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Kernstalion 2 - 35: War and chaos
🕑 Added 2021-09-28 13:16:15 +0000 UTCSome hundred meters from the town, Galir stopped. A thick stench of soot and burning meat wafted over us every time the wind turned our way, and with it came a buzzing. Deep imprints and tracks covered the road that joined ours from deeper in the plains. Wagons, mounts, and many feet. Far too many for a simple caravan.
The wall that surrounded the village was cracked in many places. As I moved closer, I saw that the thick gate had been broken open by force. Half of it lay abandoned beyond the entrance while the other half hung from the side of the wall. The tracks led into the town.
"Damn those Elision bastards," Galir muttered as he nudged his mount ahead of Casiron and through the gate.
Elison?
How did Galir know this? I knew Elison was one of the largest kingdoms, further north. It had borders with Har, the kingdom we were in now, and Fastris to the west. But, there were no flags, or weapons, arrows or otherwise, that showed who had done this.
There are a lot of corpses here, Casiron muttered. Revulsion and disgust wafted from him, and I looked up as I passed through the gate.
Hundreds of corpses were nailed to the walls and the houses. The edges of the roofs had blocked them from view before. Women and children were hanging next to armored guards and leather-clad warriors. Coagulated, dried-up blood pooled below them, flies buzzing everywhere. My first reaction was to turn away, afraid my nausea would kick in. It didn't, though. Instead, a fit of cold anger took hold of me as I saw a woman, thick of belly, one hand with a horrendous hole ripped free from the nails, lying atop the bulge.
"Why?" I growled as my anger continued building. As it did, the disgust from Casiron seemed to feed off my fury, and it turned to rage.
Galir didn't respond, but with his eyes, looked straight ahead as he moved along the wide main road that led deeper into the city, towards the largest building. I followed him, my eyes flitting from corpse to corpse, taking note of the horrible mutilations that had been inflicted on the guards. Arms lay below corpses. Heads were chopped off. This was no simple war. This seemed like a hate-filled act of wanton slaughter. An affront to everything I thought was normal.
A swift twitch drew my eye, and a sudden hope ignited that I might find someone I could save. Then I saw what had moved. It was the leg of a small boy, his head missing, that tapped the wall by the soft ghosts of wind.
"Why?" I asked again, this time louder. "Why would they do this to those who couldn't resist?"
Galir turned to me, his face white as a sheet and his eyes red. "What are you talking about? Everyone knows how Elision fights its wars?" He turned away, heading towards the burned-down central building.
The lower floor had been built upon a thick stone foundation that had largely remained intact, and the first floor's walls all still stood. Galir dismounted, tying his reins to a nearby pole. Then he moved towards the building and entered through a wide opening.
Stay here and keep a lookout. There might be stragglers, I told Casiron as I jumped from his side, landing in the thick mud. Casiron sent me a silent confirmation as I followed Galir.
The blackened wooden doors, ripped from their hinges, lay in the room beyond and streaks of almost black blood painted the walls. Broken furniture lay everywhere, rugs desecrated and a few paintings of what looked to be portraits smashed to bits.
"Let's see if we can find their final message," Galir muttered as he moved towards the back. Some corridors led to different rooms, and I followed him, noting the richness of the place. Wooden decorations were everywhere, most ripped free or slashed apart. Like in Sart and all other places near the Howling Forest, good, poison-free wood was rare.
A shuddering breath came from ahead, and Galir stepped back from the room he had just entered. His face was pale white, and I saw him swallow and breathe deeply. He seemed ready to become sick at any moment. Clenching my teeth, I stepped past him into the room. A large desk dominated a room that must have at one time been a beautiful place. Now, blood covered most surfaces, and a large man lay sprawled across the desk. His head lay between his hands, and his intestines spilled from his stomach.
Gritting my teeth to the point of hurt, I moved into the room, making sure not to step into the puddles of dried-up blood.
"Where would the message be," I said, my voice rough and gritty as if I was having a cold.
A gagging sound came from the entrance, followed by a wet , spclattering. Then, a moment later, a sour scent joined the waft of blood.
Galir moved into the room, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and keeping his eyes far from the desk. He scanned the walls until he noticed a simple painting of a rough sea. Although slashes covered it, it was still beautiful. Galir walked towards it, paying no attention to the blood he stepped in.
"It's been ages… I hope they didn't change the gestures," he muttered as he put his hand in front of the painting. His fingers flashed, too quick for even me to keep track of, and a second later, the painting flashed quickly. Then the waves began moving, the clouds gliding across the dark grey sky. It was so lifelike I almost expected the water to pour from the slashes of the painting. A deep, weary voice sounded as if a speaker sat behind the painting.
"Captain Geller of Fastris' third forward legion, stationed at Lertian. The Elisson army appeared an hour ago, sneaking close under cover of darkness. We had no warning other than the rumors, and they have us boxed in. There is no escape." A weary sigh came before the voice continued. "The soldiers are preparing for the last stand while the civilian population attempts to contact the incoming army, hoping for a way out. They have no chance. I recognize the armors of those coming. They have sent the Queens Nailhounds, and there is no saving us."
