The Crystal Palace- Foyer:
To Rian, the room was mute, he couldn't hear anything, not even his own thoughts. His vision was blurred by the streams of sweat dripping off his head, or maybe it was blood? He couldn't be sure. He felt the warm grip of the dual glaive in his hand, spinning and slashing it at the Garthim in front of him. They had no weakness, no submission, they were fearless and relentless in their attack against the Gelfling. He couldn't tell how much time had passed since they had arrived at the castle, it felt like he had been fighting in slow motion.
Rian swung his blade once more; it reverberated off the shell of the Garthim without so much as a scratch left behind. The Garthim paid no attention to Rian and reached forward it's claw to a Vapran Gelfling, the Vapran swung viciously but the Garthim picked him up with ease. The Garthim were meticulous, Rian noticed how they would be sure to strip the weapon away from the Gelfling before added them into the net impound. The Garthim also took great care to not fatally wound any Gelfling, the Skeksis must have given strict orders to keep them all alive. Rian looked around the room, the sounds were flooding back in his mind, he heard the clash of swords and the cries of Gelfling. The Garthim were winning, Maudra Yre had already called the aide of the first four battalions, but the Gelfling were gaining no ground on the castle. They had yet to strike down a Garthim or Skeksis and were nowhere closer to the captured Spritons. Up above, the Skeksis were cheering on the Garthim, eagerly watching the Gelfling being taken away.
Rian tried to think, it was hard for him in the moment to multitask a plan and defending himself. How could they defeat the Garthim? Rian's eye then caught a Garthim's pouch of prisoners, inside he saw Gurjin clawing to be free. Rian's blood boiled and he jumped onto a Garthim's back, quickly cutting the cage where his allies were trapped.
"Rian, look out!," Gurjin tried to warn him, but it was too late.
The Garthim reached back and snapped Rian into its tight pincers, lifting him into the air to throw him across the room.
"Hurray!," Skekshod glorified the violence before him.
"Take them to the dungeons!," Skekzok demanded of the Garthim with full pouches.
Rian was dazed by the blow to his head, he sat up slowly, watching the scheming beast scuttle towards him. Maudra Yre stepped in front of him, raising her weapon to defend the stunned and helpless Rian.
"Rian!," she tried to get his attention.
He lifted his head; the world was spinning, and he saw everything in double.
"Rian, take the fifth battalion. Find the Spritons!," she commanded while grunting and blocking the attack from the Garthim.
"Maudra... Yre?," Rian felt sick to his stomach.
"Rian, come on," Gurjin kneeled beside him. "Get up!"
"GO!," Maudra Yre jumped and spun to slash at the Garthim's leg. Surprisingly the animal stumbled, but it otherwise was not incapacitated by the attack.
Gurjin support Rian, by slinging Rian's arm over his shoulders, once standing they made their way through the chaos of the foyer.
"FIFTH WITH ME!," Gurjin commanded.
Rian shook his head; the world was now a single motion and the edges had sharpened. He had a splitting pain in the back of his head, but he could see and think straight. He tightens his hold on his sword.
"We plow through them. Run fast and avoid their grasp!," Rian ordered as the crowd charged back into the castle. They did exactly that, Rian straightening his sword in front of him to impale any Garthim that stepped in his way.
"Could they really believe it to work?," Skeksa murmured at the sight. She and the other Skeksis watched as a new wave of Gelfling warriors burst into the entry room and plowed their way past the Garthim soldiers. "I'm impressed," she admitted.
"GET THEM! STOP THEM!," Skekso yelled at the Garthim.
"Do you wish for us to fight now?," Skeksa lazily looked over to the Emperor who was seething with rage. Skeksa admittedly enjoyed seeing the General's plan start to fall apart, perhaps maybe now they would listen to her. The Mariner knew this battle was far from over as the Gelfling continued to fight with all their might against the Garthim, and now with half the Garthim chasing Gelfling through the castle, things were heating up.
"How many more Gelfling outside?," Skekung turned to Skekok.
"Seems to me maybe a hundred or so."
"Go to the dungeons! Stop those Gelfling!," The Emperor pushed the Scientist away. "You want to fight; show me you can fight!"
