“You there,” the showman said, pointing at the man of gargantuan size. “You may be big, but you ain’t bad. I’ll break you into bits and pieces to scatter across this great nation of Loderan, so that I can grow many more jabronis like you to beat up on!”
The imposing figure, dressed in snug black leather, half of his face concealed behind a dark cloth, nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders, unafraid of the challenge. He cracked his thick neck while his gray eyes were unblinkingly staring at the showman. Two clubs with the same length and width as the showman were strapped to his back, one stained with the showman’s blood.
The man grunted defiantly like an alpha ape.
“Hold on there, young buck,” spoke the towering man's accomplice, his features obscured beneath a dark hood. "We have come solely to retrieve our comrade." In stark contrast to his massive companion, this individual stood shorter than both the showman and Van. His figure was slender, his posture stately and refined. Clad in garments of deep green, from his tunic and leather armor to the hooded cloak that enveloped him, he bore a resemblance to the rangers who guarded Loderan's borders, standing as a barrier between the realm and the elven lands of Antherai.
“How did you find me, Jack?” Joker asked, her blind eyes downcast.
“Where else would you go but to find more gang members?” the hooded man replied, his voice carrying an edge.
“So, you knew I was the killer.”
“You found him, didn’t you?”
Joker smiled with sorrow before her expression contorted into that of rage. She then spat, “I did it. I found the man who took Marian's life and I shattered him into fragments of flesh and ice. I made him suffer for what he did to the Queen of Hearts, for what he did to the Royal Suit, for what he did to us!”
Jack’s voice wavered but he pressed her, “Then why didn't you put an end to it? Why did you continue to take the lives of gang members? The Hunters Guild is now at risk of being outlawed in Soalde. What about our fellow guild members? Have you not considered their well-being?"
“And what of vengeance? It is a dish best served cold, but it isn’t enough to serve one and one only, correct? I sacrifice these animals to appease my best friend’s soul.” Her voice cracked and she choked, tears beginning to stream down her face. “I’m so angry, Jack. I can’t feel anything but rage. I can’t even genuinely laugh anymore. Can you believe it? Joker can’t laugh. What a joke I’ve become. Ha, ha…”
“We’re stopping this here,” Jack demanded and turned back to the showman and Van, repeating himself, “We’re stopping this here.” He flourished into a formal bow so elegant that it would make tutors of etiquette lament. “Be at peace, gentleman. The reason for fighting between you both and our dear companion has come to a close.” His eyes then gleamed with deadly light. “Unless that is, you wish to go against the unassailable Royal Suit!”
A ringing of metal silenced as Van stowed away his blade. A proud swordsman he was, but a fool he was not. The power radiating from the trio almost equaled his teacher, Sir Wakkesh, in power, and Van could not defeat his teacher, even with Red’s assistance.
The showman had to take a moment to read the crowd, as disheveled and beaten as they were, they still seemed to emit respect for the three individuals. He knew when it was time for the curtain to fall. To overstay your welcome in the ring was amateurish.
“I see,” the showman responded, his voice rumbling. “Red Rumble sees you three as scurrying mice before the cool cat that is Red Rumble, so be off with you, oh yea. And take that big candy ass jabroni with you before he gets a taste of the Rumbling Power Bomb, yes that’s right. Red Rumble shows mercy!”
The man with the clubs tried to put down Joker in order to throttle the young upstart, but Jack held him back. “Don’t, Ace,” Jack urged. He cast his gaze upon the destruction and devastation of the once great hall of the Goddess’ Lair, and then he found the city guard nearby, covered in ice. “We have to leave. They’ll take Joker away if we stay.”
The colossal man, Ace, narrowed his eyes at the showman who in turn drew a thumb across his neck in a threatening gesture, prompting furious veins to wriggle across Ace’s neck.
“Ace!” Jack barked. With a loud snort, Ace turned away from the showman and allowed Jack to lead him away. At the same time, Jack began to draw out gauze from a pack to apply to Joker’s bleeding abdomen. She was unresponsive however, her blind eyes staring absently forward, her expression seemingly unsatisfied.
“Where do you three think you’re going?” a voice asked as a disheveled Soalde guard stepped up, his armor more lavishly decorated than the other guards.
