«Chief Cian, my condolences on your tribe's situation. I will promise that we dwarves will do our best in supporting a new expedition.»
Cian nodded at him. «Thank you for the trouble.»
Dwargon shook his head. «It is only natural. Also, there is no need to speak so formally. I’m not like the highborn humans.»
«I’ve been telling him that all day,» Dalin said.
Cian glared at him, but Dwargon just laughed. «How it is to be young.» He looked around to make sure nobody heard him and leaned closer. «Between you and me, you should know that this Agamemnon does not seem to care about helping your tribe that much. It looks more like he is doing it because it benefits him. Must be a succession battle for the throne going on.»
«I know,» Cian said. Why did everything think he was stupid? «But I have to follow along with him to help aid my tribe, I have no one else to lean on.»
Dwargon looked offended. «No one else! You have -.»
«I know I can count on your people,» Cian cut him off. «But I need allies around the wasteland. I need to find a safe place for my people to live. Hopefully, we would be able to exterminate The Immortals, but if not my people cannot live in the wasteland anymore. Every time we try to go back to normal people start either dying with massive wounds on their bodies or they completely disappear. The animals we used to hunt for food also disappeared. Also, instead of warm in the morning and cold at night, the earth is cold the whole day." He stopped himself. Now he was just venting and Dwargon wouldn't understand the details. "It would be impossible to convince my tribe to move any further from the place they spent their entire childhood. Therefore I need to gain the favor of the three neighboring countries.»
Dwargon looked down a little sad. «But what can I do other than wait for my own prince?»
«Why don’t you live at our tribe's settlement? It would likely prove to be an interesting experience for you. We do have booze and need some equipment fixed. You can help cheer us up that way. You will still be close to the demon lands to travel there when your prince arrives.»
«That’s a terrific area.» Dwargon laughed and hit Cian on his back.
This was the first dwarf he had met, and it must have been a blessing from the gods. Cian hated having to tiptoe around other people just for the slim chance of them offering some sympathy. He liked Dwargon’s direct attitude.
After Cian was sure all the diplomatic tasks had been completed, he told everyone to start moving. The meeting area was on a small patch of land near the elven forest and the human kingdom. In order to get back home they had to cross the entire wasteland on horseback. The wasteland is for outsiders a no man's land. For the Ar’awn it is home. Cian had together with the rest of his tribe learned about how one survived in the desert. The water that hid inside the cacti, and how to use the giant boulders for shade. As much as he enjoyed traveling through the wastelands, they kept towards the edge of it to stay safe. They would have to travel the edge of the wasteland past the human kingdom to get to where their new home was. He would most definitely look forward to a good night's sleep.
*
«Cian, hide under those sheets in the corner.»
He did as his sister told him, but peeked out of his hiding place at her.
«What about you?»
«I will be fine,» she said.
Cian always knew when his sister lied. She would play with her ponytail or scratch her head. A terrible liar. But he still listened to her. When the immortals arrived, he had promised to listen to her every word.
That was the day he saw an Immortal for the first time. Out from the entrance of the tent he spotted two huge shadowy creatures. Muddy, was the first word that came to mind when he saw them. It looked like they were made up of some kind of black muddy goo that by miracle managed to stay together. The two Immortals were humanoid, but two times the height of a normal human. Their eyes were glowing red giving Cian an eerie feeling when he focused on them. They both had a scythe made from the same black mud, which they used to kill warriors from his tribe. It was difficult to distinguish between the two immortals, but he noticed that one of them had what looked like a sad expression, whilst the other one looked mad with more intense crimson red eyes.
Arrows or swords bounced right off the immortal's bodies like they were attacking the ground. If someone by luck managed to dodge the scythe, it would suddenly grow in length and cut them all the same. Cian did want to be confident in his tribe's victory, but seeing the fight firsthand filled him with despair. These monsters were unstoppable.
«Hey, as the chief of this tribe, I order you all to leave! Leave Immortals, go back to The Abyss.»
Both of the immortals stopped. In a moment the two immortals fell into to the ground and rose from the ground right in front of his sister. One of the immortals said something to the other in a weird language. Their neck made a weird motion and changed inside to grow slightly longer. They looked at his sister.