Skektek and Skekung quickly followed the Garthim towards the dungeons to help protect their precious cargo. If the Gelfling somehow freed the Spritons, there would be hell to pay by the Emperor. Skekung feared his plan was unraveling, he had hoped the Gelfling be so weak they would surrender at the sight of the Garthim. If he lost the Gelfling they had captive, the Emperor would blame him and he would be demoted or worse!
The Emperor was bubbling with fury as he looked at the Garthim beneath him, if the Gelfling somehow were victorious on this day he would lose his throne. He wouldn't let it happen; it was impossible! How could he have put so much faith in Skektek's stupid creations! He would have to handle this himself! He saw the Mariner leaning on the railing, she seemed to be bored of the spectacle.
"Get your armor!," he howled to her.
She slowly turned her gaze to him," You wish for me to fight?"
"All of you! Go! We will destroy these Gelfling once and for all," The Emperor turned on his heels striding quickly to the stairs. He was headed for his hidden underground source of the Darkening, he would absorb it all, be more powerful than the Gelfling ever expected. He would laugh as he crumbled them all to ruin. There would be nothing left!
"RUN! RUN AND HIDE! COWARD!," Maudra Yre called after him, watching him storm away was close to a personal victory. I fueled her passion and made her believe there was now a chance to defeat the Garthim and Skeksis when things had looked so bleak only minutes before. Rian had made it through the Garthim wall, and she had confidence in him that they would find and free the Spritons. "BRING IN THE SIXTH!," She called for the next battalion to come to their aide.
The Crystal Palace- Corridors:
"GO! Go! Go!," Gurjin stopped to guide the rest of the battalion around a corner. It seemed they had only lost maybe seven or eight members to the Garthim when blowing through their defensive line. He looked down the hallway and the Garthim were following them, he quickly followed up the rear of their brigade with Rian at the front guiding them. As castle guards, Rian and Gurjin knew where the dungeons were, but it was rare to visit them. The Skeksis only had ever kept Podling attendants there who misbehaved as punishment and occasionally a guard would spend the night there for disciplinary reasons. It was a rare occurrence, even Rian with all his goofing off never landed a night in a cell.
"LEFT!," Rian called out, cutting a hard left down a new hallway. He looked over his shoulder to see that the squad was still close to him, it was then he saw a familiar face- Rek'yr was part of this group. Now was not the time for formal hellos and something else caught Rian's attention, beyond the group he saw the scuttling black Garthim gaining ground. "SPLIT! HALF RIGHT, HALF STRAIGHT!"
Rian ran straight, but he saw in his peripheral some of the troops veering off down a separate hall. It was his hope that the Garthim would also split up, making it less to follow him and he could lose them in the halls of the castle. He knew these walls, he knew all the nooks and crannies, he had hidden and played here, as sad as it was to admit- Rian grew up in these walls. He knew this castle perhaps better than anyone else, maybe even better than the Skeksis themselves. He knew Gurjin would go opposite of him to help guide the other half of the brigade through the castle halls.
Rian was guiding the Garthim straight to the crystal chamber where he had an idea. He didn't know if it was a smart idea, but it was the plan he had come up with on the fly. Gelfling had been forbidden to entering the Crystal chamber and Rian had followed that rule but that didn't mean he hadn't snuck looks when the door was open. He had remembered a specific time on patrol when he had crouched behind a stone statue to peer into the Crystal Chamber. It was Skeklach and Skekzok who were going into the chamber, and he saw the giant room, there in the center had been the Crystal of Truth! It was beautiful and larger than he expected, the room was built around the Crystal with it floating in the center and below it was a large opening. The squad was keeping good pace, but the Garthim were still close behind, Rian only had one chance to make this work, so he better make it good.
The Crystal Palace- Different Corridors:
Brea shut the library door behind her, the weight of the book on her back altered her center of balance, she almost fell backwards. She too could hear it now, the distant moans and cries of some unknown creature. What could the Skeksis be up to now? What innocent life were they exploiting for their own gain?
"Brea, which way to the Crystal?," Naia asked.
"Shouldn't we go-..."
