Maledictus Terra Book 2: Sanguifex Part 39

9 months ago

Introduction

Welcome back to Maledicturs Terra. This is a Chain Story between myself and @lex-zaiya, meaning that we each write the parts alternatively.

If you have not read Maledictus Terra Book 1: Mortis Custos yet, it starts HERE at Part 1 and ends at Part 101 HERE. At the end of the Part 101 post you will find links to all 101 Parts!

The previous part by @lex-zaiya can be found HERE.

Part 39

They continued on for some way down the track, everyone was clearly fatigued. Even the Lifedrinkers were slumping where they rode or walked.

The only exception to being tired was of course Mortis. The undead revenant had no use for sleep. He shall sleep eternally once his duty to his family was done. He took the lead. Even the prince’s frantic energy had dissipated and he did what he could to remain mounted.

Mortis did not know where he was going. He did not know in which direction to travel to find some Life Drinker or a magical drake. But he did feel as though they were far too exposed on this roadway. There were grasslands to either side of this dirt path and they could be seen for many leagues.

A forest presented itself on the track to the north of the road. Thus he led them into this stand of trees. “Follow me.” He had commanded softly. Not even the King seemed to be interested in disobeying. Mortis did notice that Derric’s ears perked up and how the large wolf was sniffing.

“Go and scout around for danger or game. You are a natural at these things. You will also be able to find us easily.” He commanded the shapeshifter. “Bring something back for the living and see if there is something for those two t hunt.” He nodded his head at the Lifedrinkers.

Derric did not say anything in return, apparently too tired for telepathy but still eager to go out into the forest. It had gotten dark but that was no trouble for the wolf. It was no trouble for Mortis either for he could see clearly even in the depths of a tomb. The starlight and moonshine cast sufficient light across the trees and the overgrown path.

This in itself was perplexing. Mortis did not remember seeing a path or road from the outside of the forest. Yet now they followed one, though it was choked with foliage and branches, there was a clear route to follow. Since nobody seemed to have used this road in a long time, he did not particularly see the harm in following it a while longer.

At least once they had gone far enough, should they wish to make a fire it would not be seen from the road on the outside. Yet something pulled at him to proceed further into the forest. When he looked back at his companions he was happy to see that they were all there but something about the forest behind them looked less safe than the forest ahead of them.

Nobody complained that he led them ever further into the forest. It seemed that they too, felt that it was a correct course of action. Mortis began to suspect magic at play, but he could usually detect magic being used on him or even near him. There were none of these feelings right now.

Ahead of them appeared a structure. It was made of large stone slabs of a yellow colour that did not seem to match any of the stone in the surrounding area. Whatever it was made of, it must have been carried here over quite some distance.

Mortis’s magical sight made it nearly impossible for living things to hide from him, or undead things. This structure carried neither. Its walls were still strong but its roof had collapsed long ago. There were vines and other plant life growing over parts of it, yet it had a large dry floor on the inside.

They made camp. Nobody spoke much, they were really tired. The two Blazeknights accepted the catch of a pair of large hares that the wolf brought and then Trix and King Sebastian followed the wolf out for a short while. They came back and seemed less on edge.

By that time the other human companions had already eaten and the twins seemed to enjoy the same feeling of relief that accompanied the Lifedrinkers returning less hungry than before. Everyone turned out their bedrolls. Mortis indicated to his Blazeknights that they should sleep. They knew that he did not. Usually the Lifedrinker Trix did not sleep either but she and the King sat far away from the rest of the group and seemed to be at rest. Strangely they seemed to sleep as well.

I wonder what had happened to Adiran? Did he succeed in his fight? Did it go according to the mage’s plan?

The cold wind of the void howled and threatened to bring down a torrent of ice and entropy.

However, unlike the being who it hated, the eye that stared down at the pair of combatants was not a being of pure chaos. It desired order. Order and compliance. Stillness. Adiran could feel the silent commands within his bones to cease what he was doing.

And yet he did not.

Another blast of energy was thrust forward from his palm. He nearly laughed as the vaunted King Adrian flinched and diverted his attention from trying to seal the rift to deflecting Adiran’s magical attack.

“What are you doing?” The evil man shrieked. “You are mad! Are you trying to just destroy this world that you were taking so long to protect? Are you so eager to vanquish me that you would doom this entire dimension?”

