Krom's warmth turned harsh, fires raged, consuming life's tender grace,
As I trembled watching annihilation, despair etched on my face.
-Thoubose
ROMAN
As Roman journeyed down the relatively straight road, Theo in arm, the Fredrickson’s castle Keep Dunrock gradually emerged into focus. Its stony walls rose with a timeless dignity, as they had stood firm for generations, unyielding in their purpose. Accenting this stronghold, three majestic towers reached towards the heavens, their very presence evoking both awe and reassurance—though this was most felt when they were filled with soldiers ready to defend.
Perched on the highest most central tower, a formidable catapult station commanded attention from its elevated platform. The siege engine's sheer size and coiled potential hinted at the keep's unwavering preparedness for any threat that might arise. This position held immense significance as a primary line of defense against the westward approach of any impending army bound for the capital. The catapult's platform overlooked the convergence of three swift-moving rivers that encircled the keep, a natural moat around an island, further fortifying its defenses and causing a funneling point.
Spanning the waters in both directions of the keep were two sturdy stone bridges, each leading to a gate that embodied a blend of practicality and defensibility. This carefully orchestrated layout highlighted the keep's strategic mindset as a gateway through the land, offering convenient access while ensuring it could repel large scale intruders. The Fredrickson keep stood as a testament to its creators' sagacious approach, an embodiment of both vigilance and strength in the face of potential threats.
“Aye! Thought yous would never make it!” Gerald popped out from the brush, spooking Roman’s horse, and startling the two.
“Krom Ger!” Roman reigned in his commandeered horse as he fumbled Theo lightly, who had a wide single tooth smile in place as soon as he saw the old scout.
“Sorry Roman, didn’t mean to startle. Been on patrol that’s all. It’s awfully boring, especially since there be nothin to report yet, which is good I guess.” He looked to Roman with a guilt-stricken expression.
“Any news?” Roman asked. Finally settled from the surprise as Gerald grabbed the reigns from Roman and began walking along side, towards the keep.
“When the Fredrickson’s got home, they didn’t see anyone around at all, which was odd as yous well know for such a strategic foothold. Upon inspection of the castellan’s office, they saw emergency proclamations to evacuate to the west most baronies. The orders came from Prince Victor, I guess now King Victor.” Gerald relayed. “They also found messages that might have helped them with the initial incursion, but his staff seemed to handle their absence well.”
“Well, that is at least good to know there is some semblance of order and we aren’t just lying down for the Norrænn’s. Also, good to know Theo’s dad didn’t die.” Roman grasped his chin in contemplation as he pondered the potential outcomes. There wasn’t a whole lot of love for the pampered son-in-law after the whole ordeal they were working through, and he was more than likely going to try to seize all of his power back for redistribution amongst his most loyal as soon as the opportunity arose, which wouldn’t be the most prudent thing for Thoubose, but maybe for the nation and the ensuing war. “It’s a good call to forfeit the coast and try to assemble what’s left of Valeria at Leandro’s backing, knowing the capital is gone.”
“Aye, that seems to be what the order was suggestin. Without a majority of the army and the Acolytes, they can’t expect to hold most of the inner dutchies if Erik blitzes through.” Gerald looked up at Roman, handing him a flagon of liquid. “Instead of stayin dispersed throughout the kingdom, stretched very thin with the current resources, the messages are concentrating on a few key baronies to build up while plannin on harryin supplies and focusing on guerrilla tactics. Most the fields have been scavenged and burned as I am sure you noticed along the way in. I be guessin we’re trying to force supplies to run thin for the Norrænns sooner rather than later.”
Roman took notice as he journeyed along his extended route towards the keep, the fields that would normally be vibrant with golden wheat, amber barley, gilded rye, and the other essentials during this time of year lay barren and black. While the grassy meadows used for raising cattle remained sporadically, the surrounding crops were decimated. Many places hadn’t left as much as a single livestock, something Roman noticed were intermittently grazing in large numbers with no confines in the past kilometer or so. The people had obviously left in haste. Outside of that, much of the land looked like that along the journey, either already burned or in the process of burning, with thick ash blanketing the fresh scars on the landscape.
