The bridge seemed solid enough. There were no barriers on either side, but the path was wide enough for soldiers to walk along it two by two. The pit below bellowed every so often, the source unknown, but the effect readily apparent. The bridge shook at the reverberations, forcing everyone to an abrupt standstill. It was making already fragile psyches even more brittle.
It felt like eons before the entire division traversed the chasm safely, marching two by two and going at the snail’s pace that they did. This side of the bridge slithered down into a cavernous opening underground. The cave was dark and moist inside. They ignited torches to light the way, revealing before them an enormous space within. Stalactites and stalagmites protruded out of the ground and ceiling at strange forty-five degree angles. The air smelled damp with a faint tinge of sulfur. Not an overwhelming one, but enough to make the soldiers cover their mouths.
“Keep your eyes out for the recon team,” ordered Arges as he cautiously maneuvered his way across the wet ground.
“Do you think we’ll find them, sir?” asked the soldier to his right.
“We have to. They deserve a proper burial. To meet the ferryman and move on to the next life,” answered Arges.
They are in a place far darker than the afterlife, thought Aric. He stared at the flickering shadows cast by his torch. It was difficult to see within the cave, but he believed he saw faces revealing themselves in the shadows. We’re delving deeper into the heart of this forest. Aric turned back to try and catch a glimpse of the entrance, hoping perhaps that they still had time to turn around, but it was already too late. They were now completely consumed in the belly of this hellish labyrinth.
The path meandered back and forth, criss-crossing in unnatural directions. At times they felt they were backtracking, only to find another opening that would propel them deeper down. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the recon team had gotten lost down here and were unable to find their way back. The cave felt ancient beyond years, shaping the rock into all kinds of strange forms. Below Aric’s feet appeared to be a leviathan carved into the ground, its teeth gritted, ready to attack. Above him, Aric noticed a row of stalactites shaped into a flock of birds. It reminded him of his childhood. The mornings when the birds he cared for and raised would take their morning flights. Some of which never seemed to return home, leaving him wondering of their destination. Perhaps that was what his father was experiencing now.
They bypassed a cave wall with a circular opening. As Aric peered through it, he believed he saw the silhouette of a woman, her face covered in shadow save for the lower left portion of her chin. She appeared to be wearing a robe, and her hands were clasped together, offering up a prayer to the Creator. She reminded Aric so much of Illiana. Why it was that she came to his mind first, and not Ophelia or Melody, he knew not. Maybe it’s the fact that only Illiana, with her resilient personality, could actually withstand a place like this.
“General, we found something!” shouted a nearby soldier. He was trying to lift something up off the ground. It was difficult to make out in the dark, but as he raised it, the shape of Quintus’ helmet came into focus, the jagged plumes still intact somehow. They gathered around and saw that the rest of his armor was lying on the ground as well, but his body was nowhere in sight.
“He’s gone, simply vanished,” mused the soldier.
“Check the inside of his armor. Maybe there’s a clue. Most likely beaten and stripped, taken prisoner by this hell,” spoke Titan as he chipped away at a misshapen rock protruding from the cave’s ceiling.
The soldier maneuvered his torch to illuminate the inside of the armor. He checked the helmet as well and could find no traces of blood, a scratch, or any signs of struggle.
“Nothing, Captain, the armor’s unscathed.”
General Arges stepped between Titan and the soldier.
“Take the armor with us. We will bury it once we leave this place. Until then, let’s keep moving.” His eyes surveyed the cave’s walls with a look of disdain. “Before any more of us vanish into thin air,” he murmured under his breath.
As they marched, Aric continued to notice oddly shaped stones. Again, they were too crude to be shaped by human hands, but much too lifelike to be dismissed as a simple misshapen rock. The leviathan, Illiana, and the birds were but a few standouts. He also saw an anaconda, the head of a bull, and Poseidon’s trident dangling from the ceiling. Were all of these items just figments of his imagination? A deceit of the eyes as shadows blended together to reveal the entirety of a strange puzzle? Up ahead, he noticed a rock that appeared to be a man in deep prayer.
He made his way towards the statue. The man’s head leaned forward, hands clasped together, pressed against his forehead. He knelt down on his knees and was situated in the middle of the path.
“This one must’ve prayed to the wrong gods,” joked Titan. He chuckled heartily, but nobody joined him in this crude form of entertainment. The rest of the army walked past the praying man, stealing a quick glance before hurrying along.
“Offer your god a prayer for me too,” jested Titan as he slapped the man’s shoulder. Crack! A large piece of the statue shattered, sending debris falling everywhere. Everyone stopped in place. Titan examined the spot where the rock had come undone. Underneath it he could see nothing, but the smell was familiar. Arges and Aric approached quickly.
“What is it?” asked Aric, wide-eyed and curious.
“It is the smell of… flesh.”
Aric staggered back a few feet. The smell was abhorrent, making some soldiers gag as it began to permeate the damp air.