"No," Naia shook her head. "We can't risk being found before we heal the Crystal."
"She's right, Brea," Kylan agreed with Naia. "Besides, the Skeksis are probably at the source of those screams."
Brea's stomach tensed, the Skeksis still had the power to surprise her with their vile behavior. There was a muffled commotion that Brea could hear, it seemed father than the cries for help, but she was certain it was something. She knew that Naia and Kylan were right, they needed to get to the crystal, they had already spent so much time in the castle undetected and their luck wouldn't last forever.
"We need to make sure to avoid those new guards too," Kylan noted.
Brea nodded," Okay," she agreed reluctantly. "Let's go," she led them down a spiral stone staircase. Skektek's lab was on the lower level of the castle, she swallowed the nerves creeping on her. Last time she was in that sunless room, was when she had been strapped to a chair, moments away from being drained of her essence. It was Mother Aughra that had saved her, she had barely escaped the castle that time, she hoped this time she would have the same fortuity.
Naia followed close behind Brea, she had a hand in her own pocket, gripping the crystal shard tightly. This was their chance to finally have the edge on the Skeksis, she had dreamed of this since hearing about the capture of her brother. Naia held a grudge against the Skeksis, but know it was fueled by their atrocities against all Gelfling and she wanted to make them pay. She wanted justice for every Gelfling that had been taken and drained, she was motivated to be the one that would put the final nail in their coffins.
"Do you hear that?," Kylan whispered to the girls.
They exited the stairs and as they were creeping through the halls towards the lab, the noise was getting louder.
"What is that?," Naia craned her neck to see past Brea.
"Sounds like a fight," Kylan peeked out from behind Naia.
There were muffled shouting and the sounds of steel clashing, then they heard approaching steps. Brea flattened herself against the wall, Naia did the same while pulling Kylan with her, so he didn't stand out. Brea squeezed her eyes shut and willed herself to be invisible as the rapid footsteps got louder and they heard angry muttering.
"I will crush them! They will know my power!," the voice snapped.
Brea recognized the tone, but she didn't dare open her eyes. It was the Emperor coming right at them and she could do was stand there frozen. Naia squeezed Kylan's hand tightly, she narrowed her eyes and tensed her body, ready to pounce on whoever was coming. Kylan squeezed her hand in return, could this really be his last moment? Was it over before it ever began?
Skekso stormed past the threesome glued to the wall without noticing them in the slightest. The Emperor was focused on his own rage, the defiance of those repulsive Gelfling was enough to make him shatter the whole of Thra without any regards to the backlash. He would crush them and not even the Gelfling girl would be able to stop him. He would absorb all of the Darkening if he had to and there was nothing anyone could do to stop him.
Kylan let out a slow breath as the emperor rounded a corner and the three Gelfling were left in the vacant hall. "That was close," he whispered.
"Come on, let's get out of here," Naia looked to Brea who was still standing with her eyes crinkled with the force she had them closed. "Brea?"
Brea opened her eyes; it took her a few moments to realize the danger had passed. She blinked and turned to her friends, slowly registering that the Emperor had not seen them.
"...Yeah...," she tripped over her own feet but caught herself. "This way."
Naia debated on letting go of Kylan's hand but she chose to keep it in her grasp, giving him a reassuring squeeze as they followed Brea in the opposite direction of the Skeksis.
"Just like last time," Naia winked to Kylan.
Kylan agreed it was similar to the time they had infiltrated the castle and almost been discovered by a Skeksis in the catacombs. He had hidden beside Naia then too, but it was not the same feeling he had now. Now he clutched her hand with all he had, praying to Thra that they would make it out of the Castle again because Kylan didn't want to lose her. He did feel a connection with Naia he felt with no other Gelfling and even though he wasn't ready to tell her that, he needed to make sure they got out of here so he would have the chance to.
The Crystal Palace- Catacombs:
The Emperor's cloak flared behind him as he stormed into the catacombs, quickly making his way to the entrance of the Darkening's core. The small room gave off the familiar violaceous glow that the Emperor had come to enjoy. In his eyes it was a symbol of power, it was his secret pawn that only he knew about, somewhat of an oasis to him. There was no time for the simple pleasantries, he went to the wall where he was storing viles of essence from his sessions of absorbing the Darkening. He gave the Scientist strict orders to give him as many as he could fill. He glared over the ten or so bottles until he saw the one that was specially marked.
