Chapter 6: What Comes Next

Balthazar was gentle with Faust’s core, as he reorganized his bags to find a place for it, his mind swarming with possibilities. ‘Maybe the Temple Library in Linia has something on golems that I can use, even if we don’t have any Golem Masters. Worst case, I visit Arcana and Arcadia in the future, they’re bound to have something.’ He paced incessantly, a habit of his while in deep thought.

“What is this place, Balthazar? Between the golem and this, I’m surprised none of this is charted on the Kingdom maps.” Atma surveyed his equipment, checking to see what was damaged in the Dryad attack, or if anything was lost. He removed a notebook, jotting down observations about the ruins.

“I have a theory or two, but first, do you have any clue where we are relative to the path? I kind of got disoriented in all the throttling.” Balthazar pulled out his own notebook to make note of it.

“We’re not too far south. I’m a bit more used to spinning around in the air, we head north a bit, and we’ll hit the path again.”

“Perfect, I want to try and be able to relocate this place as easily as possible for the future. I want to come back some day, see what I can discover here. As for what we’ve found? It’s more than one structure. Not far from here, I found an underground lab. That’s where Faust was. It’s hard to say what they were researching with so much of the place collapsed, but Faust being there, and labeled as Mk. I makes me think that golems were the point of study.” Balthazar turned to look around the temple. “This temple though, this is what really fascinates me.”

“A temple then? I was thinking that too, but it's a bit odd, don’t you think? The way it’s shaped, and why it’s here of all places.”

“It’s not like one of our magic temples,” Alice chimed in, “I can’t say I’m a fan of this place considering, but it's weirdly beautiful.” She pointed up to the ceiling. “I noticed when we were tied up, but the ceiling is marked up with old celestial symbols.”

Balthazar looked up to the ceiling, divided up into various segments, each assigned a different celestial body. Sol, Mercury, Venus, Gaia, Luna, etc. The symbols used were nearly universal, a constant unchanged in magic runes for time immemorial. “I don’t think it’s that kind of temple.” Balthazar and Atma searched the walls, faded and damaged by countless years of disrepair.

“Here! Take a look at this!” Atma carefully, but excitedly pulled away moss from the wall, revealing a damaged mural. “This is a place of faith.” The mural was barely present on the wall, but the iconography was unmistakable. It depicted a woman locked in battle with a Black Serpent, brandishing a great sword, bearing the marks of the celestial bodies.

“That’s… the Goddess.” Alice moved in to get a closer look. Trying to see what had everyone so excited, Locke and Miles joined them in their observation.

“Of course!” Balthazar excitedly flipped through his notebook, finding a familiar set of runes. “On the outside walls, I saw this old rune repeated over and over again, technically, it’s not used anymore in magic texts, but nowadays, it’s been adapted to runes that mean ‘Guardian’ and ‘Mother.’ Both though, come from a rune referring to her.” Balthazar scrambled to point out a copy of the rune, getting an impression of it on the page of his notebook. “It’s incredible really, Linia has never been particularly strong in terms of faith in the Goddess, but between the lab, and this temple, I’d say it suggests we used to put far more stock in her.”

“It’s not just you,” Atma added. “Unless I’m mistaken, your sister states of Arcana and Arcadia put a lot more emphasis on faith in the Goddess.”

“Faith always seemed irrelevant to my studies.” Miles scanned the temple inquisitively. “My family puts more emphasis on practical uses of magic over the spiritual, you mind filling me in?”

“Oh, that’s tough,” Atma replied, a rejuvenated smile forming on his face. “The faith nowadays is scattered, because it never really had a centralized structure, a lot of it has been lost to time, but you’ll still find people who worship the Goddess in most parts of the world, but there’s so many versions of the stories, there’s some trouble figuring out if some of the stories are different versions of the same story, or if they’re distinct stories.”

“Right, some stories cite two goddesses, others a pantheon, or the Goddess and a father God, or that the Goddess bestowed mortals with her power. The Arcadians and Arcanans get really prideful about it, they believe Mages are her direct descendants. It’s why they fought with each other for so many years in the past, or why they were never too fond of intermingling with outsiders.” Balthazar thought of the nature of the lab in relation to the temple, recalling the old Arcadian runes at the lab. He shrugged, not able to draw anything definitive from the little information he had to work with.

“I think I can understand that. The Deponesian flag bears a black eagle to oppose the Serpent, the nation was founded in a time of great faith long ago. Old legends say my ancestor was blessed by the Goddess.” Atma pointed to the Black Serpent. “One of the few consistencies is that a Goddess fought with a Black Serpent, and that she protected life from it for all time. So it appears, this place is in worship of her.”