«You will come with us,» they both said in unison. Their voice sounded grotesque. As it was forced out of a dying person.
Then the angry Immortal proceeded to devour his sister into his body. She screamed, but just in a matter of seconds, Cian’s sister was gone. The Immortals fell back into the ground and disappeared.
When he was sure the immortals wouldn’t reappear he cried. His sister's voice echoed in his head. «I will be fine.»
Liar.
*
Cian grunted. Another nightmare.
He got up from his bed and got ready to go outside on his morning walk in the settlement. The human kingdom had offered to make some small wooden building for them, but his tribe rejected the proposition. They preferred their own tents made from colorful thick fabric to keep the cold out. Laying on the ground outside one of the tents he saw Dwargon and others from his tribe. They seemed to have passed out drunk. Not the best pastime if you asked Cian, but as long as it managed to cheer them up.
A quick talk with the guards assured him that everything was fine, so he went back to his own tent. Xilo was waiting for him floating in the air. «It fine?»
Xilo was a small spirit that appeared after his sisters' kidnapping. Cian did not know where he came from, but no one else could see him, so he figured it was a blessing from the gods. The small spirit wasn’t that smart, but it still tried to cheer him up when he got sad.
«It’s all fine, Xilo.»
Cian sat in front of his desk. The stress of waiting for the council to come to a decision was getting to him. He still remembered his conversation with Valery. Perhaps she could pressure the council to allow a new expedition, but would Cian still be allowed to take part in it? Even if he did, how could he use it to benefit his tribe? He was always looked down on when he tried to come to an agreement with representatives of the three nations. Cian wasn’t born of high class. Being the son of the previous chief wasn’t good enough. However, if he remembered correctly the great adventurer Raul who was born as an orphan reached a massive level of influence to bend nations to his will. Raul had written books about his expedition that became popular among the nobles of the surrounding nations. What if he did the same?
Cian grabbed an empty book, and on the cover, he wrote ‘How to Kill an Immortal’. Cian had never written a book before, but he liked accepting new challenges.
About The Immortals
Our tribe has known about The Immortals for a long time. According to legends our tribe used to think they were the gods, but when they had a better record of meeting them they realized they were monsters. People from our tribe would try to challenge them, but the immortals would never be defeated. Sometimes people from our tribe would disappear and never return. Allegedly the demons took them to be their slaves in The Abyss, the home of The Immortals that lay underneath the wastelands. 10 years ago my father who was the chief at that time encountered some of The Immortals who killed him in a frenzied rage. It happened after a group of adventurers went into The Abyss, and after that incident, the entrance was sealed off by the strongest mages.
However, recently the wastelands have changed making it impossible to survive anymore. People from my tribe also began dying when venturing too close to the entrance. That’s why I have made it my mission to defeat the immortals. This book will prove as a record of my journey to find out how to kill them.
Cian wrote on the top of a new page ’The Twins’ and tried to make the best drawing he could make from his memories.
The Twins are Immortals that most often are encountered by the Ar’awn tribe. They are said to be messengers and punishers when people go too close to The Abyss. They can change their size and use a scythe made from their body mass. Can fall into the ground to quickly traverse the surface. A possible way of traveling to and from The Abyss? The twins always appear together and can preserve biological mass inside their own bodies. One of them is sad and attacks from a safer position. The other one is more agitated and more brutal.
Life continued on as normal. Cian had to frequently travel to the human kingdom and the demon lands to receive food supplies for his people. They had started to grow some crops on a patch of farmable land, but it would take time for the crops to grow. After a week he received a message from Prince Agamemnon. The council had agreed to allow a new expedition.
*
«Chief, the elf who is a part of the expedition has arrived. She wants to speak with you,» Siora told him.
Already? They had received notice a few days ago. How had an elf that lives in the great forest managed to traverse the wasteland in such time?
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«Understood. Tell her I'm on my way.»
