it takes him only a few seconds. In stead of slowing and walking beside me however, he keeps going until he is blocking me path, then stops and turns to face me.
I look at the ground. There is no way I can face him. Suddenly, however, I feel him step closer, and then...
Then his arms go around me. My breath catches involuntarily, and I stiffen, but this is like nothing I've ever felt before. It's soft, gentle, and more compassionate than I would expect from a Dark Knight. Without really meaning to, I relax in his arms.
"It's okay," he whispers to me, "It's okay to feel like that. It happens. There is no shame."
No shame Tarkasas? And what do you know about shame?
I don't want to, but the walls are down, and I just can't help it. I start to sob, leaning into his shoulder and wrapping my arms around him as tightly as I can. So much anger, resentment, and sadness, none of it aimed at him, are realeased into the tiny droplets of saltwater, falling gently onto his armor and sliding to the floor beneath us. He doesn't seem to mind, and holds me a little tighter, but so gently. So very gently.
When I have calmed down a bit, he asks softly, "Why don't you try to get away? Creatures desert all the time when they are unhappy."
I shake my head, grateful that I don't have to look in his eyes. "I- I couldn't. I can't go back to the Shadowlands. The Gods... The Gods have imbued me with their power. They do this with all Angels. To go back to the Shadowlands would be to lose that, and thus destroy part of the Gods. If I ever came back, they would make my life a nightmare. I couldn't. Even if I could go through that, I love my Gods too much to do that to them."
"You don't have to go back to the Shadowlands to desert," he says.
I am momentarily stunned, and I tighten my arms around him. "You- you don't?"
He shakes his head. "No. If there's another Keeper nearby, you can switch alleigances, directly from one to another. Enough creature have converted to Kaelay that I'm very familiar with the process."
Thoughts run through my head in a blur. Turn traitor? Betray my alleigance to Mortagui? Desert? Could I do that? Could I ever do that?
"You don't have to stay here," he continues. "You could come to the Red Dungeon. Kaelay would welcome you, I guarantee it. You don't have to be Mortagui's Angel." Now he looks down at me, and says softly, "You could be my Angel."
Oh Gods. He can't. Mortagui will-
"NO!" I scream, pushing him away. I can't let him do this. Mortagui would... I don't even want to think what he would do. I'll probably be tortured for even thinking about leaving, let alone what he's done to me already.
Only stolen my heart, that's all.
I turn and run down the corridor as fast as I can. As I do, I flex my wings, then extend them, taking off from the ground and going faster than ever. I can feel him staring after me, but I don't look back. As I glide around the next corner in the hall, I can still feel his arms around me.
Oh God, that was hideous. Take me back.
or
Oh God, that was hideous. Let me complain to the author.