From Death, A New Beginning

The deeper they got the colder it became.

The smell of mold and mildew started to permeate the air.

The air started to get more stale and James started to hear voices.

“What’s that noise?” Chris asked.

“We’re getting close. Probably voices, whispering.” James said quietly.

They made into a chamber with two large oak doors. A massive open space with torches and pillars. The far side had tables and chairs. There was a podium of stone.

The rest of the chamber appeared to have been cleared out and in a hurry.

Two men were sitting in the far side of the room.

“Father Gideon?” James asked.

“Ah, welcome gentlemen. It took you long enough, James.”

“This is an arrest. Stand up slowly with your hands on your head.”

Father Gideon stayed seated and chuckled, “I see. You are persistence I’ll give you that.” Gideon then turned to the man sitting next to him, “It seems our time has come.”

“So, it would seem.” The other man said and stood up. The man then jumped down and moved towards the center of the chamber. He threw off his cloak. It was commander Edwin.

“Of course, it would be you.” James muttered. “Any chance you would come along quietly?”

“No.” Edwin said calmly as he drew his sword. The sword was black as the night sky with red vines engraved into the blade.

The guardsmen with Commander Paul took a step back.

James looked over at Paul, he also looked nervous.

“Everyone knows about Edwin’s skill with the blade.” Paul said as James looked at him.

“How about we deal with Edwin then and you arrest Gideon.”

“Oh, thank the gods. I mean no offense, but Edwin is going to be the harder fight.” Paul replied.

“Gentlemen, let’s take our fight elsewhere for politeness.” Gideon said as he leaped out and down a passageway.

Paul and the guardsmen went to confront Gideon leaving Chris, Alex, and James.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Alex said

He then pointed his sword at Edwin, a big grin on his face.

“Looks like we will have that spar after all.”

Edwin smiled back, “Of course. Show me what a true Knight of Lyris can do.”

“I know you may not believe me, but we don’t have to fight.” James said calmly, “the cult of Fear and Hunger are done. It’s over.”

“The cult of Fear and Hunger are done. They have been for some time.” Edwin laughed.

“...what?” James asked

“They were a good ally of convenience at first. A group that could be relied upon for certain unsavory things.”

James smirked, “I should have known, you aren’t with the cult. You are Restorationists aren’t you?”

Edwin shrugged, “Restoring Lyris to its proper state. It is our right and duty. It is a great cause to believe in.”

“It’s all over. Manstein and the military will crush this resistance out. What is even the point? There is no more of House Strass even left to fight for.”

James replied. Dejected and resigned, here it was again. More fighting for a lost cause.

Edwin paused and then gave James a look. There was a passionate fire behind those eyes.

“As long as I still stand, the north is not yet lost.”

Edwin then moved forward. Alex got into his stance and held his sword at ready.

The two clashed blades. Edwin’s blade slashing at Alex’s chest. Alex knocked the blade away. Alex then stepped forward with a powerful kick, catching Edwin in the gut. Edwin barely staggered back.

“I have been a soldier longer than you been even alive, Alex. You might be a Knight of Lyris, the elite of the elite. But I have trained longer and fought harder. You are young and inexperienced.”

“Fuck you, Edwin.”

Alex charged forward, his sword crackling with lightning as he slashed at Edwin.

Edwin’s black sword glowed and then ignited into a brilliant red fire.

Edwin blocked each strike with ease, he was more skilled.

The clashing of steel caused bright sparks to fly.

A beautiful dance of light.

Edwin blocked another strike and then stepped to side. Catching Alex off-balance, Edwin slammed the flat side blade into Alex’s side.

Alex yelped in pain and was pushed onto the ground.

“Chris support me!” James said as he charged at Edwin.

Chris channeled a fireball. A bright raging white fireball came at Edwin. Edwin pulled out his own talisman, saying his own incantation. Soon a wall of flame emerged in front of Edwin and absorbed the fireball.

James struck at Edwin from his flank. Edwin turned to the sound.

James thrust and Edwin dodged out of the way. James pulled out his sword and stabbed forward at Edwin’s chest. Edwin parried James’s blade to the ground.

Edwin then grabbed James’s hand and lifted him up in the air with a leg sweep, dropping James on his back. James had the wind knocked out of him and gasped for breath.

James stood back up and shook off his dizziness.

“You can do better than that James.” Edwin said.

Edwin charged at James. James was reacting off pure instinct, training, and adrenaline as he blocked Edwin’s blade. Edwin pulled out a dagger and stabbed at James’s chest.

James stepped back just in time.

Edwin then dropped the dragger and grabbed the talisman he was holding onto previously.

A bright red light came out of the talisman.

James heard a howl. He dived out of the way as a stream of fire shot out of the talisman.

James fell to the ground, he looked up to see Chris swinging his sword at Edwin.

