Chronicles of Espiria Season 2

Episode 5 – The Might of Bantus

Written by the Dude

The small Hypogean force, led by a hopeful commander named Keirak, marched across the border into the Bantus Empire with more confidence than most might have. Hypogean forces had attempted to invade Bantus before, and had enjoyed varying measures of success; but these incursions always ended in failure the moment King Thoran heard of them. Thoran was a brilliant tactician, and had grown into a powerful warrior in his own right since his resurrection; combined, these qualities allowed him to push back every Hypogean invasion force that entered his land, leaving only scattered forces here and there holed up in small towns that Thoran cared little for to begin with.

But Keirak was no fool either. He theorized that previous incursions had failed because Thoran saw them coming; previous commanders had failed to consider the benefits given by the element of surprise. This is why Keirak led such a small force; he hoped that a handful of elite warriors would allow him to pass unnoticed, letting him reach and, perhaps, capture the capital city of King's Manse before Thoran knew they were coming.

By all accounts, the plot seemed to work. Taking less traveled roads, keeping vigilant watch for sentries in their path, eliminating any that they could not sneak by, they eventually came within sight of King's Manse without raising any alarms, and found the gates of the city guarded by relaxed patrols. Keirak had begun searching for a secret entry into the city when the side gate he stood before was thrown open, revealing Thoran and Grezhul standing beyond it with wide, cruel grins.

"Bringing a smaller force to hide from my watchmen." Thoran said as he drew his sword. "Clever, but not clever enough."

Keirak and his men began to back away from the gate, not out of fear, but out of strategy. Keirak may have been denied the element of surprise, but he was not out of tricks yet; he had only to buy time.

"How did you detect us, if I may ask?" Keirak asked.

"You killed some of my sentries, but left their bodies where they could be found." Grezhul answered. "It was an easy feat to work out that you were coming, though I admit, a more challenging puzzle to predict when you would arrive."

"Clearly, I'll need to be more careful next time." Keirak said as he backed away more.

"There will be no next time." Thoran thundered as he and Grezhul raised their swords. "Your lives end here, and will not begin again!"

"Don't count on it, your highness! Ogres, summon our reinforcements!"

Three ogres at the back of the small army finished their incantations and broke the dark purple crystals that they held. The bodies of the three ogres were instantly consumed by the crystals and used to open temporary portals to the Hypogean realm. By the time the portals closed, the small band of invaders had swelled to thousands. Thoran looked over this new invading force, then back to Keirak, who wore a smug expression that Thoran dearly looked forward to slicing off his face.

"My king," Grezhul whispered, "shall I summon the Ground Forces?"

Thoran replied only with an evil grin and a nod as he turned his attention back to Keirak. "Clearly your cleverness and preparedness knows no bounds, but you forget that we are Graveborn! Our home is in the grave! And soon, so shall yours!"

Grezhul blew into an instrument that emitted not a horn blast, but an otherworldly scream. Moments later, hands reached up out of the ground and grabbed the feet of Keirak's troops, dragging most of them underground and burying them alive before they could even cry out in surprise. Each Hypogean dragged down was replaced by Graveborn infantry, so that Keirak was soon hopelessly surrounded. Keirak's mind raced to find a way out of his dilemma, but before he could formulate a plan, Grezhul rushed him and cleaved him in half at the waist. In the end, only five Hypogean imps still lived, and these begged for their lives. Disgusted by the display of cowardice, Grezhul moved to dispatch them immediately, but was stopped by Thoran.

"Stay your hand, Grezhul; remember, Lord Quadam wants this filth alive."

Grezhul could hear the disgust in the order; Thoran wanted these wretched creatures dead as much as he did. But no Graveborn who valued his life would defy the will of Quadam, so Grezhul grunted as he sheathed his swords.

"Shall I send them to the Whispering Doom?" Grezhul asked.

"No, I will take them myself this time; I wish to speak to Niru on this matter. I want you to stay behind and watch the city."

"But my king..."

Grezhul's objection was cut off by a mournful wail from Thoran's palace.

"Theowyn's dreams have grown darker and more frequent. I want someone here that I can trust to look after her. Guard her as you would me."

"Very well, my king, but please, at least take my guard with you, for your safety and my piece of mind."

"You coddle me as if I were a child!" Thoran replied, slightly annoyed. "But I will do as you ask."

Soon, Thoran set off for the Whispering Doom, flanked by two of Grezhul's lieutenants, Steixius and Sezis, and followed by seven soldiers carrying the cage holding the Hypogeans. Grezhul watched the procession from the top of the gate until another wail reverberated through the city, then made his way to Theowyn's chamber to attend to her. Theowyn was surprised to find that Grezhul arrived alone.

"Gareth? Where is my brother?"