“Shatter the rest of it, Titan,” commanded Arges.
Titan swung his hammer, landing four different blows in different spots. Soon the cracks and fissures raced across the surface of the statue. Once large enough pieces had been made vulnerable, the rock began to unhinge altogether. When every rock and pebble had fallen to the floor, before them stood the answer they secretly knew to be true. A bloody and tortured Quintus sat motionless, his body emaciated and scarred. No breath emanated from his remains. Aric moved in to get a closer look. He studied the body as it lay completely still.
“This soldier was turned into stone. Or rather, he was encased in stone as he offered his last prayers to the Creator. He suffocated to death.” Aric’s words felt heavy as the army looked on.
Arges bent down and put his hand over Quintus’ heart. We’ve been marching for more days than I can remember. We lost Captain Izik and five soldiers who tried to subdue him. Lucius and Quintus are dead. Titus and Thea are yet to be found. He stared at the ruined figure of Quintus. The guilt crept up in his throat. I should’ve known better than to send them off. We shouldn’t even be here in the first place. I should’ve kept them back at base. I should’ve… followed my orders.
Losing a soldier, to Arges, was worse than death. They were true siblings in this unit. To some, the Krakens were the only family they had ever known.
Titan watched Arges attentively. He knew his general well. As skilled as Arges was in military tactics and combat, there was still a part of him that was young and innocent. Titan could see it every time Arges internally mourned the loss of one of his soldiers. In time, General, you will learn that tears do not bring back the dead. Soldiers are but cogs in a wheel, meant to power a machine of conquest and destruction. You cannot mourn over parts of a machine, no matter how valuable and rare they may be.
Titan moved closer to Arges and spoke. “We have lost our family to this lair of wickedness, but we will lose no more! The best way… no, the only way to honor their memories is to find and destroy whatever darkness has done this to them!”
Arges stood up, his eyes closed. He took in a deep breath, and released it slowly through his mouth. His face was the epitome of calm and peace, but his eyes told a different story. They burned, his bluish eyes gleaming like precious sapphires. Sparks seemed to flicker about in them. They shone brighter and brighter in the muted blacks of the cave. The glow in his eyes beg
an to envelope his head. He looked almost angelic with his white hair and silver aura about him. Arges reached for his left falcata, holding it upside down with both palms gripping the handle. He raised it into the air, a deep anger emanating from inside him. He slammed the falcata into the ground, driving the blade three quarters of the way deep. A gust of wind erupted from the crack, blowing everyone off balance. They had never seen the general like this before. Never had his emotions gotten the better of him.
“Where are you? Reveal yourself to me! You’ve stolen my family from me, and I will follow you down into the deepest depths of hell! I swear I will kill you! You will regret ever having challenged the Krakens! Show yourself!” Arges cried out to his invisible enemy, whatever or whoever it may be. When silence was his only response, the anger clouded his mind. He leapt up into the air and slashed across the defenseless ceiling. The cut opened up a gash five feet wide. A loud groan emanated from inside the crack. A gust of wind came blowing out, knocking helmets and weapons off of some nearby soldiers. A faint noise could be heard, too. Strangely, it sounded like water. The noise grew louder and louder, soon it felt as if a roaring tidal wave was about to crash down on them. Everyone stared up at the opening above, bracing for whatever was making its way out.
“Prepare yourself for battle!” commanded Arges. A moment of calm hovered in the air. And then it came. A roaring rapid of murky red water came gushing out of the opening. It poured into the cave, filling it up instantaneously. Soldiers grasped towards anything they could to not be swept away. Some reached for nearby rocks, some for each other. Some drove their weapons into the wall and clung on. The water continued to pour in, filling every crevice and crack. This was no ordinary water. It felt heavier. Swimming in it felt three times as difficult. What form of evil is this? wondered Aric.
That’s when the water began to take shape. Figures sprouted out of the liquid in every direction. The water began to recede as the shapes solidified. They stood about the same height as most of the soldiers in the unit. They were all faceless, water cascading down in ripples across where eyes and noses should’ve been. As they sprang to life, their appearance became more familiar, armor and weapons identifiable to anyone familiar with the history of this place.
Aric’s heart sank as he watched the dead armies of King Vicedon stand before him. The Black had twisted their souls, corrupting this forest with their anger. Their hate and lust for battle was echoing on through eternity, refusing to let them move on to the Creator. Somehow they’d used it to cling to this world, driven by an insatiable appetite for battle. They are everywhere and anywhere all at once, thought Aric, nervously.
The figure of King Vicedon rose out of the ground. He was taller than even Titan, a giant of a man. A large wound still festered about his torso, where Emperor Renza had delivered the fatal blow. A low guttural growl emanated from his mouth, “Our enemy has come to kill us… again. They trespass within our home, defiling our gravesite. These men have no respect for their forefathers. They did not heed the warnings we gave them. Their comrades were sacrificed so that they may live; yet they continue their disrespectful ways. A foolish lot have we. A lesson must be taught.” He slowly lowered his arm, pointing directly at Aric. “Destroy them.”