Edwin parried Chris’s sword. Edwin then kicked Chris in the gut. Chris went fell back, landing hard on the ground.

Edwin turned back to James, “you lost. Yield.”

James looked back up at Edwin, “I might have lost. But there is a certain someone who never will yield.”

Edwin paused and then off pure reflex deflected a strike from Alex.

“Too slow!” Alex cried out going in for another strike.

Edwin moved to parry another strike.

But the strike was too fierce, Edwin too off-balance. And Alex strike knocked Edwin’s blade from his hand.

Edwin growled as Alex knocked him back.

Edwin pulled out his talisman.

Alex rushed forward and punched Edwin in the chest, Alex’s fist then burst into bright light and Edwin was sent flying across the chamber, slamming hard against the ground.

Edwin groaned and got back up, bloodied and bruised.

Alex grabbed Edwin’s sword from the ground.

Chris, Alex and James surrounded Edwin, swords in hand.

“Now it’s my time to ask you to yield.” James said.

Edwin spat out a mouth some of blood, “I can’t yield. I sacrifice too much. I carry too many lost hopes and dreams in my heart. All those who have fallen for the cause. I must not yield, I cannot.”

“Where is the rest of the Restorationists? It can’t possibly be just you and Gideon.” James asked

Edwin chuckled, “I wouldn’t worry about it. Even now our cause moves forward.”

“What about the cult of Fear and Hunger, what happened to them?”

“...you and I were kindred spirits in a sense.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Duke Eugen. Have you ever considered why? Why he was doing this, why children?”

“Because he was a monster! No, wait...you can’t possibly mean he was a cultist as well?”

Edwin nodded, “I only know because the cultists here in Svarostadt was researching the same thing. They were attempting to channel the aspect of the God of Fear and Hunger. To do so required fear in its most primal and pure form.”

“They were using the children? That’s why they were being kidnapped.” James asked horrified.

Edwin nodded, “The research was going very well. That the best candidates were children with high capability for magic. They would kidnap children from Svarostadt and surrounding area. Lock them up in cages, leave them in the dark, starve them.”

Chris looked absolutely sicken by the thought, “I found Sophie locked in the Blackreach Marsh. She had been starving and covered in dirt. She could barely speak. Her fear and pain...I...it was horrifying.”

Edwin gave Chris a look of sympathy. “Sophie is your daughter? Tell me...Would you sacrifice your child? The power of an aspect of the God of Fear and Hunger can destroy an army, reshape events to your will. Would you be willing to pay that price?”

“No! No, never!”

Edwin nodded, “Exactly my thought as well. I too had a daughter, and no good father would willingly give up his daughter. When I learned what they were doing, I betrayed them. Those who refused to join the Restorationists, I imprisoned. Some stubbornly held out. So, I used their own magic against them. In that deep dark pit, I put them in. I gave them a festering desire for flesh. After some time…the problem sorted itself out.”

“What happened to the children?” Chris asked

“We freed those imprisoned children of the cult and sheltered them at the orphanage. They are good children.”

“Which leads back to when a bunch of children were registered all at the same date, the day you wiped out the cult.” James commented, piecing it all together.

“We were the only ones who knew the true fate of the cult. So, we took their robes, their identity as a cover for our own actions. Joshua was getting close to the truth, so he had to be silenced. I hired Felix from the Order of the Raven to assist in assassinating Joshua.”

“What of the Duke Rudolf?”

Edwin shook his head, “That man was a monster. We learned about what he had done. So, we had him killed as well, Felix was the cloaked man who aided Yolanda. With the death of the duke and commissioner Joshua we hope to lure out Marshal Lehwaldt to the city. The architect of the massacres of northerners and the sack of Kristianburg. Where my daughter was killed...”

Edwin looked at Chris, “you would know. The greatest fear a father can have...your daughter in peril and you aren’t there. She died without me there to save her. Did she beg for my help? Did she cry out for me in her last moments? I could barely even recognize her when I got her body. Her flesh had burned so much. I couldn’t be there for her, but I can still avenge her.”

“This is quite enough. We can speak more in prison.” James moved forward to restrain Edwin.

But as he moved forward. He felt an overwhelming dread and fear. He hadn’t felt this sort of fear since first being on the battlefield as a young recruit. It felt like his legs were frozen in place. His breath felt constricted, he couldn’t breathe, his mind felt fuzzy, his head was pounding.

He turned to Chris and Alex. James saw they were backing away from Edwin, eyes wide in terror. Chris threw down a silver coin which glowed a faint blue.

James turned back to Edwin who still had a warm gentle smile. He wasn’t armed.

So why?

“In the end the cultists succeeded. I was hoping to use this dark art to kill Marshal Lehwaldt. They would never believe it was the Restorationists but think it was the cult. I am truly sorry for what will happen next, and I beg for your forgiveness in the afterlife.” Edwin said

Edwin’s talisman glowed with a dark green light.