“Aye, all in all a pretty sound counter given the situation. Some of Vlad’s advisors must have survived.” Roman nodded in approval. “But I probably would have blown this bridge, knowing how significant this through fare is, but at least he was thinking about saving the civilians.”
“That was an order for the brothers, but they weren’t here when the evacuation started to do so.” Gerald informed him. “Nothing less than both their gems could take those bridges down as you know.”
“Roman!” An amplified bellow came from across the river, Alfred standing on the adjacent side of the sturdy stone bridge that overlooked the raging river below. The bridge easily wide enough for six large carts to walk simultaneously.
…
Roman’s teeth clenched so tightly they seemed ready to crack as he absorbed the news. Gathered in the hidden family armory deep within the Fredrickson keep, the group less Gerald, intently reviewed the Valerian kingdom’s territory map. Only hours had passed since Roman’s arrival, and tension hung heavy. The main armory had been ransacked which ended up being a positive thing, a sign of the fleeing party’s determination to leave nothing for the Norrænns.
“They are doing what to the people they find?” Roman hissed through his teeth.
“Those that refused to, or couldn’t leave, they are rounding them up and putting them in encampments for who knows what. It’s a main motive for the retreat west, so we can have our people avoid being enslaved and worse while there is little to protect them. Especially our woman and children.” Thomas relayed solemnly. “They are said to outright kill the strong or resilient in front of everyone, a brutal spectacle for all who have to witness, and a means to break the general spirit.”
“I was saying we have to liberate them!” Alfred roared defiantly. “Screw that noise!”
“I think it’s too late at this point, it would be too risky.” Thomas pointed to the map where news of the encampments was being updated and the proximity to the moving column of red indicating the Norrænns inched closer and closer.
The team had updated the map as best they could with details Sloan and the others had gotten on their extended routes back to the Fredrickson’s, having no luck in apprehending the remaining skull in the initial confusion. The main Norrænn forces, a column of heavy infantry, were about two days away from their position. Time was running out to head west before it may become impossible. Roman's group faced the daunting prospect of confronting Erik Ozouf with over seventy thousand warriors supporting him or finding a sure way to get out of Valeria. The second option being the only real choice.
“The city is fully occupied, most of the water is being pumped out by their forces, with some gem help.” Sloan relayed, adding to the mounting issues. She was able to link up with some of her contacts, not daring to venture further into Caesar due to the amount of time she would have needed to travel and the number of enemy occupation she started encountering.
“What was the casualty situation?” Roman questioned, his brow furrowed in determination.
“Around eighty percent.” Sloan replied solemnly as the mood in the room became even more somber. “And the Norrænns march through devastating the remainder in their path as we speak.”
The door to the room burst opened with a heavy panting Gerald. “Yous must have been followed Roman!” He gasped in horror as all of them exchanged looks, jumping up from their seats at the statement.
“Impossible!” Roman protested as he thought through his journey. He was careful to constantly check for heartbeats, a level of heavy paranoia for him along his trip that kept him overtly cautious. “I don’t see how that could be, unless that missing link was a Gemini.” His eyes grew wide at the implication.
“We have approachin squads on each bridge side, a few score deep in each. They just started makin it over the horizon on the second side. Come see!” Gerald hurried the group up one of the towers for an aerial view, everyone silent as they hurried. Hidden at the top of the west tower, the team saw what had to be the remaining skull army split in half. One half approaching the north bridge, the other half approaching the south. No organization or marching on either front, more a mob of individuals equipped for a peasant rebellion.
“Do you have any secret ways out?” Sloan looked to the Fredrickson’s for ideas.
“Of course, we have a few ways out.” Thomas confirmed, the first words he had spoken to her directly in years.
“Should I just teleport all of us as far as I can?” Alfred looked to the group with the open question. “My gem has plenty of power for all of us to do a decent hop now, something I was lacking earlier.”
“I worry they will be able to track Theo, or whoever they have the tracking on, for weeks. It’s an obvious gem trace.” Roman grasped at his beard in contemplation. “We have to at least try to finish this if we can or we will be running for a long time. I am thinking we have a pretty good defensive advantage, plus home familiarity, if we can do it here.”
“Should we close the gates, internal and external to prepare for a siege?” Alfred hastily asked. “Probably what ten minutes till they reach the bridge on each side?”
