FateGuard

[Cosmic Orion]

Flashes of lightning illuminated an icy coldness in the eyes of Leonardo. Just moments ago the murderer of his childhood friends met her end in the same waters where the bodies of the twins still floated. Rage tempered with grief stirred in his heart at all that had taken place tonight. Did the God he worshiped decide Sayra should meet her fate here? Justice served by the weather itself rather than those the traitor betrayed. Blood was on the water rather than on their hands. Perhaps that was more of a divine mercy than any of them realized. Yet he had watched her die. . . aware beyond a doubt that no pity existed in him toward this murderer. Bones cracked to pieces between the wharf and the trapdoor never sounded so satisfying. A door meant for garbage that she had disposed of so many victims with. Now not only had she fallen through it herself, but it led to her death as well.

Garbage indeed.

Proceeding the thunder as always, lightning flashed bright enough to illuminate everything once more. Leonardo felt a pain stabbing in his chest upon recognizing the bodies of Nadia and Aidan still floating so close to the docks. Dead eyes piercing into his very soul. Memories of brighter days flashed before his eyes with each strike of lightning. Visions of happiness contrasted with the grim darkness of tonight. Most of all the time when he had come back disfigured, their kindness combined with the strength of his faith helped him along the road of recovery. Only they found it in their hearts to withstand him when the bandages did not cover his horrifying visage. Nothing could erase his past with them. Emotion gripped him and dared not entertain the possibility of releasing him until Saint did what his heart told him was the right thing.

Erilyn's words would find themselves not punctuated by a period, but rather a splash into the waters below.

Heavy rain pouring onto the monk robes now exchanged for dark waters soaking them all the way through. Would he meet the same fate as Sayra at the hands of a merciless current? Vanished from sight beneath the murky waves he had plunged into without an iota of hesitation, for all the others knew he was now lost. Might they think he wanted to drown himself, overcome with grief? Up from down was impossible to determine for one submerged inside the liquid abyss. Never before had the directions of heaven and hell been so indistinguishable to Saint. Breath in his lungs was starting to burn as he floated there until lightning flashed to show the way. What had felt an eternity to Leonardo now came closer to ending with every movement he made toward the surface.

Is this how the soul feels, as it struggles to reach heaven when we die?

Above him floated the bodies of Aidan and Nadia, their silhouettes that yet another lightning strike brought to his attention. Now he ascended to meet them. Finally his head popped up above the water's surface near them. A hand grasped each of them with care before he started to kick with his legs, moving steadily toward the docks. Part of him hoped the rest would share his sentiments and help him rescue their bodies. Determination filled his eyes along with the faintest beginnings of tears that one could scarcely make out between his face glistening wet from both the water and the falling rain. Each of the FateGuard who looked upon his face would know his wishes without a word.

But would they help him?

 

[Asmodeus]

There were two splashes, sounding between the lightning strikes. Corben and Derek were with him. Limbs coiled, bodies collided, and in the toil and tumult of the waves the trio took control. A ship's bow, half-submerged an age ago, gave them a foothold to haul the corpses on. Waves slammed Leonardo and Corben against it, while Derek scaled higher, dragging Nadia with him. A rope was lowered from above, Atlas and Erilyn tying it off as Tahan watched. Derek secured it then signalled them to pull. And as fortune smiled Marcus and Richtor arrived to lend a hand.

So one by one, two corpses and three swimmers were salvaged from the sea. And in moments they all lay upon the wharf, face-up in the rain as they caught their breaths.

"She took their eyes..." Marcus growled as he beheld the Twins. "She took their fucking eyes!"

Leonardo was knelt over the bodies, closing the lids. Thick green smoke was pouring from the tavern and making eerie the world around them.

"The break-in..." Corben whispered, coughing up water as he came onto hands and knees. "The dot on the fabric... it wasn't a spell.... it was to test their vision. Lilith put it there, then told Sayra when the Twins found it..."

"What?" Derek sat up against the railings, not making the connection.

"It was to test the Twins' eyesight. They wanted to see something... Aloysius, Lilith, Kael... powers of vision. But they wanted to see more... something.. more..."

"But the Twins are blind," Erilyn interrupted. "They can't see without their...." She trailed off, and with the others looked down at the bodies again, realisation dawning.

Neither Twin was wearing their mask.

Silence prevailed, broken only by the bone-rattle of lashing rain. Derek extended his hand and held out the paper that had wrapped the bottle Sayra carried. He made no further comment. Richtor took the scrap and observed it, before handing it on to Corben. "The mark of the Gothenheim Library. Where Aloysius and Elayna spend their hours."

"And where Sayra frequented, when not at work," Atlas added, looking down at the traitor in the waters.

Using Tahan's shoulder, Corben hauled himself up. "The library. The answer's there. It has to be."

"Better than staying here," Tahan glanced to the choking patrons spilling from the tavern.

