Rupture: Rise of the Demon King (15 page)

The soldiers walked away with Greg, leaving Mori and Seeko alone with the general.

“General Todd, I am Mori, daughter of Luxant. It is a pleasure to meet you.” Mori said, curtsying to the man.

Todd nodded, replying, “The pleasure is all mine, Mori.” He looked to Seeko and his wounded shoulders. “Seeko, right? You look like you could use some healing, but I have something to tell you before you go. A week ago, we routed the Halcyon army, but they will recuperate in Vicussa. We have them on the run and have a chance to take them out completely. Originally, we were going to have you get to the next portal, but this seems more important. Having you on the battlefield will strengthen our chances in enemy territory as well as boost the hopes of my soldiers.”

“So I’m going into a battle as support?” Seeko asked. Sounded better than fighting another Vishoni, at least for now. “Where is Vicussa exactly?”

“That’s right, you don’t know anything about this world,” General Todd said, smiling under his mustache. “Vicussa is a desert town, about two weeks to the west. I hope to catch the Halcyon off guard and take them down swiftly.”

“Okay, sounds good to me. I’ll stick around for moral support, but I want to ask you something.”

The general nodded and placed his hands behind him. “What is it?”

Seeko took a deep breath and asked, “Did you burn down Irris?”

Todd took a step closer to Seeko, lowering his hands to his sides. When he spoke, it sounded like it was with a heavy heart: “I had Irris burnt down in the name of the Irenic Empire. Although Irris praised us for freeing them from the Halcyon, the town was devoted to a rebel group calling itself the ‘Shadow of Dawn.’ When we seized the town, it became apparent that a substantial number of missing supplies were being traded to this rebellion. The town was corrupt and feeding an unjust cause.”

“So you killed them all? That wasn’t even close to right!” Seeko said. He looked to Mori for support, but she didn’t seem moved at all.

Todd shook his head. “Burning down the town was a sign to the rebellion and all others who hoped to oppose us. Maybe once the Halcyon Empire has been removed from the picture, the rebellion can be dealt with, but until then, we need to keep them in check.”

Seeko didn’t believe that was right, no matter what the justification was. He decided to restrain his emotions. “Uh, okay … That man, however … I don’t think he’s the rebel leader. Maybe he’s part of the rebellion, but I think you have the wrong guy.”

“He matches the description of Greg and was found inside a rebellion town. The odds are against him, but if it bothers you, convince me otherwise. Good luck with that.”

A jolt of pain made Seeko shout.

“For now, you should get your wounds treated,” Todd said. “You look like you could use some treatment too, Mori.” He prepared to enter his tent. “Talk to me about Greg later.”

“Wait,” Seeko said. “Is Kazuma here?”

“Yes, ask the soldiers. They should be able to direct you to him.” And with that, Todd went through the flap of his tent, leaving Seeko with doubts as to whether the right empire saved him that day when he landed here in Endetia.

15: Complicated

28 Rynr, 112 AV: Day 97

Soldiers directed Seeko to a group of healers. They healed Seeko and Mori of their wounds within a couple of minutes.

“I don’t know why, but I don’t want to see Greg die,” Seeko said, sitting on the ground outside of the healing tent.

Mori looked over, disgusted at his sympathy for the man. “Then don’t watch him die,” she said. “Turn the other way.”

“He’s innocent, at least of what they are charging him for. He attacked us because he wanted revenge. I would do the same if everyone I knew was killed as an
example
.” Seeko looked at the ground. He believed Greg was innocent and that enough people had died already. Maybe he could save one life. At least he’d feel more heroic if he did save him. Seeko rose, asked the nearest guard about Kazuma, and then he and Mori hunted for the captain.

Kazuma stood in front of his tent talking to one of his soldiers. Seeko caught his attention and he looked to them. Both Seeko and Mori greeted the captain. He quickly ended the conversation with the soldier and shifted his attention to Seeko.

He smiled and spoke. “Ah, Seeko, how ya doing? Oh, could this be the daughter of Luxant standing before me? It is an honor.” He bowed to Mori, retaining his smile. She bowed back. “It’s been almost two months! What’s the progress on your quest?”

Seeko crossed his arms, making the cuts in his shirt stand out. “Well, we closed the portal on Mount Pharos. It wasn’t … what I expected at all.” Visions of Vishoni’s wings tearing out of his back and him pulling the necklace out of his chest skimmed his mind. He reached in his pocket and pulled out the orange gem. “I have a magic necklace that controlled the portal, but I can’t do anything with it.”

Kazuma took a close look at the stone and leaned back. “A magic item? That’s what created the portal?” He looked away. “That’s good. I don’t know how it works, but at least ya can stop the damned demons.”

Mori looked puzzled. “I thought that you would know about the necklaces. We were told about them before we left.”

“I knew nothing about them until now,” Kazuma said. “Who told ya about them? Hmm … Maybe General Todd knew, but I didn’t.”

