Requiem of Depravity

Aedin

I was surrounded by total darkness walking down this path. This path of marble which was very well lit, even more so when compared to the pitch blackness that enveloped everything beside myself and the path ahead of me. As I walked down this seemingly endless path toward the eternal void that beckoned me forth I allowed myself to become completely immersed in the darkness that surrounded me. The sound of my footsteps slowly faded away and I began hearing voices, whispers coming from all directions. I listened to them, as usual, and took in their knowledge and wisdom. However something didn't seem right this time, the voices were becoming louder and there were more and more of them, whispering into my ears. Suddenly memories and knowledge from ages ago poured into my mind. I experienced first hand things that were never recorded into history. Memories of things so horrid that would scar even the mind of a grown man and forbidden knowledge that if it were to be leaked would bring the entire nation of Barahm, perhaps even the world, to its knees. The whispers and memories were becoming unbearable, maddening even. I couldn't take it anymore...

I returned to reality as my eyes snapped open. I was drenched in cold sweat and I had to take a moment to take a few deep breaths. That along with the familiar smell of burning incense that filled the room helped calm my mind down enough where I could once again think clearly. I was sitting on a mat on the floor in lotus position in the palace monastery. On either side of me were two urns filled with sand, each with a stick of burning incense and in front was a small table with two smaller sand-filled urns also holding sticks of burning incense. A golden chalice filled with a red liquid rested at the center of the table, wine, an offering to the deities for allowing me to transcend beyond the realm of the mortals and into the spiritual realm. I took another moment to stand up as the shock from my most recent visit had drained my entire body of its strength. I couldn't afford to waste time however; after knowing what had just been revealed to me I had to find the queen. It was practically a vision and I couldn't distrust the visions granted to me by the spirits.

I ran as fast as my legs could carry me into the audience hall. Fortunately there was no one else present aside from the queen and her guards. Approaching the queen I stopped in front of the steps that led to her throne and knelt down. The queen herself was a regal beauty with black clothing that covered the rest of her body beside her shoulders and stomach, revealing her perfectly toned fair skin. Her leggings were white and stopped just short of her ankles where three golden anklets rested above her bare feet. A golden bracelet was worn on both her wrists and upon her neck a golden chain with a pendant of ruby which rested on her rather immaculate breasts. Her clothing and the rest of her body was also adorned with various other expensive jewelry and she had a headdress upon her raven black hair which signified that she was the ruler of the nation. The queen's scarlet red eyes met mine and I managed to speak, "I would like to request a private audience with Her Majesty Queen Akasha."

The guards turned to the queen, who in turn gave them a nod of approval. One by one the guardsmen each left without speaking a word and once the audience hall was completely empty aside from the two of us the queen stood from her throne and stepped down the steps. "You may rise now, Aedin." she spoke and I stood up from my kneeling position. "Yes Your Highness."

"Oh come now Aedin," the queen sighed, "Haven't I told you not to be so formal to me when we're alone?"

"A-ah! I-I apologize Your High- Sis." I blushed, "It's just a force of habit, after all you are the queen of this land. A descendant of the gods."

Sis sighed and gave me a smile, though I could tell she wasn't smiling from happiness. "Yeah well I really wished I wasn't the queen." she said, taking a glance out the window overlooking the city, "Now I'm stuck at the palace almost all the time with all this boring shit I have to do. Not to mention I have to act all polite and fancy. Gets on my nerves. Why didn't they make you king? Your personality and mannerisms fit the bill much more nicely."

Well, she may have looked and acted the part but Sis's true personality and demeanor was far from something befitting the queen of our nation. And while it was true that I would probably fit much better as a ruler compared to my tomboyish sister Akasha was the older one and therefore was in the line of inheritance before me. "Yes, but after Father had died you were the next in line to take the throne. So it's only natural that you're the queen." I explained even though Sis knew full well this was the case. Though it was true that both of us were a bit young and inexperienced to be rulers as our father had died an unexpected death, leaving Akasha who had just turned twenty-three a few months ago to be put on the spot as the ruler of the nation. Not to mention there was a war going on too.

"Well then why couldn't you be born before me? Why did I have to be the older one?" Sis pouted, bringing her scarlet eyes back to meet mine. "So, what did you want to talk to me about that had to be spoken in private? Did you finally get a girlfriend?" she teased, giving me a sly smile.