A resurrected soldier dashed towards Aric. Spear raised in the air, he drove it down, aiming for Aric’s heart. Aric blocked the blow with his shield. In his other hand he unsheathed his sword. Spinning in one motion, he cut through the soldier’s body. The soldier’s stomach exploded, crimson water spilling out onto the ground. The resurrected demon fell to his knees, clutching at his stomach. Aric turned to pursue another enemy when he heard gurgled laughter behind him. He turned back to see the wounded soldier glaring at him, laughing hysterically. The blood-red water that had spilled out was now reforming into a pool. The soldier stepped on it, sucking it back into his body. His stomach healed right before Aric’s eyes.
Aric launched another attack, hoping to catch the soldier off guard. His first two blows were deflected by the soldier’s spear, but the third found its home in the soldier’s heart. Aric pushed his sword in as far as he could. He was about to pull it out, when he quickly reconsidered. If he removed it, the cursed water would spill out only to reform again. He left the blade impaled where it was. The soldier paid it no attention. His eyes always locked onto Aric. The sword began to move, shaking in place. Slowly it inched itself out, as if someone was removing it from within with an invisible hand. Aric was confounded. He had a smaller dagger in his sleeve, but what good would it do? Wounds across the stomach and a stab to the heart have no effect on these ghosts of history. The impaled sword shot out of the soldier’s heart, rattling to a stop as it landed at Aric’s feet.
“There’s no way to kill them! Arges, what do we do?”
Arges was already engaged with three enemies. They swarmed on him from every direction. He parried and dodged, delivering killing blows to all of them in a matter of seconds. But just like Aric had experienced, their wounds healed immediately and again they began another onslaught. “Keep fighting! It’s the only thing we can do until we can figure it out!”
Titan was grappling with King Vicedon on the other side of the cave. Impressively he seemed to match the king’s strength. He dropped low and grabbed a hold of the king’s legs. He lifted him up into the air, turned his body sideways and slammed him onto his head. Titan, shocked, watched as the king’s body splashed into a puddle, the water disappearing into crevices in the ground. Titan could hear it swishing back and forth beneath him. He tried to follow it, but the sound was too quick. The water reformed beneath his feet; two watery arms reached out, grabbing a hold of Titan. The rest of King Vicedon’s body rose out of the ground. He now appeared just as he did moments before. Only this time he had a firm hold of Titan’s feet. He lifted Titan off the ground and threw him into the air. Titan flew across the cave, crashing violently into the ceiling. He hit the ceiling with such a forceful impact; chunks of rock fell to the ground, showering the room with debris. Titan hit the floor with a groan. Immediately, pain raged in his lower right torso. He reached for it, wincing as he discovered a stalactite had impaled him. He gritted his teeth and pulled out the sharpened rock. Before he could let out a cry of anguish, King Vicedon was on him again, raining down blows with his mighty axe. Titan managed to roll out of the way, but the king wouldn’t relent.
Aric looked around, watching soldiers fall one by one, their lifeless bodies piling up. They were losing too many soldiers. At this rate, they would be of no use to General Steropes at Lake Raphia. That’s if they even made it out of this place alive. Most of his Royal Guards were already dead. He would be next unless by some miracle they were saved from this hellish ordeal. He stood in place; sword and shield in hand, ready to continue this exercise in futility.
From behind him, an enemy grabbed a hold, locking his arms under Aric’s and up and around his neck. Aric squirmed violently, but to no avail, he unknowingly dropped his sword and shield in his panic and was now completely defenseless. Another enemy picked up Aric’s sword, drew it back and charged.
Just then, a dagger pierced the enemy’s head, sending him collapsing to the ground. Aric waited for his body to reconstitute itself, but amazingly it didn’t. Rather, his body hardened into stone. As he stared in disbelief, the enemy grabbing him from behind suddenly released his hold. Aric turned to see the soldier collapse, transforming into stone as well. Where the enemy once stood, he now saw who had come to his aid. A female warrior stood with her bladed tri-claw in hand. Her armor was light, good for mobility. Her mouth covered with a mask. A sunburst emblazoned upon her chest. She was Renzai. Aric sensed an increased commotion in his periphery. He slowly gazed around the battlefield to see the armies of Emperor Renza swarming through the opening that Arges had cut. They engaged their sworn enemies, ignoring the Krakens entirely.
Arges, Titan, and Aric regrouped in the center. They still couldn’t believe what had happened. For whatever reason, fortu
ne had favored them. They could not waste this opportunity. “We escape, now!” cried out Arges. He made his way down a tunnel, and the remainder of the Third Unit followed suit. As Aric made his retreat, he watched the two armies battle viciously. Destroying each other without mercy. How long have these two armies fought here in the Dark Forest? he wondered. Doomed to battle each other for the rest of eternity, here in this forsaken land. Cursed to die again and again.
Chapter 24