Chronicles of Espiria Season 3
Episode 19 – The Wrath of Kelthur
Written by the Dude and Stormrider
The Rayne family estate had seen better days, but it was comfortable enough; the remaining servants saw to it that the house was carefully maintained, even if the luxuries of the house like the flower garden in back fell into disrepair. There was space enough for a hundred people to reside there comfortably, so long as some could be persuaded to share a chamber. So it was that, despite the apprehensions of all, Estrilda thought it a safe place to hide the Graveborn refugees for the time being.
"This is not a good idea." Eluard warned Estrilda as they approached the manor.
"I have to agree." Hogan said. "If anyone finds out that you're harboring Graveborn in your own home, it could be seen not only as heresy, but as treason."
"I am aware of the dangers." Estrilda answered. "I will instruct my servants not to speak a word of their presence. They are loyal; they will do as I ask."
"This is still a great risk you are taking for us." Theowyn said. "It will not be forgotten."
"The purpose of a Lightbearer soldier is to help those who cannot help themselves." Estrilda answered as she dismounted. "I am simply doing my duty."
"Cannot help themselves, my pasty white hinterlands!" Vedan privately scoffed. "Bring me a few knights and I'll show you who is helpless!"
The staff were instructed to keep the Graveborn secret and to see to their needs, and while they were understandably nervous around the Graveborn, their trust in Estrilda was stronger than their fear. The instructions proved easier to follow than Estrilda hoped; none of the staff really wanted to discuss the Graveborn more than necessary, and the Graveborn had few physical needs beyond dark rooms in which they could hide from the sun. The one exception was Vedan, who firmly believed that he and Isabella needed human blood regularly to keep their strength up; he was willing to compromise by taking animal blood for the time being, but he did so grudgingly.
Once the Graveborn were settled in nicely, Hogan, Ulric, and Eluard followed Estrilda outside.
"This is still a mistake." Eluard warned as they mounted their horses. "Even if they are truthful..."
"I know your concerns, Brother Eluard, and I do not dismiss them lightly." Estrilda interrupted. "But my instincts tell me that these few need to be spared. Once we are in Ranhorn, we can..."
"General, down!" Hogan shouted.
Everyone leaped off their horses just in time to avoid Kelthur's shuriken.
"It's the assassin from the farm!" Ulric exclaimed. "He found us again?!"
"He must have tracked our horses!" Hogan reasoned. "Ready for round 2?"
"We don't seem to have much choice, sir." Ulric answered as the four of them jumped to their feet.
Kelthur caught the shuriken and charged at the four humans. He jumped on Ulric's shield and kicked off it, knocking Ulric to the ground and catapulting himself toward Estrilda. She sidestepped his thrust and answered with a stab through his torso with her sword, forgetting for a moment that a stab with a normal blade anywhere but in the head just annoys a Graveborn. Kelthur kicked her to the ground, then withdrew the sword from his torso and cast it aside.
"Now..." Kelthur grumbled.
As Kelthur advanced on Estrilda, Hogan stepped between them with sword drawn, a very nervous Ulric backing him up.
"I have no quarrel with you, Commander." Kelthur hissed. "I am only here for the Rayne."
"Why do you want General Estrilda?" Ulric asked.
"I cannot rest until her line has passed from Espiria."
"Then you will rest over my dead body!" Hogan declared.
"If you insist, Commander..."
Kelthur slashed at Hogan's neck, a move easily deflected by his thick chestplate. His armor did not protect him from the powerful kick to his gut, which threw him into Ulric and left him dazed on the ground, Ulric pinned by Hogan's disoriented body. While Ulric struggled to get back up, Kelthur stepped over Hogan and charged at Estrilda again. Just before he reached her, a divine shield formed around her and blocked the shuriken aimed at her neck. Kelthur quickly located Eluard, who was pointing his staff at Estrilda as he glared at Kelthur. The assassin charged at Eluard, but the priest was prepared for this. With a quick hand motion with Eluard's free hand, a single divine lightning bolt struck Kelthur in the chest, blasting his body into the brick wall of Rayne manor. To Eluard's surprise, though, even this did not slow Kelthur down; his spirit, now dislodged from his body, continued undeterred toward Eluard, shuriken in hand. Estrilda watched as Kelthur hacked away at Eluard's shield and as Hogan and Ulric struggled to get up, and she knew what she had to do.
"Assassin!" Estrilda shouted.
All turned to find Estrilda mounting Eluard's horse, giving a rude gesture to Kelthur as she took off toward the woods. Kelthur hissed and ran to retrieve his body before giving chase on foot. Once they were gone, Eluard helped Hogan and Ulric to their feet.
"What in Dura's name is she doing?" Eluard wondered aloud.
