“But how they could become … this?”
“Necron, sounds familiar to you?”
“You mean this is all like years ago? Before the battle of Elderon?” asked Scarlett.
“Most likely.” said Marius.
“Wait, this thing ever happened before?” asked Rey.
“Yes. Decades ago before the Battle of Elderon, the Dark Lord and his servants stormed small villages in the east of Azgalor and in the West Rim. Everyone missing like the village we visited but much worse. The village destroyed, burnt to smoke and ash, and on the street the blood flooded and it was not few to find a little part of the body scattered around. No one survived and we found no bodies but blood and ruin.”
“Then where’s everyone?” asked Rey.
“Collected.” said Marius coldly.
Scarlett glanced at Marius. For a second he saw there’s some grief in her eyes when she looked at him like she feels sorry about something.
“Collected? What do you mean by collected?”
“Those whom being slain, all those dead bodies were gathered,” Scarlett paused for a moment as if there’s some bitter feeling in his heart and dismay. “By his dark art the Dark Lord reanimated the dead body and enslaved them. Serve only to him and serve only to kil. Necron, the army of undead.” Scarlett continued.
“But it just fairy tale for public to relieve them that something like this would never happened again, that after the fall of the Dark Lord no one able to do something horrible like this ever again.” Marius added.
Scarlett switched the Sphere on her gauntlet with another one, a Sphere with some creature like snake sealed inside.
“The truth was we found out that the dead body was possessed by some parasite, it controlled their flesh, their dead bodies. Some of them even turned into monsters. Claws, tentacles, or any other part that we don’t have grew on them.”
Her eyes turned like a snake. The cold wall and old junk was dispersed into blackness but Rey and Marius glowing like they were a flame in the shape of human, and so was the man lied before him. However as she scanned the men in the black vest, she found another creature lies inside him, not moving but she felt that it still alive.
“But this one is different.” said Marius.
“Yes, this one was alive.” replied Scarlett. Then she checked his arm, a gauntlet worn on it, black and solid as if could hold against sword. And when she removed the padding on it, she was surprised as she found there’s few Spheres attached on it and one of it glows faintly as just being used.
“A Necron with magic, ever imagined about that?” said Marius. “All of this wasn’t about chaos or assault to our Kingdom, this is experiment.”
“But who? Except the Dark Lord himself no one could create them, and Artharis had made sure of it. All record, all script, all the knowledge of the Dark Lord for evil and malice he destroyed it by himself, including this.”
Suddenly the Phantom woke up with yellow eyes gazing mad at them. He trying to attack Scarlett but swiftly Marius took him down with a lightning stroke.
“What the hell is that?”
“Something inside him has woken up, seemingly.” said Marius. “A little strike of electricity did effective to take him down in an instant but that for temporary, need a greater stroke to kill something inside him but it will risk take his life too.”
“Could we save them? They’re still alive right?! There must be a way to bring them back to normal.” asked Rey.
“In the past my uncle along with another Aesir fought against Succubus, their queen, which gave birth to creatures inside and controlled them. That was hard battle, for the queen wasn’t used weapon but strike into our mind, give pain to our head as if something cracked your head as uncle told me. And after troublesome battle, they succeeded to kill her but then something unexpected happened, as it was dead all the Necron were fall down to the ground and none of them ever rose again.” said Scarlett. “Maybe if we found their queen and kill her we could bring them back to normal.” she continued.
“Or it could be turned worse.” said Marius.
“What worse?”
“All of them will die too along the queen,” answered Scarlett. “In the past this army made from the dead body so as the queen dead they’re all fall. But now they used a living person, we don’t know for sure what will happen to them after the queen dead.”
“We must take that risk.” said Marius.
“Did you know where the queen is?” asked Scarlett.
“I did. But knew where it is and seize it was a different matter.”
“Seize it? What do you mean?”
“I thought that someone sealed her in the Sphere and used it, to control him and the other by their own will. So the only way to free him and the rest of the others was we must grab that Succubus Sphere, unseal and kill it.” said Marius.
“Why’d you think that it was sealed inside the Sphere?”
“Well, as I look into his mind, someone was trying to make a link into mine. I don’t know who it was but I sense a dark and powerful mind, full of hatred but so much pain. He trying to attacked my mind but couldn’t, for the one inside him was fainted.” said Marius.
“Wait, if he could get into your mind then he already knew your presence here.”
“Ours exactly, all of us including both in his captive.”
“Aska? Eorin?” said Rey.
“Yes. And he wanted to trade with us.”
“Where they are now?” asked Scarlett.
Chapter 23
Cover Up
Along the way they were driven off by the Black Phantoms, they rose like shadows out of darkness and come in great number. And they no longer strike to sleep as before but to kill whoever considered as an intruder with a flash of light that could broke the walls. But the black troops weren’t the only enemies they had. Behind the shadows of walls and ceiling the Raiders crept on the sly, grope the stone with their stained claws and waiting to be on their back to attack.
Marius led the way, a flash of lightning rapidly spreads out of his hand and swept enemies down, and Scarlett keep clear off the Raider who leaped down from the shadow while Rey followed behind. The number of enemies he had bring down not as much as Marius or Scarlett but he were quite troubled by them. And at last they came to a large door where the abandoned throne lied behind.
