Draconic Testament (22 page)

”Oh? Do stuff? You mean, do nothing?” Veronica huffed.
”No, no, I'm the smart one here.” Bastion said, receiving a scowl from Veronica, “I'm going to scout around, find a way into the castle and stuff. I really only just made the changes to the plan. When was the last time you used possession?”
”Back in your town.” Veronica said. “I killed the Cazrian with it.”
“You did?” Bastion asked.
“Don’t you remember? He seemed to be frozen in place in his final moments, when he was trying to kill you.”
Bastion paused, “Well, town was about a month ago, think you could possess one or two people simultaneously?”
”Sure.” Veronica said “Not for too long though.”
”Great, perfect!” Bastion said. “I haven’t completed the plan yet, but we’ll see what’s what when we get there.”. Unfortunately for Bastion, his ‘plans’ were to change really soon.
Bastion and Veronica close in on Split, after hours of journeying into the heart of the ‘peaceful’ National Park. However, they notice something odd as it begins to come into view. There were a few people in odd clothing as they began to close in. People wearing odd, old clothing were common around areas of beauty and freedom such as the national park, or the countryside, but Bastion had known better than to think they were normal people. There were men and women, wearing gasmasks around the perimeter of the settlement, and judging from their medallions, they were Magi. The Magi didn’t seem to bother too much with the two, just let them pass, but it was strange. Why were they wearing gas masks? As they passed them, they began trekking down a hill, in direction of the settlement. Oddly enough, there were rows and rows of tents outside the actual settlement of Split that they ended up having to trek through. The atmosphere that was emanating from the tents was easily readable. It was sorrow, fear, anger. This place felt wrong. From here, they could see over the walls of Split, although, it was obvious that the area was shielded with an illusion spell. They continued towards the settlement, getting a better look of the place. From the outside, it seemed that the stories of the whole Blue Magi barbarian camps were evolved from only slightly. This place still has siege protection from the olden days, big wooden walls with ledges for the archers to fire from, and a reinforced door to protect from battering rams. It looked like a picture from a history book. The outside walls of wood, were worn out, and were all chipped. Of course, it was held together by magic, otherwise it would have been a mystery. Inside, there were many, many tents, and the only thing he could see from there that was a difference from the rest of the settlements he had heard about was a moat and a castle. Even as the pair descended down the hill, the view of the castle never left their line of sight, although the tents did. They made their way toward the main gates, where two guards were standing. There was a lot of shouting and chaos to be overheard among the village behind the walls. From what Bastion could piece together from the outside, it seemed that there were wounded being treated. But it sounded pretty severe. They approached the guards. “Sorry, private property.” The Magi guard said, dismissively.
”Actually, we’re here to defect. We have our papers here, and we’re here to see a… uhh...Captain Stark.” Bastion said. The two guards looked at each other.
”Com’ back later.” Another guard said. They both had thick accents, and they sounded like peasants from the past. Bastion found this odd, since the residents of Korreal sounded like nobles. “What do you mean ‘come back later’? We’ve travelled for miles!” Veronica exclaimed.
”Not mah problem.” The guard says.
”The hell it isn’t. Why can’t we enter?” Bastion asked.
”Jus’ piss off, willya?” The guard said, getting angry. “Go defect somew’re else, ya zealous cowards.”
”No, you cretin! We’re here on orders of Rhenium!” Veronica said.
”To the bog with Rhenium, and yah corpses will too, if ya’ keep this up!” The other guard shouted, losing patience.
”Can you at least tell us why we can’t enter?” Bastion asked. The second guard, obviously tired of Bastion’s bleating, walked up to him and shoved him backwards. This startled Bastion, but he maintained his balance. “The hell?” Bastion asked, but out of nowhere, a force knocked the guard through a hole in the gate, startling the other one, who rushes to his aid. It took a couple of seconds to register, but it was obvious that the attacker was Veronica, who casted Aether, an air bolt, which knocked him backwards with an insane amount of force. “Hey, what the!” Bastion shouted, startled, though he stopped when he saw Veronica just as shocked as he was. Then, the two heard cries of anger fill up the village. “Perhaps we should go…” Veronica said, still startled.
”Didn’t come all this way for nothing. Stay here.” Bastion said, climbing through the hole.
”Wait!” Veronica shouted, but Bastion had already jumped through the hole as if it were a portal into the past.