Grezhul did not correct her; Theowyn would sometimes call him by the name he bore in life, an odd quirk he had learned to accept. "He has left the palace to see to matters of state. I have been ordered to guard you with my life until he returns."

Theowyn leaned back into her couch, her hands never leaving her face. "Then even he grows weary of me."

"On the contrary, my princess, I believe you are all that is left that is precious to him."

"Princess..." Theowyn muttered; it was a word she had not heard for centuries, and she had nearly forgotten what it meant. Turning her attention back to Grezhul, she asked him, "Did you have a chance to meet my husband?"

"Briefly, just before that final banquet. He seemed like a good man."

"He was a great man. I did not deserve him."

"My princess..."

"I was a naive fool, filled with so many childish notions of what a good husband should be that I could not appreciate the man that had been given to me! I spurned him like a spoiled brat in favor of an infantile vision of a mighty warrior, a conquering hero! Perhaps if I had shown my husband the respect he deserved, I might not have been fooled by Edwin's lies, and we might not have..."

"My princess," Grezhul interrupted, "Prince Edwin was a conniver who deceived us all. Had you remained in Thalonia and not spoken on his behalf, he would have found another way to escape his imprisonment and stage his coup. You cannot blame yourself for the evils of your brother."

Theowyn fell into another uncontrolled fit of weeping. Not content to leave her in this state, Grezhul knelt before her and took her arm. No one but Thoran had dared to touch her like this since she died; the shock commanded her attention.

"My princess, if anyone beyond Prince Edwin is to blame for what transpired that day, it is I. It was my duty to guard the king at all times, but that day, I could only avenge his death, and that only because Lord Quadam ordained it. Had I been a better warrior, Lord Quadam's intervention may not have been necessary; you could have returned to Thalonia with your husband, perhaps with the appreciation for him that you sought. If you must blame someone for your misery, please, blame me, not yourself."

Theowyn's weeping abated as she listened to Grezhul. When he finished, she did something she had not done since she died; she moved her hands aside and looked on Grezhul with her beautiful amethyst eyes. This lasted only a moment before they were hidden again behind her hands.

"I cannot be mad at you, Gareth; you did your duty and protected us as best you could, and I will be forever grateful to you for bringing Edwin to justice. Now please, I would be alone for now."

Grezhul stood and bowed before turning to leave. Theowyn still wept bitterly, but it was gentler than before.

Later that day, Thoran arrived at the Whispering Doom, where he found his friend Niru hard at work before one of the Soul Forges preparing souls for resurrection. Niru heard Thoran approaching and glanced at him a moment before returning his attention to his task.

"My liege, please forgive me for not bowing; this is delicate work and requires close attention."

Thoran looked over Niru's work, noticing the silent screams of the soul that Niru labored over. "Who was this?"

"A human warrior killed by Hypogeans a few days ago on our border. I've been told he died well, and made the Hoard pay for their victory with the lives of many of their own." Niru smirked. "Say what you will of the humans and their might; they can impress when they need to."

"I am sure that he will serve the empire well. Unfortunately, I have come on another matter."

Niru, having just finished with the delicate part of the resurrection process, allowed himself a shudder as he straightened up. "You're here about Lord Quadam's project?"

"Am I to assume from your demeanor that you have made little progress with the Hypogeans that I have brought you?"

"On the contrary, I've made an unexpected breakthrough. When Lord Quadam tasked me with finding a way to resurrect Hypogeans as Graveborn, I was certain that my experiments would bear no fruit; I was sure that the differences between the souls of the children of Dura and the children of Annih were too great for necromancy to have any benefit for the Hypogeans. But just the other day, I succeeded. I only raised an arm and the ogre's head, and these only lived for a few moments, but they were definitively alive. With more time, I'm sure I could make these creatures as competent as any real Graveborn."

"You do not seem enthusiastic about your success." Thoran observed.

"Two problems remain. First, the Hypogeans I have raised thus far did not bow their knees to Lord Quadam; their loyalty remained with their own kind. I must find a way to bend their knees to Lord Quadam, or raising them up will serve only the Hoard."

"And the second problem?"

Niru glanced in all directions as if making sure he and Thoran were alone. "You know that I would never speak against Lord Quadam or his commands, but I wish that, in this case, he would grace me with his vision. Working with these unclean creatures is unsettling; even with all my binding spells, they exude an aura that I can only describe as evil. If Lord Quadam wishes to turn them against the invaders, then it is brilliant psychology, but I cannot imagine any Graveborn wishing to fight alongside them."

Thoran glanced in all directions as if making sure he and Niru were alone. "I share your concern. I begin to suspect that some Graveborn have been somehow tainted by the Hypogeans, lured away from his control without his notice."

"I hope you are wrong, my liege; such a thing could bring disaster on the empire."

"I know. I shall dispatch more guards to ensure your safety, but promise that you will tread carefully with these experiments; the empire cannot afford to lose you to the Hoard."