DURLIN, ROCKPOINT -- THE OUTSIDE WORLD
The town of Durlin was built near the edge of the Rockpoint canyons. In addition to their poor living conditions, the residents would oftentimes suffer landslides or earthquakes due to faulty Druidic Veins in the ground.
They distanced themselves from the major cities of Terra Sanctaefi thirty-two years ago during the Verglas revolution. Using the little resources they had, the denizens of Durlin became excavators who would scavenge minerals in the canyons around Rockpoint to fuel their everyday life. A vast majority of them were once insurgents of the felled Green Winter party in Verglas. All experienced fighters.
Despite this, on this day, the normally bustling town of Durlin was quiet. Too quiet. The plaza -- “The Dugan” -- where trade would normally take place, was empty. The schools and playgrounds where children would scream and run through were eerily vacated; Some toys and shoes were scattered around and abandoned in what looked like a rush.
Something was wrong. And when a bloodcurdling scream cut through the air, everything was made clear. In a small house, near the excavation caves, an elderly man strapped to a chair let out a compressed scream.
“MMMHF!” He yelled, biting through his gag. “MMMF!!”
Someone had sloppily punctured two large nails through his forearm -- piercing his radius and ulna and gluing them to the chair. He bled profusely, sobbing for help. “Shut up, old man!” a voice ordered, jamming a jagged dagger into the man’s shoulder.
The senior shrieked, trying to escape his seat by shaking his body. But it didn’t work. Instead, the gash inflicted by the nails widened, pulling apart his muscle tendons and deepening the nail. The man who had yelled smirked, his face covered in the shadows of the flickering candlelight. Leisurely, he dragged the dagger down from the top of the elder’s shoulder to the base of his palm, severing his artery and splitting open his forearm.
The old man roared, nearly passing out from the pain. “Tsk, tsk.” the torturer sighed, dislodging his blade. He wiped it on the man's lap and looked around the room. On the wall hung a picture of a family; presumably the senior's.
“Cillian Butler, right?” His tormentor stood, removing the gag from his mouth. “Gkah..!” Cillian groaned, his chest rising up and down. “Now Cillian, I know you might not be interested in hearing what I’ve gotta say, but buddy, you’re gonna work with me, okay? It’ll be easier that way.”
Cillian looked around, stress fixed upon his face. In the corner of the room, a young man and woman were laid out on the floor, unmoving. “Come on Cillian,” the torturer smiled, snapping his fingers. He relished in Cillian’s pain. “Focus. I need to know where the Lance is. You can’t hide it any longer. You shouldn’t.”
Cillian tried steadying his breathing, but between the loss of blood, the trauma, and the shock, he couldn’t help but turn green. Unexpectedly, vomit filled his mouth, spewing horribly into the air. “Shit!” his attacker yelled, jumping back. “The fuck was that?!”
Steaming from Cillian’s mouth was the vomit he’d just released. On the floor, the vomit crystalized and burned into the ground, causing the planks to collapse. “Was that acid?” the attacker asked, hesitantly nearing Cillian. “You…” Cillian seethed with rage. He spoke in a guttural tone of hatred, swaying horribly in an attempt to get out of the chair. “YOU KILLED THEM! YOU KILLED THEM ALL! DAMN YOU! DAMN YOU! YOU’LL PAY! I SWEAR IT!”
Irritated at Cillian’s roaring madness, his torturer instantaneously jammed his weapon into Cillian’s throat. “Yeah, yeah. Just shut up, old man.”
He pulled the dagger, locking eyes with Cillian as he split open his throat. A river of blood flooded down Cillian’s neck as he choked. He couldn’t survive this. Understanding that Cillian used his remaining energy to inform his murderer of something. “Y-You’ll never find the Lance. Lord Solomon’s line… Will… Not… Fall!”
Wheezing terribly, Cillian’s chest began to convulse, tiring out after a few seconds. With his last few breaths, Cillian stared at the picture on the floor. In it, his son, his daughter-in-law, and a small boy stood happily for the picture. Rami…
Cillian’s eyes went dead. He was dead.
“Fina-fuckin’-ly!” His torturer laughed. “Thought you’d never die, you son of a bitch.” He stomped into Cillian’s chest, caving the dead man’s ribcage in. “I’ll find the kid on my own time.”