Since his proposal was accepted yesterday Cian has gone straight to preparing for the journey. After a lot of debate, he decided to announce Dian as his successor. They were the same age and all the more experienced members of the tribe were either too old or too wounded. Dian was an impatient person, but he had accompanied Cian on his duties. He had potential and tons of time to learn. Originally Siora was to be his successor, but she told him to choose Dian instead. After more time with both of them, he noticed them looking weirdly at one other, so he guessed she wanted to help as his partner.
However, everyone was not taking it as seriously as Cian thought they would. It looked like the people of his tribe rejected the very idea that Cian would die, and said it wasn’t necessary to name a successor yet. Cian felt happy for them trusting in his abilities. However, he knew this was the right thing to do. He wasn’t that arrogant to think that he would succeed. But it was the very fact of him trying that mattered so much to him. As much as his tribe was important to him, he did not want to be the chief, and he did not want to be without his family. He still had hope of his older sister being alive.
The elf was sitting on a bench chatting with Siora and some others of his tribe. When they noticed Cian approaching they waved the elf goodbye and left them alone.
«I am Cian, the chief of the Ar’awn tribe. My apologies, most of my tribe has never seen a pureblood elf before. I hope it didn’t make you uncomfortable,» Cian said.
The elf shook her head. «No worries, it was actually quite interesting. The people of your tribe do have darker skin which would be expected in the warm wastelands, but I did notice some pointy ears and horns.»
«Our tribe accepts anyone who is willing. Therefore we do have some mixed blood in our veins. I hope you won’t treat us differently because of it.»
The elf panicked. «No, no. I didn’t mean it like that. Don’t take me for some high elves that are always hauled up deep in the forest and hate anyone who isn’t an elf. I just thought it was cool, that’s all.» She coughed. «My name is Alliana, I am a forest ranger.»
Cian smiled. «Don’t take me for a fool. I know enough to discern that you are a highborn wood elf, but I don’t mind that.»
Alliana blushed. «I did not mean to keep it from you, it’s just that it always causes me trouble whenever I mention it.»
Cian did understand that reasoning. His previous interactions with high elves weren’t exactly pleasant. «I understand. Since introductions have been completed, I would like to ask you how you managed to get here so quickly.»
«The moment I heard of your proposal I found a horse and traveled to your camp. That way I would force the elders to accept the proposal since I would already be waiting to go in.» Alliana said.
He smiled. «That was a familiar method. Whenever my father used to go travel into the wastelands I would wear all of my gear and force him to take me with them since I had already dressed up. It worked most of the time.»
Alliana laughed. «He sounds nice. Rest assured, I am committed to our expedition. Although, if I have to be honest I am not that sure of these Immortals you speak of. However, I want to protect the forest I grew.»
«You grew?» Cian curiously asked.
She nodded. «As a highborn wood elf, I am able to grow trees faster in any terrain. The first wood elves were the ones who were said to have planted the first trees of the great forest after the birth of the world. It was my parent's dream to plant trees in the wasteland. To them any plot of land could harbor precious life, that’s why they left the center of the great forest to live near the border. However, when I went to visit my grandpa a scout came back with the news of their death. They had been murdered.»
«By whom may I ask?»
Alliana looked at the ground. «No one knows. If I had to guess it would have been some other highborn elves who thought they were sullying their reputation, but that isn’t exactly the best answer. My parents were seen as one of the most noble of elves due to pursuing their dreams in such a way. Someone killed them in a brutal way. There were entire holes in their bodies, and none of the healers could understand what could have caused such wounds.»
That description sounded similar to how his tribesmen were killed by the immortals, but not the same. His people had slash wounds, not holes, but they could still be immortals. «It could have been the immortals,» he suggested.
«Perhaps, perhaps not. I have long since made amends with their death and I do not care about vengeance anymore. What I want to do is to finish their dream. I have tended to the forest for 30 years now, but recently the soil has begun rejecting me.»
30 years? Cian had almost forgotten that he was talking to an elf, but she did seem committed. «Don’t worry. We are going to explore The Abyss, so perhaps you can more easily understand the soil from there. There aren’t many trees in the wasteland, but it does sound like a nice idea. Perhaps after we fixed the problems with the lands, my people could come and help you with your work.»