“No, I don’t think that will be necessary and we obviously can’t have an extended fight with what’s ultimately breathing down our necks. Not to mention Five people holding such a monstrosity alone.” Roman used his enhanced gem infused eagle sight to spot the impeccably dressed skull boss, now with two gems glowing around his belt. “I need to see the secret passages on a map if you have one.” He paused as he looked around the valley. “Hey Al, what’s going on with the cattle around here?”
“We were trying to fix the fence, when we had to rescue our damsel in distress.” Al gestured towards Gerald with a mock bow.
“You guys want help wrangling them up?” A cunning look cresting Roman’s face. “I think I have an idea.”
…
SKULLS
The two opposing skull forces converged at the center of the expansive thoroughfare, situated within a tunnel directly beneath the towering catapult structure that loomed above, forming the very core of the keep. Adjacent to them, across the perpendicular expanse of the manmade cavern, stood the keep's entrance. It was traditionally guarded, a firm outpost with a gate dividing the opulent palace from the bustling trade district. This thoroughfare represented the epicenter of trade for the entire region, its significance echoing in the myriad shops that adorned the route, each strategically positioned to capitalize on every available niche along the edges of the pathway. The keep’s meticulously planned design ensured the expansive mercantile road remained unswervingly straight and mostly level, linking the island with the lands that stretched to the east and west of the rivers. Parts along the path immersed in daylight, traversing over the rivers, while other pieces submerged in tunnels as it made its way through the keep. The gradient of desirability and cost was discernible in the arrangement of shops, with the most sought-after and higher-priced establishments occupying the epicenter of the district. The display of opulence gradually gave way to understated elegance as one moved away from the core. This trend also extended to the meticulous tiling that adorned the walkway, transitioning from fine, large and ornate mosaic patterns near the heart of the district to more utilitarian cobblestone as one ventured farther from the center.
“Where is everyone Wraith? You said the baby is here, but this place is deserted.” The man in the top hat scolded. An ordinary dressed man with the weapons and confidence of someone far from ordinary said, as the two’s sides gathered at the center of the market, the gates to Dunrock’s interior wide open for the plundering that seemed lackluster at best in its current state. “Who deserts such a wonder? This could have easily given them a place to hold off an invasion. Fools!” He laughed manically as the pair explored the relatively barren, ornate shopping mall, they found themselves in the center of.
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
“The baby’s below us Grim, deep in the bowls of Dunrock. That’s who I focused my peridot tracking on when I saw him in the clearing.” Wraith responded to the man, whose attire still seemed out of place for such an event, especially when compared to all the others in the group. The noticeable runes that shown from Wraith’s belt when his cape moved, held two or more colors glowing from their individual designs, a combination that increased his powers immensely. “I only know the baby is traveling with the grandfather at this point. This just like the rest of the towns and citadels we have encountered in the region, is absolutely deserted. At least this one still stands completely. I can detect faint heartbeats, but not the number, there must be some heavy cloaking at play.”
“We didn’t walk into a trap did we?” Grim, the impeccably dressed leader asked Wraith, voice nonchalant, his grip on his two stones rarely absent since receiving the second.
“Not that I can tell. Maybe two heartbeats in the bowels, definitely at least one on the tower’s roof. That’s all I can sense within the whole keep.”
“Pity. Stay vigilant regardless boys, the grandfather is deadly.” Grim, cautioned the now merged Skull forces. Each individual remaining with them, a runic knight of the Skull faction, hungry to bathe in the blood of skull retribution for their fallen king and brother. “I am not sure what happened to the other two Gemini that wiped out one attack squad, so let’s at least start throwing down some wards to setup a perimeter before we traverse anywhere else.”
“I still think we shouldn’t have come into the keep. We could have just starved them out. At least if they got away, we can safely track them for a long time.” Ranjoon joined the two’s discussion from his place guarding the rear as the rest of the men disbursed to setup protections with their various runic stores. “Why would the fleeing people leave all of the gates and doors wide open?”
“We don’t have the kind of time to starve three people out in a labyrinth!” Wraith scoffed at the idea.