“Ah, Captain Galder Lorsen,” Jack greeted with delight as if they were passing by in the market and not a destroyed hall of a brothel. “It’s a pleasure as always to see such an upright and just man of the guard, but as you can see, we are departing now. No time for idle chat, I’m afraid. Maybe next time, yes?”
“You leave that one with me,” the Guard Captain ordered, pointing at Joker, causing Jack to ease up to the Guard Captain who took a step back from anxiety but stalled hearing the sound of coin. As if materializing out of thin air, Jack had a hefty pouch only he and Galder could see, which he subtly offered up with a wide smile.
But before Galder could be blinded by his greed, he stopped. “No,” he denied. “I have people to answer to.” His hand swept across the red hall and to the dead men and women littering its floor. “I have to answer for this and she is my answer.” His sweeping hand stopped on Joker.
“The Royal Suit is rather wealthy,” Jack whispered, his voice rich with enticement. His hand blurred and the pouch disappeared as Galder’s pocket became heavy. “That is but a morsel, a treat if you will. What’s the point of being a Guard Captain when you could live as a king? Gold, my dear captain, gold in piles you could climb and be out of breath when you reach the top. I promise you this.”
To Jack’s chagrin, Galder produced the coin pouch that had appeared in his pocket and handed it back. His expression was grave as he replied, “You can’t undo this with money, Jack. The City Lord now has cause to bring down the Hunters Guild, and he will do as such. I wouldn’t survive betraying him and,” The crooked Guard Captain looked to the dead gang members, “and if the City Lord can’t get me, the power behind these gang members definitely could. You are out of luck, Jack of Spades.”
A somber expression settled upon Jack's face as he planned their escape route. He refused to witness Joker in chains. The Royal Suit was his life, and the loss of a single member had already brought them to the brink of despair, rendering them despondent, each of them unable to speak while out on their quests besides meaningless pleasantries. Once a merry band that illuminated the halls of the Hunters Guild with joyous fervor, they now stood as a forlorn group of lost souls, their inner fire extinguished, their heroism a mere façade to keep up appearances.
Losing Joker, the young woman who laughed even when suffering in silence herself, and who would always tried to cheer them up even in the face of losing the heart of their team, Marion, the Queen of Hearts—losing her would completely break them.
“I…” he tried to say something to distract Galder with before calling for Ace to start sprinting for the exit when the Guard Captain’s head suddenly started to ooze blood like lava from a volcano. An ice spike was protruding from his head like a unicorn’s horn, his eyes rolled back as his mouth twitched before he finally fell over with a heavy, metallic thud.
Jack felt as if the world had stopped moving. He turned back to see Joker, a look of sorrow etched on her face. “I won’t drag you guys down,” she sobbed, beginning to cry. “I’ll make sure this is on me and me alone. Promise me you will be well, Jack.” Her hand caressed Ace’s bulky forearm holding her. “Be well, gentle giant. Now, leave me to my fate, the both of you.”
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
The Soalde guard finally recovered from their shock and began to charge, their voices ringing out in war cries, their duty propelling them forward to apprehend the murders of their Guard Captain. Sage symbols outnumbering them birthed into life, giving rise to ice spikes that protruded like sharp spears, growing into an icy forest.
“Stop her!” Jack ordered to which Ace suddenly squeezed Joker until she could no longer remain conscious, prompting her magic to dwindle into gentle snowflakes that fell lazily from above. Jack then glowed with mana, casting blue light that caused the snowflakes to sparkle, and backpedaled while shooting arrows in rapid succession, each missile pinning every guard to the floor or wall by their garb.
“Jack,” Ace growled, his voice barely recognizable as human. “This not good. Joker make bad.”
“If Joker makes bad, we make bad. We’re a team after all,” Jack responded. Though his words held steel, his face held shock. He couldn’t think—no, he couldn’t afford to think beyond escape. Anything but that might cause him to falter. He couldn’t help but regret not telling their leader, the King of Diamonds, about Joker’s recent murderous activities. Perhaps Jon could’ve stopped her before it was too late.
“We make like the dead and become ghosts!” Jack said hurriedly.
“Ace don’t want to die,” Ace argued, a spot of drool dangling from his lip.
“You big oaf, that’s not what I meant. Just follow me!”
