Chapter 16: The Abandonment of Victoria
Kiltan slowly trudged back through the Sanctuary. His legs were battered and weak, causing him to stumble after every few steps he took. Heera was slung over his shoulder, or at least the top half of her body was, and he held on tightly to her limp arms with his right hand, while his broken left arm swung uselessly at his side. He could still feel the cold blood from Heera's body trickling down and staining the back of his clothes.
His face was drenched in a mixture of sweat and tears as he finally reached the entrance of the Sanctuary, and he fell down onto the ground in exhaustion, breathing heavily. As he looked up, he finally realized that there was no way out of this dark, rocky pit that he now lay in. How was he going to get out? This thought kept running through his mind, and then he realized that no one had yet come.
Where were they? Heera had come to see what had happened to him, but where were the rest from Sleepywood? Were they going to leave him to die in this dungeon? Taking a deep breath, he looked up to the pale light above. Perhaps he could climb the walls? With that, he struggled to his feet and fell against the rocky walls, but it was smooth all around, nothing but flat, polished limestone that stretched up high beyond his reach.
He banged his fist against the wall in anger and confusion, and then turned back to look at Heera. "There has to be a way out of here," he muttered to her. "There has to."
He slowly walked back to her, stood over her body. "Yes, my love. We will get out somehow." And then, he felt something brushing over his head. Turning quickly around, he fumbled to pull out a star, getting ready to attack whatever it was, but dropped it in his hurry, and he fell to the ground. But then, he gave a weak chuckle. How did he miss that before? Hanging above him, swinging slowly, was a long rope that stretched down from the rocks above.
So this was how Heera had come down to the Sanctuary. He looked back at her and smiled. "Thank you," he said softly to her. Picking her up once again, he grabbed onto the rope, but immediately realized that with only one good arm, he was not going to be able to pull him and Heera out of the pit. "I'm sorry," Kiltan said to Heera as he laid her down on the ground again, right below the rope. "But I promise, once I have found the rest, I will return for you." And giving a final sad glance at Heera, Kiltan wound the rope around his legs, and painfully began to climb it.
How long it took him, he didn't know. His hands were bleeding from the rough, scratchy rope, and he had to keep kicking himself up to reach higher. His arm was already aching, and his fingers numb, but he looked down to the pit below, which was now hidden in the dark shadows once again, and he kept struggling on.
Finally, he pulled himself up the final inch of the rope, and grabbed onto the rocky ledge. Giving a last heave, he rolled up onto the dusty rock and took in deep gulps of air. He couldn't feel his right arm anymore, and it was now almost as useless as his broken arm, with spirals of cuts winding around the length of his arm. His feet were also in pain, bleeding from the coarse rope burns. He couldn't go on, not in this state. And so, lying on the rock, he fell into an uneasy sleep.
He woke up with a start, and instinctively pulled out a star. He remembered he was now in the caves, and totally defenseless, and his eyes darted around for any sign of danger, but there was nothing around him. Pushing himself up to his feet, he held on to the star and began walking slowly back towards Sleepywood. He didn't know what time it was. The light that shone through the caves never changed, always glowing blue, not affected by what happened outside.
Yes, the outside. It felt like a lifetime since he had basked in the warm sunlight. He forgot how fresh air smelt like, and he it felt cool and refreshing against his skin. How long had he been down here? It could not have been more then a day, but still he felt a sudden urge to run through the caves, and burst out onto the surface again, away from the dark, damp caves. But his legs wouldn't let him run, and he walked as quickly as he could, pushing his way up over the endless rocks, taking in deep breaths of stale air.
The rocks turned yellow, and then slowly back to grey, as he walked onwards. Yes, he knew this place well now. Not too long more and he would be in Sleepywood. And then he realized, what if the rest hadn't come, because they were still fighting the undead in Sleepywood? He strained his ears, trying to hear if there was anyone still in Sleepywood. He saw the entrance of the caves, lit by a single torch, but suddenly, the urge to reach the surface died away.
What had happened to the rest of them, he kept wondering. Was there a terrible creature up there that they could not defeat? Were they all injured? He could not go out like this, so helpless and tired. Whatever was out there, he would be no match for it. He pressed himself against the wall, closed his eyes, and gave a soft chant. He felt his body fading away, melting into the shadows.
Opening his eyes, he could no longer see his body. And so, as quietly as he could, he edged out of the caves, and stepped onto the dry grass of Sleepywood. And then his worst fears were realized.
Scattered over the grounds of Sleepywood were the bodies of many dead men. Immediately, his mind flashed back to the battle at Ellinia, and he remembered the carnage that littered the damp grounds, and the blood that flowed away in the rain, washed off into the sea. Those people were helpless against the powers of the Barlog. He remembered many of the men, who had just arrived on Victoria, and so suddenly been plunged into war with an evil power they had never seen before.
But this time, it was worse. There was no survivors running around and helping the wounded. There wasn't even any wounded. They were all dead. Quietly, Kiltan walked through the field of bodies, and looked down at their mangled bodies, twisted into odd shapes, and deep scars scratched across their bodies like paper.
