Chapter 14
From the ground, they looked like tiny specs in the air.
The Velken squad hovered high above the black crater, the five Battle Mages spread out in a circle, ready to perform the scrying spell. Renard wasn't too worried about leading the casting. It was a simple procedure after all. He seemed to be the one it came easiest to at least. That's way Lord Virmir chose him. He didn't mind leading spells like this so much, when there was no chance of instant death or gargantuan explosions or the like. The five Blade Knights floating idly around the black clad mages with their arms folded, ever on the lookout. Not that anyone would be mad enough to attack them.
Renard looked down into the black crater below. It was so deep that he was unable to see the bottom at all, even hovering directly above it as he was. By the gods, what a horrible, horrible spell that must have been... The silver fox wondered if he was going to get out of this one alive. How on Gaian would they be able to fight, let alone kill whatever force it was that defeated the unstoppable Jayce, prince of the Dark Empire?
Of course, Renard knew one of those involved already. He'd played dumb the whole trip, but the rest would find out in a few moments once the scrying was over. It was Duilin, the human that had saved his life. If it weren't for him, Renard would have been a carcass rotting in the desert. It made him sick that Duilin would be labeled their enemy. By order of the Dark Emperor Retan, the Velkens were ordered to kill everyone involved in the battle with the prince... then move on to slaughter the rest of the inhabitants of the island...
What was he going to do? The uneasiness in his stomach returned just thinking about it. Could he possibly kill the man who saved his life? When he first came to Gaian, he thought all humans were just disgusting animals. They were ugly, stupid things, without fur or even a tail. That's what he was told, at least.
And they died by his hands. By the thousands...
He felled hundreds at a time with his squad. Not once in the past year and a half were they able to keep up with their intricate attack patterns. Humans were so clumsy and slow, and like methodical killing machines the troop of eleven Velkens slew each army that stood against the Dark Empire.
But slowly he learned about them. At first it was the raw fear in their eyes, seconds before flame born from his claws incinerated them. Renard knew fear too. He was afraid a lot. Then they ventured into Kandarinian outposts, guarding their ship as cargo exchanges and trades were made. The Kandarinain Soveregnty was mostly human, and for the first time he saw that they too had a society. People. Just people trying to survive.
Then Draven blasted him in the face, and he fell off of the airship. His left arm still hurt from the burn, tightly wrapped up under his black robe.
Duilin helped him to reach Asgarnia, and for the first time he had an inside look at a human city. It reminded him of Welkin, his homeland. A once beautiful place, hollowed out and choked to near death. And for some reason Duilin cared. Not only about him, but life itself. About other people. It didn't make sense at the time, but now he thought he knew...
Of course, that didn't matter.
The Velkens were bound to the Dark Emperor. They were but servants of Darkness, now and forevermore. The Dark Emperor had saved them from The Cursed Sun so many years ago, and now in retribution they were nothing more than his slaves. Could they say no to this mission? Impossible. If Retan even remotely suspected a hint of disobedience... then... then he would...
"You okay, Renard?"
Renard felt a claw on his shoulder and jumped. Helix flew around to his front, leaning in as he bit his lip. His ears were perked and worry was plain on his face. In the morning sun the strands of sliver fur hanging over his eyes were cast in a golden sheen.
Renard blinked and immediately wiped the tears from his eyes. "Yeah... fine. Just some sand blowing around or somethin'..." He covered his eyes again to avoid his fellow mage's gaze. Helix didn't say anything, instead staring at his friend a moment before slowly pulling away and flying back to his place in the circle.
Renard pinched the bridge of his long snout. Blast. It. He hated being so weak...
Virmir floated into the center of the circle, his eyes impassive and cold as always. He flicked his tail once as he extended his hand, a black object clutched in his claw.
"We will bind the scrying to this stone."
The High General of the Skyward Division, ambassador of Welkin, and leader of the Velken squad released the black gem. Rather than fall it simply floated there, perfectly positioned in the center of the circle of mages. They were well over 2,000 feet in the air, above that bottomless crater.
"Once the spell is cast, we will know exactly what took place here, and who was involved. We will be able to follow their energy signatures wherever on Gaian they may be and... enact the Emperor's will..."
His left ear turned to the side, and his tail stopped moving. He seemed to be distracted, looking over his shoulder towards the ground far below.
Virmir was the only member of the group that displayed prominent weapons. The five Battle Knights each had their short swords, but Virmir's two blades were so much larger they appeared cumbersome for the relatively short fox to wield. The thin Wind Serpent in particular was longer than he was tall, and it was a wonder he didn't cause injury with the ungainly thing strapped to his back.
Anselm, a Blade Knight, floated by his master's side after a moment. They all knew what that look meant.
"My lord?"
"Demon," was the curt reply. Virmir turned his head more fully toward the ground then, taking a whiff of the cold air. His eyes scanned over the impossibly small terrain below before his lips curled in a snarl.
