Chapter 11
The Blood God
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Kail opened his eyes, finding Lunis’s black irises looking back at him. For an instant, he felt as if he were back on earth, and this was just another morning waking up after a long night out with Audrie. “Before we went to sleep you mentioned figuring out what I want to do next. I’d like to stay with you.”
His eyebrows rose. “You enjoyed last night’s family conversation that much?”
The edges of her lips twitched up, laughter in her eyes as she spoke. “No, that was awful, but you ended that conversation to get me to a place where I could rest. I think I’ve known I’d like to stay with you since what happened when Lixul was summoned away. Your first reaction was attempting to make sure the same thing wouldn’t happen to me.”
“That would be anyone’s reaction.”
“No, most people in this world only care about themselves and using others to achieve their own aspirations.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Why should you be sorry? You're basically perfect.”
He nearly choked on nothing at all. “Hardly, you saw last night.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong last night, nor have you since we’ve met.”
“Thanks, and I’d love for you to stay with me. So far you're the only person who hasn’t betrayed me since I’ve arrived here.”
“I did attempt to kidnap you.”
He chuckled, stretching as he got out of bed and dawned fresh, not as of yet bloodstained clothes. Lunis rose, her black silks remaining immaculately blood free. They emerged into the hall, descending the staircase to find Valwin and Vasangra seated at a table below them, a board game between them. The twins rose to greet them.
“Lunis, these are my siblings Vasangra and Valwin, unfortunately learning that they’d been lying to my other brother for years distracted me from introducing you earlier.”
“About this morning’s family discussion,” said Valwin. “There's something else Father hasn’t told you that you should see.”
“What?” asked Kail.
“You’ll need to see it to believe it,” said Vasangra as she turned down the hall. “It’s in the caverns beneath the hill.”
“Alright,” said Kail as he, Lunis, and Valwin followed her. “I would like to know why you kept Corvis in the dark about your implants.”
“Because telling him would have not only made him jealous, but also given him delusions of sending us to fight in his skirmishes,” said Vasangra.
“Delusions? Why should I and Corvis have been sent to fight for you when you were both more capable?” asked Kail.
“You and Corvis chose to go do Father’s bidding,” said Vasangra.
“Because we thought we were the only ones who could,” said Kail, anger and exasperation flooding into his tone.
“Then you should have spent more time assessing the situation,” said Vasangra as they emerged from the palace and descended down the curving path toward the hill’s base.
“Or you could have helped your brother instead of allowing me to be sent off to war a day after arriving here.”
“How else would you have attained your current power?” asked Vasangra.
“Preferably with the two of you by my side teaching me.”
“Well I hate to break it to you big brother but this world will kill you if you let it,” said Vasangra. “And risking our lives fighting Father’s pointless battles isn’t on our agenda.”
“What is your agenda?”
“To spread Valien supremacy across this continent and establish a lasting legacy.”
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“And how does that differ from Father’s?”
“Because we will see it through,” said Valwin.
“We four as siblings,” added Vasangra.
“You expect Corvis to trust you again after what you did?”
“He will see reason,” said Vasangra. “He must, we have an opportunity we cannot squander. There are now four of us, meaning that Father cannot hope to overpower us all.”
“What are you suggesting?” asked Kail apprehensively.
“We need to take control and steer this empire toward success rather than ruin,” said Vasangra as they descended through a dark tunnel.
Valwin walked in front, carrying a burning torch which illuminated their path forward.
“Where are we going?” asked Kail.
“To the blood shrine Father built,” answered Vasangra.
Kail rolled his eyes. “Why?”
“Because we Valiens are unable to lie while touching it and invoking the name of the Blood God, and I need you to understand that what I’m going to tell you is the truth.”
“There’s a Blood God?” asked Kail, somehow not surprised.
“There are many Gods,” said Vasangra as they followed Valwin down a fork and into a small cavern.
In the center of the cavern lay a teepee-like shrine constructed from redwood. “You’ll need to swear yourself to the Blood God, then you’ll be able to verify that I’m telling the truth,” said Vasangra smoothly.