"She's protecting us." Hogan answered, obviously worried. "The assassin is after her, not us, and she's using that fact to lure him away."
"So what now?" Eluard asked.
"We have to go after her!" Ulric answered.
"Not yet. We few are no match for that assassin, and we can't risk exposing the Graveborn. We'll need men and intel if we want to help her. Back to Ranhorn! Move out!"
"Wait, where's my horse?" Eluard asked as he looked around.
"No time, you can ride with me!" Ulric answered.
Estrilda rode Eluard's horse as hard as she could, ducking and dodging trees and shrubs that threatened to dismount her at any time. All the while, Kelthur continued his pursuit on foot, sometimes running along the ground, sometimes along tree branches, taking whatever path seemed easiest at the moment.
"Keep going, Nugget, he's right behind us!" she whispered in the horse's ear.
After several minutes of rushing through the forest, Estrilda passed into a meadow with a gentle stream running through it, a stream which, if she remembered right, marked the boundary between Rayne land and Tiersten land. She unfortunately had no time to admire the pristine beauty of the meadow, because Kelthur was still behind her, running impossibly fast and keeping surprising pace with Nugget. As she jumped the stream, she quickly dismounted and faced the oncoming assassin, whispering a quick prayer under her breath.
"Whichever Celestial is listening, I confess that I do not pray as much as I ought, but I do honor you for my victories and my protection. And I could really use your protection now!"
She abruptly opened her eyes at the sound of a loud thud and a slight ground tremor. Standing between her and Kelthur was a marble pillar two heads taller than herself, with the Dura Starburst carved into it and crowned with what appeared to be a pair of wings. While an impressive sight, Estrilda couldn't help but wonder how this was meant to help her. Kelthur seemed confused as well as he sidestepped around the pillar, keeping a close eye on the mysterious structure. It was just after Kelthur turned his attention from the pillar back onto Estrilda that a deep, unnaturally hollow voice emanated from the pillar.
"Hostile detected. Initiating active protection mode."
Estrilda and Kelthur watched in awe as the pillar split in half to reveal the one-eyed gaze of a mechanical monster. The two halves of the pillar became the creature's massive arms, while a pair of small legs sprouted from the bottom of the creature. The monster raised one massive fist and brought it down between Estrilda and Kelthur, then proceeded to sweep Kelthur back across the stream. The creature took up a sentry position between Estrilda and Kelthur, its single eye focused on the assassin.
"You shall not pass!" the monster shouted at Kelthur.
"We shall see." Kelthur whispered as he stood back up and charged at the creature.
"Estrilda Rayne, you need to flee." the creature said.
"What? I cannot just leave you..."
"Your concern is unnecessary. This is my purpose. Run and prepare to fight back. My builder will help you."
The creature struck the ground where Kelthur should have been with such force that the ground seemed to explode before him. Taking the hint from the creature, she mounted Nugget and vanished into the Tiersten woods while the creature kept Kelthur busy.
When Hogan and his men reached Ranhorn, Eluard went straight for the temple to give his report, choosing, for now, to abide by Estrilda's wishes to keep the Graveborn at her home a secret. Hogan went straight to the throne room to see the king, the only person in the land with more authority than Estrilda, while Ulric waited just outside the throne room.
To Hogan's mild surprise, the King was not alone; Lord Lanward was with him, his graying blonde hair pulled back in a formal ponytail. Both were looking over a piece of paper that bore the Rayne family crest.
"Commander Hogan, a pleasant surprise." the king said when he noticed Hogan enter.
"I wish it was under better circumstances, your Highness. General Estrilda is in trouble."
"I know." the king responded with a heavy voice. "Her horse was found outside with this sealed note tied around its neck."
"May I, your majesty?" Lord Lanward asked.
"You may."
Lord Lanward made a show of clearing his throat.
"'Your Highness, if you are reading this, then I find myself in a crisis that prevents me from performing my duties as General of the Lightbearer forces.'"
"What sort of trouble is General Rayne in?" the king asked.
"A Graveborn assassin is hunting her. His skill is, unfortunately, beyond me..."
"Of course it is." Lord Lanward interrupted dryly.
"...and I came here in the hope that I could find reinforcements to come to her aid."
"Of course, Commander, you did the right thing." the king responded. "Lord Lanward, continue reading."
"'Until such time that I can resume my duties, I recommend that Commander Hogan be granted the title of General and allowed to assume my duties.'"
Commander Hogan was speechless. Lord Lanward just grimaced as he read it for, presumably, the second time.
"I have considered her recommendation, and she makes a fair point; you are a skilled leader of men, a valuable resource to the crown. However, it is my opinion that the Supreme General of the Lightbearer armies must have a noble presence, which your common blood, unfortunately, does not lend itself to. Therefore, I have decided to appoint Lord Lanward the temporary Supreme General of the Lightbearer armies."
