XXII
“We’re late! Get a move on it!”
I opened my eyes and rolled off the stone bed, landing on my arm.
“Dammit!” I exclaimed, climbing up from the hard ground. The sun was bright outside, and from a small window, I squinted to see guild members streaming out of the huts and congregating around a man on top of a sand dune. Without thinking any further, I did the same, briskly shouting my gratitude to the owner of the hut.
“It’s way past daybreak! The army must have gotten further by now!” Tarsus shouted. “Follow my lead!”
Before I knew it, everyone was tailing Tarsus up the dune, ready for more action.
“Arcanor!” I quickly yelled, stopping him in his tracks ahead of me. “Come with me!”
I brought him into the hut Kadava was in and told him what had happened. He gathered his strength and summoned a small portal to our hideout in Sanoctuis.
“Stay with him for a while. If Kadava regains his strength, then join us in the war afterwards. But stay with him until then. We’ll miss both of you.”
“Understood,” Arcanor complied.
The portal was snapped shut as Arcanor and Kadava went home. I exited the hut and swiftly dashed up the sand dune, catching up to the two guilds.
“Where are we going?”
“We should be able to arrive at the gates of Gee Oluun if we pick up our pace. When we reach the top of this dune, keep your eyes out for Extirpators - they don’t only come from the back now! Onwards!”
The twelve of us streamed up the slope and split into our four modified groups again, taking our positions in the two banks besides the main path.
“Where’s Arcanor?” Foku shouted.
“I sent him back to Sanoctuis with Kadava! Just keep going!”
“Alright! Let’s go!”
We took a few paces in the bright blazing sun before Tarsus signalled us to stop.
“The army is over there! They’ve...stopped!”
We quickly jumped onto the main path, following Tarsus, and reconvened as one group towards the army.
The Army of Light and Purity had a significantly less amount of men, and Extirpators continued to devastate the men from every which way.
“Fulcan!” Tarsus boomed, surprising the worn-out king in the middle of the warriors.
“You’re back...with your goons,” he growled, approaching us.
We continued to head towards the army, covering each other’s back from the unpredictable Extirpators.
“How was your night?” Tarsus sneered, not slowing down.
Fulcan gave no response. He was swift with his heavy blade, slaying Extirpators left and right at ease though he was evidently tired. A small squad followed the king, protecting him from the endless waves of sand dwellers.
“Tarsus...I’m sorry,” the king suddenly spoke.
Tarsus stopped in his footsteps, a proud face contorted to surprise.
“I’m sorry - you’re...what?”
“Look, I was irrational, but you have to understand that we can’t afford to lose any time. When we stepped foot onto the desert path that night, I immediately regretted it. My men were tired, and many fell to the Excavators from a lack of alertness. You were right. And you, Ulterium, you were right as well. Tarsus is a good man at heart.”
We shifted closer to the main army, aiding it in fending off the oncoming Extirpators.
“That night, a soldier reported to me that he had noticed men flanking us,” Fulcan continued. “I knew it had to be both your guilds. Logic told me you were somehow helping us.
“We distracted the majority of Excavators for the army, travelling ahead of you.”
“Thank you. It meant a lot. When the sandstorm hit, we were completely blinded, but we kept going. You were right, Tarsus, we lost too many men that night.”
“Let’s keep moving; we can still make it to the capital city tonight,” Tarsus suggested. Fulcan immediately led his men forward, and we moved around to flank the army on the main path, slaying the Extirpators by the side of the warriors. Upon seeing our arrival, the remaining knights of Fulcan’s army had a renewed hope, smiling as we fought by their side.
“So how’d you make it this far? How did you make it past the second night?” Tarsus asked.
“It was a tough night. We set up a rotation of guards, a group of ten warriors awake for fifteen minutes to slay the beasts while the rest of the army slept to the side of the broad path. After every fifteen minutes, we would wake up ten others to take the place of guarding the main army. But even with this system, we lost a lot of men during the night. We can’t afford to lose any more.”
“Well, I have good news and bad news. The good news is, if we keep up this pace, we’ll make it to Gee Oluun right before midnight. And, you also have us fighting with you now. The bad news is, it’s going to be a lot tougher. A lot. And you guys don’t have food.”