"Leiguin! Cassandra!" Kiltan began shouting out the names of everyone he knew. "Hines! Is anyone here?" He was now ignoring any dangers that might be lurking around. He didn't care about it anymore. All he wanted was to find someone. He needed to know what was going on. He tried to see if he could remember any of the dead bodies, but their faces had been so brutally mangled that he could not remember anyone at all. Continuing to shout, he began to stumble out towards the entrance of Sleepywood, heading towards Henesys.
All along the path towards Henesys, he met no one, and heard nothing. Everything looked the same as he had last seen them. The forest was still dead, with slender black trees surrounding the large Tree of Victoria. Nothing had changed, yet it seemed so different. There was no sound other then the crunching of his footsteps. Not even a bird or a forest animal. Kiltan quickened his pace.
"Hello? Is anyone here?" Kiltan shouted as loud as he staggered forward into Henesys. The first thing that struck him was the barren town. There was nothing here. However, it looked just the same as it had looked when he had left it for Sleepywood. The rubble was still lying around, gathered into small piles of stone and dust, ready to be carried away and dumped outside the town. The large canvas tents still flapped softly in the dusty wind. But there was no one here.
Kiltan didn't know what to think. Where was everyone? That was the only thought that hammered him, and he wandered mindlessly around the town. He came up to the food storage area, which was simply a covered tent that the workers stored their food in to keep it away from the sun. He suddenly realized that it must have been over a day since he had eaten, and he pushed past the flaps and into the tent. However, there was no food. Only a few rotten fish and apples lay and the shelves, and nothing more.
He slumped down onto the ground, and stared blankly at the empty storage. He didn't feel hungry, but he still wondered where all the food had gone to. For a while, he just sat there, his mind wildly thinking of what might have happened while he was gone. Hadn't he destroyed the evil power of Victoria? Why was there no one waiting to celebrate his glorious return? He clutched his hair as he felt his headache getting worse.
"Medicine," he muttered softly to himself. He immediately thought of Ellinia. They had magical healing waters. And as far as he knew, that was the safest town in this time of war. Perhaps the people have all retreated to the safety of Ellinia. And so, he quickly pushed himself up and out through the tent, and headed for Ellinia. His arm was still in pain, but it felt like nothing compared to his headache, which was now pounding against his brain, as though it wanted to tear through his skull. Grunting in pain, he shook his head and clenched his fist, trying to ignore the pain as he pushed his feet forward, desperately trying to reach for Ellinia.
He could think of nothing else other then walking forward. He just walked, and ever so often he would knock against the trees that lined the sides of the path, and he used them to push himself back onto the path. He felt the heat of the sun on his back slowly fading away as he finally pushed his way through the Ellinia forest, and out onto the great fields that surrounded Ellinia.
But there was no one here as well. No welcoming glow of the magical stones, no chattering of voices, it was all empty. He dragged himself forward, his lips too dry to try and call out for help. But now, all he wanted was the healing waters that were kept in the potion store. He climbed up the side platforms, slowly pulling himself up the wooden walkways, before finally falling through the doors of the potion shop. It was dark in here, and there was no one in the shop, so he quickly clambered over the counter and frantically pulled open the cabinets of bottles, randomly drinking whatever he grabbed.
Finally, he slumped down into the ground, his head swirling with a multitude of different colors. Broken bottles were lying on the ground around him, spilling their colored contents on the floor. One of the potions he drank had to be the medicine he needed, because he could feel his headache slowly dying down, but he also felt his whole body shaking uncontrollably, and his eyes fell heavy. He felt tired, and fell face first into the puddle of spilt potions as he drifted off to sleep.
When he woke up, he was soaked in a foul smelling liquid. The mix of potions had started to bubble and was turning a nasty brown color. Quickly pushing himself up, he stumbled out onto the platforms. And this was when he finally managed to get a clear look at Ellinia. He didn't pay attention to it until now. Stepping back and looked up at the tree, and he couldn't see a single leaf. All the branches were bare and rotting black, just like the Tree of Victoria. Slowly, he turned around, and gasped in shock as he looked out over the Ellinia forest.
The magical green forest that had once surrounded Ellinia was now gone. The trees were there, towering high above the ground below, but they were all dead and black. And standing tall above them all was the Tree of Victoria, darker then any of the other trees, looming over it all. Kiltan stumbled backwards, not wanting to accept the endless stretch of death before him.
What happened? The thought still haunted him. No, he had to find out what was going on. Hurrying back to the potion shop, he grabbed a long piece of cloth and made a rough sling for his arm. And with that, he hurried back down the tree and headed north towards Perion.
He felt slightly better after drinking the potions, and his feet felt stronger. He was soon jogging over the dry dusty road uphill towards Perion. But even from afar, he could see that there wasn't anyone in Perion either. Not a sound could be heard from the mountainous range, and even as he stood on the roof of the Perion temple, at the highest peak of Victoria, he could still see no one. As he peered down over the swamps below, he saw the Tree of Victoria once again. It seemed to stare back at him, following him everywhere he went. Shuddering, he quickly climbed back down, and after having a short rest, he started off towards Kerning. Yet, he still didn't feel hungry or tired. In fact, it was almost as if he was regaining his strength as he ran on.