Hogan struggled to contain his disappointment at the decision and his disdain for Lord Lanward. He had heard stories of Lanward's military exploits of late, and he wondered how the man who had earned the nickname "Ol' Blood N' Guts" for his high human casualty numbers was still allowed to hold a sword, much less lead men. Lanward just smiled thinly.
"I...as you wish, your Highness."
"You two are dismissed. Good luck out there."
Hogan and Lanward both bowed and exited the throne room together. Ulric followed behind Hogan as they walked.
"Do you have any plans to help General Estrilda?" Hogan asked.
"No." Lanward answered shortly. "We have larger concerns than one woman who cannot handle a corpse in battle, and not enough resources to waste on her."
"But it's General..."
Lanward whipped around and grabbed Hogan by the chestplate as he jammed a fat finger in Hogan's face,
"I imagine you are used to questioning the orders of your woman General, but you will question me on pain of a sound lashing and a demotion! Am I clear?"
Hogan suppressed a strong urge to strike the scoundrel before him. "Yes sir."
Lanward turned and strode off, allowing his cape to billow behind him. Hogan was wondering to himself how someone like Lucius could possibly be of the same household when Ulric took his place at Hogan's side.
"Can he do that, sir?" Ulric asked, horrified by the thought of such a man as his superior. "Just seize control of the military like that?"
"If the king says he can, then he can." Hogan answered bitterly. "We are allowed to think that the king is making a mistake, but always remember that he is still the king, and that we serve at his pleasure, not our own."
"But what was Lanward..."
"General Lanward for now."
Ulric nearly gagged at the thought. "What was he doing here now of all times?"
"Knowing him, he was taking credit for another hard won victory, one that was won by the sacrifice of far too many good men."
Nothing more could be done that day, and it was already getting late, so Hogan parted ways with Ulric for the day and availed himself of the rare luxury of his own bed in his own home in Ranhorn for the night. As he readied himself for bed, he noticed a letter fall from his satchel bearing the unbroken seal of the house of Rayne. Guessing that she slipped it in during the battle with Kelthur, he quickly opened it and read:
Commander Hogan,
If you are reading this, then I find myself in a crisis that prevents me from performing my duties as General of the Lightbearer forces. Until such time that I can resume my duties, I want you to assume command of the Lightbearer armies.
I will not lie; you will likely face opposition from some of the other commanders due to your parentage. I have taken steps to mitigate this opposition as much as I can, but even so, do not let their disdain deter you from your duty. You have been tasked with defending the realm from threats both within and without, not with pleasing a group of men with less combined combat experience than you.
I know that Ranhorn will be safe in your care, and I look forward to reclaiming my command from you upon the successful resolution of my crisis.
Signed, Major General Estrilda Rayne
Defender of the Realm
Keeper of the...
Hogan's eyes glazed over the long list of titles that Estrilda was required to add to official orders. He was about to fold the letter and return it to his satchel, until he checked the list of titles again and noticed one she did not traditionally use in official orders.
"Your friend."
Hogan smiled as his eyes grew moist, and he grew all the more determined to find Estrilda and rescue her, whatever trouble she was in.
Estrilda, meanwhile, was still in the forest. She rode more deliberately along the partially reclaimed path, confident that the mechanical Celestial had successfully allowed her to elude the assassin for the moment. The forest canopy obscured the stars above her, and the path was rapidly disappearing before her, leaving her with little indication of her direction. As she dismounted to get a better understanding of her path, a bright light cut through the darkness and blinded her for a moment. When her eyes adjusted, she saw that the source of the light was a lantern, brilliantly engineered to produce a light hundreds of times brighter than the source flame. Holding the lantern was a man Estrilda could make little sense of. He had six arms, only two of which looked human, the other four tipped with tools of bizarre design. Despite his abundance of arms, he seemed to lack legs entirely, instead floating before her like a phantom.
"Who are you?" Estrilda asked.
"You asked us for help, and I was sent to answer. I am Haelus, successor to the Divine Craftsman Ansiel."
"Craftsman?" Estrilda was uncertain of a craftsman's ability to protect her, but trusted that the Celestials knew what they were doing.
"I will teach you how to deal with your undead assassin. Are you ready to learn divine science?"
"Just tell me what to do, my lord."
"Excellent!" Haelus made a show of wringing his human hands in excitement. "Oh, before we get started, I need to introduce the assistants I've found for you."
Haelus raised his lantern to indicate two figures that had, until now, been obscured by the darkness of the forest. Estrilda recognized one as the undead giant Torne, while the other man on horseback she would come to know as Treznor.
"Come, Lady Rayne," Treznor said with outstretched hand, "there is much to be done before you are safe."