We were provided a hearty meal by the generous sand people of the hidden city before we slept, filling our stomachs and replenishing our strength. But as for the main army, they spent the night fending off Excavators.
“We brought rations from the cenotes before entering the island, so we were good for last night. As for tonight, let’s hope Gee Oluun will have meals to offer.”
Fulcan paused before asking another question.
“What did you mean when you said things will get ‘a lot tougher’?”
“Glad you asked.”
Tarsus explained how the island was segregated into three rings, with each ring significantly more dangerous than the previous. He elaborately explained to the king the differences between Excavators, Extirpators, and Exterminators.
“So we’re in the Red Zone right now?”
“Yes. It explains why the sand is red, and why the creatures are attacking from the front too.”
“Extirpators,” the king confirmed, looking at Tarsus.
“You got it.”
“So when we reach Gee Oluun, how are we going to get past the Exterminators, if their armour is truly impenetrable, as you said?”
“The region of Gee Oluun starts when the sand returns to the natural tan colour and not red. The city gates are a couple of meters within the ring, heavily guarded by Exterminators, meaning we’ll only have to go a few meters into the deadly area before we’re safe. To be completely honest, I’ve never been in the third ring, but I have an idea.”
“What is it?” The king asked impatiently.
“Have you ever wondered how merchants make it to the heart of the island?”
“The royal envoys I send to Gee Oluun are always on horseback,” Fulcan replied. “But come to think of it, how do they make it out alive very time?”
“Horseback. Exactly. All sand dwellers are frightened by loud and fast vibrations in the ground. Footsteps don’t bother them, even an army of footsteps; they somehow recognize the difference between a Grozorgian and a non-Grozorgian. Anything loud that isn’t a one of us will send them scurrying away. A couple years ago when I was venturing on this island alone, a large cactus had tumbled behind me while I was in the Red Zone, and I wasn’t disturbed by Extirpators for a long while.”
“Hold on,” Fulcan spoke. “We don't have any horses, and if we make a calamity of noise, Geonyte will be alerted by our presence; our whole plan will be foiled.”
“It was just an idea,” Tarsus replied, defeated.
We marched in silence within the Red Zone, slaying Extirpator after Extirpator. Some men still fell to the sand dwellers, and Glo did her best to save the warriors. Those that had been fatally bitten by the Extirpators were left behind to die on the path. We couldn't waste any time stopping to tend the wounds of fallen soldiers. The monotonous march continued endlessly, until the sun went down and the stars came up.
By dusk, we still could not figure out a way to distract the Exterminators. We were also posed with another problem: The gates of Gee Oluun were guarded by Geonyte’s staff.
The army was decimated, but still large in number. There were at least a hundred thousand or more men by Fulcan’s side, and dust rose high in the air behind us as we continued the march, endlessly slaying the Extirpators around us.
It was midnight when we arrived at the edge of the Red Zone. The lofty gate stood fifty meters ahead of us, separated by a region of light-brown sand.
“So what do we do now?”
The army had halted several feet from the edge of the third ring, still tiredly fending off the Extirpators. There were two towers to the left and right of the gate with archers positioned within to guard the city.
All of a sudden, a brilliant idea filled my head.
“Sylvan, can you get a clear shot at the two guards up there?”
“I can do that in my sleep.”
Sylvan nocked his bow in seconds, aiming at the archer in the left tower.
“Wait!” I hissed. “Put your bow down. Fulcan, do we have rope?”
“Sir Hoshea!”
At once, a warrior with a backpack stepped forward and dug into the sack, pulling out a coil of sturdy rope that had supported the tents whenever the army set up camp.
“What’s your plan?”
I took the arrow from Sylvan’s bow and tied the end of the coil of rope to the quill of his arrow, explaining my idea to the king.
“If this works, we’d have to move quickly. When Sylvan shoots the arrow, we’ll pull the rope back to drag the archer down. Sylvan will quickly reload, and I will hack off the rope and attach the end of the coil to his second arrow. He will then fire at the second guard, and we will pull the rope down again when it pierces the archer. When both guards fall dead onto the desert floor, it should be enough to scare away the Exterminators. If they come back, they’ll be feasting on the dead guards, giving us enough time to run across the third ring and into the city.”
“But the gates aren’t opened,” Fulcan spoke.
