Edmond
They avoided the caravan of the lost and the ruins of the village these people once lived in. For a dozen miles or more, there was nothing but a dust-covered wasteland, completely barren, as the effects of Hamid's spell drained the area of all traces of life. It was a terrifying display of arcane power and Edmond still tried to wrap his head around how it worked. All he knew was, he was equal parts amazed and horrified. Furthermore, he was quite surprised that this was the first he had ever heard of Hamid ben Seychaban. A mage of his power was rare and to work alongside him... it was a unique opportunity.
“So, that's where yer boss is hiding, eh?”, Berosh spoke up, as they walked up the hill and towards the tower. Edmond could feel it, the arcane energies radiating from this place. It was the source of the spell, even if it was apparently amplified from several spots all around the village. Just setting this ritual up must have taken years!
“He's not my boss”, Edmond clarified, as he moved his undead horse along a dust-covered road, past a crumbling fence. “Sulman is the Master of the Circles, the one all Borbaradians have sworn to follow. And the head of my circle is the Begging Monk” Berosh raised an eyebrow. “Mighty intimidating that name”, he snarked, to which Edmond narrowed his eyes. “You will treat him with respect”, he warned the dwarf. “The Begging Monk is a holy man and he will not be mocked. Should you ever meet him, choose your words more carefully, or he will crush you”
The dwarf flashed him a grin and in the dim light, his eyes shined almost red, the black veins clearly visible. The mark of his pact was obvious and they would have to find a way to hide it in the future, undoubtedly. “Whatever ye say”, he replied. “I'm just glad I chose the right side. Ye agree, lass?”
With this, he glanced at Geshmine, who was being carried by the dominated woman. Though Edmond had tied her up, he had seen no reason to gag her. Who would answer her cries for help in this forsaken place? The girl had realized this soon enough and she had stopped screaming. After a few miles, she had also stopped trying to break free, but only after Berosh had threatened to break her fingers. Edmond didn't necessarily like the dwarves methods, nor was he without pity for the terrified girl, but he had to admit that afterwards, her resistance was cut down to a reasonable degree.
“Fuck you”, she hissed in return and Berosh chuckled. “Now ye wish, eh?”, he replied. “Word of advice from Old Berosh: If the man who just took down all of yer friends makes ye an offer... ye accept it or ye share their fate, get it?” Geshmine frowned and she blinked quickly, hiding her tears. Edmond couldn't help but admire her resistance. She was furious, resilient and she hadn't given in to despair. Those virtues, they would have brought her far within Borbarad's world, a world she would, unfortunately, never get to see.
“Not sure whose fate is worse though”, the dwarf added, a sinister smile forming on his face, as he eyed the dominated mercenary, the one who was carrying Geshmine. “Ye still in there, Alwina?”, he asked and as the woman did not reply, he rammed his elbow into her side. This caused her to wince and the dwarf seemed satisfied by the reaction. “Yeah, ye are”, he growled. “Must be a shitty day for ye” He straightened his back. “Not for me though”
“Why did you do it, dwarf?”, Edmond suddenly asked and Berosh raised an eyebrow. “Turn against your friends, I mean. Was it just greed?” Berosh chuckled. “Eh, the pay better be nice”, he spoke coldly. “But truth be told, this was a long time coming. Me 'friends' never missed a chance to mock me. Sure, I was there when they needed me, then I was good enough. But they were no friends of mine. Only so much a dwarf can take”
Geshmine frowned. “This isn't true and you know it!”, she barked. “You always were a bastard. Treated all of us like shit! Never satisfied with what you got, you always wanted the biggest share!” Berosh shot her a glare. “Because I did the most!”, he growled and his tone grew outright vicious. “But ye, ye never appreciated it. Now see how well ye do without me”
In response, the girl's gaze hardened. She blinked a tear away and Edmond raised an eyebrow as he saw the pure hatred she had for the dwarf. He could emphasize with that, hating someone so much that nothing else mattered. Delian of Plainsbridge for him, Berosh for Geshmine. “I won't be there so see it”, she hissed. “But it won't end well for you, I know it. And that gives me some peace”
Berosh narrowed his eyes, as he glanced at Edmond. “She be needing her tongue for your ritual?”, he asked in a hateful tone and Edmond sighed. “Stop it, dwarf”, he told him. “She won't be harmed until Hamid orders it” While the dwarf seemed genuinely disappointed by this reply, Geshmine chuckled thinly. “My hero”, she sighed in a dry tone. “And what is it with you, mage? How sick do you have to be to work with that rotten necromancer and still pretend to be the good guy in this?”