"Ahh!," he grabbed it with his claws, on the side of the glass there was a symbol drawn in black ink, many lines together almost like leaf with a circle at the bottom, Skekso recognized it at the Spriton clan sigil. This was the special indeed, it was the essence of the Maudra of that clan, Skektek had given it to him as a gift. He congratulated himself for saving it, if there was ever a moment for special essence, now was the time.
He chewed the lid off and tipped the vile upside, the silvery sweet essence flowed into his mouth and down his throat. He jolted from the electric sensation that shot through him, he was truly the most powerful being in all of Thra. The Emperor threw the bottle and leaned over the massive crack that ventured further than he could see, feeling the habitual hum that emanated from the space.
"Come to me," he beckoned the slithering bolts closer; almost as if they could hear him, the dark energy wriggled towards the Emperor.
Ever since the Emperor's experiments with the Darkening, he had lost all sensation in his body from his feet to his talons he was numb. He had noticed the decay of his skin, the loss of several claws, and the top of his beak was decomposing, but still there was no feeling. The time he felt anything was when he consumed essence, it lights up every nerve in his body and he could feel his heartbeat faster and the world seemed less dismal. The Emperor attempted to hide this from his followers, placing several rings on his claws, a silver plate on his beak and wearing several layers to disguise his thinness. He tasted nothing anymore, all foods that he had favored now were dust on his taste buds and lumped like mud in his throat.
A chill gripped his heart or whatever organ lay in his shriveled chest, the Emperor tensed, he knew this was the Darkening but the sensation was something he never got used to. Even with the boost of energy from essence, the Darkening icy grip was inevitable. He felt inches from death each time this part of his experiments occurred, and he never knew which time the Darkening would consume him entirely and he would be left broken and in disarray. The frosty clutch passed and the Emperor felt the Darkening surge and swarm to the small jewel in the center of his crescent scepter. The Emperor watched it pulsate with a purple glow that make him throw his head back and laugh, his chilling screech reverberated off the wall and echoed down the long catacomb halls.
The Gelfling truly thought their feeble attempt to overthrow him would work, which made this all the more hilarious to Skekso. He was done with this back and forth, if the Gelfling refused to bow to him and would openly attack him in his castle, there was no going back. He would destroy them all and he had the weapon to do it, even with the silly Gelfling girl, he had more power than she could ever absorb.
"Now they will know my power," he turned on his heel and headed back towards the foyer.
The Crystal Palace- Crystal Chamber:
There it was. Rian saw the door to the fabled Crystal Chamber at the end of the hall, it was now or never to execute his plan. Rian pushed into the heavy wooden door, the other army members helped by adding their weight.
"Shut it!," A Drenchen tried to push the doors close after all were inside. Rian vaguely recognized him, he had been the very same Drenchen who had been fighting with a Sifan in the village square. Gurjin had later introduced him as Tijar, he was a resource recovery specialist in the Great Sog, but had learned some combat at a young age.
"NO!," Rian pulled him away, reopening the double doors, "To the back of the room!"
The rest of the group spread to the back of the room, Rian followed, keeping his eyes on the approaching Garthim. Rian carefully maneuvered around the pit in the center of the room where the Crystal moved through the shaft. Rian glanced into the hole, a red glow illuminated the wide vertical tunnel, below he could see the top of the famed Crystal of Truth.
"Rian, what do we do?," Rek'yr wielded his pointed spear.
The three Garthim entered the room, the first one ran straight towards the bunch, unaware of its surrounding and fell directly into the Crystal shaft. Rian watched with open mouth; he didn't imagine his plan would work so flawlessly. The dark creature fell in complete silence, not so much a yelp for help or a cry of anguish. Rian watched as the animal struck the top of the crystal, bounced off the wall and disappeared into the orange mist. Maybe the Garthim weren't as smart as he thought they were, Rian turned his gaze the other two Garthim. They seemed to acknowledge the danger of the hole and made an attempt to avoid it as they lunged at the Gelfling cornered in the back of the room.