“Sylvan, that’s your job,” I quickly said. “You see that lever beside the left guard there? Nock a third arrow and hit that switch. That should be the lever for the gate.”
“And if not?”
“Then we improvise.”
“Well, it’s our only shot. Let’s make it count!”
Sylvan shot the first arrow, and instantly, the left guard fell. Soldiers immediately gathered around and pulled on the rope, dragging the archer out of the tower and down onto the desert floor. I cut the rope and tied it around Sylvan’s second arrow, and he fired it immediately. It pierced the second guard, and soldiers gathered around the rope to pull it backwards again. This time, however, the arrow slipped out of the deceased archer, failing to pull him out of the tower.
“Hit the lever!” I commanded immediately, moving on with the plan.
In a blink of an eye, the lever was pushed forward, but nothing happened. I looked around, and the army wore a hopeless look on their faces. Suddenly, the heavy gate began to slowly rise up.
“Run!” I yelled, leading the way. Fulcan and his army picked up their feet and followed me, sliding beneath the opening gate and into the capital city.
Half of the army made it through before the Exterminators began cleaning the flesh off the bones of the guard.
“They’re not going to make it!” Fulcan spoke, watching helplessly behind the open gate.
“Foku, Sylvan, follow me!”
I grabbed the coil of rope from Sir Hoshea and Sylvan, Foku, and I dashed back into the Red Zone. I quickly tied the end of the rope to Sylvan’s arrow as he fired it into the fallen archer, aiming for his chest.
“We need to get the archer down! Foku, cover us!”
I pulled on the rope, but the archer was caught behind the wall of the tower.
“Sylvan, help me pull on the rope! We have to move a bit closer for it to act as a pulley!”
The Exterminators had finished their feast, and began to move towards the frightened army.
Sylvan and I stepped into the third ring of the island and pulled down, hoping to bring the guard out of the tower. Foku moved swiftly around us, knocking back any sand dwellers leaping towards us. Some courageous warriors stepped aside from the sprint and helped us pull the dead guard over the wall of the tower. In a matter of time, the archer fell out of his tower and crashed onto the desert floor.
Immediately, the Exterminators retreated from the thundering sound. The rest of the army seized this advantage and darted the fifty meters into the city, collapsing at the foot of the gate in relief and in exhaustion. Sylvan, Foku, and I stayed behind until all of Fulcan's men made it across. As the last man crossed, we dashed across and Sylvan fired one last arrow onto the backside of the lever, lowering the gate and blockading the Exterminators from entering. We had finally arrived to Gee Oluun, capital of the rock domain, free of any sand dwellers.
XXIII
The entire city was molded from clay, lofty buildings rising to our left and right. After setting up a brief camp near the gate concealed behind a series of buildings, we rested for the night and woke early the following morning. In the centre of the city was a grand plaza, with a stone statue that resembled some hero mounted on a grand horse, and sculptures of sand dwellers trampled beneath the feet of the stone stallion. The entire city was strangely quiet, temporary markets and tents around the central plaza hastily abandoned. There was no sign of life in the tall residential clay buildings either; only a slow, hot breeze circulating through Gee Oluun.
We marched through the empty city silently, metal armour carelessly rustling upon each other with every step. As we crossed the deserted plaza, we noticed a tall, jagged structure in the distance with mahogany banners draping down the sides that was embellished with a rock insignia; evidently, Overlord Geonyte’s palace. With no hesitation, Fulcan picked up his pace and led the army towards the imposing castle.
The palace was, in fact, but a sharp, jagged pillar of rock that pierced through the ground. Beside the main palace stood two more hollowed-out shards of rock to the left and right of the palace, with many holes carved onto the surface as windows. The three jagged peaks reflected the pattern of the rock insignia, and a deep canyon encompassed the royal towers. We crossed a long, polished marble bridge that rose high above the pit surrounding the palace. Upon arriving at the foot of the clay castle, the palace doors were left open. There were no guards posted outside, contrasting the two archer towers guarding the city gates.
“Fulcan, send us in to scout the interior first. We’ll report back quickly,” Tarsus requested.
“Be careful.”
Tarsus signalled for the guild members to follow him.
“Tarsus, go with your men. My guild and I will stay by Fulcan’s side just in case anything happens.”