Kail stared at his sister. “What if I don’t want to swear myself to an entity called the Blood God?”
“There are no drawbacks,” said Vasangra. “You’ll gain a point of wisdom and then be able to know that what I’m about to say is the absolute truth.”
“You’ve both done this?”
She smiled all too endearingly. “Obviously.”
“Stop acting like a peasant and get on with it,” said Valwin. “The longer we remain down here the longer we risk Father growing suspicious.”
Kail glanced between his brother and sister, then approached the shrine. “Place a hand upon it,” said Vasangra.
Kail did so, the wood feeling smooth beneath his skin. Then in an instant, the world turned red around him as blood consumed him. A burst of anger erupted from him, the blood pressing in from all sides blasting away as he levitated into the air. He hovered above the sea of blood and beneath a red sky, and then a chuckle emanated from all directions, the sea seeming to sway as a melodious voice spoke.
“Do you swear yourself to me little Valien?”
Of course! How could he not? The voice coursed through him! It was life, pure and untarnished. “Yes.”
You have become a paladin of The Blood God. +1 Wisdom.
Quest gained: A Bloody Crusade - Objective: Convert 20 intelligent humanoids to The Blood God’s religion. REWARD = 400 Experience.
Note: Easy methods of converting others include, delivering sermons, deflowering virgins, and participating in blood orgies.
He blinked, finding himself back within the cavern, hand still placed on the redwood. He inhaled deeply, then turned back to face his siblings, newfound clarity easing his temper. “Thank you. I don’t care that the whole truth bullshit was a lie, but I’m done allowing you to use me as a pawn.”
Vasangra smiled sadly. “While bringing you down here was mostly to gift you with our God’s clarity, there is also something you need to know. Valwin and I were not the last children born by our mother. We had a younger brother who Father sacrificed to demons in exchange for power.”
Lunis’s mouth opened, a shocked expression on her face. “I had a dream about that last night! But I thought it was just from exhaustion and being present during your traumatic family argument.”
Kail’s newfound clarity vanished as he stepped away from the shrine, shaking his head as he stared at the stone floor. “What did I do to deserve any of this?”
“You were born a Valien,” said Vasangra. “We were all cursed with our Father, but now we have the opportunity to-”
Kail cut her off, his voice heavy with emotion as he struggled to maintain even a modicum of composure. “Stop. I don’t know if it’s a spell or what, but your words are poison. I’m no more your pawn than I am Father’s.” Lunis had moved to stand beside him and he grasped her hand. “I’m leaving, good luck with your conquest.”
His free hand snatched Valwin’s torch from his grasp with ease as he and Lunis strode past his siblings and down the tunnel.
“Where will we go?” asked Lunis.
“Somewhere where we’ll control our own fate.”
The following minutes flew by in a blur as they returned to the courtyard. Spotting a stable boy, Kail ordered him to saddle a horse for them, the boy’s terrified expression barely registering within his mind before he was pulling Lunis up onto the saddle behind him and they were riding off out of the open gate and down the winding road.
His Father was a monster, his sister was a manipulator. Valwin was a tool and Corvis, Corvis was perhaps the only redeemable Valien, yet he lacked the strength to remain around the rest even for Corvis’s sake.
The sun set behind Kail and Lunis as they galloped down a dirt road that led in the opposite direction to that which he and Corvis had departed down. That day he’d set out with his brother felt so very distant now. He felt distant, distant from the person whom he had been mere weeks ago.
The cool night air felt refreshingly soothing, as did the sensation of riding which he’d grown to enjoy. Lunis’s arms wrapped around his abdomen, reminding him that he wasn’t alone. He might have lost the family he’d thought he’d found, but he’d gained a true friend as well as experience and power. Perhaps there was still a chance at salvaging this new life into something meaningful.
He was no longer bound by the ambitions of his deluded and disjointed family. He was in control of his fate and even had a quest which promised more experience. He felt content as he left stress and obligation behind, riding forward with a pleasant sense of clarity and contentment.