They started to sprint for the exit as the showman and Van watched in disbelief. Outside, the dwarves and Nasset mirrored their shock.
“T-the Royal Suit,” Dwindle stammered. “They’ve become criminals!”
“Humans and their uncontrollable emotions,” Glick grumbled, stepping back reflexively from the scene. The other dwarves huddled near him, their oldest cousin always a source of strength for them.
“What did I miss?” a voice asked, panting for breath. They turned their gaze to witness Rose's delayed reappearance, shrouded in silver light, and equipped with an array of gleaming silver armor and weaponry.
“Everything,” Dwindle muttered, his eyes unable to blink.
“Is that Jack of Spades and Ace of Clubs?” Rose sputtered, seeing three of the Royal Suit headed their way.
Meanwhile, as they made their way to the exit, Jack said to Ace, “We’ll have to tell Jon about everything.”
“Jon no like secrets,” Ace grumbled, thinking of their leader and his dislike of being kept in the dark.
Before they could reach the exit, two men shot toward them like thrown spears and kept them back. “Out of our way!” Jack roared, recoiling from the hit and pointing his exquisite golden bow at the newcomers.
“Consume,” one of the men whispered.
“Destroy,” the other man said, his voice guttural. Both then began to emit a strange dark glow with a reddish hue.
From the lifeless bodies surrounding them, eerie voices began to emanate, strained and unfamiliar, as if they had been long dormant. A crimson radiance seeped from each form, enveloping them in a peculiar aura that exuded an insatiable hunger, akin to famished beasts.
“Devour.”
“Tear flesh!”
“Kill!”
“RIP APART!”
"I can't wait to see Red," Poly sang, her melodic voice soothing both Euness and Zini. They were riding within Vilda's opulent sage symbol carriage, gliding effortlessly along the roads adorned with intricate sage symbols. Through the stained-glass windows, the scenery of the white city rushed past them. Convincing Vilda to allow them to leave with her carriage proved to be a challenging task, requiring considerable effort. However, when they mentioned the potential to recruit more members for her group, she eventually relented and conceded to their request.
“What a lovely voice,” Zini couldn’t help but compliment. “It’s akin to an angel. I, a necromancer, feel salvation from you, little elf.”
Knowing human gods, Poly knew angel meant divine and she blushed. “T-thank you, sir Zini. I am humbled.”
“No need for humility, elf,” Zini denied. “To be great is not a sin.”
Poly’s blush grew as a smile bloomed on her heart-shaped face. Perhaps Red wasn’t the only human she could be comfortable around.
“I am the great Zini!” Zini announced, surprising both his fellow passengers. He lowered his voice and prompted, “See? If backed by ability, boasting become declarations of truth. I was once the top student of the Magitarius. Isn’t it obvious when I declare greatness for myself, doesn’t my story exude from my mere presence? Never apologize for being great!”
“You’re quite the individual,” Euness smiled warily, wondering if this young man was as arrogant as Red was sometimes. Though he never knew why, Red would often become too brash for Euness’ liking, and now there was another young man with the same trait.
Poly’s expression stilled as she looked at Zini perplexed. “Magitarius?” she asked tonelessly.
“Oh,” Zini replied, thinking of a quick excuse for something he didn’t mean to admit. “It is a human school far off in a distant land, my home to be exact.”
“No, it isn’t distant,” Poly rejected, Zini’s image reflecting off her golden eyes. “The Magitarius was here in Loderan, many centuries ago.”
Zini fell silent. Never before would he think an elf of all things would know about human history.
“You are right, my dear elf,” he responded with a charming smile he forced onto his face. “You’ve found me out. I am indeed a liar, a great liar in fact! Ha, ha!”
“You shouldn’t lead people on like that,” Euness said with reproach, his bad eyes squinting at Zini. He knew Zini was great, a great magic user in fact, but his temperament could use some work.
“The Magitarius was a part of the Eternal Kingdom,” Poly said, unwilling to break her focus from Zini’s pale face. “And that kingdom was here in Loderan.”
“You’re quite special, little elf,” Zini remarked, clearly impressed, yet trepidation filled his dark green eyes. “You know much more than your kind should know about humanity.”