I expected a typical comeback, but Tarsus turned around and simply nodded his head, signalling for his guild to follow him. He was a changed man, a different man now, and our camaraderie grew stronger by the moment.
“Sir Othniel, lead Squadron Dragon west of the palace. Sir Ehud, Squadron Phoenix east. Sir Hoshea and Sir Samson, come by my side with the rest of the army. We will wait here. Ulterium, you can parcel out your guild to each of the three squadrons.”
In a fast, orderly fashion, three squadrons split up into their instructed direction, with most of the men by Fulcan’s side. I split my guild into three even groups, instructing them to join the three different squadrons.
All of a sudden, a volley of stones rained down upon us. A roar rose from behind the skyscrapers of the capital city, and hundreds of men exposed themselves and beleaguered us. Every soldier reloaded their slings and fired again, the sharp rocks denting the golden metal armour and knocking some soldiers unconscious.
“We’re surrounded! Go inside the castle!”
All three squadrons were thrown into confusion and panic, tripping over themselves into the castle.
“No...wait! Don’t go in, it’s a setup!” I hollered. My entire guild retreated to my side, and the Phoenix Squadron followed my voice as well. But Fulcan and the rest of his men had already entered the stone palace.
Bars dropped down immediately, blockading the doorway behind Fulcan, trapping him and his army within the stone building.
“We’re not outnumbered,” I observed, signalling for General Ehud to come by my side. The squadron instinctively formed a circle, with the outermost men placing their shields up to protect us within from the nonstop barrage of stones. “The rocks are sharp, but they won’t kill,” I strained, trying to deliver my message above the loud clattering of stones against metal. “If we can manage to place our men around our enemies and encircle them instead, they’ll retreat in no time. This squadron is at least double their men already.”
“What about the king?” Sir Ehud asked.
“Stay here with four or five men and watch over the gate in case someone comes for the king.”
“Follow Ulterium!” Ehud cried, pulling aside four men with him. They continued their defensive position with the general in the middle of the shielded circle.
“Keep up this formation!” I commanded, separating the squadron from Ehud to form two shielded circle of warriors. “On the count of three, it’ll be every man for themselves. Keep your shield up, and run towards the direction you are facing. Strike your enemies from behind!”
I gave a quick pause for the army to understand my plan.
“One...two...three, break!”
The entire squadron broke up, soldiers running in every direction. My guild had split up as well, following my command. Foku, however, ran towards the temporary prison and stayed with the general and his troops, protecting the king and his men within.
“Good man,” I whispered.
I ran across the plaza, using the tall statue to shield myself from the catapulted payload. Dashing towards a building with no soldier from the Phoenix Squadron within, I flung the door opened and silently climbed up the stairs. The building was dark, and almost everything within was made from stone, muffling my footsteps, to my advantage. After reaching the fifth floor, another flight of steps lay in front of me that led to the rooftops. Quickly leaping up, I pulled out my blade and swiftly pierced it into the back of the unaware assailant.
I leapt backwards suddenly as the shocked face of the stone slinger rolled towards me. He was a mere boy no older than fifteen. A black fog had clouded his eyes, and it slowly cleared as the life within him slipped away. I looked at my bloodied hands, then back at the boy. He was just an innocent child under a curse or a spell.
I was conflicted, crouched on the rooftop. Do I assist the squadron in taking down the rest of the innocent citizens? I looked around to see the men and women falling one by one to the warriors of Fulcan. It was a bloodbath around us, and the innocent lives that perished didn’t know how to fight back.
There had to be something controlling them, something that explained why their dilated eyes were clouded with a black mist. Something had to be strong enough to do all this, but what was that something? Tyrannust?
Looking around, there was no trace of him or his warriors. Suddenly, my eyes fell on a small figure that drifted above the main palace. I squinted and tried to make out who or what that strange levitating object was. All I could determine was that it was robed in black and brown, and it had two arms extended upwards. Could it be...the Geomancer?
There was no time to think. Innocent civilians were dying by the second and I could stop this. Picking up the sling still in the boy’s hand, I loaded a smooth stone and swung it above my head a couple of times. At the right moment, I released, and the stone soared gracefully through the hot wind, landing twenty meters short of the Mancer. It was impossible to reach the Geomancer with these low-ranged weapons.