“Is this the place?” asked Scarlett.
"Yes, and like you knew they were already aware of our arrival.” said Marius, as he pulling out a few daggers shaped like a forked tree branch with spiral ornament on the hilt.
“Set up the fences?”
Marius threw the daggers and it stuck into the wall on the either side. Marius then stretched his hands and at once a bright fork of lightning struck those daggers and create white bluish electrical fence.
“Whoever behind this door I believe he would give us much trouble and I don’t want any extra trouble with the Raiders and those peasant conscript.” said Marius. “Prepare yourself!”
“I’ve always.” said Scarlett.
“Me too.” said Rey, with sweat and bit trembled.
By strong push Marius opened the door. It swung with grinding sound and end with bam that echoed throughout the hall. The pillar stood firmly as if not devoured by time and the throne still represented its glory on the past. But even so it was nothing more than silent and dark hall which scavenged the shimmering light of the moons outside.
They walked slowly and keep close each other while aware on the shadows of the hall though after few moment there was no enemy rose from it. The only enemy was sat on the throne playing his three-edged sword and then he rose to greet them.
“Welcome my friend! I was waiting for you.”
“Long time no see Blitzberg.”
“Who is he? Looks like you have a good relationship.”
“He is Blitzberg, the oldest of Four Brothers, the most renowned assassin of Azgalor. The man we met in the train was his brother,
so was the one with flying steed.”
“You mean Azgalor behind this?” asked Scarlett.
“I doubt it, though there’s such possibility. From the information I’ve got they had excluded from Special Forces, three of them. Even I heard that they become national most wanted after killed a politician there.” said Marius.
“Not a politician Marius but many. The war may end but skilled people like us always on demand, both for politic and business. But after many tasks our clients considered that our existence was quite dangerous, so they tried to bury us. One murder to set us up, one murder to covered many others. In Azgalor one treason was enough for us to deserve death.” said Blitzberg “But we are live.”
“You were, now it is only you.” Marius mocked.
For a while rage and wrath was looked on him but soon a sly smile spread on his face as if he already had his vengeance. A moment later some Raider brought their friends in, both of them tied in chain and their mouth shut by cloth. Then the Raider pushed them both to knees before Blitzberg’s feet.
“Aska! Eorin!” cried Rey, but as he stepped forward, Blitzberg stun them with a lightning out of his hand.
“Not so fast young man. Trade must be made if you want them back.” said Blitzberg, threatened with blue flash pointed at them. “But I don’t know if he want make a trade or not.”
“This is what you want right?” Said Marius, as he shows orange Sphere on his hand, a Sphere which contain the map of this castle.
“Is it my Sphere?” said Scarlett.
“Yes. And that’s the reason they hunt you at first place.” said Marius. “Let them go first and I will throw it to you.”
Blitzberg ordered the Raider to bring them both to Marius. And like before the Raider pushed them to fell and laugh while leaving, their laughter sounds like loud chuckles in their ears. Rey immediately get them and tried to get off their chains. They both look glad when saw Rey and Scarlett still alive before them, but then their faces turned upset as they saw Marius, especially Aska.
“Here you go.” said Marius, as he throw it to Blitzberg.
For a moment Blitzberg looked at it and examined it. Later he gave it to one of the Raider and swiftly he crawling away and gone within the shadows of the wall.
“But why they still want it? We’re already here, we’re knew where they are.”
“Because that Sphere does not only show this castle but there’s something else inside it, right?”
Blitzberg answered with a cold smile.
“What’s inside?”
“Another map but I don’t know what it was exactly, for it was encrypted. As I constructed it with magic it shows the map of entire Lucretia but in an instant it shattered. I don’t know if it shows another devil’s lair of them in Lucretia or they have bad plan to our city, if only I could bring it to Shell maybe we could opened it and know their plan.”
Both sides stared each other. There pause for a moment, only sound of ringing chains in their ears.
Then Scarlett asked, “Why you didn’t do it? This is not you. Marius I knew would leave away with it. Finished his mission whatever it takes and never look back. Yet you trade the Sphere with them.”
“Because you ever told me that Ishtar Soldier fought to protect peoples not to finish missions. And if what we do now would killed more and many people then we will fought harder to protect them.” said Marius.
Scarlett looked at him with smile. On the other side Rey had broke their chain with a small blast of Gremlin Sphere. And as they’re free Eorin slapped him at once but then she hugged him tightly.
“I thought I lost you. Glad to see you again.” said Eorin.
“Where you gone? How did you survive?” asked Aska.
“Long story, I’ll tell you later.” said Rey.
“Save your reunion kids, we had more things to do.” said Marius.
Aska rose before Marius and suddenly he throw a punch to him, but Marius caught it first. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
“What’s the matter?” asked Scarlett.
“He stole our Sphere and leaved us in the village.” said Eorin.
“Is that true?” asked Scarlett to Marius, but Marius give no respond. “We talk about it later, for now we have enemy to deal with. Do you bring their gears?”