"Marcus, Richtor - get their bodies back to the Chapterhouse. Use whatever tunnels you know of." Corben ordered. "The rest of you, we have three hours before first light. There's a chance the Twins lost their masks at sea, but I fear something different. I fear the leaders of this conspiracy have those masks, and are at the library as we speak." He rebuckled his sword and looked to Erilyn. "Are you fit?"

She nodded. Then Corben stood by Leonardo, one hand on his shoulder as he knelt over the Twins. "We must go, my friend."

The man rose, slowly, and the sodden heroes stood as one.

"Derek, find us the quickest way to that library."

 

[Delnoir]

Derek didn't move when Corben spoke. Rather he walked over to the bodies of the twins and looked down for a moment before quietly muttering to himself, "I'm so sorry. We'll make them pay for this; I promise you both," Derek placed his fist over his chest in one final salute before he wordlessly spun around and began walking towards the northern district. Every so often he slipped into alleyways and ducked through holes in walls. His fury was quietly building the more that happened. The betrayals were one thing, but now they had actually cost the FateGuard lives of the loyal. Of comrades and friends. Something unforgivable.

The Lieutenant came to an abrupt stop. Gothenheim Library loomed before them. Part of him hoped that members of the Wounded Hand were in there plotting just so he'd have an excuse to beat them for answers to his questions and to grind the skulls of those who attacked them under his boot.

 

[Asmodeus]

It was the witching hour, that darkest part between midnight and daybreak. With the FateGuard under house arrest a city-wide curfew had been ordered, policed now by volunteer constables and whatever castle guards could be spared. Luckily Derek knew the patrol routes for each ward - having drawn up many himself - so kept the party out of harm's way. They moved silently and quickly, their haste all the greater for their sodden clothes, which now only body heat would dry. In time the storm passed and parted clouds brought moonlight upon the outline of Gothenheim Library.

Atlas had a key, entrusted to him by the Mage's Guild. As they slipped inside, throwing off sodden cloaks and hoods, they saw the candles were lit, enough to illuminate the interior yet not draw attention through the windows. Yet despite this it was cold and their breaths misted before them, a chill that cut to the soul.

They had taken barely three steps before Erilyn froze and drew her sword. The scrape of metal echoed loudly. There was a gasp, and it was answered by a muffled sob.

A body was hanging from the upper balcony, a rope around its ankles. Long white hair dangled. Wrists were bound. Mouth was gagged.

It was Jenra... scholar of the library and sister to Aloysius... hung upside down in the moonlight. Seeing them, the girl began thrashing, screaming for help behind her gag. But she could only move so much. Someone else on the ground gripped her by the hair and was moving a blade towards her eye-socket.

Elayna paused as she was interrupted, her dagger inches from Jenra's eyes. Her head twisted, auburn hair falling back as the traitor turned her stare upon the party.

And her own eyes were pale as death.

With a snarl that seemed to twist her every feature, Elayna hurled the knife across the library chamber, the blade spinning towards one of the FateGuard. And even as she threw it she drew Aurora, her divine sword, and kicked aside a chair.

There would be no reasoning with her.

 

[Zen]

Atlas retrieved his tome from his rucksack and was pouring through the pages as Derek led them through the city. He hastily read, looking up repeatedly to ensure that he followed the others and didn't make a racket. The man was already beginning to get a crick in his neck. At Corben's bidding Atlas unlocked the door, wincing as the door opened with a low creak. Once inside, Atlas closed his tome with a soft thud, eyes roaming.

A veil of calmness swept over the mage. They were in his territory, the library where every single page stored knowledge and power. The cold felt doubly worse with their soaked clothes; Atlas was keen on getting rid of them. He tossed his rags onto the floor, reminding himself to pick them up once they left. It would not bode well if the Mage Guild or the King knew that they were breaking their house arrest, as ridiculous as that policy was. His train of thought suddenly stopped when he heard Erilyn draw her sword and saw the white hair glistening from the candle light.

Bile built up in the back of Atlas' throat. There was no mistaking what Elayna wished to do with that knife. The thought of not just blinding the poor scholar but possibly using the eyeball for other means sickened Atlas. What in god's name was happening to their order?

His tome came up in front of him and he felt the resounding the thud of her knife stabbing through his spell book. His face a snarl, Atlas pulled the knife out and threw it to the ground. Opening the book with trembling hands, the mage desperately tried to find an incantation to free their friend. The possibility of being caught loomed in the back of his mind - they mustn't make noise least the guards from outside investigate.

 

[Cosmic Orion]

Moments after the knife hit the ground a bandaged hand plucked it up with the swift precision of a seasoned warrior. Though not his weapon of choice it felt better than going bare-handed against someone with a sword. Candlelight already exposed to him not only his opponent but a damsel in distress as well. Silent thanks went to the Lord above for her life remaining intact no matter how much danger it was in at the moment. Leonardo forgot about getting soaked to the bone or shivering as fiery feeling built up in his gut. Bile was not the culprit for him though. Elayna was the mastermind behind all this betrayal in his eyes. Rage filled him yet found itself tempered with the desire to rescue Jenra alive.