If only Kadava was here with me. He could’ve nailed the Geomancer with his ranged weapon in no time.
I spun around frantically, trying to search for a way to stop it. My eyes landed on Foku, who was still by Sir Ehud, directly beneath the Geomancer. Slinging five stones in rapid succession, I directed each payload to the feet of Foku, trying to grab his attention. Luckily, the barrage of stones against Ehud and his men had drastically decreased, but that meant that more and more innocent lives were slain.
Foku finally looked up in my direction as the pile of rocks at his feet grew bigger and bigger. Instantly, I rotated my blade to let him know that it was me. He raised his lance up in response. I pointed my blade towards the Geomancer, and Foku stepped back and spun around, looking towards the object I had indicated. With no hesitation, he charged his lance, aimed it towards the Mancer, and fired.
I stayed on the rooftops, slinging stones at the warriors around me to catch their attention from killing the innocent lives.
A bright explosion halted all movement as Foku’s electrical beam engulfed the Geomancer. As the smoke cleared, the figure stepped out, unscathed, and descended upon Foku.
“Run!” I shouted instinctively. Foku required no more motivation before he fled towards my direction, crossing the plaza, only to have four tall stone walls suddenly erected around him, caging him in a rocky prison.
The citizens were finally out of its hypnotic trance and they tumbled down in exhaustion, ceasing the mass murder. I looked back to the Geomancer, and it was coming towards me, floating past Foku with arms extended.
“Fire!” A distant voice commanded. The soldiers of the Phoenix Squadron obeyed Ehud and picked up the slings around them, firing randomly towards the Geomancer. Clearly, none of them was trained with long ranged weapons.
The Geomancer spun around quickly, raising its arms, and in a blink of an eye, the entire city rumbled as stone prisons were erected around every soldier, confining them helpless in a tight space. Even Ehud and his men were trapped, leaving only me free from his stone prison. I couldn’t believe my eyes; the Geomancer was beyond powerful.
There were no words exchanged between the Geomancer and me. I stood on the rooftop, motionless, knowing the capabilities of the rock summoner. As it approached, I could finally make out every single detail. The Geomancer wore a black cloak with a brown robe, and the rim of its cloak was embellished with white crystals. It was also equipped in a brown stone breastplate with a strange stone embedded in the center, and two stone swords sheathed behind it. A simple stone mask covered its face, and the most eye catching feature was a glowing brown aura of twelve precious gems behind it, with a strange inscription that connected the ring of gems.
Raising its arms once more, the two swords behind it slipped neatly into its stone fists as the Mancer approached me.
It swung both swords towards me at the same time. Without thinking, I ducked, pulling out my two blades and thrusting them into the lower region of the Mancer. My confidence was quickly dispelled when the Geomancer spun around smoothly, deflecting my blades and whipping both krises out of my hands and helplessly onto the plaza floor meters below me. Showing no mercy, the Geomancer summoned the plaza statue and hurled it towards me, and before I could react, I was knocked out on the stone rooftops.
I couldn’t move. I was shackled to a pole, my head was throbbing, and it was pitch black around me when I woke up. I screamed, but it was a futile effort. The rocky walls around me prevented any sound from escaping.
Suddenly, the front wall fell, and the bright sunlight flooded in, blinding my eyes. I squinted, trying to make out where I was. It wasn’t long before the other three walls around me fell in succession, and as I slowly adjusted to the blinding light, it became evident that Fulcan’s entire army was all around me, each warrior chained to a pole alike my current condition.
We were on the ledge of some tall, elevated building, and the three-peaked palace stood a distance away, beneath our feet.
All at once, a peak of rock shot out from the side of the ledge, forming a long plank.
“Your end is near, King Fulcan,” a low, raspy voice cackled behind me.
There was a foot or so between me and the edge of the building, where the plank was formed. Fulcan was beside me, tied with his hands behind his back. He was pushed forward and onto the plank by a massive robed figure, and it was no other but the overlord, Geonyte.
“I can’t believe you fell for my bait,” he continued. He really needed to clear his throat. “I was unprepared, but I still succeeded in capturing your entire army. The high lord never told me it was going to be this easy. Now, prepare to face your death!”