Balthazar looked the place over in wonder. “This place warrants further investigation for sure. I could spend days going over this place, and still not be done.”

“I’d rather not, Balthazar,” Alice groaned, “I just want to be out of this forest before nightfall. We have a boat to catch tomorrow anyways.” She sighed. “I’m just glad we can still catch it.”

“I know, I know, in the future.” Balthazar did his best to make as many notes as he could, concerning the lab and temple, as the others finished resting and prepping to finish their journey through the forest. He looked to the mural depicting the Goddess and Black Serpent once more, finding a sense of serenity from it. He found it odd, given he had never been one for faith, but all the same, gave a respectful bow of the head to the mural before joining the others.

***

It had been nearing dusk by the time Balthazar and the others made it to the eastern edge of the forest, having had to refind the path they were supposed to travel. The rest of their trip had been free of any monsters, but the delay of running into the Dryads had cut into their time, as if they had taken the long way around the forest. Exhausted, they set up camp a safe distance from the forest.

“I think we could have made it to Port Royal,” Atma said, inspecting the map in the fading light. “But, I can imagine after today, everyone’s in need of rest right now.”

Balthazar set his things on the ground, before lying down in the grasses of the open plain. “Tell me about it. My body feels like meat falling off a bone”

“Don’t say that right now Balthazar, I’m starving,” Alice groaned. “Anyone got any ideas on dinner?”

“I’ve got nothing.” Miles rummaged through his bag, looking for a sign of anything to eat.

“Same here. Well, I have snacks, but those are expressly mine.” Alice double checked her stash of sweets to make sure they were still safe.

Atma scratched the back of his head, turning away a bit out of embarrassment. “I don’t exactly know how to cook. I brought a few rations, but I hadn’t expected us to need to camp out tonight. How about you Locke?”

Locke patted a slab wrapped in fur that he carried under his shoulder. “I took the liberty of checking for fresh game while we were at the temple in the pile, and carved off some of the deer, wrapped it in its hide.”

“You don’t think that’s a little gross, Locke?”

“I lost my food supplies in the attack, Alice, and I’d have thought you would have prepared a bit better. As far as I can tell, this is what we’ve got. Now let’s get a fire going and roast this thing.”

“Roast it,” Miles asked. “With what?”

Balthazar sighed. “You’re telling me none of you prepared to cook?” Silence all around. Balthazar pulled out some of the cooking equipment he’d made sure to stow away in his bags. “Miles, get me some clear ground here. Alice, Atma, kindling.” The other Dark Mage placed his hands on the earth, a flat, circular stone rising from the ground. Alice and Atma passed over wood scraps that Atma had gathered from the forest. “Give me that.” He took the meat slab from Locke, doing his best to set up a makeshift kitchen. Balthazar had a noticeably grumpy face, as he cleaned his hands, with a light casting of water magic, and ignited the kindling. With a simple stand, he placed a cast iron pan over the flame, rummaging through his bag for spices.

“Is he mad at us?” Atma spoke in a whisper to Alice. Alice simply hung her head, more than a little embarrassed at her familiarity with getting Balthazar to cook at the last minute.

“I want to say he’s more disappointed.”

“I’m not mad,” Balthazar said, his mind turning on how best to handle the venison. “I just wish I’d known I’d have to cook for everyone a bit earlier.” He portioned the meat into cuts, oiling it, and rubbing in spices and a bit of salt before he placed it on the pan.

“Well, you certainly seem to know what you’re doing.”

“I do a lot of cooking at home.” Balthazar kept his eye on the venison, not being particularly fond of the meat, but still intending on making sure everyone ate well. As the others set up camp, he minded the meat, tossing in a few peppers and vegetables he’d packed. He wasn’t particularly fond of the looming feel of the others eyeing him cooking while they worked. He’d had Alice and Locke get in his way in a proper kitchen enough times to know he couldn’t trust them to not pick at the food he was making, or accidentally burn what he was making, respectively. As the others finished pitching the tents, he checked the progress of the meat one last time. “Food’s ready.” They’d just about sprung on top of him the moment he’d finished announcing it. He chuckled a little bit, a smile returning to his face. “Alright then, let’s eat.”

It was fairly silent as they all sat around the fire, not out of any particular awkwardness, rather, everyone had been too intent on enjoying Balthazar’s cooking. Alice was the first to break the silence, as she was the first to clear her portion. “Balthazar, I don’t even like venison, and that was still excellent. Tender, juicy, with good vegetable pairings, it’s like biting into the heavens.”