CLU-MP!
The door of the house flew open, allowing light to flood in on the corpses and the man who had killed them. “Hatagi!” called a short, chubby man in a green hood. On his shoulder was a small insignia: A ram’s head over two crossed axes. “J-Jesus.” he cried, covering his mouth. The carnage was disgusting. Inhumane.
“Dopi!” The man named Hatagi responded. “I told you not to enter the room when I’m working! Or are you deaf?”
Hatagi, although wearing a cloak, was also completely different in stature than Dopi. He was tall and skinny, but his eyes looked wolfish, like he couldn’t wait to kill anything he came across. On his waist, rested his large dagger.
“N-No. I just, I, uh, I finished… Burning the rest of the townspeople like you asked…” Dopi responded meekly. “Good. I’m done here, so get rid of these three.”
Dopi nodded, walking towards the stiff bodies, and lifted the couple off the floor. “Hatagi… By the way,” Dopi started. Hatagi raised his eyebrow. “That ping of Sanctum Energy I’ve been getting for the past few weeks -- I, uh, got another one earlier.”
“How far away?” Hatagi asked. Dopi, nervous, started stammering. “It's, uh, well, it's not far from here. Maybe a one to two-day trip.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“There’s, um, well there’s nothing but pure forest out there. It’s past even this place. There shouldn’t be any known or unknown towns past here that we wouldn’t know about, but someone keeps using Sanctum Energy. Do you think it might be the kid?”
Hatagi wiped his bloodied hands on his cloak and sniffled. “Maybe. I don’t think he could’ve gotten that far, though. It could be something else.”
“W-well, should we tell the boss?” Dopi asked. “If it's something that we can bring back, he has to know. The guild has to know.”
“Nah,” Hatagi smirked. “They’d just take all the credit and the spoils. We’ll bring the Lance back for him, but we can take a quick detour, can’t we?”
Hatagi approached the candle on the table. The sunlight outside was beginning to dim. “But just in case, make sure you contact him about this and tell him where to meet us. He should like what we find.”
Without a moment wasted, Dopi dipped his head and picked up the bodies, dragging them outside. Hatagi picked up the candle, illuminating the ram head symbol on his chest, and smiled devilishly, blowing it out.
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THE AXIS
"How's your face?"
Jace poked at his nose and shrugged. "All good," he replied, "She healed me up pretty well." He gave a nod, referring to Anna, whom Aleximus carried on his back.
The sun had set since their heart-to-heart with her, and Anna had fallen asleep. Unable to decide who would carry her, they were thrown into an argument which ultimately led to rock-paper-scissors. Aleximus lost.
Jace’s stomach growled, comically echoing off the trees. "Hey, how much longer till we get there?" he asked. "Don't you live here, dummy? You ask the same questions every time you get hungry. It's a surprise you haven't ended up in The Forbidden Area yet." Aleximus responded, shaking his head in disbelief.
The “Forbidden Area” was the only place their uncle forbade them to enter within the Axis. It was bewitched with a dark veil, making it impossible to see the way in or out. They were told as children that a dangerous monster hid behind the Forbidden Area, and if they were to enter, they would never escape. The tale scared Jacender since he was younger.
“You know, that could be the way out of the Axis. It’s the last place we haven’t looked.” Aleximus joked.
"Gah..!” Jace shivered, caressing himself. “No thanks. I’d rather not go.”
Aleximus chuckled, began whistling, and walked ahead.
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HOME, ASH TREE FOREST -- THE AXIS
The boys walked out of the forest area and into an open landmass. In the center, a behemoth of a tree -- more than 500 meters tall -- stood tall above the other trees in the forest. It gave the illusion of touching the very sky itself. Atop it sat a beautiful treehouse that ran through the branches and leaves. And surrounding the open area was a fence that barred the animals from entering.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
On the gate's handle, a marking in a foreign language glowed faintly. Aleximus placed his hand on it, shooting a pulse of electric energy through the marking into the rest of the fence, prompting the gate to swing open. The boys were not impressed. They had seen the sight so many times that the miraculous wonder was merely everyday life to them.
"Let's go," Aleximus instructed, walking through the gate. "And close that gate behind you."
Jace followed suit, muttering “Yeah, yeah.” as he kicked the gate closed.