Fulcan was pushed to the middle of the plank. He looked down, but his face reflected a stoic emotion.
A soldier to my right broke free and lunged towards the overlord. But before he could reach Geonyte, a stone pillar was erected beneath the warrior’s feet, instantly impaling him through his thick armour, leaving him lifeless on the makeshift stake. The Geomancer floated past him and joined the overlord’s side, watching over the rest of the army.
“You’re nothing without your Mancer,” Fulcan spat, a few steps from the edge of the plank.
“You don’t even have a Mancer!” The overlord cackled amusingly.
“I don’t need one. Rid yourself of that thing and challenge me face to face, like a real ruler of honour,” the king sneered.
“You question my honour?” The overlord’s tone suddenly changed. “Leave me, faithful servant. I will teach this useless king a death with no honour!”
The overlord pulled out a massive broadsword, almost alike Fulcan’s, but it was entirely made of stone. The Geomancer floated towards the king, cut the ropes that bound his wrists, and vanished. A few seconds later, it reappeared with Fulcan’s bright golden-white broadsword and placed it into the king’s hands, vanishing quickly again without reappearing.
The massive overlord stepped onto the plank, cracking the stone a bit. He was at least double the size of Fulcan, but not that much taller than the well-built king.
The king inched back until his left foot was at the edge of the stone plank. He raised his broadsword up and spread his legs out, gaining as much footing as possible. The overlord carelessly lumbered towards the king, suddenly pulling apart his weapon to form two thinner stone swords. The two rulers stood motionless, poised in an offensive stance against each other.
Geonyte made the first move. Bringing both blades up, he threw them down onto Fulcan. In a swift response, Fulcan ducked and placed his broadsword above him, absorbing the blow with his thick sword. In a counter-offensive motion, the king grabbed his blade with both hands and pushed upwards, knocking the overlord back. Seizing this moment, Fulcan spun around to gain momentum, slashing his broadsword at the overlord’s side. Blood began to trickle down his royal robes as the tip of the king’s sword sliced the overlord’s hip, but Geonyte did not wince at the pain. Instead, he regained his footing and jabbed at the king in quick succession, two blades against one.
Fulcan did not retreat, but swiftly evaded every strike, slowly pushing the overlord back. Suddenly, the king hurled his broadsword up to deflect both stone blades and smoothly slid under the overlord between his two stocky legs, switching positions with Geonyte on the plank. With no mercy, the king pressed forward and slashed back and forth, forcing the overlord to the edge of the plank. Geonyte swung his two blades aggressively against the massive broadsword, but it was no match for Fulcan’s quicker blocks and counter-thrusts.
“Enough!”
The sky quickly darkened at the roar. Tyrannust suddenly appeared, a cloud of smoke shrouding his presence. He hovered beside the plank, facing the king.
Without ceasing his movement, Fulcan lowered himself and rammed into Geonyte, catching him off guard and sending him flailing off the plank.
Tyrannust raised his palm and the overlord was instantly encased in a similar black cloud of smoke, suspended midair. He looked up at Tyrannust in gratitude, an expression of relief brushing across his face.
“So you’ve defeated Naterra and Geonyte,” Tyrannust boomed in a deep voice, drifting towards Fulcan. This was the first time I had heard the high lord speak ever since his corruption, and his bone chilling voice perfectly suited his corrupted transformed figure. “Don’t you realize you still won’t win this?” Turning towards the overlord, the high lord continued, “As for you, my weak and useless servant, have I not told you only the strong survive?”
Dropping his wrist, the smoke around Geonyte vanished, and the overlord dropped to his death.
“You are no match for me,” Tyrannust continued, “but I will let you witness the rise of my legion before you die.”
“Why are you doing this?” Fulcan demanded, standing up to confront the high lord.
“You know exactly why!” The high lord thundered as the dark clouds around him crackled with sparks, his face nearly against the king’s face. “You took my rightful throne from me, and you know what you did to get it. But now, you can keep your throne. To control Grozorg was your accomplishment; to control galaxies is my destiny!”
Fulcan stood there boldly, showing no fear of the high lord.
“Geonyte was weak, but he gave me and Helterium enough time. And Helterium won’t fail me, my loyal servant.”
Without any further words, Tyrannust vanished with his cloud of