"A-ah! No! O-of course not Sis!" I blushed, shaking my head to reinforce my answer. However she did remind me of what I originally came here to say, something very important that only the two of us could be allowed to know. "Actually, I had a vision." I started, lowering my voice in case there were eavesdroppers, "I saw the memories of our ancestor, the one who had experienced the ancient war with the Old Gods. I have learned his secrets. And the spirits have told me, Sis..." I paused for a moment and took a deep breath. It would be best to break it to her straight. "They have told me that the Old Gods are breaking their seals. They are returning." I finally announced.

Her expression immediately changed from a smile to one of worry. "Wait, what? You can't be serious." is what she had said but she must have realized I wasn't joking when she read my facial expression. "Then what do we do?"

I stopped for a moment. That's right, I never thought about how we were going to stop the Old Gods' return. However it didn't take long for me to figure out a plan, however vague it was. "We'll have to find the others. Those who had descended from the same people that our ancestor had allied with during the ancient war. We might be able to do something together." I explained, "We'll have to leave immediately, time is of the essence. Appoint the Cardinal whom you trust the most to temporarily take your place. Hopefully, if everything goes well we won't be gone for long." I then turned and made my way toward the exit of the audience hall, turning around before I left to give Sis a nod. "We have to hurry. I'll meet you at the gates of the city when you're done. We need to leave before sundown." With that said I shut the door behind me and headed for the gates.

 

Word of mouth spread fairly quickly, and it wasn’t long until the news of a strange monster interrupting a battle reached the ears of Elsa Naunet. Up until now, she had spent her time waiting, hoping to see the end of the war, but if the Old Gods had truly returned, she couldn’t wait any longer. Something clicked inside her head, telling her where she needed to go.

Elsa was small and pale, but she knew how to fight. Probably the only reason why she hasn’t been forced to go to war was because she was a woman, but she didn’t care. Sure, the road to Thyella wasn’t exactly safe for a young woman like her, and her long red hair and bright blue eyes would make her stick out like a sore thumb, but she honestly did not give a damn shit. The girl was ignorant and proud of it.

So the girl with the dark red hair stole a cutlass and some winter clothing and paraded out of Myrsk, running over anyone who tried to stop her on her beautiful brown steed. She arrived at Thyella, wrapped comfortably in a fur cloak over a black shirt, pants, and boots. Her cutlass remained sheathed at her hip, useless; she learnt quickly that it was made for underwater combat and would deteriorate if left out of water for too long. She tried filling the metal scabbard with water, but the cold weather made it difficult to unsheathe the sword. Still, she kept it at her side, as it looked threatening.

After dropping by a stable and threatening the owner not to mistreat her horse (although he didn’t take her threat that seriously), Elsa headed to the local inn to warm up and to get something to drink. Even though the fur cloak was quite comfortable, she could not stand the Thyellan weather. But this was where she had to go for now. Once she was finished with this place, she and Maria were riding straight to Silar.

 

As she approached the inn, Elsa began to feel a little light headed and her throat became extremely dry. She blamed it on dehydration and ordered a drink once she sat down, adjusting her cloak so it wouldn't get caught in her chair or something. She ignored any and all strange looks the inn's patrons gave her. The dizziness slowly evolved into a piercing headache, and soon she could not differentiate between hot and cold: The only thing she could really focus on was the pain.

She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table and bringing her hands up to cover her mouth and nose. She shut her eyes and tried her best not to show that she was in pain. Happy thoughts about horses and fish began to flood her mind.

A voice quickly snapped her out of her little trance and Elsa glared at the man, studying the streaks on his face and hair. He was much bigger than her, as most people are, and a tad older, probably about two or three years. He looked at her with his teal eyes and she quickly broke eye contact, opting to look at the rim of her glass. He demanded to know who she was, and her first thought was how rudely he asked. “What does it mean to you?” she hissed back, although it wasn’t very threatening due to her dry voice being muffled by her hands.

She tried to glance around the room to see what kind of people were around (in case something were to go down), but the headache worsened when she stopped focusing on the glass. Elsa adjusted the positioning of her hands, just so she could nibble on her thumb a little. It was a nervous habit, although it did help her focus a little bit.

 

The man identified her as a descendant. Elsa moved her hands from her face to her glass as the headache began to alleviate. She glanced at the man, trying to get a good look of his face, but she quickly averted her eyes away when he tried to make eye contact with her. She couldn’t really get much from these quick glances, but she did notice a little bit of blood on his face. Was he going through the same pain she was…?