Like a rocket, he was gone.
The fox blasted straight down, cleaving the air as a black and silver blur. All Velkens were masters of the air, but the way he moved surprised even his students.
In a mere few seconds he was a foot above the ground with the Wind Serpent drawn. The wind behind took a moment to catch up, and a sonic boom shattered the serene landscape surrounding the crater, splitting two cracks in the earth on either side. The tip of the blade hung an inch underneath the neck of an albino snake, which regarded him with wide red eyes.
"Explain yourself."
The snake didn't move, apart from the trembling. It flicked its tongue once, and its form slowly melted away, becoming a soupy fog. Then in a blink, a human-like child stood some ten feet away, wrapped in an off-white cloak. Virmir didn't bother moving. The child-like demon wiped sweat away from his brow, continuing to rub his hand through his white hair.
"Apologies." He bowed with a slow flourish, grabbing one side of his cape to wrap around his front. "I am Melface, Nightmare Demon of Thanatos. I was with High General Jayce's party, you see..."
Virmir regarded him with a cold stare for a moment before sheathing his blade. The fox and child-like demon were about the same height, though Virmir remained floating a foot above the ground and therefore looked down his long nose upon the demon.
"We saw the Jagahn fleeing. Why were you not among them?"
Melface frowned. "They left me."
Virmir brought his hand to his chin. "I see." He regarded the demon for a moment before continuing. "You may come with us... We will have... questions for you."
"Of course."
Virmir spun around and blasted skyward, streaking through the air like it was nothing as he headed back towards his waiting apprentices. Melface followed, though at a slower pace. Pompous fool. All High Generals were such haughty jerks. And now that he was free of Jayce's brutish tirades, he was immediately thrust into the service of another.
A grin drew itself upon the child-like demon's face as he followed the Velken up. He didn't know much about their race... but they smelled delicious... They were almost creatures of pure magic... their souls must taste a hundred times better than a miserable human's! He tried to keep his fantasy under control, as now certainly wasn't the time. But maybe... just maybe later he'd find one all alone...
----
*SLAM!* *CLANG!*
Ven clenched his teeth as he heard the noise and felt the vibration from whatever it was he hit when he threw his cabin door open.
"Ooops... you okay?" He timidly called out as he peeked around the door. In the hallway he immediately recognized that mysterious black clad man bent over and picking up... a metal tube, or something... and sliding it back into his trench coat.
"Here, let me help you."
"I'm fine, I'm fine." The man growled, finishing replacing the items and buttoning up his coat. He then walked around the sliver knight and continued on his way. Finally, this was the chance Ven needed to talk to this guy. He fell in step by his side.
"You know, I haven't caught your name yet..."
"Uh huh." The man merely adjusted his rectangular shades. It must have been difficult to see in the dark bowels of the ship wearing sunglasses...
Ven folded his arms. "I was just wondering... who you are, considering I've never seen you before, and then suddenly you are in our leige's throne room. And now we're journeying together to vanquish evil in a far away land and all..."
"Don't worry about it."
Ven clenched his teeth.
"Look, if we're going to be fighting side-by-side, I'd like to have an idea of who you are. At least give me your name."
The man waved a hand. "Ned."
"Ned?"
"Ned."
"That is... the most unoriginal fake name I've ever heard."
"Take it or leave it."
Ven stopped as the man started up the flight of wooden stairs towards the ship's deck, placing a gauntlet behind his head.
"Well, uh, nice meeting you, Ned..."
He was getting somewhere, at least.
----
"I do say, Beazlebubudel, that that was a very provocative and informative essay indeed!"
"Quitely so, Luciferairion! But I must confess, I did not think it quite as compelling as the good ol' days, chap."
"Ah yes. That fellow sure could write essays. On walls."
"In Hell."
"Truly!"
"Indeed. Of course, it is unreasonable to expect superior work to originate from a non-underworld source."
"Quitely so. Quitely so. You dropped your monocle."
"Oh, heavens! Thank you."
"You know, Beazlebubudel, I am beginning to doubt the viability of your plan here on this dead island of... what was it... Romme? We've been searching for days, and, alas, we have found naught."
"Oh! Luciferairion! Your words hurt me deeply, like pointy knives."
"Forgive me, I mean them gently."
"With great risks come great rewards! If we are to find and capture this rumored Dragon of Romme and present him to the great Dark Emperor Retan, then we shall rise greatly in the ranks of respect!"
"Respect! That would be so new and different! And possibly exciting!"
"Quitely so! In fact, I happen to smell dragon in this cave at the summit of this climb, which so happens to be the only place we've yet to look!"
"By Qor's grave, I think you're right! Though ironic. Considering this would have been the most obvious place to start..."
"Nevertheless, onward!"