Edmond gulped. “I know it's hard to understand from your position”, he said calmly. “Trust me, I don't have any ill will against you” He used the words Liscom had spoken to his captives, many years ago in the Gorian desert, but with him, he knew it didn't come off as calming. He lacked Liscom's confidence, his charisma. It's why he had been all too happy to let Sulman take over, even though they had been equals under their former master.
“But what we're doing is necessary”, he continued. “A few sacrifices now, a few deeds an outsider might consider evil, but tomorrow, there will be a better worl...” Geshmine cut him off with a loud sigh. “So, you're actually insane, huh?”, she spat, as she raised her head just enough to give him a defiant glare. “Look around, mage, and then tell me that this is a small sacrifice” She narrowed her eyes, though he saw the hint of despair in it. “Tell me it is anything but pure evil”
Edmond sighed, as he indeed looked around. The village of Drakesfield and half of the surrounding barony was devastated, a grey wasteland, devoid of life. He had seen the few survivors, fleeing from their homes, their bodies ageing rapidly, their lifeforce supporting Hamid's ritual. It was a terrible thing and he genuinely felt pity for the people who had their lives stolen.
It was necessary, he knew this, he had to tell himself over and over, but at the same time, he knew this was not what Liscom would have done. He had principles. Surely, his master has been fine with using slaves, but he had a different plan for Borbarad's return. Not the lifeforce of a thousand people and the strength of a land, but a body made of Mindorium and the heart of a dragon, that was his intended vessel for Borbarad. That was why he had forced all these people to work in the mines. But maybe Hamid would succeed where Liscom failed.
“Our intentions are good. Freedom and peace for this world”, he claimed and Geshmine shook her head. “Then where is my freedom? Where is the freedom of all the people who suffered under this spell?”, she asked in return. Edmond opened his mouth to speak, but closed it immediately, as he realized he would not be able to convince this woman. She was stubborn, it was her good right, but she couldn't possibly hope to see what they were trying to accomplish. Edmond for one hoped to be judged by his intentions rather than his actions.
“Eh, don't listen to her, lad”, Berosh told him. “Bitch got quite the mouth, so ye better give her no change to speak” He flashed them a grin. “Ye should gag her” He glanced at the tower, as they quickly came closer, before he gazed to the side, to where the ruin of a house was visible. The wooden structure had given in under the effects of Hamid's spell, the roof caved in, the walls slowly crumbling. “Be with ye in a minute, go ahead and meet with ye master”, he added. “I be taking a leak first”
Edmond gave him a nod, though he did notice the disgusted frown that flashed over Geshmine's face. The dwarf began to walk towards the ruined house, while Edmond and the dominated woman continued their journey up to the tower. It was not particularly impressive, though the sturdy structure had survived the spell better than the ruins of Drakesfield in the valley below. It was a relatively thick tower, meant to house a local nobleman perhaps, surrounded by sturdy walls. The wooden gate, however had crumbled and turned to dust and the rest of the archway had followed, leaving a gaping hole in the wall.
With no resistance, they entered the small courtyard. The gate into the tower itself was still present, but the old wood certainly wouldn't last for much longer. “You don't have to do this”, Geshmine said thinly, her panic growing with every step she was carried closer to the tower. “Please... I don't... I don't want to...” Tears began to well up in her eyes. “I don't want to die”
Edmond sighed. “And I don't want to kill you”, he assured her. “But there is no other way. We need a sacrifice. The least I can do is to ensure that you won't be forgotten. In Borbarad's new world, you will be known as a martyr, who gave everything for his return” Geshmine frantically shook her head. “Please...”, she begged him. “If you want this Borbarad to come back, why don't you sacrifice one of your own. You want him back, I don't!”
Truth be told, Edmond had thought about this as well. He would gladly do it, he would give his life so that Borbarad could return and he knew, others would as well. Sulman was just as much a student of Liscom and many others were influenced by his teachings. And yet, for everyone who was willing to do it, there were two who wouldn't, as much as it pained him to admit it. By far not every Borbaradian was a true believer. But the master would set them straight.
“Oh gods...”, Geshmine gasped, as the door to the tower got opened. A figure walked out of it, tall and clad in old, but still heavy armour. Edmond was no necromancer, but he only needed to take a look at the way this figure walked to realize this was an undead. And as it came closer, he realized that beneath the helmet was the skull of a reanimated human skeleton.