At the foot of the giant Ash Tree, there sat a scaffolding elevator car with another marking on a lever stationed in the center of the wall. The boys went in, closing the door behind them and pulling the bar up. The platform began to ascend.
The scenery was stunning. Leaving the ground floor and lifting into the heavens above, the mixture of stars and the dim lights of the forest painted a grand image in the canvas that was Jacender’s eyes. He could never get tired of it. Aleximus, though, looked off into the distance. Nothing in particular, but something. His furrowed brow was proof of his consumed thoughts. He was eager to leave the nest.
“Calm down,” Jace yawned, not looking at him. “You’ll have plenty of time, ‘Lex. Stop stressing.” Aleximus looked at his brother for a moment and chuckled softly. “Okay.”
The elevator shook as it stopped. Aleximus opened the gate and the sight up there may have been more wondrous than the forest they had watched fall to sleep a moment ago. The treehouse, whose entire wonders could not be appreciated below, stretched throughout the crown of the Ash Tree and burrowed itself into the heartwood itself. It was by all means a part of the tree.
Jace jumped off the platform and onto the foothold, landing loudly. "Ssh!" Aleximus warned.
"What?"
"Be careful, idiot! What if Uncle Matsuda hears you!?" he hissed. Jace's mouth dropped open. "Really, I knew you were an idiot, but come on!" Aleximus continued. "You never use your head, and that could get us all in trouble one day!"
Jace’s eyes widened with horror. "Hey, Aleximus–"
"No! You shut up and listen, dummy!" his brother shouted. "Aleximus! I’m being serious!" Jace shouted, pointing behind him.
A cold wetness blanketed Aleximus’s neck. Slowly, he turned towards what Jace identified: A tall, purple-haired man in a matching purple kimono. It was littered with blue flax flowers that gave the impression of a continuous bloom.
Standing there in the darkness with the moon overhead, his chilling eyes shone with a color akin to those on his outfit. Aleximus flinched, jumping back into a defensive position. “U-Uncle Matsuda…”
Their uncle stepped forward, leaving the dark lighting and revealing a calmer expression. One of disappointment.
He couldn't have been older than thirty. The most noticeable thing about him was his thin imperial beard that jumped up and down as he spoke
"Uncle Matsuda! Uh, this is just a huge misunderstanding!" Jace lied.
Matsuda’s face was lax; Not a single bit of tension on it, but the twins could feel a wave of anger radiating off of him. He masterfully hid his feelings behind a smile and fixed his gaze on Anna.
"Aleximus," he said. It was a slightly deep voice. Inviting. Scary.
Aleximus squirmed, sweating nervously. "Yes, uncle?"
"Hand me your sister, carefully."
With haste, he did as he was told.
"Well," their uncle sighed, "She looks exhausted, doesn't she?" He side-eyed them sharply. In perfect synchronization, they both jumped, realizing what he was implying.
"S-She followed us! We left her here, unc'!" Jace complained. "Right! We didn’t tell her to follow us!"
Matsuda raised his arm; A signal to stop talking. "Listen, it's already late, so let's leave it there."
The boys gulped and exhaled with relief. "However," he resumed, "I know what you were doing out there, and you should know how disappointed I am to know it."
His words stung. They had gone behind his back again and again for their gains despite understanding that they didn’t have his blessings. "Come inside, you two."
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THE TWIN’S ROOM
Aleximus stared up at the roof of their room, lost in thought. He reflected on his uncle’s words until he frowned. He hated that feeling of disappointment; It ate at him. So, instead, he looked to his side at his brother who had comfortably fallen asleep. That irritated him.
"Jace… Oi …Jace!" he whispered, shaking him furiously.
Jacender didn’t budge.
Aleximus's eyebrow twitched and his forehead became littered with angry veins. He raised his arm, ready to strike Jace in his face. "Hey Jace… wake up, will ya?!"
Jacender's eyes began to open. His drool-crusted lip and his fuzzy vision attributed to the misunderstanding he saw next.
A dark figure -- Aleximus -- stood above him menacingly with an arm raised. Who knew what they were holding? It could’ve been a weapon.
Jacender, rightfully assuming this figure sought to do him harm, had the normal reaction.
