Chapter 50: Reflections Of The Past (Part IX)
Javan explained to the men that he’d learned of a great treasure known as Damiano’s Disk and was sent to seek the Crimson Clan to assist him in reaching the In Between. All the while, he was certain to avoid the more personal aspect of his tale, including his encounter with the mysterious spirit. This led one of the men to ask, “Who told you of us and our practices?”
To which Javan replied, “A reliable source.”
“Damiano’s Disk is a myth,” a young man with brown eyes informed him, his lengthy dirty-blond hair barely visible beneath the hood of his red cloak. “Even if it were real, what would it be doing in the In Between?”
Javan calmly responded, “While I do not possess the answer to your question, I’m quite convinced of the disk’s authenticity. I would also like to make it entirely clear that I’m willing to pay your organization immensely for its assistance. In the event I’m able to attain both fragments, I plan to use my newfound power to lead Aria into a new era – and I certainly wouldn’t overlook those who aided my rise to such a position.”
The Crimson Clan of Gethin Woods was astonished. Unknown to Javan, they too had recently spoken to a spirit which told them that they would soon be visited by a man who would change the world. It said that the visitor would seek their help, and if they were to comply, the man would one day be responsible for leading them into an age of prosperity. At first, they were skeptical of the news but now believed its prophecy to be true and Javan to be the man of whom it foretold. Without further questioning, they agreed to his request.
Javan then learned that the men were practitioners of advanced necromancy, and often visited the In Between in order to perfect their skills. After explaining the dimension’s purpose, they took him to a building in which many strange creatures were encaged. Javan was quite fascinated to learn that these beasts were once lost souls, and had been transformed into what he saw. They explained that the potential for what they could make was nearly limitless, but that the process was quite arduous and they experienced great difficulty controlling their creations. The men expressed that they wished to create a perfect soldier, capable of speech and free will, yet compelled to follow their every command. With these soldiers, they had planned to start an empire of their own. Javan was highly interested in this concept.
Afterward, the group took Javan to the In Between, through a structure they referred to as a ‘gateway.’ He was amazed by the sight he beheld on the opposite side of the portal. The colorless landscape seemed surreal, yet there he was. Curious, Javan asked if it were possible to create a gateway while in the In Between. They informed him that they had attempted to do so before, but discovered that the destination of the portal was far too unpredictable. Building a gateway in one area of the In Between could lead to a random spot in Aria’s wilderness, while building another merely a foot away could send the traveler to the middle of the Eastern Ocean. In order to keep other Arialites from discovering or interfering with their work, they destroyed their secondary gateways and resorted to using only the original one.
The men went on to tell him that the dimension was monumental in size, and that locating the fragments could prove to be a long-lived task. Discouraged by the news, Javan was uncertain he would have the time required to search the dimension while still managing to hold his position as King Ashraf’s adviser. That’s when he got an idea. He made the men an offer: he would pay them generously to hunt the In Between for the two fragments, and promised them that he would make certain the law remained unaware and did not interfere with their personal work. Without hesitation, the men took the offer, after which Javan stressed the importance of discretion while handling the matter. He warned of his close connection to the king and was certain to make it known that anyone who betrayed his trust would be dealt with. The men proceeded to swear him their loyalty, and ensured him that they would honor his wishes.
Upon his departure, he wrote the Crimson Clan a two hundred thousand gold check, and informed them that he would be returning periodically to monitor their progress and pay them further. He spent the next few days in the city of Dagus before returning to Cymbeline, to avoid raising suspicion as to where he’d been during his vacation.
Three years passed before Javan received a letter informing him that one of the coveted fragments had been found. As soon as possible, he left for Gethin Woods, only to be given dreadful news when he arrived. The men reported that shortly after its discovery, the fragment went missing along with Crimson Clan member Tarren Haden. Needless to say, Javan was infuriated by the news and nearly cancelled his arrangement with the men. But he knew that he would be unable to seek the fragment without their assistance, and instead ordered half of the remaining men to search Aria for Tarren and retrieve the fragment. The remainder of the group were to continue exploring the In Between for the second piece of the disk.
Weeks later, Javan was holding a party in celebration of his birthday. While he was not particularly fond of social gatherings, it was considered quite rude amongst Aria’s upper class to not hold or participate in them at least periodically. He occupied the time by drinking wine and making small talk with his guests. The night seemed relatively uneventful until he was approached by a beautiful young woman. She introduced herself as Mindy Kaster, a distant cousin of a fellow nobleman Fredrick Dawson.