Wordlessly, it moved in front of Edmond, stopping right there and seemingly mustering him from head to toe. The mage narrowed his eyes. “I want to speak to the master of this tower”, he declared, unsure if the skeleton was able to even hear him. There was no demon inside, no fiendish intelligence within its empty eye sockets. “I want to speak to Hamid ben Seychaban!”
“This is a name I've been using, yes”, a deep, smooth voice came from the tower and immediately, Edmond tensed up. He knew this voice! It couldn't... by Borbarad! His eyes widened, as a figure followed after the skeleton, just as tall, but clad in a hooded robe. “A name to hide my identity. Hamid served me well, but I have no more use for this name, not when you know me by another, by my real one”
“You...”, Edmond gasped, as the figure came closer. A thin hand, covered by a glove, moved to the head. “You should be...” Then, the figure removed the hood entirely, revealing ghastly pale flesh, the remnants of a beard covering the lower jaw and damp, black hair, carefully combed back. The face was once quite handsome, but now it was a gaunt, scarred ruin, only barely hinting at its sophisticated features. Lips and nose were shrivelled slightly, the pale skin stretching at the cheeks and yet, there was intelligence within the eyes. The right one was as Edmond remembered, dark and imposing. The left one, however, was missing. In its place, there was a ruby, gleaming with red malice and radiating with a faint light coming from somewhere within.
“Dead?”, Liscom replied, his lips forming a thin smile. In undeath, the expression lacked any warmth it had in life. And yes, he was indeed dead, there was no doubt that Edmond was staring at a corpse, the reanimated corpse of Liscom Ghosipar, his friend and mentor. “I was, for a while”, he confirmed. “But with my vow unfulfilled, with me dying before my time, I was unable to find peace”
And then, Edmond understood. “Sulman...”, he gasped and Liscom gave him a nod. “My restless spirit found him in the streets of Selem. I was in terrible shape back then, half mad and filled with rage. Sulman managed to restore my body, he summoned my spirit into my decaying flesh and gave me a second chance to fulfil my destiny”
“He made a pact for you”, Edmond realized and Liscom smiled, now slightly warmer. “He sacrificed his soul so that I may return”, he clarified. “The Norbardian, Korobar, he helped him and together, they did a necromantic masterpiece by saving not just my body, but by giving me free will. In a thousand years, I might be the first undead who is truly free”
Slowly, Edmond realized he was smiling. “I... I cannot believe it...”, he stuttered. “Why haven't you told me? For how long?” Liscom shrugged. “A little over three years”, he admitted. “And please forgive me. I know I can trust you, but until I was ready to finish my ritual, I had to keep my presence hidden. I used a cover name, a new identity, which Sulman provided me with. Not even Korobar knows who I truly am, although I believe he has his suspicions”
“But you can trust me!”, Edmond replied loudly. To this, Liscom sighed. “I know”, he admitted. “But there was one thing I needed from you, which you couldn't have done had I revealed myself to you. I needed your rage, I needed your hatred towards Delian of Plainsbridge, so that even my enemies within our ranks were convinced of my death. You're no liar, Edmond. You couldn't have fooled them, so for my resurrection to remain hidden, I needed you to wholeheartedly believe in my death”
Edmond gulped, as Liscom looked past him. “A dominated brute”, he spoke. “Good. Korobar is doing excellent work as always. And who is this lovely young lady?” His gloved hand moved to Geshmine's face and the look of sheer terror on her face grew into clear panic. “Don't touch me!”, she shrieked, as her breath came faster. “Oh gods! Oh gods!”
Liscom did her the favour and he lowered his hand again. “Be glad, mylady”, he spoke. “For you are in the presence of a godly man. I know you are scared, but there is no reason to be. Soon, it will be over, but in the moment of your passing, you will lay eyes upon a god, a genuine god. Your prayers will be answered” He smiled, that fatherly, kind smile Edmond had missed so much. With his clearly decaying face, however, the effect was unnerving.
“Her name is Geshmine”, Edmond explained. “She is the final sacrifice” Liscom nodded, the ruby which replaced his left eye staring at the young woman with an intense glare. “Geshmine, I see...”, he spoke. “Have no fear, Geshmine. You have come a long way from the streets of Havena” As he said this, Geshmine's eyes widened. “Havena... how do you...?”, she gasped, but Liscom ignored her surprised comment. Edmond himself narrowed his eyes, for the girl hadn't said a thing about the city she was born in before Liscom just confronted her with it. It was the ruby, it had to be. That was not a simple stone, but yes, he was certain it was an artifact, likely of immense power.
