CHAPTER SEVEN
The Dishonored
The night stretched on, heavy and oppressive, as the echoes of screams slowly faded into the stillness of Danestria. Elayne's heart felt burdened by the somber silence that surrounded her. Moving cautiously around the back of the ancient monastery, she discovered a worn door hidden in the shadows. As she opened it, a mesmerizing sight—a shimmering wall of yellow light glowing like a beacon in the darkness greeted her, casting soft shadows on the stone walls.
Curiosity piqued, Elayne reached out tentatively, her fingers brushing against the warm glow. A strange sensation coursed through her as her hand passed effortlessly through the barrier, like dipping into a comforting stream of warmth. "What is this?" she murmured to herself, a mix of awe and alarm swirling in her mind as she stepped boldly through the radiant threshold.
Elayne moved cautiously down the dim corridor, her footsteps echoing against the stone walls. As she entered the main hall, she accidentally knocked over a bucket of coarse emery cloth, the clatter breaking the silence.
Her gaze swept across the hall, landing on an imposing altar at the center. A large, glowing crystal resting upon it pulsated with radiant white light, casting shimmering reflections around the room. Drawn to its brilliance, Elayne approached, her heart racing with curiosity and apprehension.
She touched the crystal's calm surface, pondering, "Is this what's creating the barrier?" Intrigued by its mysterious power, she stood captivated. Startled by footsteps behind her, she turned to see a board coming directly toward her face.
The light flickered outside the monastery ominously as Eliza stood alone at the doors. The sound of footsteps approaching on the road broke her silence. She smiled with malicious intent. "Come to pay for your wrongs?" She turned to see Jar holding a hatchet. There was just a large puddle of water between them. The townspeople watched, curious about what was happening.
"Where's your pet?" Jar grinned. "You know, the whore."
Eliza's face turned to anger. "Do not speak of her that way after what you and your friends did to her."
Jar laughed while pointing the hatchet at her. "Don't worry, I will send you both to the afterlife. Where you both belong." He walked toward her, stepping into the puddle, splashing as he walked.
Eliza smirked as she gazed up at the stormy sky. Lightning flashed while light rain fell around them. The sound of raindrops hitting the puddles brought her a sense of peace. "What do you know about the afterlife?" she asked, dramatically closing her eyes and swaying as Jar's footsteps approached. She smiled at him and continued, "You know, banshees can travel between the two worlds at their own leisure. It's fascinating how they can alter reality around them. I suppose that's why the elves would never allow a necromancer to walk in this world."
Jar felt angry as he approached her, raising his hatchet. But suddenly, something grabbed his ankles, stopping him in his tracks. Looking down, he saw hands emerging from the water. In the puddle's reflection, he also glimpsed the banshee. His eyes widened in terror. He screamed as she pulled him into the puddle, leaving him immersed halfway.
Juliana flew out of the puddle and looked down at him as he screamed in pain. She turned to Eliza while the townsfolk watched in confusion.
Eliza strolled up to Jar, who was struggling in pain. "Don't die too fast. I wanted this to be extremely painful. What you and your friends deserve. Do you feel your body integrating with the stones? The utter minerals fusing with your flesh. I can imagine it would be quite painful."
"I'll kill you!" Jar yelled in agony.
"Suffer, you piece of shit!" Eliza said with anger, her face twisted into an evil grin. "But as much as I enjoy this, we must press on." Eliza turned to Juliana and nodded. "Don't go too fast." Eliza's expression revealed apparent insanity.
Juliana floated to Jar and placed her hands gently on his face. "How about a kiss?" she asked in her raspy voice.
"No!" Jar screamed as Juliana slowly and deliberately took his head from his shoulders. He felt every muscle and vein tear before she held his head in her hands with a wicked grin. His eyes blinked one last time. The townspeople panicked and fled at the alarming sight.
Eliza glanced back at the monastery doors. "How can I get past this barrier?" she wondered aloud as she looked at people running away. Turning to Juliana, she added, "I have an idea. Soon, we will have our revenge on this town for what they did to you. To us. We also have our secret weapon." She grinned.
Dison ran toward his house, filled with worry. People rushed past him, crying and shouting, while women hurriedly pulled their children along. He glanced up the road and saw guards fighting off the undead. Looking down a side street, his only thought was to reach his family, so he sprinted down that path.