That seemed to have cheered her up. «That sounds amazing! Thank you.»
*
The people chosen by the three nations appeared at the Ar’awn settlement at sunrise. Mon from the demon lands. He was a huge demon that looked like he was made of blue rock and wasn’t very talkative. Valery arrived fully geared up with Ilai the son of a Duke. Just like the other nobility from the human kingdom, Ilai had an attitude.
«I was appointed the leader of this expedition, so listen to my order, is that understood?»
Alliana and Cian nodded, but Mon grunted. «I don't listen to weaklings.»
Ilai rolled his eyes. «Primitive demons,» he muttered.
«Shouldn’t we make a plan in case we encounter an Immortal?» Cian suggested.
Ilai laughed. «Immortal? What a childish thought.»
«I think that sounds smart,» Valery said, which instantly made Ilai shut up. «But perhaps we should talk about it when we are further in The Abyss. According to my father's journal, it will be some time until we come close to the important parts of The Abyss. That way we can prove the validity of The Abyss instead of arguing about it now.»
«Great idea lady Valery,» Ilai said
The rest nodded, and then for the first time in many years, he headed towards the centre of the wasteland.
As they travelled Cian led them towards the correct curves pathways his people had marked with red crosses on nearby boulders. One couldn’t simply travel in a straight line toward the center. The wastelands had huge walls, three in total that had to be traversed over. His tribe had already found all the collapsed parts of the walls that they could pass through. The further inwards one traveled to the heart of the wasteland, where the entrance to the abyss was, the more the ground bent downwards. According to a scholar he spoke with, a giant rock that fell towards the planet had created the wasteland on impact. Whatever the reason behind its creation, Cian loved this place. Traveling along the barren wasteland was what fueled him with strength. The others didn’t seem to share his view though. They looked worn out from the heat and would constantly ask him how long they had left.
They took some breaks resting under the cold shades of nearby boulders, before continuing. Eventually, they arrived at the entrance. Cian’s father had never allowed him to get close to the entrance of the abyss. Although, he had snuck out once with his sister to view it from a distance. He recognized the shape, an unnatural mound in the middle of the wasteland. It looked like a small cave one could use to cool down their body in the shade, but the huge glowing seal was a giveaway that it wasn’t that simple. The seal had three sigils on them.
Standing beside the seal was a small mage with a pointy hat, slumped down reading a book.
«I greet the great mage Serial, the strongest mage of the human kingdom.» Ilai said. «Please call the other mages so we can get this over with.»
The little mage nodded. She put away her book and gestured with her wand shooting a beam of light into the air. Shortly after the elven mage Thingol appeared flying on a broom, and the demon mage Lissandra appeared teleporting to their location.
«Thingol, has the curse been deciphered?» Alliana asked. «Could it be possible to know something about its nature? I plan on going inside and sensing the environment in the caverns below to get a better understanding of how I can protect the trees.»
Thingol looked at the other mages who whispered something to him. «Child, we have yet to find a curse.»
«No curse?» Ilai interjected. «That can’t be right.»
Valery nodded. «If there’s no curse, then that must mean that everything that is happening is a natural phenomenon. Which obviously isn’t the case.»
The mage Serial yawned. «Indeed. We are working on finding a reason, but we have come to the agreement that whatever you found down there might be useful so we are going to wait for your report.»
The mages got to work and used their powers to open the seal. When the seal had been taken off they all hurried into the cavern, and the mages recreated the seal behind them.
«Good luck,» Serial said. «There is a motion sensor near the seal so we will know when you arrive. I will wait here.»
Ilai nodded. «Let's go then.»
*
They walked deeper into the cave with burning torches to light the way. It seemed like an ordinary cave until they appeared at a huge cavern. There was a giant hole in the middle and the cave continued downwards around it as if it was a spiral staircase.
There was a hole in the wall which was the reason why they could see this central hole. It was a massive hole as if something had fallen down to the core of the planet. Above it was stone, but its color seemed a bit off compared to the rest of the cavern walls. Cian carefully got close to the ledge and tried squinting his eyes to look at the bottom. «I can’t see anything down there.»