“Calm yourself Wraith.” Grim eased his comrade. “I already listened to your points Ranjoon, and left men guarding each bridge to make you happy. But we have to hunt them with the best, they aren’t just going to surrender willy nilly. Don’t think I gave you Skullpin’s peridot for you to be a coward and back out now.”
“We need you to step up. If you have a good enough showing, you might get to be more than just the interim eastern kingpin, allowing you to keep the gem.” Wraith clearly regarded the idea with distain, his face souring. “But, if we don’t get this baby before Erik, he’s going to void our deal regardless.”
“Yeah, we don’t want our deal voided. Boy... Waiting will just let him storm Dunrock when he gets here, with no need for us.” Grim looked to Ranjoon with a morbid expression. “The positive was that massive siege engine at the top wasn’t reigning Krom down on us all. Any semblance of a guard would have used that if they saw us coming from both sides and had the means to react. I suspect we have just some hiding rats left to exterminate.”
“So, just do what your told. We are the Skulls, and we fight might with might.” Wraith lowered his voice. “And hope our rune fodder can sew enough chaos in the keep, giving us a free shot or two at more gems while keeping our heads firmly in place.”
“What do you mean fodder.” Ranjoon looked at the two nervously, the remaining attacking squad now well out of earshot in preparations, but he maintained the low volume.
“You are now privy to the hard conversations. But fodder because they are going to storm the thing first, so we can mop up after. We don’t know what’s down there, nor can we risk ourselves based on what we saw the other day. Each of our fire essence skulls are now rigged with a heartbeat monitoring rune.” Grim looked at Ranjoon menacingly, his scar the perfect accent to the disturbing smile.
“Yeah, it's the ruby rune we incorporated into the boys' kits and activated this morning while we were in Dunrock’s catapult range, anticipating some sort of attack. We came to the realization that the target probably wasn't going to move out of the keep about the same time we realized there is no defenses. It’s a two-part rune, pretty complex and impressive actually, we found it in Skullpin’s ruby’s codex. The first use is the passive standard flame shield, while the second piece triggers a massive runic circuit overload in all the wielders connected runes, if their heart stops beating.” Wraith explained. “It took me a while to figure out the whole runic structure, but quick and easy to install after some practice as you could tell. Either way, I am sure the men wouldn’t disapprove of their death going to a good cause, but the messy aspect of it is the friendly fire which is why we don’t want to be exactly forthright to those who are carrying it. Understand?”
Ranjoon nodded reluctantly, his gaze shifting uneasily between the two foreboding men's faces.
“So, make sure when it comes to storming the keep, we send those scouts alone first, telling everyone we’re more or less going on a scavenger hunt.” Grim ordered the two as he cut off Wraith from further explanation. “Convince them however you need.”
“Most of my remaining guys have families; we’ve been together for years.” Ranjoon looked to Grim with a sorrowful expression.
“We want as many of our boys as possible to go home to those families. If you stuck around to see the tactical brilliance these soldier boys are capable of, instead of getting incapacitated in moments each time, you would know. Even with all of our knights put together, we stand no chance against those Gemini without some help.” Grim chastised, cupping his newly acquired ruby gem, internally confident it might be enough to get the job done with the extra help from the men, even though he used a large portion of power charging his scouts new runes.
“Our faction hinges on our success at this current juncture, this is just about all that remains of the Skulls. And the Norrænns are heavily breathing down our necks. Here, on the Valarian home territory, this tactic might secure an advantage that will shift the balance against those Valarian powerhouses. We absolutely know the value of every single soul that remains bound to this cause.” Wraith’s stern countenance softened briefly, revealing a trace of genuine sorrow. “Power prevails, even if it requires actions we’d rather avoid. Sometimes, you need to do things you don’t want to, in order to get more of it to safeguard your way of life. That’s what we’re doing—protecting our way of life. If all goes well, we won’t lose more than a few lives today. At the same time, we won’t fail the Norrænns, and we will keep our heads and gems. We are in way too deep now.”