“With your life, you will restore the master to this world”, Liscom told her, as he placed an arm around Edmond's shoulder. The two mages began to walk towards the tower, the skeleton knight and the mercenary following closely. “There is no greater honour. In the moment of your death, the world will be shaken to its core”
By now, any pretence of bravery had left the woman. She was sobbing openly, terrified beyond words by this land, by the fate that awaited her and, more than anything, by the undead mage who said all this to her. If Liscom noticed her terror, he ignored it. Edmond, however, was in awe. For all these years, he had thought him dead. And now...
“What about Delian of Plainsbridge?”, he asked, to which Liscom smirked. “I know you want him dead”, he said. “But I have to thank the man, I genuinely have to. I had a lot of time over the last few years and I have studied the prophecies. Tell me, Edmond, are you familiar with the work of Thamos of Nostria?”
“The Al'Anfanian prophecies”, Edmond confirmed. “Yes, I've read them during my time at the academy” Liscom smirked. “Verse Three, First Sentence”, he spoke. “When the unliving servant calls forth the undying master” He shook his head. “I have been a fool, my friend. We all have, for Thamos revealed it so obviously”
Edmond realized what his master was telling him there. “You mean... you are the unliving servant!”, he deduced and Liscom actually laughed, though it sounded hollow in his breathless chest. “What else am I, Edmond? I am a servant, I have always been Borbarad's most faithful. And what is he but the undying master, he who can never die?”, he explained. “As it was written by Thamos so many centuries ago, so it shall be. I was a fool for disregarding his wisdom. My death was inevitable, for only after I looked past the Nowhere Sea did I gain the knowledge to truly succeed”
“This means Delian of Plainsbridge did us a favour”, Edmond gasped and Liscom gave him a nod. “Unknowingly, yes”, he confirmed. “Oh, I am sure he never wanted any of this, but it doesn't change the fact that I have to thank him. For this, I want him to see the new world. I will grant him forgiveness” Edmond clenched his fists. “I... don't know if I can...”, he said, as it truly sunk in that the last five years of his life had been a lie. Liscom had returned, Delian of Plainsbridge had done them a favour, all he believed in, it had been wrong. His head began to ache.
“I don't expect you to”, Liscom stated. “You have never been the forgiving type. I will not take my vengeance, but it is Borbarad's world. Freedom for everyone to choose their path. If your heart desires revenge, then be strong enough to take it!” Edmond nodded. “Korobar is chasing after him”, he revealed. “I believe they should be here soon”
“Good”, Liscom replied, as they walked up the stairs into the tower. “The final phase of the ritual will begin soon and I want both of you by my side. There are those who seek to destroy our plans even now and they must not reach me” Edmond saluted, as he had done a thousand times before Liscom's death. A proud smile formed on his face. “You can count on me, master”, he assured him, which visibly pleased the undead mage. “But... master, how are you going to do it this time? The Mindorium is gone and Plainsbridge has taken the dragon's soulstone”
“And lost it again”, Liscom revealed. “It is out of my reach even now. But it was a foolish idea to begin with. No body made of Mindorium, no dragon's heart for our god, but a vessel of flesh and bone, willingly sacrificed by his most faithful” He leant forward. “I offer my body to Borbarad. There is no greater sacrifice and no greater honour than to be his vessel”
Edmond tensed up. “You will die”, he mumbled tonelessly and Liscom gave him a nod. “I truly wish for more time”, he spoke. “Truly, I do. But yes, I will die tonight, for the final time. The lifeforce of this entire land floods into this tower and I will use it to tear a hole into this sphere, a gate into the Limbo, into Borbarad's prison” He glanced at Geshmine, who was just now carried into the tower by her dominated companion. “The thirteen will die, but their energy, their youth and strength, it will flood into my body and will rejuvenate it. I will heal, Edmond, I will offer Borbarad a living body, worthy of our god”
With this, he glanced at the sellsword. “Drop her over here”, he said. “Gently” The woman did as she was ordered and Liscom, completely ignored the sobbing, terrified Geshmine, turned back to Edmond. “I will descend into the basement now. The other sacrifices are there and once I have spoken the incantations, Geshmine will be brought there as well. Rest a bit until I return, you will need your strength”
Edmond managed a weak nod. “Master, a question, please...”, he began and Liscom sighed, though his kind smile remained. “Your... eye. I have never seen one like this. What is it?” Now Liscom smirked, though the ruby outright glared at him, with a malice that was not Liscom's. “It would take too long to explain you everything about the ruby”, his master explained. “But I couldn't have done this without him. We came to an agreement and he has given me a fascinating perspective on the matter”
“He...?”, Edmond gasped, but Liscom already turned around. “The master will answer all of your questions”, Liscom promised. “But I must hurry. My fate awaits” He walked towards a ladder that led down into the lower floors of the tower and with quick, elegant moves, he climbed down. Edmond heard him opening a door down there and then, his master was gone again.