«Let me try,» Alliana said. She looked down with her superior eyesight. «There’s some kind of floor at the bottom. It looks metallic.»
«Why would The Immortals create a floor made of solid metal? That sounds like a waste of resources,» Valery said.
Ilai scoffed at them. «There is no way something as valuable as metal would be used to create a floor in a random cave. Hurry up, let’s continue forward.»
They walked down the weird cave. The walls were full of glowing crystal which eventually made it unnecessary to carry lit torches.
«Just like in my father's notes, there are glowing crystals that light the way. Convenient for us,» Valery said.
Alliana tore off some of the crystals and put them into her bag to study later. «Hopefully this could teach us something.»
«Yes,» Cian said. «My tribe did tell tales of The Immortals kidnapping some of us. If this place is so well-lit, then people going down here must have been a normal occurrence.»
Ilai sighed. «Stop making stupid theories. Elf girl, did you find anything useful?»
«Elf girl, my name is Alliana. And, I haven’t found anything yet. There is no soil here so it is hard for me to sense much. I can usually sense something through rocks but for some weird reason I feel nothing.»
«Useless. I guess we will have to continue walking.»
After a while, they came to a part of the cave that split up into two directions. The right one looked dark and the left one was still lit up with crystals. Although this whole room was full of crystals hiding even the cave walls. «This amount of crystals definitely is not natural,» Cian thought.
«Father's journal says that the cave split up into multiple directions, but now there’s only two.»
«Regrettably he might have made some mistakes. But worry not my lady, I am here. Let’s take the left route,» Ilai said.
That decision was an obvious one since it was the only place that looked to still be lit by the crystals. Following that route, they arrived at a cubical red room.
Valery looked at Ilai. «Now this was in my father's notes.»
«Erm.»
Alliana shivered. «This room gives me a bad feeling.»
Mon just looked around with an emotionless expression.
«If my father was correct, after this we will arrive at Eden town, the place one of The Immortals resides.»
«One of?» Cian asked.
She nodded. «From deciphering his notes I have come to the conclusion that there are 7 immortals that reside in The Abyss.»
So she knew more than she had let on.
«Do you know any way we can defeat this Immortal,» Cian asked.
Valery pondered for a while before shaking her head. «I don't have any definitive idea, but from what I have gathered this Immortal has a parasitic nature. I have one legend that I thought sounded oddly similar.» She searched her bag and pulled up another book. «After hearing about your tribe's tales of Immortals kidnapping people into The Abyss I came across a legend. Ever heard the tale of the old man of the mountain?»
«In the far eastern nation of Kohn, there is a legend of a mystical mountain. In those days when no nation had been established the land was ruled by many different clans. They had several of their own practices and rituals, but there was one they all had in common. Traveling to the peak of the mountain was what they called the ultimate prestige. At the top of the mountain, there was said to be an old man living there. He would reward anyone who managed to climb the mountain and meet him. Most famously was the first king of Kohn who received the wisdom necessary to unite the warring clans into one nation. Eventually, when people started inventing better gear to climb the mountain it became easier to complete the ultimate prestige. However, the old man was nowhere to be found. Further out in the west came a new legend of an old man waiting in the middle of The Storm Isles, rewarding any sailor who found him. Scholars found several other similar legends across the world, and they concluded that this old man only accepted to reward the bravest of the brave. In recent times no new legend of the old man has been recorded.»
«And you think this Immortal is the old man?» Cian asked. «If so, it still doesn’t give us much to work with.»
Valery shook her head. «It does. We know that he needs to meet brave individuals.»
«Stop this nonsense,» Ilai said. «The Immortals obviously don’t exist. Let us head back.»
Cian wasn’t having it. They were already in The Abyss, and the findings from the previous expedition were proven true, but he still did not believe him.
«The Immortals are very much true.»
They all turned around to see a person standing there. Their entire body was fully covered by a black robe and they were wearing a mask. From where their eyes would have been Cian saw two glowing crimson eyes, just like he remembered the twins having.
The person gave them a short bow. «Welcome to Eden.»