Too many innocent people have already died for this twisted plot. I cannot allow another.

Deep down the betrayal of Elayna did not wound him as deep as some of the others. Saint had always held suspicion toward her due to her strange religious beliefs. Once, out of what felt to him kindness, he had tried to convert her to Christianity with the utmost politeness. At the start anyway. To him the story of her 'Goddess' had felt more akin to an Angel's visit misunderstood by one who did not fully grasp just how mysterious the ways of the Lord were on occasion. Just a chance at least. Leonardo did not even fathom why God had chosen such a confusing method. More than anything though, he feared it could have also been the work of a deceptive demon. One working to twist her toward a strange worship. Though that theory had never felt right wither since it made little sense for a demon to grant anyone a weapon of light.

In the end she had laughed at not only him but the idea of Christianity altogether. Mocking his beliefs led to vicious words in return aimed at her Goddess. Verbal punches not pulled in the least. All her riches and righteousness could not shield her from the biblical brutality that burst forth from his mouth. Since that day they had scarcely spoken to one another after such unkind behavior. Though the Church had supposedly kept a rather close eye on her. So just how had she managed all this without getting caught? Did they know of her plans and do nothing? Any of the brief answers his mind conjured up only led to even darker questions. Leonardo could not figure any of this out.

There must be a way to rescue Jenra. . .

Leonardo moved himself away from the others as damp bandages clung to his face while getting closer to Elayna. Just to make sure she would see him with those eyes of hers pale as death. Leonardo's own candlelit eyes flickered with the flame of life. Challenging her to come at him without a single word, he stood there with the dagger in hand. He wanted her attention. All of it. Which, given their personal past, if any semblance of her former self remained. . . he would get it. The woman despised him more than all of the other FateGuard combined.

 

[Asmodeus]

Whilst Sayra had fought with a semblance of reason, no such faculty remained in Elayna. She faced six opponents, and knew no fear.

Lunging at Leonardo, her greatsword slammed into his outheld dagger and and sent shooting pains up his arm. He backtracked with the strain, and she followed, deep into the circle of FateGuard. For a moment she was surrounded, but then her magical blessing activated with a force unseen till now. All around her, the droplets of rain water agitated, warming up and turning to steam.

For those who had been soaked - Leonardo, Derek and Corben - the heat was sudden and shocking, as if they had been plunged into a hot bath. The steam fogged, and as their vision clouded Elayna's holy blessing came into play. A halo of perfect sunlight encircled her and blocked the sword-strikes from Erilyn and Tahan.

Confusion was sown. Steam and sunlight pulsed and sputtered. Whenver they lost sight of her the Aurora shield grew stronger. And whenever they saw her their wet bodies steamed. Her powers had evened the playing field.

And as they battled, Jenra dangled from the balcony, thrashing in her restraints.

 

[Delnoir]

Derek growled as he grabbed at his cloak and threw it aside before doing the same with his tunic. Without those there wasn't enough steam to hinder his vision and the sudden heat wouldn't catch him off guard again. Drawing Alondite from its sheath he drew upon the power of his magical blessing, the blade ignited with it's own brilliant light. Being so used to the light Alondite gave off looking up into the light generated by Elayna proved to be not as difficult as it would be for the others.

Putting power into his legs Derek's empowered body moved with absurd speed without the Regalia weighing him down. Seeing Derek charge Elayna prepared another barrier of light just as Derek was close enough. Drawing on Alondite's power Derek's swing proved to be too much for the barrier and it shattered. Using his new opening Derek landed a punch square in his enemy's chest sending her spiraling back. With her briefly out of the way he turned to Jenra. There wouldn't be enough time to get up to cut her down like this, but now he was between her and their fallen comrade. As Derek made sure Jenra wasn't harmed she began screaming something through her gag, her eyes frantic. When Derek reached up and removed the gag she screamed, "Derek, behind you!!!"

Seeing the light behind him intensify he gripped his blade and spun around swinging it in a wide arc. There was a horrible screeching noise as metal met metal where Alondite and Aurora clashed in a brilliant light. The strength of Derek's swing ripped the blade from Elayna's hand sending it clattering to the ground near the rest of the FateGuard near the entrance. Seeing an opening he recovered, raised his blade overhead, and swung diagonally at Elayna's left shoulder. Though she was able to avoid being cleaved in two or having her shoulder crushed she couldn't avoid Derek's blade from slashing the flesh. With the same crazed aura she began the fight with she rushed for her fallen weapon leaving Derek. With him protecting Jenra the FateGuard could focus on defeating their now-wounded foe.

