Greetings all
I hope everyone enjoyed the festive season and is looking forward to the new year that's just around the corner! @zakludick left me smack bang in the middle of combat with Part80. I guess I have no choice but to continue. Enjoy.
Lucien knew it was coming, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to return to the battlements unscathed if he turned his back on the thing running at him. He braced for impact as the armoured creature hit him square in the chest with its weight. Lucien grunted a response and turned as the invader came into contact with him, enough to have the person only glance at him and run full force into the wall beside the life drinker. That didn’t deter the creature as it sprung back to reveal its axe and hammer. It grinned but said nothing.
Lucien looked at the creature with disgust. It had once been like him, like Stephan, but now it had reverted. The life drinker wondered if the beast knew what it had once been before it was what it was now. Slaver ran from an open mouth which echoed heavy breathing. Sharp teeth had long since cut its lips to ribbons, and a grotesque tongue seemed to flick over the ruined mouth as if tasting them or the air.
“You have fallen far brother, but don’t worry. In time I will return you to the goddess and she will make you whole.” Lucien raised his rapier while knowing full well his weapon wouldn’t do anything against the weapons this creature wielded.
He would need to be faster, stronger, and smarter, but he was sure he could at least beat the creature before him on that front. He took a deep breath and then whispered, “Come then and be returned to what you once were.”
Mortis stepped forward to where Magna was trying to get her brother to snap out of the half-crying, half-catatonic state. The girl looked up at him as if begging him to help her. They didn’t have time for this, and Mortis needed the boy to reach the potential that was trapped within him.
He reached for the front of the boy’s shirt and lifted him until their faces were mere inches away from each other. The boy looked so much like his father, so much like his grandfather, it also hurt Mortis to see the fear etched on his face.
“Adrian Shieldbearer, snap out of it.” He said softly, “We need you to come to the table with your abilities now that Ostia has gifted you her shield.”
Mortis gave his shield to Magna, who could only look at him dumbly. The revenant then lifted the boy under his arms and made him look at the coffins all around the room.
“Your bloodline has sacrificed much for you and your twin’s existence.” Started the knight, “All those within this chamber have come together within you and your sister, and now is the time to stand up and fight for those who gave up everything for you. Cry if you must Adrian but do so while you hold the shield to protect those around you. Don’t falter, don’t run, your job is to stand firm and with everything Ostia’s line has given you.”
“Mortis…” started Magna.
“No!” snapped the knight as he looked at her out of the corner of his eye. “For years, your father tried to teach the boy but hated the fact that he would never be what you had become. Adrian fought against the way he was raised as much as you did for acceptance. Your journey with me has made you strong, but your brother has never had the opportunity to grow into what he was meant to be. Your father was ill-guided and…”
“I should have done a better job.” Came a voice from the door.
Mortis lowered the boy to the ground and squatted before him, “Before he speaks to you, I want you to listen to me carefully Adrian.”
Despite the terror the young man felt at being held like an infant being shown off by the undead creature before him, Adrian was able to muster what courage he had left and looked him in the eye.
“Your father made a mistake in how he raised the two of you. He envisioned the way you should be, not what you could be. Be the man you know you need to be, to help your kingdom, your people, and most of all, your sister.”
“Adrian, we must talk, now.” Adiran stepped into the room and grimaced at the smell of decay and blood.
“Go, do what you must, but remember what you need to become what you want to be.”
Mortis got to his feet and released Adrian, who didn’t waste any time in fleeing to his uncle. He only stopped long enough to pick up the discarded shield Ostia had thrown at him. He didn’t look back. As Mortis got to his feet, he noticed Magna was glaring at him. He ignored the look and simply said, “Your brother needed that, and I need him to protect you because I no longer can.”
Magna paled and tried to summon the necessary words, but Mortis stopped her.
“I have watched you grow in leaps and bounds these long days, and I am so proud.”
Magna was suddenly surprised by tears coming to her eyes. She didn’t know why, but those words were something she hadn’t heard in a long time.
“You will need to face the next challenge without me, as I have things I must complete to ensure this curse rests a little lighter on these grounds. You and your brothers need to go on without me.”
“But…” Magna raised the blade.
The revenant shook his head and said, “That is yours now, as it was your father’s, as it was his father’s, as it was my nephew’s, and mine. This is the legacy you must fight for, what Adrian and Adiran must protect.”
“What will you do?”
Mortis looked to where Adiran was finally telling Adrian who was instigating the war, and what was expected of him and his sister. The boy no longer had a look of fear on his face but rather one of resolution and determination.
“I sense Blaze Knights. They will need to be dealt with while the three of you work toward…” Mortis stopped himself.
“Toward what?” begged Magna.
“Magna!” called Adiran, “You need to know this too.”
Magna stood rooted to the spot for a few seconds before she offered her hand to Mortis. The blood still dripped from it.
“I can’t have you go without a weapon. I permit you to use this.” She said nervously, thinking back to all the times Mortis had dug his teeth into her.
Mortis sighed and knelt before the future Queen of Drakenspoort, “You honour me, Your Majesty.”
And there you have it. Mortis will have to strike out on his own and Adiran finally has to tell the twins what is really going on. Good luck to him! Have fun Zak!
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