It was nightfall when he finally reached Kerning, and as he expected, it was also empty. There was a huge hole in the wall that led to the swamps where the creatures had attacked from. The town was not much different from Henesys and Perion. Only a few buildings remained standing, while the rest were scatter over the grounds, blanketing the floor with broken bricks and stones.
There was nothing he could do. No explanations as to what had happened. Over the next six days, he wandered aimlessly over Victoria, circling the island and picking his way through the towns, desperately trying to find something, anything that can give him a clue as to where everyone went. Lith Harbour was also empty and deserted, just like the rest of the towns.
He had circled Victoria five times in total, trudging over sand and grass, through rain and heat, and never stopped. Yet, not once had he eaten or slept. He felt strong, and he didn't feel the need to rest or eat. He finally returned to Ellinia for the sixth time, and now he didn't expect to find anything new. It was all the same, no matter how many times he circled the island. The trees were slowly rotting away, breaking under their own weight and crashing to the ground, and that was the only noise he ever heard.
The Tree of Victoria was still there. It was everywhere he went, looking down on him. It stood at the center of the island, and there was no where he could hide from its view, and it was driving him mad. He knew it was crazy. It was nothing more then a dead tree, yet it seemed powerful, giving off some evil aura. Yes, he had felt an evil presence coming from the Tree before they attacked Sleepywood. But he had destroyed the Barlog, so why can he still feel a sense of evil power coming from it?
Confused, he walked towards Sixtopia, and stood at the edge of the high cliffs, looking down the sheer rocky face and at the crashing waves below. To his left was the Sixtopia port, still unfinished, and left abandoned in its incomplete state. The port extended outwards over the cliff, dangerously supported by a few large beams that held it up from below. Only a flying ship would be able to bring someone to Ossyria because of the rough seas below, which almost never calmed down.
Yet somehow, even though the port was not completed, that didn't mean that the ships couldn't still pick people up. The thought suddenly struck him and he bolted upright, nearly slipping off the cliff in his rush. Yes, he would go to Ossyria. After so many days, he was sure that no living thing remained on Victoria. Perhaps something happened when he killed the Barlog. Perhaps they all thought he and Heera were dead, and they retreated from their homeland before anything else could happen. Yes, that could explain the evil forces he was feeling.
Heera. He had forgotten her. "I promised that I will return to you when I find the rest," Kiltan said as he looked up at the Tree of Victoria. "Don't worry, my love. I will find them, and tell them its all ok, and they will return here and give you a proper burial. I will not leave you here alone for too long."
But he didn't know how he would go to Ossyria. For one more day, he simply sat at the edge of the port, looking out over the horizon, and saw the white speck that is Ossyria, floating calmly through the clouds. He waited, hoping to see the flying ship return, but no one ever came.
It was early in the morning when he realized that it was quiet. He looked down the cliff, and saw that the sea was calmly lapping at the stones lined along the foot of the cliff. The sea was calm and flat as far as he could see.
There was no other way. He ran along the cliff, and it was not too long before he found the stone stairs that led down to the sea. It was rarely used, because few people needed to go down to the churning waters below except for emergencies. He ran down the stone steps as quickly as he could, and scanned the shoreline for any signs of the wooden boat that was kept down there for emergencies.
He spotted it not too far away, tied up on a tall, dry piece of rock, out of reach from the high waves. He tugged the boat down, and dragged it to the receding sea line. Even with only one good arm, he was sure he would be able to reach Ossyria, especially since he was feeling stronger then ever. It was a weird feeling of invincibility. For some reason, not only did he feel strong, but he was braver then ever, and he was sure he couldn't die, especially after he had destroyed the great evil that had ruled over Victoria for two centuries. His only worry was the sea, if it would turn rough again when he was out there. But there was no other choice. He had to do this.
Grabbing the paddle from the rocks, he pushed the boat off, and swung the paddle into the water. Slowly, he steered the raft carefully with his one paddle. As he looked up towards the barely visible speck of Ossyria, he smiled. He didn't feel tired or worried now; he knew all his answers awaited him on the icy shores across the ocean. He felt happy, and not once did his smile fade away as he slowly disappeared over the vast ocean.
But he was not alone. High above the sky, hidden in the thick clouds, a dark shadow hovered silently, looking down at the tiny speck in the ocean. It growled in pleasure as it slowly followed the progress of the tiny raft. Anytime it wanted, it knew it could crush him with a single swelling wave. But no, it had everything already planned out.
"You have done well, my son," it growled softly. Slowly, the sun began to set, its golden rays disappearing beneath the endless stretch of clouds. Giving a final glance at the raft, it rose up into the air and disappeared into the darkness of the night.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed reading this wall of text. And yes, my story has a second part. Unfortunately, as I stated before the story, I quitted maplestory before I finished this story, and so I lost all inspiration to continue writing about this game. However theres another member of the forum at whom I've trusted to continue the story for me. So if you wish to read it, you can go to the forums and look for the sotry entitled "Coldness of the Winter Serinity" by lennx. Its not finished though.