 

[unanun]

Tahan spent most of the journey to the library in silence, somewhat dragging his feet. He was being irritated by the most trifling of matters - Erilyn. Had they not shared words back in the pit where they were confined earlier this night? He had felt that a thin thread had extended to connect them; though the thread was spun from impure circumstances, he felt a flicker in his heart, the same feeling he had only felt in the presence of the Church. That same feeling was what made his gut twist when he saw her dangling from the trap door, that made him rush to the edge and entrust his safety to Derek as he reached for her hand.

But as she walked away, and as they moved along the alleyways, her back was cold. The thread hung by only the barest of fibers.

"!" Had Atlas not been standing in front of him with the book, the dagger may have put his eye out. He yelped and stumbled back, introspection shattered in the wake of the rapidly developing battle. For a brief period the inside of the library was light by sun and cloud -- he almost felt that he could even see the blue sky peeking out from between the pockets of steam thrown up by Elayna's blessing.

He tripped into the shadows and dashed at Elayna, stabbing with spikes gripped in his hands. He was forced to leap back by an arcing slash, for he could not parry swords with his weapons. Then Derek disarmed her, and he circled behind her, hidden by bookcases, waiting to spike her in the kidney.

 

[Cosmic Orion]

Pain causes him to clutch his hand in retreat while the dagger remains in his grip. Jaw now clenched to keep any sounds of weakness restrained within, Leonardo backs up into the rest of his fellow FateGuard. Jenra's fate fuels him with resolve to find another way to rescue the girl. With every step Saint starts to regain composure and battle stance despite sharp pain. Left with no other choice but to follow, Elayna finds his allies surround and outnumber her.

Heat gives birth to a smothering steam that consumes him from head to toe and blinds him to the battle at hand. Discarding the Monk robes does little to grant him peace from the betrayer's blessing berzerker. Bandages still bind him in blindness that the disfigured man refuses to unwrap. . . preferring his own blindness to the others seeing what revolting visage lay concealed underneath. Nothing can change his mind on that matter.

Yet while Saint keeps his eyes shut the steam that surrounds him grants fleeting glimpses of a strange shape hovering behind him. Details formed and dispelled in the blink of an eye amongst the swirling steam. One that stays invisible to all until the steam threatens to reveal it's form to the naked eye. Just what was it? All he can hope for now is to stagger away from the main fight as yet another battle breaks out in his mind. Every blast of heat that Elayna causes threatens to make him pass out. Worse yet, it sends his psyche back into the past until it remembers all too vividly the night Demons captured and tortured him.

Elayna's stolen dagger is plunged into the ground as Saint crouches into what is hopefully a sturdy footing from which he can rise. Though his resolve is strong the heat strangles his conscious mind with mercy used as little more than a cruel joke to grant false hope. Pain from old wounds resurrected by this unrelenting heat may yet defeat him without the traitor ever landing a true blow. Blackness waits with eager anticipation at the corners of his vision.

 

[Kitti]

The events at the lighthouse had shaken Erilyn, though she was unwilling to show this weakness to the others, who were relying on her to help protect them. They had done their part of it to the best of their abilities, rescuing her from dangling over the turbulent water before she could fall to a violent death. Deep breaths and calming thoughts only did so much for the adrenaline that she'd been burning while holding on tightly and using sheer will to grip the panel of wood. Still, she was grateful that they had rescued her, even at risk to their own well-being. For that, her loyalty was redoubled and she was determined to be of as much aid as possible.

Still trying to make tranquil her heart beating a little too fast, Erilyn was more or less in her own world as they walked to the library. She didn't feel the eyes of Tahan on her back, for she was not speaking with anyone or noticing anything. She was a little numb, her legs feeling almost foreign to her, and the voices around her seemed to make little sense. She knew that there was still much to do this night and was determined that she would not be a liability, she would do her best to not only carry her own burden, but lend help to the others. She'd already said her quiet thanks to Derek, sprawled on the floor, and had no words left until they reached the library.

When they entered the library, the scene that met them was still another betrayal to their already tired hearts, but they were at least used to this by now, in as much as one could be used to being betrayed by those that they had trusted. After having put aside her own tender feelings in favor of survival, Erilyn was not in a forgiving mood for Elayna, not after Sayra. The others had entered before her, but she was soon near the front, without her shield but sword raised in front of her. The Fateguard had not before this rift had to face the talents and blessings of their fellows and it would prove, perhaps, more than they all could bear.

The halo of light at first blocked Erilyn's sword, as well as that of the others, but their wild attempts to attack her at least served as a distraction. With her sword gone and her attention diverted, the steam began to dissipate and Elayna's protection wavered. Raising her sword once more, Erilyn lunged at Elayna, stabbing with the sword at Elayna's midsection.
​

 

[Asmodeus]

The sword pierced Elayna's hip, skewering beneath the kidney and punching out above the pelvis. The traitor screamed and spun, tearing the blade free from her abdomen. And as she spun the Aurora sword lashed out and caught Erilyn's shoulder. Together with the wrenching of her weapon the wound flung Erilyn to the ground and Elayna, in the midst of her pain, lifted Aurora to strike.