He sat next to her and she lowered her head, watching him from the corner of her eye. He tried to to reach out to her, but she slapped his hand away. “So what if I am?” she growled. If he was a descendant like her, then she probably shouldn’t be so defensive, but she couldn’t really be so sure. He left hand traveled to her hip, where her cutlass laid in its scabbard. She began to trace the fish-shaped design on the hilt with her thumb. She pulled it out ever so slightly so see if the water had melted, and quickly pushed it back in when she saw some trickling out.

 

Izi let his cloak hang open as he walked along the road towards the only inn for miles around, which was located in a small and unremarkable village not known for much other than existing. The black bladed claymore on his back was out in the open for a reason, there to ward off any would be bandit who didn't know--or was too inexperienced to notice--that the man with the blade knew how to use it. The only thing that dwarfed the sword was the greatbow that he held in the crook of his arms. The bow was taller than Izi's own 6'7" and had a draw weight that only very few had the strength to use in this day and age. The rucksack he carried was nearly empty after his long journey from his home in the mountains, being drawn to this hole in the ground by an instinct that overwhelmed any desire to stay put or turn back.

The inn came into sight, easily identified as being the tallest and by the stables and other buildings clustered around it. Izi sped up and arrived at the door, his aching head identifying the inn as his destination. He took the bow in his left head and held it horizontally so it would fit through the door. His black hair was in his eyes so he pushed it back and scratched his beard before ducking his head as he walked in to avoid hitting it on the frame. The room got quieter as men of his stature and tan complexion were not very common in these parts. The noise quickly picked up as he looked around now that there was something new and exciting to talk about. Izi looked around and saw two people talking together and as soon as he saw them his head almost exploded with agony, he walked up to them as fast as he could without falling and tapped the man on the shoulder with the end of the bow, being careful not to hit anyone else in the inn with the massive bow. "Oi mate, I think I'm 'ere to find you."

 

"I know, I've heard." Elsa said, leaning back in her chair. "I've come to this place for a reason, you know. No fucking idea why, but no one comes to this icy hell-hole for no bloody reason." She spoke with a lot of attitude, but still kept her voice low so only the man could hear. "But your hunch is right. Elsa Naunet, Storm descendent, believe it or not." She knew that, based on her attitude and appearance, he would have believed that she was the Volcano or Dragon descendent, but no. She flinched when he rested his hand on her shoulder and quickly swatted his hand away. "Don't touch me."

The creaking of the door and the sound of heavy footsteps caught Elsa's attention. The large man approached them and Elsa's frown deepened. "Bloody hell." As agile as she was, there was no way she could fight this man, if that was what he was looking for. Not without Maria. She remained quiet as Naeova and the large man conversed, although she was somewhat pleased to hear that the man may be a descendent as well.

 

Izi took Naeova's hand and gave him a firm handshake. "My name is Izi 'olloway, descendent of Volcano. Oi've come a long way out o' the mountains for this so it better be bloody important." And with that the large man walked to the nearest corner and set down his equipment, leaning the bow against the wall--along with the quiver full with twenty lance-like arrows--careful to make sure it didn't fall, the rucksack went next and was soon followed by the claymore. As he stood back up he checked to make sure the dagger strapped to his left forearm was still in place. Izi returned to the other two and sat down, giving a nod to the girl as he did. He hadn't yet that night so he ordered a bowl of soup and half a loaf of bread, along with a mug of mead. The meal was a feast for the weary traveler after the time spent on the road, and fresh bread tastes better than hard tack no matter how much honey you pour on it.

Izi used the heel of the bread to wipe up the last of the soup and gave a satisfactory belch a few moments later as he finished the mead. It wasn't exactly the best mead ever but it wasn't the worst either. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and turned to look at the other two. "Now, will one of you explain why the 'ell I was pulled here by instincts? Oi've 'eard only rumors of rumors an' you look loik you know what's true and what isn't. You got some 'splainin to do mate." Izi waited for an answer as patiently as he could.