“You’re sure you don’t want to find work as a cook? For working with so little, you certainly impress. I could easily recommend you as one of the castle cooks.”

“I’m not that good.” Balthazar finished his meal, finding it adequate, but not quite his best work. “I’ve got my goal in mind.”

“Of course,” Atma nodded. “If you don’t mind me asking, since I never got the chance before, what do you all have in mind for after this pilgrimage is over?”

“As you likely expect, Prince Atma,” Locke started, “I plan on enlisting in service of the crown full time, just as with the rest of my family. There’s not much else to it. House Helion have long been the guardians of the royal family, and that tradition likely won’t be going away any time soon.”

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“Is that what you want to do though?” Atma cut to the heart of things, seeing the doubt on Locke’s face.

“It is. I’ve always wanted to stand alongside the others in my family. I’m not sure if I can though.” Locke’s doubt was not with his desires, as Balthazar was aware, rather, Locke was the relatively talentless child of a grand line. As far as Balthazar had known, Locke had been a lackluster squire in his first few years in the Knights’ Academia. “I’m not them, I know that. Regulus made it as the 12th Knight when he was 16, and here I am, nowhere near 13th.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t intend to cause you any doubt.”

“It’s fine. Any doubt is mine and mine alone.”Locke returned to silence, and continued eating.

Alice tried adding on to cheer the mood. “I also plan on enlisting. Sure, I can hold my own in a fight, but I’d much rather focus my work on healing, I want to try and save lives where I can. A lot of us lost people in the outbreak of the war fourteen years ago. For me, it was my mother and older sister. The worst of it is that I can’t even remember their faces, I was so little. It’s sad, yeah, but I want to help people, so that others don’t have to go through the same thing.”

“I think that’s a beautifully noble sentiment.” Alice’s speech was supposed to sound hopeful, inspiring, but Balthazar saw in Atma a deep guilt. It was all in the eyes, a weakness building in them, hard to see in the flickering light of the campfire. “Miles?”

Miles’ answer was surprisingly quiet. “I don’t know anymore.”

“Pardon?”

“I’ve been thinking ever since the battle. Before I used to think I would be able to enlist, and go into battle just fine. I thought all of my practical skills and the like would be worth something, but I still choked back there.”

“Miles, again, I don’t blame you for that, we were in a life or death situation, fear was inevitable.”

“Sure, but you all fought through it. Even that golem fought to the death. I need time, time to seriously rethink what I want to do.”

“You have time, Miles, your whole life ahead of you.”

“Maybe, but I don’t think it’s right for you all to be in danger because of my weakness. I thought I was the best, but I know now I’m not ready.” He gazed blankly into the campfire. “Not for the military, and not for this journey. I think it’s best that I return to Linia.” The group was taken aback by his words, as they processed what he was saying.

Balthazar raised an eyebrow. “Hold on, Miles, are you serious? This is a once in a lifetime sort of deal, the whole point of this journey is to grow, so why not keep going?” He could hardly believe himself for saying what he was, but part of him felt it would be wrong to back down now. Who was Miles to give up on something so many would be envious of?

“I’m serious. I got picked because Principal Maia hates you. Prince Escalus? He saw something in you, potential he said, but I think I saw something else, in all of you. Determination. Courage. I think I need to find my own before I can really grow the way I’m supposed to.”

Atma was silent for a moment before speaking. “I ask you spend one more night thinking this over, Miles. This is the last chance you’ll have for this. If you decide to stay or leave, then that’s fine. It’s not my place to choose your life for you.”

“Thank you.”

An awkward silence filled the camp, as everyone finished eating. Balthazar glanced over to Prince Atma, wanting a better look into his mind. He wanted to ask about why he looked so guilty when it came to Alice. “If you don’t mind me asking in turn, what about you? What do you want in the future?”

“Me? I would prefer that my people didn’t feel the need to fight. I want them to feel safe, and at peace again. I could go on, but politics are hardly a fun talking point before bed.”

“Anything left over, Balthazar,” Alice asked, eyes searching for any scraps of food left over.

“No, you cleaned out all of the food. Speaking of, I did all the cooking, you’re all doing the cleaning.” There was a collective groan at the notion, Balthazar smiling smugly as he stood to set up his own bedding for the night.

***

Chaos erupted around the castle of Deponess, bells were rung, signaling an alarm, horns were blown, and the guards mobilized, fanning out around the castle grounds and city. The discomfort of the situation wasn’t helped by a looming gray fog, blanketing the cobble streets of Castle Deponess. Regulus saw the commotion from his airship, the Leonidas, as the ship began its descent to return home. Something wasn’t right, he knew, seeing the castle town completely closed off, no one entering or leaving, except by air, and his was the only ship still airborne.