But Corben was there. Her blade slammed against the Sword of Dragonfire, dawn light meeting dragon flame. The spark was like inferno, a microcosmic sun pulsing out. And with one shove Corben sent her reeling back, haemorrhaging and blinded, till she collided with one of the bookshelves. Leatherbound tomes toppled around her, falling out and leaving a space through which Tahan could be seen, stalking on the other side of the bookshelf.

 

[unanun]

There really was no time to think about what happened next. Tahan - almost casually, reached through the bookcase and dragged her back into the waiting chisel, the sharp pointing abruptly sprouting from the front of her chest. Her brief flailing as she was impaled caused him to tense his grip, and her clothes tore away under his fingers, the cotton ripping loudly from her stomach but still leaving her covered, stuck by the white nail emerging from her heart. Her dead weight slamming into the shelf sent a book back into his face, and Tahan stumbled backwards, rapidly wheeling around the bookcase to retaliate at her from the front.

He stared at her for a moment, and his fingers tensed into claws, relaxing shortly afterwards. She painted a nice scene, slumped against the wooden back, partially undressed, something like a specimen on the dissecting table at Father's home, splayed open with anatomy nails, but ... strangely different.

The pit of his stomach churned. A warmth infused his gut.

He turned to face the others, and gestured at her throat. It was darker under the shade of the upper floor, but his eyes gleamed in the candlelight, and various random books that had been knocked out cast flickering beams of sickly light. An invitation to interrogate, it seemed.

 

[Asmodeus]

Elayna slumped to the ground, books fallen around her, heart pierced. And now at last the FateGuard saw the detail of her death-glazed eyes. They were pearl white, but within then, like ruptured vessels, were swirls of red and green. The patterns were as fine as veins, all across the whites, and the irises mottled stone grey. The colours were almost beautiful.

Like aurora.

"Why did she fight...?" Corben muttered, wiping sweat from his brow, sheathing his sword. "There was no chance."

"Something possessed her..." It was Atlas who whispered this.

Suddenly remembering themselves, the FateGuard turned and saw to Jenra. The rope was cut, the girl caught then set in a chair to rest. The blood had rushed to her head, and her cheek had been cut by Elayna's blade. But she was otherwise unharmed. Leonardo fetched her water.

And Corben, leaving the others with the body, knelt before Aloysius sister and looked her in the eye.

"Jenra... what happened here? Where is your brother?"

 

[Faulkner]

It took a minute before the young woman was able to speak coherently. The moment she could, the first thing she gasped out was, "Th-Thank you, Corben, I..." Shaking her head as she cut herself off, she drank the water Leonardo brought, still dizzy and vaguely nauseas.

"Elayna, Jenra, what happened here? What was she doing?" the FateGuard's Marshall insisted; nodding, she tried to respond.

"Sh-She was... meeting, with Aloysius, as usual," she began, only to be interrupted again.

"As usual? She meets with him often?" he demanded, and Jenra nodded quickly, a look of worry coming over her face.

"I thought... He said it was FateGuard business. He would meet with Elayna, and others..."

"What others?"

"Sayra, Lilith, and, and Kael. They were... the only ones he would meet with. They've met, almost every night, for a few weeks now--not always all together at once, mayhap just one of them at a time, but, every night." She paused, nodding to herself as she remembered. "They were... secretive. Always speaking in private, either around a table, quietly, or in the private study upstairs, and sometimes, they had the book..."

"The book? What book is this?" Corben immediately prompted.

"It's... It's an old one. From the city's earliest collections." Her brow furrowed as she recalled it in more detail. "It describes the old religions, that our ancestors worshipped before they came across the sea. But it's in poor condition, and written in old tongues that none can decipher any longer."

"So what happened tonight? What was Elayna after, and where is Aloysius?" he asked with increasing agitation. Jenra hesitated before answering, her eyes glancing up towards the second floor study.

"She... She was meeting with him, in the study, but came out close to midnight... I saw Aloysius, he was sitting, his back was to the door, but I could see he had the book, and then--and then Elayna, she--" Corben was no longer looking at Jenra, instead staring up at where he knew the second floor study was situated--where Aloysius still was. "She said she--was going to cut out my eyes, so that she could... could finally see it... I know not what she meant..."

 

[Delnoir]

"Then I would say our destination is clear then, isn't it?" Derek pulled his now dry and pleasantly warm tunic over his head. His cloak followed suit shortly after, the warmth proving to be perhaps the greatest feeling he'd had all night. However knowing Aloysius was up there with a book that, based on Jenra's account, was the cause of all of this took prescience. And now again the need for some kind of sight had taken place. It sounded almost like something was tormenting them. Something that could not be seen, "Whatever is going on up there, we need to stop it. However there is one issue I feel I must resolve before we do," the Lieutenant looked to Corben. He knew how close he and Aloysius were.