 

Esther knelt down in the vibrant carpet of moss with nothing covering her body. She wanted to be as close to the world that created her as possible, and to do so, must not have any of Man's influences near her person. She smiled and felt the wonderful warmth that came from her Art. Small, whispering voices of the plants around her, the vibrant singing of the river nearby, the constant hum of spirit that seemed to charge the air. Nothing seemed to be able to bring her spirits down. As she completely laid down in the moss, though, Esther began to see things that she hadn't wanted to see; the ancient beings ripping the world apart as if it were a mere cloth, tragedy, torture. On top of everything, she could see a large, black figure in the horizon. She hastily sat up and looked around, not seeing a soul to whom she could talk to. She wrapped herself in a thin sheet and worriedly tied high wooden platforms to her feet. If all was not well, which was most certainly possible, then her vision could absolutely be coming true. She looked around and tried to smell the scent of the air for population. Sniff, sniff... a faint scent of sweat and grease came from the direct west of her. Concentrating as hard as she could, she reached into herself and discerned which direction she needed to travel in order to find Thyella. The sun was beginning to set and she knew she was about half a day's distance if she walked to Thyella. She needed to hurry, though, as she knew that people were going to gather, and she needed to warn them of incoming doom. With a determined grimace, she began her trek to Thyella, hoping that she wasn't too late.

Fourteen hours later, she arrived in Thyella, the thin sheet that was covering her had been torn to shreds, barely covering her. Only one platform was left, the other being lost a ways back. Her long, brown hair was also unkempt and was matted with dirt. The only thing that looked alive about her was the fierce determination in her that made her blue eyes sparkle. The frosty air was beginning to nip at her as well, but she was not going to pay attention to her mortal needs; she needed to warn that gathering of people, wherever they were. She scanned the small village, hoping for some kind of sign, but none came. Sighing, she looked towards what seemed to be an inn. She detested the things, but she knew that if she ignored her mortal needs that she might perish. Resigning herself to the worldly places, she shambled towards the inn. As she pushed open the door, scents from places she'd never been before, but was familiar with all the same washed over her and tried to bowl her over. She looked towards the left. A group of three people, one tall, one small woman, and another mysterious man were all huddled together. She could hear the faintest trace of "Tundra" and "Silar". She was not entirely sure whether this was the group of people she needed to see or not, but she decided to risk it anyway. Please! You must not leave this place! The old menaces are coming back to destroy the land and its protectors along with it. I beg of you, I wish you no harm. Please..." Esther slumped to the ground and tears fell from her eyes. "don't..." Her mortal needs caught up with her and she fell to the ground, sighing as she fell into darkness.

 

While the men conversed, Elsa ordered another mug of mead and some soup. She heard Naeova talking about waiting for the Tundra descendant and frowned. “But what’s the chances of them showing up now, at this very inn? We might have go out and find him ourselves, really.” And she really didn’t want to go out and do that. Not until she got a new cutlass, although she may be fine with this giant hanging around her.

As soon as she finished speaking, she noticed the brown haired girl approaching them. “Well.” She didn’t quite look Thyellan, though, with her lighter hair and blue eyes. The girl looked ill and filthy, which told Elsa that she came from quite a ways. She began to spoke to the group with words that went over Elsa’s head when the girl fell to the ground and began to cry. “Hey, don’t-” She moved out of her chair to kneel down and check on the girl, but it appeared that she had lost consciousness. She glanced at the two men. “I’ll get a room for her. She needs to rest.” Even if this girl wasn’t a descendant, she would have done the same. It was just dangerous to leave a weak, unconscious girl in the middle of an inn all alone. Who knows what strange people would take advantage of that?

 

Izi was happy enough with the details he was given, happy that Naeova made it short and to the point. The boy must have been a soldier at some point in time, but talking about the act of killing other men was not exactly the most popular subject to talk about. Only a few thoughts of what was to come swept through Izi's mind before a girl, scarcely clothed and looking half insane, barged in and took the spotlight. Her words made more sense to Izi now that they would have only minutes before, and he quickly came to the conclusion that she was more than likely a descendent or at least tied strongly to the land somehow. Elsa was the first to respond and what she said about getting a room sounded like a magnificent idea. After quickly fishing around a pocket for some coins, Izi slammed the coins down on the counter and rented a two bed room for the night. He then removed his cloak and draped it around the unconscious girl laying on the floor. "Oi wonder what spooked this'un. What exactly she saw I mean. Must've been terrible," he said to the others.

Izi walked back to where he had lain down his equipment and put his blade across his back and picked up the bow. He talked to the others as he walked over to the fallen girl once again. "Naeova, you had best stay here and see if that Tundra bloke arrives tonight. I'll be taking her to her room and I'll be right back down to wait with you." With that Izi picked up the girl wrapped in his cloak so that her head rested on his shoulder like a mother would carry her sleeping child. He motioned with his head to have Elsa follow him to the room. The bow he laid near the door so that he could open it and walked in, gently laying the unconscious girl on one of the open beds. "Take care of her as best you can girl, I trust that you know how," he said to Elsa as he left the room. He didn't exactly feel all that comfortable about being in a room with a girl that had on hardly any clothes and didn't know who he was. It just didn't feel right. He picked up his bow and walked back to Naeova, only pausing briefly to say the he would be waiting outside the door to the inn. Izi walked outside and sat on a stool--that could barely support his weight--and waited for what the night would bring.