A ghastly scream boomed from his mouth and filled the room with ear-piercing fear. Even Aleximus's sharp senses were caught off guard.
¨WHAT THE F–¨
Aleximus quickly grabbed at his mouth and stifled his scream.
"Shut up, you idiot!" he barked as quietly as he could.
Jolted by the words, Jace’s vision finally came into focus. "You bastard!!" He yelled, realizing what was happening, and punched his brother off of him.
Jacender’s heart thumped in his chest. "What's wrong with you?!"
Aleximus crashed onto the floor, breathing hard from the blow. "Ahhk... I... You..."
"Ah!" Jace jumped upwards. "I didn't mean to - Well, I mean, it's your fault anyway, but -" Jace rambled, but looked at his hand, amazed at the power he had demonstrated.
Aleximus struck the floor angrily. "Jace,"
"Y-Yeah?"
"Just shut up and come here."
Jacender released a fake cough of relief and joined Aleximus on the floor.
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"I get what you mean."
Sitting cross-legged from each other, Aleximus told Jace about his thoughts regarding their uncle’s reprimand.
"I still don't think that matters."
Aleximus raised his brow and crossed his arms. "What do you mean it doesn't matter? Uncle Matsuda thinks –"
"But what do you think?" Jace yawned. "Are you gonna stop now because he said that? Or is what you wanna do not that important?"
Aleximus fell silent and thought about the question for a moment. "Well, I... Uh–"
Jace smiled and uncrossed his legs. "If your dream gets crushed because someone didn’t like it, I don’t think it’s much of a dream at all."
Aleximus’s face flushed with anger. “Hey, watch your mouth.” he chastised. “Dreams aren’t meant to be realistic. So of course he’d think that. But that doesn’t matter!”
Selfish as it may have been, it was still Aleximus’s choice. And coming to that conclusion lit his eyes with passion. “As long as it's my dream, I’m going to keep finding ways to make it realistic! Even if other people laugh.”
"Glad you figured that out,” Jace waved from his bed. While Aleximus resolved himself, his brother was halfway into his covers. “If we're done with this, I’d like to go back to slee–"
Aleximus growled. He took a stand and kicked Jace over.
"Wha– Hey! What was that for?!"
"Do what you want, idiot. I'm going to bed." Aleximus responded. A smile rested on his face. One of satisfaction from the talk with his brother, and one of silent gratification for kicking him to the floor. He never liked it when Jace was right.
"Tsk, friggin bastard..." Jace mumbled, crawling back into bed. Though he had helped Aleximus, he was the one who ended up hurt.
"Thanks, idiot."
It was faint, and he'd unintentionally muttered it, but Aleximus silently expressed his gratitude towards his brother. But his satisfaction faded once he heard snoring come from across the room.
Tsk! At least pay attention!
Outside the door, unbeknownst to the two boys, their uncle’s shadow retreated from the frame. He had stumbled upon their conversation accidentally.
"Hrm..."
Matsuda scratched his goatee in an embarrassed fashion and walked down the hall. I came to apologize for what I said, but things turned out this way, huh?
He sighed, exhausted from thought. We'll figure it out tomorrow. After all, it's a pretty important day~
But even Matsuda had no idea that, secretly, across the hall, little Anna peeped from behind the door of her room and waited until he passed.
Delicately, she snuck across the corridor and ran towards the front door. She jumped onto the elevator and pulled the lever, sending her down. A naive thought motivated her to run out in the dead of night. She was conscious that afternoon when her brothers carried her home. “You know, that could be the way out of the Axis. It’s the last place we haven’t looked.”
Aleximus was joking, but Anna took the words literally, overjoyed with the idea of being of use to her brothers. She had a sense of purpose.
This time… It's my turn to help you guys!
[Wants And Needs]
Hatagi [https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1122294150470058094/1138129898641305692/Hatagi_2.png?ex=65e5e711&is=65d37211&hm=cbce0fd67ed6cdad5ff6771fb151ddac38f607b195cfcdb55fb1a3b2bb7d4da1&]
Uncle Matsuda [https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1122294150470058094/1138127523750887494/Matsuda_Onix_Reference.png?ex=65e5e4db&is=65d36fdb&hm=43b823f0b7eea652591f2cc5063d8e4e8db33ad3e399281de5e98184ec06f6ac&]