"Kael. Lilith. Sayra. Elayna. All enemies now. Kael and Lilith tried to kill the king in the name of the Wounded Hand, Aiden and Nadia are dead because of Sayra, and Elayna just tried to kill Aloysius' sister and I doubt he'd ever allow that if he were--" the word "sane" caught on Derek's lips. He clasped his friend on the shoulders and looked him in the eyes, "If the five of them were meeting that means the Wounded Hand is behind all of this. I have grave suspicions about them, Corben. Suspicions so grave part of me hopes I'm wrong. If I'm right then we cannot allow them to live, let alone succeed. If Aloysius is up there, and he's betrayed us for the Wounded Hand as well will you be able to do what you have to? Or should I just take command for now and leave you with Jenra?"

 

[Spammy]

He was hunted. The wolf was aware of it. Ferrick was aware of it. Even while hunting they were hunted. The wolf had far fewer reservations about feeding on dead animals they came across, but Ferrick had managed to convince the other mind that it was too dangerous, that it could be a ploy from the whisperers. The wolf had learned, thankfully. Neither trusted any meat that was not fresh nor any water that was not running.

But despite all those concerns, something mundane held their attention at the moment: A nagging itch in his side.

He scraped back and forth against the rough bark of an old tree, until that maddening sensation left him, no matter how temporarily. The wolf was ready to walk off and leave, though Ferrick was not. He wordlessly urged the beast back, bringing to its attention a tuft of grey fur left in the cracks. The wolf scratched and batted at that spot, replacing a spot of grey fur stuck to the tree with a spot where the outer layer of bark had been rubbed off. Better? Worse? Hard to say, but it made him feel slightly better to do it anyway.

He returned to prowling through the trees, ears perked up and ever alert, any new sound drawing his attention if it seemed even slightly out of the ordinary. He couldn't hear the whispering, but that didn't mean they weren't coming or weren't around. That was a maddening itch he couldn't scratch, that he was being silently watched, that they could be all around him at this very moment and he wouldn't know.

He tried to be aimless in his wanderings, to keep moving without falling into a pattern or a rut. The wolf thought often of what direction to next take, and since the encounter with the monolith a new idea had formed in his mind, a thought that he might go towards it. After all when he had first found it the whisperers chasing him had vanished. Maybe they had led him towards it but maybe they didn't like the area. And he didn't have to into the clearing with that monolith, maybe just be near it.

It was an idea that he couldn't shake. It lingered. It lasted. It felt both alien and familiar at the same time. Worse, because it kept lingering and drawing his thoughts, he started to fall into a pattern of wandering back and forth in an arc around the monolith's site, keeping a relatively fixed distance from it on instinct.

Inside the wolf's mind, Ferrick felt trapped. He couldn't bring himself to leave Gothenheim, leave humanity. He couldn't let them go closer to the monolith, which seemed too dangerous. He could strike out in some other direction, but would the whisperers follow? Worse, what if he fled to somewhere more open, somewhere that he couldn't hide? He still had yet to fully see what chased him, only glimpses and impressions left in the mists, and wasn't sure he wanted to know what haunted him.

While Ferrick worried, the wolf expressed its frustrations more simply: It growled, barked, snapped, hunched over and tense. Finally it threw all caution to the side for a moment, climbing up on top of a boulder, exposing himself to the moon and any watchers, half-wishing for one to appear so that it could claw them.

The nerve didn't last though, and before any could meet his silent challenge he was already diving into the trees again, staying on the move, fearing being found as much as he might fear death.

 

[Hydronine]

She watched.

She listened.

Her hands were steady on a stringed arrow, should someone find her- and she prayed that no one would.

She was far from the action, yet, in this room, as she had meditated on what had happened thus far- her anger... her fear and her sadness and transformed her.

Alyss wanted nothing more than to be able to put away childish things such as rage and the want for revenge- to strike down the very gods for letting her become this beast. She wanted the pleasure of not being shunned or given looks, she wanted to have a family who had treasured her... and, realizing she would never have these things, her anger grew. In the throes of powerful emotions, many are changed in the blink of an eye.

It had taken years, but she finally admitted it to herself.

She wasn't safe... she wasn't good for this team. Her doubt shined through.

And before she had realized, the change was as physical as it was mental- the lattice-work of ice that had glimmered on her skin now grew, and her dark eyes turned pale.

She wanted nothing more than revenge for her life... how could someone like her be allowed to live in this world? How could they merit her for anything- when the people she protected, feared her? She wanted their acceptance- and now she realized how foolish that was, when she couldn't even trust herself. Malwin's absence and her... father's words had let her doubts and fears fester and rot away.

She needed time to think... she needed somewhere safe to figure this out. Safe for her, and everyone else.

And yet, when she had began to pack her things and move though the chapter house, to find someplace to hide away- she heard a commotion and stopped to find what had happened. She walked, stopping at hearing range- quite a lot had happened while she had been elsewhere...