On the other side of this fortress was a heap of mess, and the stench of complete indignity. The stench was not normal, it wasn’t something that you gain even by not showering your whole life. He had smelt this before. He smelt decomposition of bodies, like in the tunnels. It wasn’t an experience he ever wanted to revisit, and this time, it was a whole lot worse. “Whot the bloody ‘ell is going on!?” A man in a gasmask shouted, running to the guard who was grabbing his arm in pain. “He broke me arm! Him! He’s wit tha Reds, he is!” The guard shouted, pointing at Bastion. “Wait, I'm defecting! He, uhh… this was an accident!” Bastion shouted. A crowd was gathering at the sound of ‘the reds’. “Just what we need! Another damned spy entering a ranks! We should kill him!” A woman shouted. The crowd cheered.
”’old on! ‘old on! He’s just a boy! I bet ‘e ‘asnt even grown ball-hair yet!” A man with white hair, in overalls shouted. “Leave him be!”
”To the bogs with that! We’s always been too soft! We shoulda killed the Red zealots long ago!” Another man shouted. “Yeah!” Another one shouted. “I agree!”.
”He has an accomplice! Another whore to spread Tartarus among our men!” The first woman shouted. Bastion turned around to see Veronica climbing through the gate. “The hell are you doing??” He hissed, angrily. “The hell did I tell you! Look what you’ve done!”
”I'm sorry… I…” Veronica said. Bastion whirled around, ignoring her after the cries for their deaths got louder. “Wait! Wait! I have papers and our medallions! We really have come to defect! Don’t attack us!” Bastion shouted.
”Ta the bogs with you, Warlock!” The first woman shouted.
”Veronica… run… quick, back through the hole, I’ll cover you…” Bastion hissed, as the crowd seriously started to consider killing them. Weapons were out. “Wha… no, no I can’t!” Veronica said, and as Bastion was going to snap at her, a roar echoed throughout the village. The fact that the guard was injured, and the fact that they had marked the pair as ‘warlocks’ was a deterrent for one on one combat, but the death cries and the bloodlust was rising as more and more flooded to the crowd. It wouldn’t be too long before they became confident that they’d rip the duo limb from limb. ”SILENCE!” A voice roared. The man pushed and shoved his way through the ranks of furious villagers, making his way towards the guard and Bastion. He had shaved temples, brown hair and a short ponytail. Only the top of his head had hair. He also wore a black facemask, and heavy leather clothes. The most distinguishable feature was his sword, caked in blood. Death had befallen it, and he hadn’t even cleaned it. “Who are you?” The man hissed, facing up to Bastion. He had a cockney accent. Veronica stood by Bastion’s side. “I'm Bastion… T-this is Veronica. We’re from the Red Magi, we’ve come to defect… “ Bastion paused to give the man the envelopes. “we have seals and our medallions and everything… we’re loo-“
”Shut up, I'm the man you’re looking for.” The man said, looking at the seals. Bastion crossed his fingers, face sweating. The man looked back at him with glaring, angry eyes, piercing his skull. It was only for a couple of moments, but Bastion could feel these moments for an age. This man intimidated him. The villagers? Not so much, although they could all fight well, Bastion defeated an Archmage. He could hold them off till he could run, or something, but this man? He doubted his abilities. He intimidated Bastion greatly. He was in an extremely foul mood, and Bastion was about to experience exactly how foul.
An age passed, as sweat dripped from Bastion’s forehead and hit the floor. Stark’s eyes locked with his, in a battle of supremacy, though, the victor was obvious. Stark unlocked his eyes, took a quick glance at Veronica, then turned towards the crowd. “This is what you’re scared of? A boy, and a girl? You’d forget your honour, forget that you are within the Emperor’s presence, and soil yourself over what? OVER WHAT?”
”Ahh, piss off, Stark. Ya’r nothing! The emperors dying, and you run around in circles like a lil’ hamster! Piss off!” A man shouts.
”Come here and say that!” Stark roared, “Feel the might of this ‘hamster’ for yourself, and see who is higher in the food chain, coward!”
“Where is dah emperor? Where is our lord? Tell us!” A woman screamed, tears in her eyes.
”Ya ‘ave no authority here, Stark! Yer not supposed tah be in charge!” The white haired man says.