 

Elsa was about to pay for a room, but the giant beat her to it and carried the strange girl to it. Not the type of reaction she expected from the Tivuorian man. He was kinder and gentler, despite his massive appearance. There was only one thing that bothered her, really: how he referred to her simply as “girl”. “My name is Elsa. Please call me by my name.” Her tone wasn’t as hostile as it was when she spoke with Naeova, but there was still a hint of irritation.

Once Izi was gone, she removed her cloak and her scabbard and threw them onto the vacant bed. She dug through her pack, searching for any extra clothes for the other girl. All she could find were her regular traveling clothes, which weren’t exactly suited for this weather, but it was better than nothing. She draped the white tunic and hunting pants over a chair close to the girl’s bed and placed the boots somewhere nearby. Elsa glanced at the girl, thinking about how she needed a wash before she could wear her clothes.

 

Izi was glad Naeova joined him outside, and the question was an expected one. It looked like Naeova was a noble, raised to lead men into war. "You are wise for someone your age, but you 'ave to be to kill another man and come out alive and sane. I was never a soldier in the traditional sense. I 'ail from the mountains of my 'omeland, and the people that live in the mountains are much different than those who don't. We call ourselves the true Tivuorians for we live closer to what my ancestor would have wanted us to be. Men who are slow to anger but ferocious once roused," Izi chuckled, "Sort of like a Volcano. I 'ave killed men before, the first time was when I was still a young man that didn' 'ave to shave but every other day. Bandits attacked my village and killed my sister, the only family I had left because life is 'arsh in those mountains of fire. I picked up my father's blade and bow and gave chase. I found them the next night in a clearing by a river that flows through the very 'eart of the mountains. The never knew what 'it them. The arrows from the bow stuck people to trees and the ground and I was able to cleave the last man standing in half." Izi paused before continuing, he had only told this story to one other. "After that I dedicated myself to ridding my homeland, the Flaming Range of Tivour, of bandits. I too see every man I've killed in my sleep. You would be worse than the Old Gods if you didn't. And you are right about the last thing as well, war is not glorious, but what you fight for makes all the difference." Izi let the words sink in as he gazed once more out into the darkness.

 

Esther writhed and struggled against her bonds. Tied to a trunk with metal shackles, she was forced to watch as the Old Gods were destroying six other silhouettes. She screamed with all of her might, but it just wasn't enough. Then, as the sixth one was awkwardly laid on the ground, They descended upon her. Reaching into orifices, she moaned and hollered for help to no avail. Every fiber of her being resisted, but it was just no use. The world was going to be destroyed, and they were merely mocking her attempts to save it. She screamed and jolted upwards to find that she was laying on a bed within a strange, manmade room. The sheet of moss that she had covered herself in was also gone, and she frantically looked for it. There was no sign of it anywhere. Instead, though, was a set of manmade clothing along with a pair of boots. Slowly, she looked up from the setting and saw a smaller woman who looked like the one from earlier. "Who... are you...? And why am I here? I need to find the Six Descendants, but I haven't sensed any presence of them near here. Have you seen them anywhere? I must warn them..." She hadn't even realized that she had completely uncovered herself when she jolted awake, so she simply placed two arms over her sensitive areas. She preferred the absence of clothing, but she knew from experience that others preferred her to be covered in some sort of way.

 

"Calm down, kiddo," Elsa said, sighing. "My name is Elsa Naunet, descendant of Storm. You tried to talk with us but you fainted in the middle of the inn, so we brought you here." She gestured to the massive cloak that Izi had wrapped the girl in. "The Mist and Volcano descendants are here as well, but you're not leaving this room until you get cleaned up and dressed, missy." That last part came out of her mouth like an angry mother and Elsa smiled, relaxing her tone a little. "You're gonna have to wear my other traveling clothes. They're not exactly suited for this weather, but it'll have to do for now." She'll have to buy the girl some proper clothes later on, she thought. That was her only other set of traveling clothes.

Elsa sat at the edge of her own bed, facing the girl. "Have you eaten anything in a while as well? I can buy you something. The soup here's pretty good for cold, empty bellies." She was actually getting a bit hungry herself. Nothing a mug of mead couldn't fix.