As Dison ran, he heard a familiar scream. "Kaida," he thought, hastening his pace toward her. Out of breath, Dison pushed himself to go even faster. As he glanced at Kaida being attacked, he drew his sword and plunged it into an undead creature. His sword emitted a bright glow as a piercing light traveled through the zombie, causing it to collapse and return to the ground.
Upon seeing Dison, Kaida felt relieved, but struggled to express herself. Dison reached out his hand to help her, and she slowly took it, her expression filled with sadness.
"Are you alright?"
Kaida still couldn't find the words she needed to say. "Yeah, I'm okay." She smirked, still trying to figure out how to articulate what she needed to respond. "How do I tell him?" she thought.
"Come on, I need to get home. Dad and Tina need our help. You make your way to the gates." Dison took off running toward his home.
"Dison, I..." Kaida attempted to tell him about Quinn, but he had already left. "Dison!" she yelled as he was too far away to hear her. She chased after him.
Entering the shop, Dison stopped when he saw Quinn at the hall entrance. Confused, he called out, "Dad?" He smiled momentarily, but his expression faltered as he noticed Quinn's glowing blue eyes in the darkness. "Dad…" A look of despair crossed Dison's face.
Kaida ran in behind Dison. She looked at Quinn with relief and tried to approach him, but Dison's arm stopped her. "What's wrong with..." She paused mid-sentence.
"He is not our father anymore," Dison said, looking at Kaida.
Kaida looked at Dison, noticing a few tears streaming down his face. Quinn charged at them in a rage, shrieking as he ran forward. "Stop, Papa!" Kaida shouted as she saw Dison step in front of her. "Dison, he's our father."
"Not anymore." Dison raised his sword hesitantly. The moment felt prolonged by his perception. He pierced his sword into Quinn's chest slowly, as if he was being gentle. As Quinn fell, Dison caught him and gently lowered him to the ground, fighting back his tears.
Kaida ran to Quinn, crying. "Why Dison? Couldn't we have done anything to help him?" She gazed at Dison with uncertainty.
"He died, and I wasn't here for him." Dison closed his eyes and lowered his head. "You were looking for me, weren't you?"
Kaida lowered her head. "I was."
"Where's Tina?" Dison ran upstairs, followed closely by Kaida. He opened the door to Tina's room, but she was not there.
"Tina!" Kaida screamed, fearing the worst. She ran to the opened window. "Tina!" She saw fire in the distance, engulfing the town, and screams filled that part of town. "Dison, what is that?"
Dison looked at the situation with concern. "Come on, we need to find Tina," he urged, as he dashed out of the room and down the stairs. He took one last look at Quinn before rushing outside, followed closely by Kaida.
Dison felt the heat from the raging flames. He noticed the source was coming from a street or two over. "Kaida, I know Tina is alright. She's a smart girl. You need to make your way inside the gates."
"No, I'm coming with you," Kaida said firmly. "Whatever this is, we face it together."
Dison looked at her with a pained smile. "I'll be back. I don't know if I can protect you. Please, do this for me." He looked at her with concern. "I need to know you're safe."
Kaida closed her eyes. Her face remained flushed from crying. "You come back to me. I can't lose you too." She ran up the street toward the gates.
"I'll try," Dison said as he ran toward the flames, pushing past townsfolk fleeing in fear. He turned around a house to see the burning buildings, people, and animals as they fled.
Dison gazed into the distance and spotted a figure clad in silver and golden armor, walking a midst flames that seemed to emanate from him. He wielded a Glaive, the blade of which was as long as a sword, and an unusual weapon in his other hand, an odd-shaped cleaver. The flames flickered against the stranger's armor, creating the illusion that they were dancing for him.
All Dison could think about at that moment was Quinn discussing the battle that had occurred long ago in that area. An elf had been betrayed by his own and killed in battle, an Elven WyrmGuard who wielded the magic of fire. Quinn mentioned "The Dishonored," discussing the battle that had occurred long ago in that area.
Dison looked at the people that needed help. "This is an elf, a being of immense power. The power to wield natural magic." Dison paused and closed his eyes. "Do I even stand a chance?" He looked to see a young man running toward him.
"Help!" the young guard yelled as the odd cleaver decapitated him before Dison's eyes. The blade returned to The Dishonored, much like a boomerang.