”Shut your mouth, Crix! I care not if you are the father of Enlin’s bride to be, I will slay you!” Stark shouted, and as he shouted, a man lunges at him with anger. The man lunges with pitchfork towards Starks stomach, but Stark dodges, and trips the man up. Stark raised his sword, intended to stab the felled man, but another man jumps from the crowd, grabbing his arms. His sword has fallen. The downed man gets up, and attacks with fists reinforced with magic, but Stark kicks the approaching man in the face, knocking him to the ground. He swings his head into the face of his attacker from behind, and the man lets go. He turns, holding his face, and receives a kick to the back of his leg. He is knocked to his knees, and instantly, Stark grabs his head and twists it sharply, snapping his neck. He then swirls towards the other man and bulrushes his before he can pick up Stark’s fallen swords, and brings him to the ground. The man shouts for help, and screams “No!” as Stark mounts him. Stark brings his fist into the air and slams it down into the man’s face! Bastion senses no magic from the angered behemoth, so his hand is not reinforced with Magic. The man slams his fist into the man’s face, over and over, as blood and bits of his face and splattered all over. Stark screams angrily as he does it, eventually making his attacker’s face cave in. All this with his own brute strength, no magic. In fact, when Bastion views Stark in hollow vision, he has no Aura. No Aura! Does this mean he’s not a mage? It could mean he’s hiding it, but Bastion’s hollow vision is extremely powerful. He can detect mostly everybody’s Aura, and if this man was that skilled in Magic, then why wouldn’t he use it to scare the crowd, or defeat his foes? It didn’t make sense, there was only one logical conclusion. He was human, and he was damned scary.
Once Stark had calmed down, he regained himself and stood to his feet, spitting in the hole he had made in his foe’s head. “Pathetic.” Stark snorts, and he turns to the crowd. Most of the crowd had left when the fight started, and Stark screamed “Is that all!? Anyone else want to feel this hamster’s wrath!?” Bastion also thought it was odd that he was calling himself a hamster like that, to his aggressors. The rest of the crowd, disheartens by both the show and their lack of backers, decided that they had lost, and it was time to go back to their homes grudgingly. They left, and Stark watched for a while to make sure the coast was clear, then turned towards Bastion and Veronica. He approached them, rage subsiding. He stops and looks at Veronica. “I'm sorry you had to see that child. I was in a rage, I apologize.” He said, though he was really only talking to Veronica. For some reason, the intimidation that Bastion felt was gone. He felt as if he could speak to him as if he were Vander, someone he had known for ages. Before he even knew he had said it, he asked. ”Hey, what about me?”
”You’re a man!” Stark bellowed “Toughen up!” He punches Bastion in the chest, knocking him back a little. He could tell it was a light punch to Stark, but to him, it damn near broke his ribs. “Ahh…” Bastion said. “My war cry would sound tougher than yours, that’s for sure. I wouldn’t be calling myself a hamster!” Bastion retorted. He only retorted because he could see that Stark’s eyes were calm, and although it was certainly not the eyes of a kind man, he certainly was not the harbinger of all evil. “As you can see, I am simply a human. I am no Magi.” Stark says. “Being the captain of the guard, and at the moment, the closest thing to a leader, sometimes people feel superior to me. With very good reason. So, sometimes I gotta smash a few heads. It’s no big deal, really.” Stark said, proudly. “Enough about me. Who are you?”
”I am Bastion.” Bastion said.
”I… I'm Veronica.” Veronica said.
”What did you mean about being the closest thing to a leader at the moment? What about the Emperor, and his son, I think I heard you say? Have they left?” Bastion asked.
“Well, yes and no.” Stark said. “Our humble abode has been in turmoil as of late.”
“Oh. Well, I suppose I should be relieved that this place isn’t always this... Uh...” Bastion began, but he came at a loss for non-offensive words.
”It’s alright, boy. You can say it. Look around you, child… Look, smell this… filth! This is the effect of Tartarus!” Stark hissed with anger. “Tartarus?” Bastion asked.
”You can’t mean… The Warlock curse?” Veronica asked, regaining herself.
”Yes, child. The Warlock curse.” Stark says. “Smell the dead.”
”You didn’t answer my question.” Bastion asked.
”If you want to know about what’s going on, and about the Emperor, then follow me. Your official signup to the Blue Magi will not be in effect until this mess is over…” Stark says. “In short, we have been attacked.” Stark leaves with that, and enters his barracks. Veronica takes a look around the camp from where she’s standing. She smells death. She sees fear and anger. And now that the rioting has passed, she can hear moans of pain, and screams of madness. Actual madness, the words that comes out the person’s mouth is things they cannot actually mean, like they’re hallucinating. Veronica looks at Bastion, with an expression that Bastion cannot place. To him, it looked like familiarity. “What’s happening here?” Veronica asks. Bastion looks at Veronica, and with a weak smile, he says, ”So much for that plan”.