“Of course, I prefer brought this than having them as burden.” said Marius as he tossed a bag to Aska.
“Gear yourself up! For they won’t let us escape so easily.” ordered Scarlett to both of them.
“I don’t believe this. So they brought dragon, blast our train and broke the bridge only for one Sphere? Why don’t they ask or steal it from us? That’s more elegant rather than do all this damage.” said Aska look upset while wearing his gear, “How did they know we have that little thing anyway?”
“We didn’t.” said Blitzberg, then all eyes looked at him with wonder. “At the train we actually marked Marius.”
Everyone then looked at Marius with suspicion, “I know you’re the one who brought trouble among us.” said Aska.
“Actually we want to send some message to him. We care not about a red-haired woman with three younglings on their holiday trip, until that girl shaped her ice,” Said Blitzberg looked to Eorin. “See, Iceberg was very advanced with ice. He could sense any cold, any frost around him. When that girl shaped this castle with her ice magic, my brother knew that it was the Sphere we looking for. I don’t know how it could be on your hand. The last time I saw it a man in silver mask took it.”
“Azuna.” said Scarlett.
“To retrieve the Sphere then became our first priority though it was very urgent to send some message to Marius.”
“What kind of message is it till they need assassins to send it?” said Scarlett wondered.
“Just location of this place.” answered Blitzberg. “It should be a simple task. My brothers just need to fight him for a while and then they sloppily but deliberately spoil our next attack so he can track us and sent this location to Khatar. The plan seemed succeeded as my Raiders report that two Royal Fleets are on their way here now.”
“What he talked about?” asked Aska.
“Cover up.” said Marius. “Kidnapping hundred to thousand villagers and all this secret experiment stuff, they would become top on the list for sure. The only way they could escape from this is by make our own government at their own will cover it up for them.” said Marius.
“But how they gonna do that?”
“On the way here we found out that all those Phantoms were the villagers.” said Scarlett.
“What?! How?”
“It’s long to explain. But if the Royal Forces arrive here and meet them in the battle, they will sweep all of them, no hesitation and no remorse, without they know that those Phantoms were the lost villagers. There will be no victory or honor, only slaughter and horror.”
“And with Royal Forces killed their own peoples it will be disgrace for our government. They will cover it up no matter how. No news about this will arise to public, cover story will be made maybe some trafficker or bandit do this all, and it will be unsolved case for decades or centuries.” said Marius. “And above all their plan succeeded, they could leave untouched.”
“This is insane. They couldn’t be get away from this.” said Aska looks frustrated.
“Unfortunately they could.” said Marius. “We will busy to clean and bury this mess while they took a holiday.”
Before them Blitzberg smiled as if in victory. Then he looked out at the night outside through broken windows. There he saw the shadow of the winged serpent flying under the white moon, as silent as the night itself.
Suddenly Rey stepped forward to his attention, “I won’t let you do that. I won’t let you took their life and easily run away.” There’s some anger on him as he looked at Blitzberg. Yet it wasn’t anger by justice but by some painful feeling of his past. “I will help them, I will set them free and I will stop you.”
“We will.” said Scarlett, patted him on the shoulder and at a moment his anger recede and turn into fairness. “We will set them free and you will set no battle.” said Scarlett, as she looked at Blitzberg with the sword pointing at him.
“So there’s a way to set them free, how?” asked Eorin.
“Just take the Sphere on his hand and destroyed it.” answered Scarlett.
“Then why we don’t take him first?” said Eorin. All her Spheres glow brightly as though she was ready to create powerful magic.
Marius drew his sword. He held tightly as if he will swing it faster and stronger than before. “Then let’s do that. End this quickly before the battle outside started and everything will be okay in the end.” said Marius, “Except for you puzzle-face.” said Marius to Blitzberg.
Aska stared Blitzberg with rage like he wanted to transform immediately into beast and attack him. “When this is end, I will go to see LCE88 Concert in Namtar Dome.” said Aska with serious expression. Everyone turned to Aska, especially Eorin who looked at him with frown.
“Good spirit you have. Unfortunately take me alone wasn’t as easy as you thought especially when I’m not alone.”
Blitzberg pulled the lever beside the throne and then the iron bars behind him pull up slowly with tinkling. There’s a silence for a moment and they stared anxiously into the darkness behind iron bars. Suddenly two giants break out of the darkness with roar like beast. The ground shaken as they striding up and recklessly they swung their weapon to break everything around.
“Is that what you called as 'extra trouble'?”
“Phantoms and Raiders outside were ‘extra trouble' but they are big problem, very big.” said Marius.
“What we do now?”
“Plan B. Four of you take them both, let me dealing with him.” said Marius.
“Plan B?! What plan B? Besides why don’t you take them both and we will face that one little guy,” replied Aska.
“Believe me, facing the little guy isn’t as easy as you imagine.” said Marius. “Those Gargantuas easier to fight, they are simply a pile up of muscles with no brains”
“But still ...” said Rey, looked at both giant with horror, especially when the red eye stared back at him.
“Ok, two for one. Rey, you go with me! Aska, Eorin, can I count on you both?!”