Her skin glimmered like freshly-fallen snow, and the air around her was infused with the cold pouring out from her body. She had meant to leave- but was frozen where she stood- unsure of what to do...

She held no ideas on how to enter in on these troubles and help at the moment- scared of how they might react to her growing inhuman appearance.

Yet, it was her job to help, and she had to try. She came in as Derek spoke, and gathered the gist of what she missed and stood silently as she waited for plans to be decided.

 

[Zen]

It was not the first time Atlas felt useless in an encounter like this. He was a man of books, alchemy and magic. The ability to swing a sword did not come easily to him so as the mage fumbled through the lines of text in his book, his comrades had already broken Jenra free. His face was a mask as he closed the tome, shutting away this familiar helpless feeling.

The urge to examine Elayna's body was overwhelming but the need to help the wounded Erilyn was stronger. Atlas kneeled where she fell, lines of worry etched into his charming face. He rummaged through his rucksack for a potion to help with the bleeding. Pulling out a a rounded vial filled with a green paste, Atlas poured it onto his fingertips and gently dabbed at her wound. The poultice smelled of fresh mint and lime - while pleasant it jarred the mage's senses.

"We're in luck," he replied in soft tones, "The wound is not very deep."

He wiped the remains of the paste onto the rucksack and rose. Suddenly the library was not so tranquil a place. It held secrets and danger but instead of feeling weary, Atlas felt excited. Here was an enemy that could be conquered with the mind, not with a bloody sword. It emboldened him and he spoke.

"Derek is right Corben. They have shown us their true colors tonight. Not only did they aid in the attempted murder of the king, but here is evidence of magics that even I have never seen or heard of. This is most concerning Marshall. We need to act quickly before whatever plan they've concocted is set in motion."

 

[Asmodeus]

Corben shoved Derek's arms away, meeting his sincere stare with a hard one. "Do not question my resolve," he replied and his sword drew, slowly, between them. There was hurt behind his eyes, the final whispers of a friendship, the sum of these successive betrayals.

Kael... Lilith... Sayra... Nadia... Aiden... Elayna... Ferrick... Aloysisus... So many fallen into shadow on his watch. And in the darkest hours of the night Corben's paranoia whispered... that it was he alone who was the cursed one - cursed to fail in his command and lose a whole generation of heroes.

"Stay here, Jenra," the Marshall spoke lowly. "I would not have you see this..."

They moved in silence, weapons drawn, single file, snaking up the spiral staircase to the second level. They stepped over books that had fallen when Elayna first ambushed Jenra, then moved past the candles lit for the night meeting, as they had been lit for weeks before, to illuminate the darkest dealings of this treacherous cadre.

Fire light showed beneath the door of the study, infernal hues casting back and forth. They let Corben go first, and allowed him the momentary pause he took before wrapping his hand around the brass handle. There was a click as the latch lifted, and then, as one , the FateGuard advanced to their final confrontation.

"Is she dead?"

It was as Jenra described. The high-backed chair, once upholstered for the personal comfort of the library's founder, fur-swathed and leather-bound, faced the study's portico window. Stained glass framed the clearing rain and showed the stars above the Eastern Wall. Their light competed with the fireplace, large and blazing, which had been fed with parchment. And in the chair they could see in half-profile the arm, leg and silvered hair of Aloysius... Jenra's brother... Corben's friend...

The Marshall stepped into the room, leaving space for the others to spread out. His sword lowered as he answered, softly, "She lives."

There was an audible sigh between the cracks of the wood fire. Aloysius's one visible hand came down, resting atop the book on the arm of the chair. "We used to have a signal." Aloysius's voice echoed in the chamber. "She'd make me watch for my father's temper. I could always see it coming, at the breakfast table, in the workshop. I always knew when we had pushed him too far, with our games. And I would make that signal, to warn her... so we could both escape."

Corben could feel the others moving, Derek and Leonardo circling, Erilyn flanking the shelves, Tahan palming a weapon. They were ready. His time was almost up. "Aloysiu--"

"--I wasn't there..." his friend kept talking, as if driven to exorcize his demons. "...to give her the signal this time - to warn her I had gone too far. I couldn't see what was coming."

"Why the eyes, Aloysius?" Corben stepped closer.

"Because we had to see. She said it was the only way."

"Who?"

"Elayna..." His fingertips moved across the book cover, as if reading with his skin the very contours and grain of the leather. "For as long as she possessed this tome, found in the library archives, her goddess had whispered to her. She called it Aurora - the goddess of dawn and twilight, the Lady of the Threshold, of the spaces between light and dark. And it bade her look beyond the Eastern Wall."

Through the window, the coastline stretched into mist and darkness, rolling east in great tree-choked moors. Further than any man had ever explored. The hills were silvered, ominous.

"And there she saw but a glimpse. Too little. She wanted more. So she summoned myself and Lilith - the ones who had shared the library with her - and Kael, whose vision was as great as ours, and who brought his lover, Sayra, to share in this discovery. With our blessed vision we peered beyond the Eastern Wall, and saw what Elayna had seen. We saw the gift of her goddess, in the rising sun."