Galir sucked in his breath. "By Lisschen's harpies... The Nailhounds?"
I had no idea who those were, but the captain's voice continued.
"For those who hear this message, I pray to the Stone that you are friends. Please give us a proper send-off, so we may travel to The Stone's Realm. If you are an enemy? May The Stone crush your body and soul and damn you to an eternity of restless wandering!"
The painting stopped moving, and the silence suddenly seemed stifling.
"Anything else?" I asked, wanting to get out of the smelly place as soon as possible.
"I'd hoped for…" Galir hesitated, then shook his head and turned. "No. Let's leave."
I didn't ask what he was about to say but made my way out of the building. Casiron stood in the center, looking around. He kept cocking his head like a dog that heard something.
What is wrong? I asked.
I'm not sure. It's like I hear something, but when I focus, there is nothing.
I frowned and listened closely. There was nothing but the buzzing of flies, the soft wind, and distant sounds of the caravan. Galir stepped out behind me, and I turned to him.
"Casiron says he hears something, but he can't pinpoint it."
Galir blinked. For a moment, he seemed to ponder something, and his eyes drifted to the bodies nailed to the wall. His eyes suddenly widened.
"Riocin cadaver seekers," he hissed, jumping past me and sprinting to his mount.
I didn't bother asking what was going on but ran towards Casiron, who had lowered his body for me to climb on quickly. Galir was already kicking his Cindermare into overdrive, making a beeline for the exit. Casiron needed no word on what to do and ran after them. Ahead of me, Galir, bent low over the neck of his mount, whispered something to it, and jets of flame erupted from the Cindermare's nostrils. Like an engine revving up, a deep growl came from it, and it shot forward, its hooves flashing much faster than it had before.
Casiron bolted after it, and as soon as I sped out of the gate, I looked around. There wasn't anything around. The caravan seemed calm enough, although the guards began shouting as they saw us rushing back.
Galir raised his arm and waved at the forest beside us. I looked at it and finally noticed small tendrils of fog moving away from the forest and towards the ruined town of Lertian.
There are things inside, Casiron muttered. He sounded confused.
To my surprise, Galir began pulling away from us and reached the caravan ahead of us. I wasn't sure if Casiron was holding back, but looking at the ground zipping past us, I couldn't imagine that.
Galir began roaring as soon as he reached the caravan.
"Linery! There are Riocin cadaver-seekers incoming!"
The creepy female mage burst from one of the wagons, looking around with wide eyes and a vulgar grin on her face right when I pulled up beside Galir.
"Where?" she shouted when she located Galir.
Galir pointed at the forest's edge, and Linery moved forward with long paces.
"Keep everyone back," she shouted, sounding excited.
"As if I'd do anything else," Galir muttered, looking at me and shaking his head as if Linery had said something undeniably stupid.
"What are those things?" I said, deciding I preferred looking ignorant than being caught with my pants down.
Galir sighed. "If you've never met Riocin, count yourself lucky. They are like living grass. They come from the marshes further to the east and have no real body. The adult ones won't bother the living, although they attack if you get too close. They must have followed the death left by the army."
"They eat the corpses?" I asked curiously.
"No! Why would you think that?" Galir hissed in surprise. "They possess them, using them as vessels until they break down."
I frowned. "What do they do with the corpses?"
Galir sighed, looking at the town with a pained and disgusted look. "They need a host body to create offspring."
Fuck… I thought, looking at the town and remembering the bodies everywhere.
"Their young are dangerous. They need to feed almost immediately after being born and will attack anything they see, trying to burrow into a body and leach the lifeforce out of it," Galir said.
As I tried to cope with what he had just told me, Linery stopped a hundred feet away from the caravan and began making gestures with both of her hands. A fog formed around her, slow at first but quickly thickening until a dense, quickly growing wall of yellow grey sat before her. It grew sideways and started encircling the caravan at a rapid pace.
She's creating a cover for us, I thought.
"Can't we just stop them from reaching the town?"
"You might be able to kill some, I don't know what abilities you have beyond what you showed, but none of us can harm them. They are only susceptible to magical and elemental attacks," Galir said as he dismounted.
The thick bank of fog had fully encircled us now, and I wondered if there was something I could do.
Time ticked by slowly when a bone-curdling scream tore through the silence. Another followed soon after, and moments later, roaring and screaming sounded from the forest. Linery sat cross-legged between us and the town, still fervently gesturing.
Casiron lowered himself to the ground, and the disgust I felt from him was almost palpable. I slid off and looked around, noticing many of the wagoneers and merchants were covering their ears. Even some of the guards did, and many were shivering and pale white. Dibidi and Libidi stood beside Galir, close behind Linery, and everyone was quiet and waiting. A tense atmosphere hung in the air. After a while, I sat down with my back against Casiron, wondering how long it would take.