Seeko chimed in to break confusion. “Emperor Physis told us, and he got the information from a seer named Hannet, whom we also met. I guess he didn’t tell anyone else.” So Greg had no idea what Seeko was talking about earlier when he showed him the necklace, either.

“Maybe you’re right,” Kazuma said with a nod. “If he decided that no one else needed to know, then I trust that.” He straightened up. “It was nice being able to see ya again, Seeko, but we leave tomorrow morning, so I better get ready.”

Seeko smiled, turning to the side. “I’m going with the army to Vicussa, but I have something I want to ask you.”

Kazuma cocked his head. “You’re joining us to Vicussa? What about the portals?”

“General Todd thought it would be better to eliminate the army while they are weak. I will go back to closing the other portals when it’s over.”

Kazuma looked over in the direction Todd’s tent was in and slowly nodded. “That’s … good. What was it that ya wanted to ask me?” he said, turning back to the hero.

Seeko breathed a deep breath and asked, “You know the prisoner they just brought in, Greg?”

He shook his head. “I don’t. Why?”

Seeko paused. “Everyone seems to believe he is the leader of a rebellion, but—”

“They caught
that
Greg?” he burst over Seeko’s words. “The leader of the Shadow of Dawn? Why wasn’t I informed? That’s great news.”

Seeko rolled his eyes. “I don’t believe this guy is the rebel leader. Maybe he looks like him, but it just doesn’t seem likely that he would be acting alone in Irris. I also don’t believe these prisoners deserve to be killed. Greg … that man isn’t a leader, he’s a warrior. Why would the rebel leader bother himself with attacking some random person?”

“I don’t know Seeko, but I have my own problems. My hometown, Vicussa, is going to be attacked.” His voice cracked a little as he mentioned his hometown. “I don’t want it to happen, but it’s what must be done. Sometimes we have to let things go. Like a random stranger.”

“I’m sorry. I forgot about that,” Seeko said.

“I agree with him, Seeko. It’s best that you let it go.” Mori put her hand on his shoulder for support.

“An innocent man is going to die because I got him captured. I know he almost killed me, but in his shoes, I would have attacked too.” He turned from Kazuma and walked away.

Kazuma’s sigh could be heard behind him. “Wait, Seeko. If ya think he could be innocent, I’ll try to get General Todd to postpone his hanging. Maybe ya can prove his innocence, since it bothers ya so much.”

Seeko looked at him and nodded grimly. “Thanks. Maybe he is the rebel leader, but it just doesn’t add up to me.”

/ / / / /

After a couple of minutes, Seeko found himself in a small opening. Guards surrounded a group of prisoners in a small confined area. Greg could be seen sitting on the ground away from the other prisoners. Shouldn’t the other prisoners recognize him as the rebel leader if they were rebels? He walked up to a guard and asked if he could visit them, and she nodded.

“I’m going to go set up our camp,” Mori said. “Come find me when you’re done playing …
hero
.” Mori smirked and walked through the dimly lit night.

“It’s what I do! I
am
the hero!” Seeko called after her. Her response was laughter.

Seeko walked up to the man, his dirty yellow scarf hanging around his neck. He looked away when Seeko came into his sight. “Greg?” He knelt down next to him and spoke softer. “Who are you, really?”

The man squinted at him before speaking. “I don’t have to explain myself to you, Irenic clown.”

Seeko frowned but went on. “I’m the only one here that believes you’re innocent. I’m the Hero of Endetia, and I’m not actually from around here. I don’t agree with the destruction of Irris any more than you do, but I can’t help if you’re going to be a jerk.”

“I’m dead tomorrow. Please let me live my last couple of hours in peace.”

“I don’t know why I thought helping you would be the right thing. You seem set on dying.” Seeko stood back up. “You can either die here as the leader of a rebellion, which people will eventually find out was the wrong thing to do, or you can help me prove them wrong, saving you and the rest of these prisoners.” Seeko pointed toward the group of dirty people huddled together.

The man observed the other captives. “They will also be set free?”

Seeko shrugged. “I have no clue. For all I know, no one will be saved. All I can promise is that I can try.”

Greg looked up at Seeko, for the first time without hate in his eyes. “Okay, I’ll do it for them.”

“Really?” Seeko couldn’t believe he had actually changed his mind. He smiled and nodded. “Thanks, Greg.”

“Keith,” he said quietly. “I lived in Irris.”

A small laugh escaped from Seeko before he spoke. “Keith … so you’re not the rebel leader.”

Keith shook his head. “They burned down the town because it was feeding the rebels. They were right, it was feeding the Shadow of Dawn, but the markets in town were not. They burned down the town instead of the farms, which was what really provided the food. A stupid move for the Irenic.” He looked back over to the survivors. “Irris’s citizens haven’t done anything illegal to either empire, and the farmers have all left now under the Shadow’s banner.”

Seeko looked over to the prisoners. “They might just believe that. But what about you? What did you really do?”

Keith looked down before speaking. “I was a rebellion caravan guard, and a damn good one. So I did work for the rebellion, if that helps the survivors’ cause.”