Dison summoned his courage and ran out to help the remaining guards, who had come in to fight. He observed as the guards fell one by one to The Dishonored with ease. It felt like witnessing a chaotic dance of flames and blood.
"You are all miserable creatures," the Dishonored said in a raspy, deep voice muffled by his helmet with three horns sprouting from it.
"Why are you doing this?" Dison charged in, attacking wildly alongside the remaining guards, but the warrior easily blocked each of his attacks.
"She commands it." The Dishonored pinned Dison's sword to the ground with his Glaive and sliced him with the odd cleaver. "Pathetic."
Dison looked in shock as he felt the blade rush through his chest. "Is this where I die?" He thought. Looking, the odd blade lit a flame and came back at him to strike him again. The pain of the fire overtook him as it sent him soaring back into an alley, where pieces of a burning house fell on him. He watched The Dishonored as he killed the others and moved on, walking down the street, disappearing into the inferno. His vision blurred as he crawled out from under the rubble, and flames approached him as if they were chasing him. Dison saw someone running toward him.
"Dison! Come on." Kaida helped him up and assisted him down the road.
"I told you to get to the gate." Dison struggled to express himself because of the pain.
"I can't just leave you. You're reckless—just look at you," Kaida exclaimed as she struggled to hold him up. "You always want to help others, consider taking time to help yourself and stop from getting involved for once."
The intense heat emanated from the roaring flames, causing beads of sweat to trickle down their faces as they pressed onward through the dense smoke. Behind them, the fierce fire, its buildings cracking and collapsing into a blazing mass of destruction, engulfed the once peaceful part of town. The air was thick with the acrid scent of burning wood, and the sounds of chaos fueled their determination to escape the inferno.
As her eyes slowly opened, the shining light from the crystal flooded her vision. Elayne initially felt warmth, but soon, the pain in her forehead reminded her of what had happened. She looked around the hall, trying to get up, but her hands were bound to a column. "That's great." She thought.
A door creaking open caught her attention as an older man walked through wearing priest's robes. He looked at her with regret. "I am sorry for earlier. I am Dorient, high priest of this monastery."
Elayne squinted. "You could untie my hands and we can forget all about this."
"I'm sorry, but I can't do that. I don't know your intent."
"My intent is to stop the necromancer. Who is right outside your church here?" Elayne looked at him with suspicion. "Why is she outside your monastery? What does she want?"
The priest looked at the crystal on the altar. "Evil comes for us all, but the gods will protect us."
"I'm here to help you. I'm a knight of Aardocia." Elayne struggled to get free of the ropes. "Let me go so I can."
"Father!" Dramus walked into the room and approached Dorient. "The woman is gone. We should make a run for it."
"And go where, you fool? Outside of the wall is crawling with those monsters. Try acting like you have a brain." Dorient said with irritation.
Dramus looked at Dorient with rage. "You wish to just lay here and die." Dramus leaned in. "You're the fool."
Dorient backhanded Dramus, knocking him back. "Know your place, boy!" Dorient said.
Dramus breathed heavily with anger, but backed off when Dorient did not retreat. "You're going to get us killed."
"I'm the only one keeping you alive, just as I always have. Thank the gods your mother didn't live to see the disappointment you grew up to be," Dorient said as he turned back to Elayne. "I'm sorry about that. He has always been a fool, but he is my son. Now, where were we?"
"You need to release me..." but Elayne got cut off.
"I cannot do that. Not yet, anyway," Dorient said, as a knock at the door interrupted him. "Help us, Father!" the people outside cried. "Let us in, Father!" He heard them say.
"No, you can't let them, dad." Dramus said.
Dorient looked at Dramus and said, "Don't be a coward. They are here to pray for safety, and we must help those in need. Besides, the unholy dead cannot enter this place; the barrier prevents it."
"Where is the necromancer? Has she given up trying to get in?" Elayne felt uncertain as she considered the situation.
Dorient opened the doors, and ten people rushed in quickly. "Thank you, Father," one of them said.
Dramus quietly left and closed the heavy back door of the monastery, the sound echoing softly within the stone walls. A young girl with wide, terrified eyes slowly approached the altar, her footsteps hesitant and her hands trembling at her sides. She glanced back at Elayne, tied to the pillar, who regarded her with suspicion.