Almost two hours later, the screaming stopped, and as I sighed in relief, I was the only one. The others froze, and this time even Galir plugged his fingers in his ears. Unsure, I slowly lifted my hands to copy him when a deafening ring caused my vision to blur for a moment. I felt my consciousness waver. Then a ping came from my status, and the sensation passed.
Thuds came from beside me, and I looked up. A few of the wagoneers and guards slumped to the ground. Those still sitting or standing had their fingers in their ears and looks of anguish on their faces.
The ringing lasted for only a moment, and when it stopped, the silence felt like bliss. Galir and the others removed their fingers and hands from their ears, and movement resumed. Guards rushed to those that had fallen, lifting them into wagons or waking them up.
That was horrible, Casiron said.
"Yeah, definitely not something I'd wanna hear again," I agreed.
I took a quick peek at my status window.
> A mental attack was blocked by your Mindscape
> Karma reduced by two
> Karma 29/200
I definitely need to put my fingers in my ears next time, I thought. Galir and the others had turned around, heading my way, leaving a fervently gesturing Linery behind.
I got up as they reached me. Dibidi and Libidi had glassy eyes, white faces, and a pained expression. There was no signal of the pleasure they showed when leaching from my pain.
"Everything alright?" I asked.
"We should be safe. The young Riocin are leaving into the forest, and we will leave as soon as they are-"
Another ringing, much closer this time, caught me off guard, and I groaned as my eyes rolled up in my sockets. A ping from my status window was just in time for me to realize I was falling forward, and I barely caught myself on my hands. A soft thud came from ahead of me and multiple from the sides. Galir lay in front of me, unmoving, and almost all of the others had dropped down. Only Libidi and Dibidi were awake, although barely, both on their knees with hands against their eyes.
A high-pitched scream came from the front of the caravan, and I looked up to see Linery run towards me. A group of basketball-sized gaseous forms followed her, each leaving behind a small trail of fog. I scrambled up.
Can you breathe fire? I shouted in my mind.
Of course not, Casiron replied, sounding confused. Only Demodracks were able to do that! What do you take me for?
I didn't reply but turned to Dibidi and Libidi, ignoring a startled outcry from where Linery was.
"Snap out of it! Can either of you do some form of magic? Fire, lightning, anything?"
They looked up, their eyes unfocused, and one shook his head.
"Fuck! I shouted as I turned to Linery. She was on the ground, her body arching back as the small gas balls swept across her. Each time one of them tried to enter inside her, a black sheen covered her, and the gas ball bounced back.
That won't keep them busy long, I thought. I looked around at the dozens of unmoving shapes on the ground.
Any ideas? I asked Casiron.
Run, he said coldly. There is nothing we can do, and there is no sense in all of us dying.
I groaned as I felt my natural instincts struggle with the concept of leaving all of the people here behind. A soft sound made me look aside, and I saw Galir's Cindermare scratch the ground with her front paws. I jumped forward as an idea came. I grabbed my carving dagger and sliced the leather bands tethering the mount to the wagon; then, I slapped her on her behind. She roared, a sound more suited to a tiger, and jumped forward. As she ran away the Riocin young shot up and after her.
That won't buy us enough time to save them, Casiron said, but at the same time, I sensed he was pleased. I ignored him and sprinted towards Linery. She had somehow stopped those things before, and perhaps she could do something now.
When I reached her, I saw her eyes roll oddly in her skull as she muttered incoherently. Without thinking, I slapped her across the face twice. She gasped, then struggled to crawl away, her eyes slowly focusing.
"Get up, and snap out of it!" I hissed while taking a quick look after the mount. It had disappeared into the wall of fog that still circled us.
"Those things will be back any moment! Do something!"
Linery scrambled up, nodding as she moved towards the wagons. A few steps in, she started running, and I followed her. She reached her wagon, yanked open the door, and disappeared inside. I stopped beside Casiron and took a look at Libidi and Dibidi. Casiron was right, I might have to flee. Still, I could at least take them along. Hoping it wouldn’t come to fleeing, I grabbed one around the waist and hoisted her, or him, on Casiron, who seemed to read my mind. A moment later, both were lying across his back, holding onto the spikes.
Linery jumped back out of the wagon, carrying two jars filled with a bloodred liquid. She rushed towards me, looking at the dragon and the two Isirow. Then she held out a jar to me.
"Purest elder-demon blood I have. It's even more potent than the stuff you used on yourself, so don't let it touch you! By my knowledge, nobody ever survived touching it!"
I stopped myself from asking why she hadn't given it to me before.
"Those things are gaseous! How will throwing blood at them work?"
"They are gas, yes, but made up of tiny living particles! If we can get them close enough together, we can hit them all, and they should die," she bit back. “Hopefully,” she added lamely as her eyes looked around the fog. Far away, we heard a haunting growl that died out slowly.
"They caught the Cindermare," she muttered. "Galir won't forgive you for that…"
"Won't forgive me?" I snapped. "At least he will be alive! Now, how the hell do we bring those things close enough together?"
Linery smiled at me evilly as she looked around at the motionless figures.
"Bait!"