He’d rather save the others than himself,
Seeko concluded. Hopefully, it didn’t come down to choosing who lives. “Okay, so you were just hired to protect a caravan. You’re not the leader.”

He sat silent, looking at the ground. “Just save the other prisoners,
hero
.”

Seeko nodded and left for Mori with an, “I’ll try.”

/ / / / /

“It was the farmers that were feeding the rebellion, not the merchants in town,” Seeko said to Mori. She sat on a rock, her back facing the camp. “The citizens were innocent.”

Mori leaned forward, questioning him. “So no one deserved to die?”

“No. Maybe the Lord of Irris knew about the rebellion.” Seeko sat down in the grass adjacent from her.

She nodded, looking impressed. “Tomorrow morning, you should tell Todd about what you have learned.” She smiled. “I didn’t believe you, but you seem to see the good side of people, even if you whine about everything else.”

He gave her a dirty look with a smile. She moved to the blanket lying across the ground, then she lay down to sleep. Seeko looked out into the vast darkness, then up to the ring in the sky. He closed his eyes. There was still a long way to go. He still had to seal four more portals.

“Seeko, you should get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.”

He looked over to Mori, who propped herself up with an elbow. “Oh … yeah,” he said. “I’m so used to keeping watch, I forgot. Where do I sleep?”

“Right here,” she said, patting the blanket.

Seeko raised an eyebrow but the darkness hid his face. “No, I’m serious, where?”

Her dark figure scooted over on the blanket, leaving an open space. “I am too, but if you don’t want to, you can sleep on the grass.”

Seeko rose and slowly moved to the blanket. Was she just tricking him again? She had to be. His foot found its way onto the blanket and he sat on it. He hesitantly lay down next to Mori after a moment. His heart thumped, making it hard to think.
I’m lying next to her. What do I do?
Without waiting another second, he rolled on his side, away from her.

“Good night,” he said quickly to prevent further awkwardness.

/ / / / /

A boot to the face woke Seeko up. Kazuma, the owner of said boot, chuckled. “Ya fools, I had a tent set up next to mine and everything. Ya didn’t have to sleep on the outskirts of the camp. It took me an hour to find you two. We’re almost ready to go!”

“Why were you looking for us, anyway?” Mori asked.

“Good news! While you’re here, you’re under my command! Welcome to Grama Company, Seeko!”

Seeko shifted in the blanket. “Great. Go away, I’m sleepy.”

Mori laughed. “It’s like he doesn’t remember that I enjoy dumping water on him or anything …”

Seeko was ready to go by the end of her sentence. “Point me in the right direction, Captain!”

Kazuma pointed into camp. “Go meet up with the rest of the company. They’re over there.”

Seeko paused. “What about Keith, er, I mean Greg?”

Kazuma put his hands on his sides and scanned the camp. “He will be hung soon. If you still want to stop it, I will go with you to speak to General Todd.”

“Once we pack up,” Seeko said, “I’ll go talk to him.”

“We better hurry, then. Greg is waiting for you to
save
him,” Mori said. She placed her hands together and made herself look helpless, mocking him.

He rolled his eyes at her. “Oh, ha-ha. I’m a hero. I might as well act like one.”

With that, Kazuma walked away, waving.

“I’ll go with you, for moral support, I guess,” Mori said.

A half an hour later, Seeko found his way to General Todd’s tent, one of the few still standing. Todd stood within his tent, looking at a map on a table. Seeko caught his attention and he faced him. Seeko saw that today he stood unarmored. He was wearing an Irenic tunic like the other soldiers.

“Have you come to try and change my mind, Seeko?” The general crossed his arms, ready to listen. “Okay, let’s hear it. But please make it quick, I have things to do.”

Seeko went over the details in his head before speaking. “The Irris citizens weren’t the ones that were aiding the rebels.”

General Todd sighed, lowering his arms. “Who was, then?”

Seeko explained what Keith had told him last night, tying together how the prisoners could not be rebels. However, he decided to leave out the part where Keith worked for the caravans.

“So you’re telling me that the man we captured is not Greg of Adaelm, but a man named Keith. How do you know that he’s telling the truth? He could just be lying to get us to let him go.”

“Wouldn’t the people recognize him as the rebellion leader? He sits alone and doesn’t talk to anyone.”

Todd looked over to one of the soldiers for approval. The soldier thought before nodding hesitantly. “Give me a little bit of time to verify this information.” Todd began walking to the prisoners. “Seeko,” he said. “I may have misjudged you.”

Seeko smiled and looked at Mori. Her expression was that of shock. “That was … surprising. Your opinion carries a lot of weight, Seeko.”

Seeko followed General Todd until the prisoners were within sight. Todd, flanked by two guards, walked up to Keith, who remained seated on the ground. Seeko stood and watched Todd speak to the prisoner. A town burned down due to ignorance. If that’s how they took care of crime, Seeko could see why there was a rebellion in the first place.