“Aye, Skullpin put us in a position to thrive, or die. We might be able to spin this and come out much more on top, but we have quite the uphill battle ahead of us based on the last encounter.” A scornful expression made its way across Grim’s face. He grabbed for his pocket watch, inspecting it with a flourish. “Let’s give it about twenty minutes before we start sending people into the keep. We have to inform Erik of our situation now that we have the baby pinned down. If we don’t, it’s another strike against us. The relationship is extremely fragile without Skullpin’s support, those two were like brothers and now Erik is not fond of our numerous failings while losing Skullpin at the same time.”
“Failings in his mind, that blood thirsty mad man!” Wraith hissed as the others nodded sorrowfully in agreement.
A series of message spells were exchanged in sporadic intervals. Wraith sent bursts of light from his peridot gem, which traversed to the south. Occasionally, a light would return from that direction, relaying and receiving further communication in this manor for some time.
…
ROMAN
An explosion shifted the entire island with recoiling tremors. A much larger explosion followed mere seconds after, causing a seismic shifting earthquake to jolt the surroundings. Rubble dust misting through the island as the blocks of stone fortifying every nook and cranny of the island grinded uncomfortably against their partners.
“Why two Ger? The second one was massive!” Roman questioned as he looked up in anticipation, the next phase of the plan ready to commence.
“Not sure, I only could set the one trap as there is no ward network core left here for a bunch of earthen traps to be activated by just one person at a time. That’s what made me cabin just a walk in the park.” Gerald said as he began flipping through his runic deck, activating a rune from their vantage, hidden on the south tower.
“Did they stop sending communications to the south yet?”
“I haven’t seen any more essence messages.” The rune Gerald activated lit up a marker on the edge of the south tower, not wanting messages to give away positions like the Skulls, they were using short range battlefield beacons to signal actions. They worked without trailing essence to and from the caster but were limited in what they could do. Simple light signals and colors were basically all they were good for, versus entire paragraphs, but that was plenty for their trained capabilities.
The team was staked in various positions, clad head to toe in runic gear—Gemini runic knight armor, the cherished heirlooms of the Fredrickson lineage, amassed over generations. Every guardian sported a complete set, from bracers to chest plates, shoulder pads to grieves, kneepads to belts, boots to gloves, each piece radiating with an array of individual essence types and runic combinations that spanned the entirety of the Fredrickson lineage’s knowledge base. Roman even being able to add a few runes to his gem’s codex upon initial inspection, while donning the ancient armor the Fredrickson’s had never revealed before now.
“Regardless, this should be fun.” Roman smirked, the smirk of a man regaining another chunk of retribution, as a series of explosions began rattling off around where the two were positioned. “The Fredrickson’s were able to trigger one of the keep’s failsafe’s, ancient ingenuity at its finest.” Each adjoining route along the main thoroughfare of Dunrock collapsed at their juncture points to the main road, leaving only that one solid road in and out of Dunrock remaining. Without knowing the lay of the land, traversing further into the bowels of Dunrock from the skull’s current precarious position was about to become an enormous challenge, requiring a lot of ruble removal. “Stage one complete, locking the skulls into a single route.”
Minutes after the collapse of the adjoining pathways along the mercantile route, the ground began a light tremor that remained constant. The shake slowly growing in magnitude. Gerald’s eyes fixed to the horizon. “Here we go, stage two. Boys got the signal alright! Let’s move!”
…
SKULLS
“Order the halt!” Wraith yelled into the bowels of the keep from the mercantile road. “What the Krom is going on?”
The first scouting skulls were sent to explore various directions in the wide open keep while the others waited to attack in force, bolstering the scout that encountered something first. While exploring, one of the scouts that headed toward the heart of the keep triggered an explosion, not far into his foray at all. It was a threshold trap that triggered as soon as he passed through a doorway leading further down to the keep’s vault, which also caused the secondary trap to explode, per skull design. Moments later, multiple explosions riddled the entire mercantile district. A dense curtain of stone debris and swirling dust billowed through the luxurious market expanse, emanating from every corridor that was within their sight and shrouding the skulls in impenetrable darkness.
“Sir!” a skull knight cried out to Wraith, fear gripping the man as a number of men violently coughed at the thick pasty air.
Wraith took a second to gain composure, waiting for an ambush that wasn’t continuing, before responding. “Don’t piss yourselves. Nothing is actively attacking it seems.” A faint white glow emitted from a ring on his finger, the few skulls within ten meters of the beacon were able to gather together, cries and shouts helping more of the men to all cluster closer in recovery. The thick blanket of dust kept visibility of the light from traveling far.