"We need to surround them, push them towards the crystal chamber," Rian batted the Garthim away.
"They'll grab us," Tijar ducked the Garthim's swing and sprinted away.
"Not if we act quickly," Rek'yr struck the Garthim with his spear and gracefully jumped to its other side using the spear as leverage.
The second Garthim was getting closer, and Rian took his chance to run and then slid on his knees underneath it before it had the chance to snatch him with its pincers. He turned to see the Gelfling were now scattering around the room, enclosing the Garthim. Rian stood and ran at the Garthim who was turned away from him, jumping to shove it as hard as he could, to his surprise the beast did not budge. Instead, the Garthim twisted back to face him, swinging its arm and knocking him off to the side. A Paladin grabbed Rian from under his arms and helped him stand, together they ran back at the Garthim, pushing it with all their force, Rek'yr joined as did Tijar and the animal was starting to give, Rian could feel its weight shifting.
"HARDER!," Rek'yr grunted as he propelled himself more forcefully onto the Garthim.
"AHHHH!," the Paladin beside Rian screamed as the second Garthim had successfully evaded the Gelfling impact, picked him up and threw him. Rian saw him slide towards the center and fall over the edge.
"NO!," Rian leapt towards the chamber, desperate to grab the Paladin's hand and prevent him from falling.
"Rian!"
Rian grasped the Paladin's hand, and then gripped the edge of the rim to keep himself from falling in too. The Paladin's hand slipped and before Rian could grab him again, he fell out of reach.
"NOO!," Rian hopelessly reached down the chasm for the Paladin. The Paladin was nothing like the Garthim he screamed, and Rian heard the crack of his skull as he bounced off the walls. Then there was nothing, the Paladin was lost in the fog far below and Rian was stuck watching it happen with no control to stop it.
"PUSH!," Rek'yr could be heard guiding the troops.
Rian finally tore his eyes from the chamber and saw hat Rek'yr had managed to topple one of the Garthim, the second was still standing and had a Stonewood member locked in its grasp.
Rian was furious, a blind white rage washed over him, and he ran towards the standing Garthim, jumped into the air and twisted to kick the Garthim with his full body weight. Rian rolled away and saw the Garthim teeter on its tentacles, before the rest of the Gelfling enclosed it and within seconds it was also laying on its back.
"Quick, push them into the chamber!," Rian went around the far side of the Garthim, his squad joined him, and they made quick work of bulldozing the two Garthim into the endless pit of the crystal. They fell like the first one, no sound, no complaints, no way to struggle. Rian was breathing roughly; he was gasping for each breath but barely getting any air.
"Rian, breathe," Rek'yr pulled him from the chamber opening. "In and out slowly. In and out. Like that."
Rian tried to follow Rek'yr but his mind was racing, that Vapran... he didn't even know his name. How could he not know his name? He knew nearly everyone in the army and could name everyone in this room, but not the Gelfling that fell through his fingers to death.
"I can't believe we did it," gawked Tijar.
"The fight is from over," Rek'yr replied still trying to coax Rian from his daze.
"But we can beat them!," Tijar jumped into the air.
"Rian," Rek'yr kept his focus on Rina. "Keep breathing."
Rian was searching his memory for that Paladin, had he been at camp this entire time? He had to of been one of the new arrivals? How else could Rian not know him?
"Did you know his name?," Rian's distant gaze turned to Rek'yr.
Rek'yr knew exactly what Rian was asking and kept his eyes locked on him. " I did not know the Paladin. He fought bravely and now he is with Thra, Rian. I will send him with a blessing." Rek'yr tore his stare from Rian and sat beside the luminous hole in the middle of the room, Rian could hear a gentle hum coming from him.
Rian sniffled, the room was getting clearer, he saw the rest of the Gelfling standing and waiting for him to move.
"We can't stay here," Rian grunted and stood up.
"No we need to get back to the fight!," Tijar strode back to the wide double doors.
"No, we head to the dungeons, it is what the Maudra asked of us. We go free the Spritons."