Aside from the ladder, the room was a mess. Edmond had no doubt that it had once been furnished in the elegant Tulamid style Liscom preferred so much, but the spell hadn't left it untouched either. Crumbling chairs, which he really didn't want to try out, broken bookshelves with dusty tomes, a table with a few bottles on it, all of it standing on a decaying carpet, covered in so much dust that Edmond was unable to determine its original colour. Now it was just as grey as the rest of this forsaken land.
“Oh gods...”, Geshmine gasped, as she crawled to the wall. Her former companion made no attempt to stop her and Edmond knew, she wouldn't do a thing if not outright ordered to. Her eyes, however, were as wide and as terrified as Geshmine's and tears welled up within them. “Please...”, Geshmine said again. “Please don't let him do this!”
Edmond sighed. “I have no choice in this”, he spoke, to which she gulped. “No choice?”, she asked. “Isn't this what your faith is all about? Choice? And yet you take mine away and you claim to have none of your own either!” His eyes widened at her surprisingly decent argument. “As I said, some sacrifices have to be made”, he told her.
The girl wouldn't have any of it. He knew, she was in pure terror and would try anything to free herself. Right now, he wouldn't want to let her anywhere near a sharp object, for she would likely either try to kill him or herself. And he had pity on the poor girl. He was no Urdo, no Korobar, who would do all this and worse with a smile. She was still so young. Having to see her friends die like Brodar, betray her like Berosh, now Liscom and his sacrifice.
“You don't believe this, do you?”, Geshmine mumbled. “You're not like Berosh and you're not like this... this creature” Edmond narrowed his eyes and she realized she had used the wrong word. “Careful”, he warned her. “This is my master, the kindest and wisest man I have ever met. You will show him respect, or I will think about Berosh's suggestion, considering your tongue”
She gulped, before she gave him a nod. “But it's true”, she argued. “You are not like them. I have fought alongside my friends. I have killed in battle and I know how those look who don't want to fight. And you... you don't want this” Edmond hesitated a moment, before he gave her a nod. “You deserve better”, he agreed. “But I have no choice”
This time, the girl sighed. “You're lying to yourself”, she replied. “This is all about choice, isn't it” She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment, blinking away the tears. "Ah, fuck it...", she mumbled briefly. As she opened her eyes again, her expression had changed. The terror was still there, but something else as well. He gulped, as she fluttered her eyelashes at him. How did she manage to do that? There was this girl who had been captured, chained and thrown into this tower, her cheeks stained with tears, her hair damp and unkempt. And yet, she was stunning, more than any girl he had seen in Punin or Gareth.
Edmond never had much contact to women. He knew, he was ordinary, no muscles, no chiselled jawline or dashing smile. And the women he liked, they never seemed to share his interests. It was hard to talk to them about mage philosophy, about the science behind spells or the books he loved so much. And this was the first time... the first in a very long time, that a beautiful woman looked at him like this. “Edmond...”, she said. “Please, don't let him kill me”
She blinked again and now, she managed a small, hopeful smile as she noticed his confusion. “You have a choice. You always have a choice. Isn't this what your faith is all about?”, she asked and Edmond's heart began to beat faster. Perhaps it had just been a bit too much, the journey through this desolate land, the fight against Plainsbridge, the reveal that his master had been resurrected and that he would die again very soon. Perhaps it had been all this, but he couldn't stop thinking about the way she was looking at him right now. Kissing those full lips of hers, moving a hand through her wild hair, feeling her so close...
“It... is...”, he stuttered and her smile widened. “Then give me the choice”, she begged him. “I do not want to die here and I will do anything to get out of this” She eyed him closely. “Let me go and I am yours, Edmond”, she offered. “Don't let him kill me. Be the hero you want to be. What did your master say? Be strong enough to take what your heart desires”
Edmond took a deep breath, trying his best not to blush. He couldn't do this... could he? But by the gods, it was hard to concentrate, with him being exhausted and her looking like this, looking at him like this. Girls like her, they always overlooked him, always until now. But she... she needed his help. No, he couldn't do this... or could he?
[Let Geshmine go] [Keep her captive]