Regulus made for the castle as soon as his airship landed, donning his full knight’s armor, charging past guards who made no attempt to stop him, considering his status. He burst past the main hall and a grand ballroom, before reaching the throne room, his best chance at finding answers. Including himself, eight of the thirteen members of the Deponesian Knights Council were present. Of those present, he was only below the 2nd Seat of the Council, Sir Lancelot. “Status report, anyone.”

5th Seat Gawain grimaced. “Our defenses were broken through. No one is sure how, but despite our guards keeping to their posts, and no suspicious persons being spotted, someone broke through the security of the castle. The worst has happened.”

“What are you saying?” Regulus stepped up to Gawain, not intending to intimidate, but passively doing so, his fellow knight backing off.

“What I’m saying is-”

“King Escalus has been murdered.” Lancelot put his hand on Regulus’ shoulder, guiding the knight to back off. Silence returned to the throne room. “In broad daylight no less, what we have is nothing short of a colossal failure on our hands,”

“Then we avenge it.” Regulus’ voice nor face gave way to the shock at the absurdity of the news. To those who had long served with him, his trademark stoicism remaining unbroken was nor surprise. “Are there any clues concerning the killer?”

“None, it was as if a shadow claimed his life. We know a blade pierced his heart, but the killer took the blade with them.” Lancelot gestured to follow. Come with me, Regulus, I had hoped to give the prince time alone to mourn. The King’s study, the crime scene, wasn’t far. Within, what would have otherwise been a warm, inviting room was turned cold by the all consuming fog, the blood pooling on the carpet, and the tears of a mourning son. Prince Escalus held his father one last time, crying out in anguish. Regulus felt uncomfortable, finding it an all too familiar sight.

“My lord, my deepest condolences.”

Escalus was silent as he stood trying to compose himself, though his eyes continued to turn to his father’s body. Lancelot gestured to the royal doctors, who covered the body, the blanket they used quickly turning red. The knight guided the prince from the crime scene, returning to the throne room, the members of the Knights’ Council looking to him for any sort of guidance. Escalus made a point to not show weakness before his knights. “I want his killer found and executed.” He slowed himself, and closed his eyes for a brief second, not able to work out more in that moment.

“We’re going through as many possible candidates to try and discover the murderer. You have our word, Prince Escalus,” Lancelot reassured him. The doors to the throne room burst open, a heavy set blonde nobleman, draped in fine regalia wantonly stepped into the room. “I thought I ordered none but the Knight’s Council be allowed inside.” He leered at a panicked guardsman, who meekly waved his hands defensively.

“But sir!”

“Now, Sir Lancelot,” the nobleman grumbled, “This is a matter that concerns myself and the other members of the nobility just as much. The loss of the King is nothing short of significant! How many men must I mobilize?! I will not sit around and do nothing while a murderer runs loose!”

“Calm yourself, Duke Ryner.” A second nobleman stepped into the room, a slimmer and more handsome man in his late thirties. “Sir Lancelot means only to contain this situation as best as he can. But, I too must ask, what information has come to light?”

Lancelot hesitated to answer, before receiving a nod from Prince Escalus. “We have little as it stands, Duke Kaian. At this point, there is nothing I can tell you that you are likely unaware of.” The knight crossed his arms. “Though if you’re asking for personal opinion, Dukes, my suspicions lie in Ranzian assassins.”

Duke Kaian raised an eyebrow. “My suspicions lie closer to home, Sir Lancelot.”

“Your point being?” Regulus kept a close eye on the two nobles, trying to glean their intentions. The two Dukes were not on particularly good terms, having long been political rivals in the Council of Lords that helped to oversee the Deponesian territory. Since the end of the Ranzian border war, many of the nobles and their citizens had been split concerning the continued militarization of Deponess, while some had called for a gradual decrease in the size of Deponess’ armies, more called out for a bolstering of their forces, to safeguard against any further invasions. Some still called for a retaliatory invasion. The two Dukes had been highly supportive of the King, but the same could not be said of the princes. Though the princes may have been twins who shared a distaste for war, their visions for the nation were opposed, Escalus having found importance in maintaining the defense of the people, while Atma had sought to ease military deployment, in hopes of eventually creating a less military focused nation. Given that Escalus and the military faction were somewhat larger in number than the demilitarization faction, news of Atma being named successor was nothing short of controversial.

“Do you not find this whole situation suspicious, given that the assassination took place just after the King’s declaration of Atma’s ascension? Just following the day the prince departs no less? Why, I saw him off myself in his father’s stead yesterday morning.” Duke Kaian represented the war faction, the most powerful of its lords, and spoke in such a manner befitting his station. He would guide others to conclusions, rather than make them himself, and act in support of these ‘newfound’ conclusions.