“What the Krom was that, Wraith!” Grim yelled through the cacophony as he bumped his way through their troops to his fellow boss.
“Some of these ancient structures have failsafe systems, to keep fortified areas secure. Someone triggered it or maybe our blast hit the failsafe switch, either way.” Wraith replied as his eyes glazed over, the telltale sign he was checking his tracking within his mind’s eye, a few high-pitched clicks beginning to emit from his gem, the sounds further echoing through the chamber. “Krom! The babies on the move and from the look of the map I could seismically put together, we are completely cut off from Dunrock, as I thought. Only the main road we are on is standing, every single side street has caved in around the intersection!”
“Failsafe indeed!” Grim’s face sharpened in concentration. “What do you suppose this all means?”
“I don’t know, but we need to find a way out of this corridor so we can get that baby. Erik’s almost in porting range and his last message was pretty direct. We better not screw it up, and to get him in here as soon as he’s in our known range.
“I would rather not.” Grim’s face a mask of rage, the layer of dust starting to slightly thin in the air but the after affects blanketing the surface of everything in its wake. “Then we fail.”
“Aye. I told him we can handle it and that would be our last resort.” Wraith looked around nervously, wiping a thick layer of dust from his face and eyes. “He didn’t like that. Actually, forbid that we don’t seek his aid as soon as its available. So now, we just have to pretend we are too busy if the call comes in.” a worried expression crossed the two.
“That or our death warrant if we admit that failure.” Grim swiftly agreed. “Shouldn’t he already be in porting range?”
“I haven’t ever been to Caesar or much of this area before this, so luckily I don’t have many waymarks out here saved to my gem, so I told him at least. Otherwise yes, he would have already forced us to get him here, I am sure.”
“Can we burrow through with a gem?” Grim pointed towards the rubble filled pathways as he asked Wraith.
“The tunnels seem packed with debris for a few dozen meters. I think it would take a major amount of both the peridots’ power, if we want to go that route. It might make us too vulnerable when we face the Gemini, if we can’t sustain a fight because we wasted too much power now.” Wraith responded with distain, the options seemingly becoming limited.
“Let’s surface then, so we can get at the baby from another angle. Get our forces on the bridges to surround the outskirts of the island in case they have a way to flee, we won’t be far behind.” Ranjoon entered the conversation, patting dust off his armor.
“Agreed, we will save power. Let’s split back up and try to assault from two fronts again.” Grim ordered the men who quickly started splitting up, the visibility still not more than thirty meters worth of sight in the confined corridor.
“Good plan, see if we can commandeer a boat or two while we make this move, I imagine that might be the only way they could get away from us at this point is down a river. Let’s be ready for any kind of pursuit” Wraith nodded to the two as they began pushing the men to various positions, hustling forward patrols on each side to begin the trek.
A slight rumble began to shake the ground once more as the three leaders and all their skull comrades looked about nervously. The magnitude of the rumble slowly increased. Loose rock chips clattering about in their own nervous ways. A faint thumping beginning to echo in the distant.
“What the Krom is happening now?” one of the scared skull knights cried out.
“I haven’t the faintest idea!” Ranjoon’s voice trembled with fear as he seized Wraith and Grim, forming a tight defensive formation as the clattering became unbearable in the utter darkness, the floor dancing to an unwelcome jig.
Then it came—the sound, a symphony of sheer terror. One of the ends of the chamber resonated with the haunting chorus of hundreds of agonized screams, guttural moans, and maddening chuffs, all melding into a wretched cacophony. The darkness seemed to amplify the sounds of suffering, the individual cries of some abruptly silenced and replaced by wheezing alarms that sliced through the air as the sound inched closer, getting louder and more chaotic by the moment. Amid the haze that was still settling, one of the skull forward patrols came to an abrupt halt as they heard the sound, fear seemingly locking up the very blood in their veins.
And then, as if a primal instinct took over, a chilling command rang out as the first in line saw it: “RUN! A wall of dea….” The terrified scream cut short, swiftly drowned by the discord.