"What gift?"

Again Aloysius continued as if Corben was not there - as if his confession was pouring, helplessly, from his lips. "But still we had to see more. We wanted every detail, every curve, every facet. We needed sharper vision, further sight. And that was when Lilith had the idea. The Twins... their masks... their magic masks that gave them sight where no eye could see. We tested it, of course... a little dot on one of their linens...."

"The break-in at the shop."

"It proved what we hoped - that the masks could amplify the most clouded vision. Sayra lured them to their deaths. We took the masks. And we saw such things out there... beyond the Eastern Wall... we saw the face of the goddess... as the sun rose... and she changed our hearts."

"She corrupted you." Corben said, stepping closer, sword trembling in his hand. Atlas was behind him, eyes locked on the book. "She possessed you to strike against the king."

"And we failed her," Aloysius answered. "We could not see... enough... More wisdom was needed... to know Her will. The masks were not enough. We needed a spell... a potion... a concoction distilled from the eyes of the true-seeing. So I offered up my own flesh and blood... Jenra..."

"What was it....?" Corben was almost to the chair now, and the others were in line with him, the circle about to close on Aloysius. "What did you see... beyond the Eastern Wall?"

Aloysius brought the book upon his lap. He slowly opened the pages. "That which instructs the Wounded Hand. That which empowers the Prophet Arcanium." No one noticed Derek flinch. "That which is watching.... always watching..."

The page fell open at a clutter of sketches and faded text - written a century ago. Weird symbols, witches spells, accounts of potions and curses. And behind the text, charcoaled in outline, the thing that the traitors had seen... the thing that Ferrick now prowled before, out on the moors... a great stone cross on a hillside, centred with a pearly, glistening eye.

"... The Monolith"

Corben's sword came up, shaking in firelight. A tear cut his cheek as he pleaded. "Aloysius...!"

"Corben..." His friend's voice was steady, his body still. "Forgive me. I saw so much that I was blinded."

He exploded from the chair, a sudden burst of movement. Corben inhaled, his grip tightened. Then his mouth dropped open in a cry. Aloysius threw himself forward, smashing through the stainglass, pitching over the sill of the portico.

"NOOOOOO!"

The cold swept in. The glass shattered. The wind howled and snuffed out the fire, turning a once-red world to grey. And then, with a sound that heralded silence, that brought the storm to rest and the spell to breaking, there was a bodily thump on the cobbled streets below.

* * * * * * * *​

They would not be intered at the Chapter House. The evidence of witchcraft made the Church insist on burning the bodies. Three pyres were built atop the hill between the Castle, Church and Eldritch Tower. Two for the Twins, whom tragedy had befallen, and one for Aloysius, who had realised in time that he was puppet to the darkness.

With Jenra's testament the curfew on the FateGuard had been lifted. A bounty was placed on the head of Kael - the only surviving traitor still at large. And the gypsy commune, from which Elayna had recruited circus performers to join her possessed conspiracy, was forcibly disbanded and rehoused in other wards. With the King recovered from his poisoning, he decreed that no man nor woman should use enhancements to look beyond the Eastern Wall at first light. Spyglasses and telescopes were confiscated from the public, the library was purged of any books with symbols of the goddess Aurora, and both Church and Mage Guild were now forbidden to make enchantments of vision.

Aloysius was placed on the pyre with pearl-white eyes.

The FateGuard stood upon the hilltop, as the flames took hold and made mirror of the rising sun. Atlas clutched Aloysius's book. Erilyn's arm was bandaged. Leonardo's head was lowered. Derek's brow was troubled. Tahan had made his own report to Father Gregory. And Jenra... now stood amongst them... her vows newly taken... her new duty chosen.

And Corben... who counted his friend amongst the sacrifices of his watch... stood before the pyres and could not find words. Not until the flames reared and tears streaked his face... not till his body trembled and his composure broke. And only then did he turn, silhouetted in funeral fire, and yell out at the gathered host... to the citizens and courtiers who had come to watch.

"DO YOU KNOW US NOW?!" he roared at the gathering. " DO YOU SEE THE FATEGUARD? DO YOU SEE OUR SACRIFICE?!" He stormed towards them, blocked only by Eric, who held him from the crowd with lowered eyes. But still Corben yelled, tears and soot on his face.

"NIGHT AFTER NIGHT WE BLEED SO YOU WILL NOT! IS THIS NOT ENOUGH?! MUST YOU STILL FEAR US?!"

Some of the townsfolk looked away. Others dispersed. Mutterings and prayers rippled through them.

"MUST YOU?!!"

Corben dropped to his knees, his voice lost, the fire and smoke washing over him and around the assembled Fateguard. The townsfolk dispersed.

And on the hillside in the distance, beyond the forests where the werewolves roamed, where the sun rose high through the eastern skies.... the Monolith watched.