Gateway to Brightholme

Dawn

There was exactly one way in or out of Brightholme: Climb the Peaceful Path on Mount Serenity and enter through the thick iron gates.

The morning was overcast, the coming rain more of a promise than a question. Reva Cordell sat alone in the guard station just inside of the first gate, yawning and stretching. Her shift had just started and the night before had been quiet.

It was always hard to predict how many people might come seeking entry on any given day, but a quiet night usually meant a quiet morning. The Peaceful Path presented its challenges, but the terrain was still relatively tame. Still, traveling in the dark was difficult, and most waited until morning to begin their hike.

So it was with some surprise that Reva spotted a group of robed figures emerging from the morning mist. She sat up sharply, sizing them up. She counted five, all of similar heights, moving at an easy pace towards the gate. They all wore hoods that obscured their features, which made Reva uneasy. But she followed procedure regardless, walking to the entry gate and waiting for their arrival.

“Good morning,” Reva called, trying to sound chipper despite her apprehension. “How was your journey, friends?”

They continued their slow, steady walk towards the gate without a word, their faces remaining hidden by their hoods. Reva’s instincts were telling her this was trouble—that she should call for reinforcements. But just as she reached for the alert bell, one of the figures removed their hoods.

The man smiled warmly at her. He was young and handsome and vibrant, the long walk having no noticeable effect on his demeanor.

“Good morning to you as well,” he said cheerfully.

Reva lowered her hand away from the alert bell and relaxed a little, turning her attention back to the man on the other side of the gate. He was so close that his face leaned against the pair of iron bars that blocked his way. “And what can I do for you this fine morning, friends?” she asked.

His grin persisted, wide and unnerving, reigniting Reva’s earlier discomfort. She looked him deep in the eyes, and saw something there that felt… wrong.

“Would your family mind removing their hoods?” she asked.

“I think they’d rather not, if that suits you.”

“Well…”

“My understanding was that you let everyone in, at least through the first gate. We’re perfectly ready and willing to sit with your psychics and answer all their questions. We’re here for the same reason as everyone else. To start a brand new life in perfect little Brightholme.”

‘Well,’ Reva thought. ‘That didn’t sound very sincere.’

There was no rule that said everyone had to be admitted. There had just never been any reason to deny anyone. The threat of attack was virtually non-existent; the Godknight would sense it in the way he always did and arrive within minutes, if not faster. But that nagging anxiety was telling her she should deny these five admittance. Or at least ring the alert bell and call for backup.

“Please,” the man said. “It has been a very long night. And we are very tired and in need of rest.”

Nagging unease, Reva decided, wasn’t reason enough to deny them entry. Brightholme was a hopeful and welcoming community of like-minded people, and Reva was a believer in the “live in peace” philosophy. It was why she became a Peacekeeper to begin with. To prevent these travelers from getting their chance at a better life, based solely on a feeling in her gut, went against those beliefs.

She finally returned the man’s smile, pushing aside her doubts and replacing them with faith. She opened the gates. The man nodded and thanked her as he passed, his hooded companions following single-file closely behind him. They kept their heads turned away from Reva, not allowing her so much as a fleeting glimpse at their faces.

They got about twenty feet past the gate when the smiling man stopped and turned back towards his compatriots. They stopped as well and began to slowly spread out. The man’s smile was gone. Reva could still only see the other four hooded figure’s backs, but her Peacekeeper training warned her immediately of the danger.

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They were moving into formation. An attack formation. Reva cursed herself for not trusting her instincts and raced back to the alert bell. As she began frantically pulling the bell rope, the no-longer-smiling man spoke a single word to the others.

“Go.”

They moved. Fast, fluid, efficient. Trained, Reva realized with mounting terror. Two ran towards the way station, the other two towards the second gate. The smiling man began walking back towards the front gate and Reva.

“Get back!” she yelled. She tried to sound authoritative, but failed, her voice instead betraying panic and fear. She reached for the only tool available to the Peacekeepers: the Tranquility Net attached to her belt. The man made a ‘tsk’ sound and shook his head at her.

From somewhere under his robe, he pulled out a round cage-like object about the size of a fully grown cantaloupe. The device seemed to contain some kind of intense red energy… though not very well. It practically spilled out of the cage. Reva had seen magic before; every morning one of the Peacekeeper’s service mages recharged her Tranquility Net, for example. But those spells emitted almost no light or energy, just a little momentary dash of white.

Despite her lack of experience, Reva guessed this had to be some kind of magical object. But what was its purpose?

From the corner of her eyes, she saw two Peacekeepers hurrying from the way station in response to her alarm. The pair of robed figures had already produced similar cage devices, continuing their way towards the way station and the emerging Peacekeepers.

Farther away, the other two mystery members of this group reached the second gate and came to a halt there.

The man pulled the caged orb back below his waist and bent at the knees. He paused for just a moment to say something to Reva.

“Sorry.”

His apology actually felt sincere, even if she wasn’t sure what he was apologizing for. But a moment later, all was made clear. The man threw his arm forward and released the caged orb. He backed away as they both watched it roll towards Reva and the gate, slowing down and eventually stopping at her feet.

Reva had just enough time to wonder when the Godknight would get there.

And then she was gone. The explosion of red fire released by the orb completely incinerated her and sent the iron bars of the gate hurtling in pieces in all directions. The ground itself rumbled. The man rolled a second, larger cage back through the shattered remnants of the iron gate. He watched as it continued, rolling slowly down the path he had just walked. Satisfied, he began sprinting towards the second gate.

At the same time, the pair of robed figures in front of the way station released their own cages, sending them rolling between the onrushing Peacekeepers and towards the way station. The dual explosions rocked the building and splintered the wooden walls, magical red flames shooting towards the overcast sky. The magical flames quickly dissipated, leaving behind the far more recognizable reds, oranges and yellows of non-magical fire. The Peacekeepers who had been the first to answer Reva’s alarm were caught up in the initial blast and met the same fate as her. Gone in an instant.

When the robed figures each released a second orb, everything that remained of the way station was destroyed. Everyone who had survived the first explosions perished in the second, including the family of three who had been just about to start their new lives.

All five robed figured then gathered at the second gate, nodding curtly to each other. A new explosion rocked the Peaceful Path itself, sending rocks and boulders flying in the air. They watched as what had once been a dirt and rock trail crumbled, its jagged pieces tumbling down the mountainside. As the dust and debris began to settle, no hint of a path remained. Just a hole in the side of the mountain.

They stood back as the pair that had broken for the second gate each produced a cage. They rolled them towards the gate, the last thing that separated them from Brightholme. The gate exploded just as the first gate had, leaving the way clear for them to pass.

They did so, stopping well beyond where that second gate had once stood. The leader produced a new caged orb and rolled it back the way they had just came, the ultimate landing point no longer important. They ran towards Brightholme, pausing only for a moment to confirm the following explosion had finished off anything that was left of the path, the gates, and the way station.

When they were gone, nothing of the Gateway to Brightholme remained. No gates, no way station, no path. Just a crumbled mess of dirt, rocks, and boulders.

They glanced at each other as they ran, allowing themselves a brief moment to appreciate their accomplishment. It had all gone flawlessly.

And, as the Master of War had predicted, the Godknight had not come.

Satisfied, they continued on towards Brightholme.

Their mission had been the first strike, and a complete success.

Now there was no way into Brightholme.

And no way out.

Meanwhile, in Godknight Tower, the Godknight thrashed and moaned in his sleep…