Adiran ignored the man’s raving. He turned towards the single icy blue eye in the void beyond the rift. “Oh Great One! Bringer of peace and numbness, heed my thoughts! This man is meant to be your devout follower and yet he has other plans for this time, this place and this space that has nothing to do with your hunger!”

He threw a sideways glance at the other Adrian who looked shocked and blanched.

Yet you are his rival. You are him. He is you. You… Adrian of Dragonshold. You belong to me too. Yet you resist and he does not.

“You are a God. So I resist for mortal reasons too trivial for your understanding. Yet that one seeks to manipulate you. I implore you to remove him from here, lest he keep you from your prize.”

There was a low, tremor inducing shriek. Mortals! I so loathe these machinations that I cannot grasp. You too shall pay from your manipulation of the great game. You cannot ask me to do this thing and not give me something in return!

Without a pause Adrian made his reply. “I accept Great One!” He threw both fists towards King Adrian. White and blue ribbons of light snaked towards the other mage. King Adrian tried to deflect them but they wrapped around his arms and around his body. It drew the other mage off from his magna-beast and through the air towards Adiran.

Adiran was also flung off his steed. Through the air towards his evil copy. The Earth Colossus charged the Magma Beast and would wrestle it to the ground, away from what was going to happen next.

The coils of Adiran’s spell wrapped around both adversaries, dampening all magical ability.

King Adrian’s eyes were wide with fear. “You silenced me? You silenced us both! What are you! You crazy old man!”

The pair hovered in the air, very far up. Above them the ruinous God loomed. Adiran smiled, their faces not meters away from one another. “I am the best version of you, you’d never be.”

Mortis took a slow walk of the perimeter of the structure. Everyone slept. It was quiet and he too needed to make sure that there was no sound as he move.

Perhaps it would not have made much of a difference. They were all so exhausted that he did not think that they would be disturbed by his movements.

He went through a crumbling archway that extended from the main room that they were camped in and found another large room that had no ceiling and tall walls. The structure must have had a high ceiling with a cavernous looking inside. Tall windows of stained glass letting in ample light during the day. By night each of the rooms would have been lit by the candles of a dozen chandeliers.

He shook his head. How could he know this? How could he… he could see it. The structure as it had been. This was not his imagination. He was seeing it, overlayed beyond his normal, magical vision. This place was old, far older than himself. This place had been built before the birth of his home Kingdom.

This… was a holy place. A Temple.

Something else was almost visible to him. A figure. It was large and armoured but did not feel threatening to Mortis. There was a sound, like a whisper. “Finally you are here. Warrior of Life and Death.”

“Hello?” He asked.

“Champion and Defender of the Land. He who defeated the Invaders.” The voice praised him.

Mortis shrugged. “I did my duty. It was my duty to protect my family. As you can see, I protect them even in death.”

“You did that.” The voice agreed. “Yet you did far more than that. For your deeds you accrued followers who see you as divine.”

Mortis turned to look back at the other room. Beyond the portal he could see the Blazeknights sleeping. “I did not mean for that to happen. They are very difficult to persuade otherwise.”

“Let them give you their devotions. Their devotions are what I need.” The voice said in a kindly way. “Do this and I shall help you protect your family, your Kingdom and this reality.”

“Seems like a fair exchange. How do I know that you…” He turned and Mortis could not see the faint apparition anymore. He looked back towards the doorway and then with a sudden lurch found that he was still standing in the other room, as though he had been standing watch in one position all this time.

Had he been dreaming? This was not possible.

It was morning and the others were starting to wake. He strode over to the archway that he had thought that he had gone through but found that it led to a more derelict part of the ruin. The walls here had fallen in and it was all just rubble on a foundation.

“My Lord?” Anna asked behind him. “Is something amiss?”

Mortis shook his head. He wished then that Adiran was still here. He might have been able to give him some answers.

Over to you @lex-zaiya!

Here is an explanation of Chain Stories and here is the current Chainstory Library

Mortis Custos

Start

Sanguifex

by @zakludick	by @lex-zaiya
Part 1	Part 2
Part 3	Part 4
Part 5	Part 6
Part 7	Part 8
Part 9	Part 10
Part 11	Part 12
Part 13	Part 14
Part 15	Part 16
Part 17	Part 18
Part 19	Part 20
Part 21	Part 22
Part 23	Part 24
Part 25	Part 26
Part 27	Part 28
Part 29	Part 30
Part 31	Part 32
Part 33	Part 34
Part 35	Part 36
Part 37	Part 38
You are here!	Coming soon!