Javan was instantly entranced by her presence. Regardless, he made great effort to withdraw from the conversation. Compelled by the fear of yet another loss, his apprehension was reinforced as he recalled the voice’s words. Nevertheless, she was persistent, and his attempt was futile. Once the two had spoken for a while, Javan soon realized that her interests were strictly carnal. More inclined to this notion, it wasn’t long before the pair retreated from the crowd.
Succeeding an intoxicating incidence of heated passion, Javan fell into a euphoric slumber with the young woman at his side. His blissful oblivion was short-lived, however. The moment his eyes snapped open he saw, to his dismay, the woman hovering over him with a sharp dagger, poised to strike.
With adrenaline-fueled strength, Javan shoved her away from him and sprung out of bed, slinging an onslaught of conjurations at the woman. Though he managed to injure her, she was far too quick and escaped out the bedroom window. He hurriedly dressed himself and pursued her, but by the time he’d run downstairs and made it outside, she was nowhere to be seen. Returning to the party, Javan informed his guests that the events of the evening were going to be meeting an early end. He did not mention what had taken place, leaving the attendees baffled as they exited the mansion.
Javan suspected that the attempted assassination could not have possibly been a random act. The following day, he learned that ‘Mindy Kaster’ did not exist at all. With this information, he deduced that the woman was, in fact, an assassin who had likely been hired to execute him. With his suspicions confirmed, he knew of only one man who would have any reason to call for his murder: Tarren Haden.
For the following months, Javan remained on constant guard, spending little time outside of his mansion and the castle. Then, nine months following his encounter with the woman, he got an unexpected surprise on his doorstep: a baby girl. When one of his servants informed him of the child’s discovery, Javan had no doubt it was his own. Deciding it was best to keep this detail to himself, he acted in the same bewildered manner as his servants. When one of them suggested taking the baby to a local foster home, Javan informed them that it was not necessary and that he would adopt the child himself. He named her ‘Zoe.’
It was ten long years before the Crimson Clan had at last found the fragment which remained in the In Between. Javan was astounded to finally hold the long sought treasure in his hands, and ordered the men to focus all attention on finding Tarren and the fragment he still held.
After several more years and a great deal of investigation, the Crimson Clan uncovered that Tarren was hiding in the wilderness just outside of the town of Anatolii and was the leader of a mysterious guild known as the Spades. Learning this, Javan ordered the men to raid the hideout in the cover of night. While the Crimson Clan were successful in killing several Spades, Tarren and the remainder of the guild fled with the fragment. In the months following their escape, the Crimson Clan continued to laboriously search Aria, but were ultimately unable to uncover the guilds’ whereabouts. Despite his great wealth, the hunt had begun to take a notable financial toll on Javan. It was in this moment of desperation that he hatched his scheme. Much to the surprise of the Crimson Clan, Javan commanded them to redirect their focus to their original work.
Assisting his men whenever possible, Javan proved to be exceptionally gifted with advanced necromancy, and eventually discovered a method to control the monsters he’d spawned. He discovered this was possible by embedding a sort of pecking order within the creation’s structure. Though it still acted wildly and impulsively, it was ‘embedded’ to fear Javan and the Crimson Clan, and thus would not attack them.
Though it took years of work and a long, grueling process of trial and error, the Crimson Clan and Javan at last succeeded in creating their ‘perfect soldier.’ It was human in appearance, capable of perfect speech, and followed their every command precisely. After dressing their creation in a dark-green cloak, they began calling the creature a ‘Knowm.’
Not only was it given the ability to use advanced necromancy to create more like itself in the In Between, the Knowm was also capable of spawning and controlling monsters. Once they had built their army of Knowms and monsters in the In Between, the men created several well hidden gateways at various points of Aria.
They put the plan into action, sending wave after wave of monsters through the portals. Almost immediately, Aria fell into a state of chaos. The king’s knights fought rigorously against the invaders, but found themselves greatly outnumbered as they continued to emerge from seemingly out of nowhere. When a mysterious group called the Knowms stood before King Ashraf, promising safety for the land in exchange for funding, Javan was certain to be at the king’s side to persuade him in ‘the right direction.’
Not only did Javan and the Crimson Clan now have unlimited funding, but even more: they also possessed eyes and ears in every town across Aria. “Mark my words,” Javan told his men shortly after their plan’s outstanding execution. “I will complete Damiano’s Disk, and Tarren Haden will die by my hands.”