“Are you insinuating Atma had something to do with this?” 13th seat Dante leered angrily at the Duke, offended in the place of his absent lord, and long time friend.

“Choose your words carefully, Duke Kaian, as Prince Atma is next in line for the throne, you may stand to face charges of treason for such unfounded claims,” Gawain stood in support of his junior.

“Unfounded? Hardly. With his being named heir apparent, he would be crowned immediately, no? Historical precedent has seen the named heir placed upon the throne, pilgrimage or not.”

“How dare you!” Duke Ryner was red faced, looking as though he might explode out of pure rage.

“You’re suggesting my brother committed patricide? He loved our father more than anyone else.” Prince Escalus strode forward to meet the Duke personally, standing well above the nobleman.

“If you’ll recall, Prince Escalus, once again, my fears are not without precedent. King Gilliam of Ranz raised the banner of peace only after he murdered his father to ascend the throne. I simply ask for a proper investigation of Price Atma, send a task force to retrieve him, so he might clear his name of any wrongdoing”

“He’ll have left the country by the time we could assemble a proper judicial force,” Regulus made an attempt to intervene in the Duke’s insinuations. Duke Kaian simply gestured to Regulus, letting Regulus create an implication as if Atma had fled the country. Regulus’s stoicism transitioned into the other expression most saw him wear, a daunting scowl.

“For all your insinuations, I would see you investigated just as well!” Duke Ryner jabbed Kaian in the chest with his finger, staring down his rival, who simply ignored the poke, brushing aside Ryner’s hand.

“By all means. Whatever it takes to see justice served. I surrender myself to any such investigation.” He paused, turning to his rival. “Though if we are being fair, perhaps you should do the same, Ryner? It is perfectly possible that some radical member of the demilitarization faction is responsible, to secure his throne.”

“This is no time for jokes, Duke Kaian! House Reyner likewise submits to any investigations!”

Lancelot groaned to himself, these two were precisely why he had ordered the doors shut, knowing the two had great aptitude for sowing discord. He turned to 13th Seat Dante, speaking to him quietly, as Escalus reigned in the bickering of the Dukes. “As Prince Atma’s long time retainer and friend, I would ask you to be among the team sent to retrieve him. There is no one I would trust more with this task.”

“Sir, are you sure? I’m only in the 13th Seat.”

Lancelot sighed. Long ago the numbers had been meaningless, but constant war, and military structure had seen the seats of the Council devolve into rankings of strength and authority. “I hold little stock in numbers, Sir Dante. I place with you my hope that all of this can be resolved peacefully. The House of Lords, the Council, and Prince Escalus will delegate who to send, I will do all I can to see you to the prince, you bring him home safely.”

“Understood, sir.”

***

Atop Castle Deponess, a woman lay upon the roof, in a spot where even the spires of the castle were blind. She kicked her feet whimsically, humming to herself without a care in the world. She was tall, with long, flowing hair like grayed sandstone, a longer lock of hair draping the right side of her face. She appeared in her late twenties at the oldest, with a remarkable beauty to her, only obscured by the bone-white mask she wore. It covered the entirety of her face, leaving nothing visible. The skull-like eye holes of her mask were black voids, nothing visible within, her gaze being impossible to trace, with red markings just below. In the style of a Jack-o-lantern, there were stitchings in the mask in where her mouth would be, like an extra wide smile of teeth. Her outfit was black, with exception to a white scarf she wore. Her shirt was sleeveless, over which she wore an unbuttoned vest, showing off a circular black tattoo on her shoulder, depicting an Ouroboros, above it the name Fey, below, the number XV. She had black leggings, leather stilettos that went up to just below her knees, and gloves that transitioned into sleeves. “Nemesis, not bad, keeping it clean, but just messy enough to really rile them up.” Her voice was playfully sultry, as she spoke to the woman approaching her from behind.

“I’m glad it meets your standards, mistress.” Nemesis was similarly dressed, wearing a similar, but distinctly differently marked mask, with no teeth stitched in. She opted for a black cloak and hood, and a dagger at either side of her hips, wearing her hood up even now.

“I’d have done it myself, but I felt it would have been too messy.” The masked woman played with a loose piece of stone chipped from a tile with her fingers. “Our job is done for now. Now we watch the dominoes fall. What happens next is the fun part.” She flicked away the stone before standing, arms spread wide. “Give me a show, Deponess! Give me a show, Gaia! I know you won’t disappoint!”