“The Eternal King, King Lucius Marcellus,” Poly went on, her mind flooding with memories of her wrapped in a blanket, sitting by her fireplace reading about the legends of humanity, “he was known as the most benevolent human ruler, being the first to broker peace between other races and going as far as inviting them into his kingdom.”
Zini wished for nothing more than for the tiny elf to be silent, but he could do naught but let her carry on.
“The Eternal Kingdom,” Euness murmured, understanding his knowledge came from self-study and that he lacked a proper education, “I’ve never heard of it.”
“The fifth age,” Poly continued in reverence. “With their groundbreaking advancements in magic, humanity had finally ascended to the pinnacle of power, bridging the gap that once separated them from the mighty elves. We elves call this time period ‘The Reckoning’, for humanity set out and destroyed all their enemies. Anyone that had enslaved humans or took advantage of their vulnerable state while they grew, were all set to flame or put to the stake. The land had run with rivers of blood.”
Euness gulped, feeling his throat run dry. What a savage time, he thought. Even in the Loderan-Hynul war, destroying corpses or putting heads onto pikes and stakes were barbaric acts that were shunned.
Poly’s voice lightened and spoke as if reciting a hymn, “Then came the angel of eternity, the king of light, the Eternal King, Lucius Marcellus. He conquered what was then called Loderus and brokered peace between human nations before using his diplomatic prowess to bring peace between races. They called him eternal not because he was immortal, but because people throughout the world, people of many races, wanted him to live forever. With him, they thought an eternal peace upon Eronia was possible. Some of the races that did not have a word for ‘hope’ adopted the human word for it because of him.”
Zini wanted her to stop. He wanted her to stop her musical voice from torturing him with the dregs of the past.
“But,” Poly said, her voice falling lower, bringing the atmosphere of the carriage to become somber, “his most trusted advisor had raised a villain in their midst, a young man whose greatness outshone his peers like the sun outshines a chandelier.” Poly’s memories revealed her a passage of one of her books that had once caused her to shiver reading it. “The advisor’s apprentice, whose treacherous actions brought about the ruin of the once-glorious Eternal Kingdom—the most diabolical and feared figure known as the Harbinger. His true name, spoken in frightened whispers, strikes terror in the hearts of all who hear it: Vizini Sawn.”
Poly involuntarily got up and took a step back, her golden eyes widening, and her mouth remaining agape as a slight shiver ran through her. In the fifth age, elves referred to mana as "lifeforce" and seed harmonizers as "Tuners of Lifeforce." Zini possessed a profound familiarity with this knowledge, as if he had emerged from that very era.
Euness sat idly by, unable to connect the name Poly had said, a name connected to evil acts, to the young man who saved his life in the city of the damned.
"Please, little elf, have mercy," Zini pleaded, his anguished expression etched with pain as he tenderly embraced his frail form. "Forgive my audacity, as a broken man, to implore for mercy, for a fleeting moment of respite. I am unworthy of such a compassionate gesture, yet I beseech it despite the shame, for the torment of my memories threatens to overwhelm me." He trembled uncontrollably as his voice became a weakened whisper, “May the eternal kingdom reign forevermore and forevermore. Hurrah…Hurrah…” He began to whimper, “Please, my home and my family. Give them back to me.”
For reasons unknown to her, tears welled up in Poly's golden eyes as she observed the pitiful figure huddled in the chair, a broken and forlorn soul. Without meaning to, she began to sing a soft melody of home, of Ahweldi, her voice echoing within the temple the carriage had been fashioned into. Within this sanctimonious place, her voice came down like angel song, comforting those who heard it.
As Zini’s trembling ceased, his gaze lifted at the enchanting melody that reached his ears, and tears welled up uncontrollably. If only he could linger here indefinitely, immersed in the captivating song, he thought. In this sacred place, with this song that pierced the very essence of his being, there would be no more anguish, no more haunting memories. He longed to dwell in the comforting embrace of such angelic music that took him far away from his tormented existence.
However, the ethereal tranquility was abruptly shattered as the carriage window was broken through by a figure cloaked in darkness, wearing a menacing white demon mask. Radiating with an ominous black aura, the intruder spoke with a dissonance of two voices, "The weary seek refuge within the sanctuary of a church, hallelujah."