The Land of Casus

Chapter 3

Thea tried to pull her arm away, but the guard had an iron grip.

"Please, I haven't done anything"

Ignoring her, the guard began dragging her to the door. The second guard went to collect his companions, probably so that they could all deliver her to this King.

"Let me go," she pleaded, trying to pull her arm free. She resisted as much as she could, however, his grip remained firm. She continued to resist before the guard slapped her across the face. Her head snapped to the side and stars appeared in her vision. Her free hand immediately went up to her cheek which was already hot the the touch.

"I admire your fighting spirit but it is futile. Like a wild animal who knows it is about to meet it's end."

There was movement next to her, a man hit the guard over the head with the hilt of his sword. Thea recognized him as the man who was lying by the bar when she first walked in.

"Hey, who do you think you are?" the other guard said unsheathing this sword and stepped towards the young man.

"The lady said she didn't want to go with you."

He lunged forward with his word but the guard blocked his attack. In a counterstrike, the the guard swung for the man's face but he ducked and with speed only acquired through practice, stabbed the sword upwards into the guard's armpit. The guard fell to the floor. By now, the other guards had sobered up and had surrounded him. They all went for him at once. The man dodged the first attack, spun to face behind him, blocked the next attack and slit the throat of the next guard in a fast single swipe of his sword. He ducked the swing of a sword and tripped over his attacker. With the man on his back on the floor, he stabbed the man in the neck. The last guard lunged forward but before he could make his move, the man guard the arm holding the sword, slashed the open part of his elbow, kicked his knee in so that the guard fell to the floor on one knee and with a single movement, snapped his neck.

Thea who had huddled into the corner during the fight gapped at the man in horror.

"I believe a thank you is in order?" he asked her as he sheathed his sword back on his hip.

"I, I - "

"What the devil has happened here?" gasped the old man who had just come down from the stairs, holding a bundle of clothes in his hand.

"I just saved this young lady from a terrible death"

"And in the process, put targets on your backs. You killed royal guards. They will be looking to put your head on a spike now."

"I did what needed to be done."

Best that we get out of here before news of what happened here spreads," the old man said as he made way for the door.

Seeing no other way out of this mess, Thea followed him out the door.

"Follow me," called the old man as he hurried down the road, "I have a place where we can hide for a few hours."

The trio were standing outside a stone house with windows that were covered up to prevent people from looking in. It was on a road where all the houses looked identical. Stone houses in a neat square shape in a neat line. No ornaments decorated the houses, except for a pot plant here and there where people tried to make their houses seem more homely.

"This is YOUR house," said the younger man irritably. "This will be the first place that they will start to look."

"It being my house is the reason why we are here. It's the perfect hiding spot. They will not think we are dumb enough to come here. The guards will be looking elsewhere, trust me. "

The younger man just glared at him.

"Okay, okay, I see your point. We won't be here for long. I just need to collect some supplies, and the lady needs to change."

The old man handed Thea the bundle of clothes he took from the tavern. "My name is Archimedes, by the way," he said with a grin before turning and heading into his house.

"Thea," she called after him.

The younger man sighed and looked down while shaking his head. "What have I gotten myself into?" he asked aloud. "And my name is Rex. Come on, let's head inside before someone sees us. "

Rex went into the house, leaving Thea standing in the street. She looked at the bundle of clothes in her hand and then the tattoo. Why was she here, and why did this tattoo have so much meaning in this place. Who was this King, and why did the guards so desperately want to take her to him that they were willing to fight for it. She had no other choice but to stick with these people. She would never survive on her own, in a new place, no supplies, no survival skills, and definitely not while being hunted for a reason she does not know.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped over the threshold into the house. Over a threshold, she would not be able to return from again.

Archimedes shut the door, and because of the windows, the house fell into darkness. Until, he snapped his fingers and multiple candles lit up, lighting up the room instantly. Thea gapped at him. What had she just witnessed? The delusional part of her brain said magic, but the logical part of her brain said that magic did not exist.

"H,how did you do that?!"

"Magic, of course," Archimedes said with a look on his face as if she had just asked the dumbest question he had ever heard.

"Right," Thea said in a small voice.

Archimedes' house was like a walk-in library. Books were packed to the brim on shelves, on counters, on chairs, as piles on the floor, and a few left opened on any clear surface the reader had seemed to find in that moment.

"Can we please hurry this up?" Rex said with quick circular movements of his hands. "The longer we take, the more dead we will be in the next few minutes."

"Ah yes," said Archimedes. "Rex, go to the kitchen and take as much food and water as you can carry. There should be satchels in the kitchen, somewhere. I'll go find my potion supplies and medical supplies. We never know what we will run into. Thea, go into the room and change."

Everyone dispersed to complete their designated tasks.

A candle was already lit in the bedroom as Thea entered and closed the door. She quickly changed into a simple dress. It was made of brown material and reached the floor. Luckily, the sleeves were long, so it hid her tattoo. She put on the leather boots and picked up the shawl before heading out the bedroom once again. Back in the living room, Rex and Archimedes had found their supplies. Rex handed her a satchel with some food in it. She saw that Rex and Archimedes had the same ones.

"It's not much, but it will do for now," he said as he handed it to her.

Archimedes put his supplies in the satchel. Thea opened up her own satchel and put the shawl inside.

"Alright, what's the plan now?" she asked, looking at the other two expectantly.

"We will have to find somewhere to hide for the night," Rex explained, "The forest is our best bet. Lots of places to hide, it will be dark and we will be alone. "

"Agreed," nodded Archimedes.

The forest encircled the town, and it was not a long walk before they reached the first line of trees. The sun had begun to set and hues of orange and red painted the sky. After walking for a bit of time, to where the trees had started to thicken and the sun had almost set, Archimedes said, "I think this will be a good spot. We need to get a fire going before it gets too dark. "

"I'll do it," Rex said as he took off his jacket and moved towards some dead branches lying on the ground.

Thea could see him wince and thanks to him removing his jacket, saw a blood stain near his shoulder.

A few minutes later and they had a fire going. Thea took out her shawl and rapped it around her.

After all the chaos, she was able to get a good look at her new companions. She noticed for the first time how old and tired Archimedes looked. With his thinning, long grey hair, small frame, and the wrinkles on his face. Rex had a look of deep thought as he stared into the flames. He looked quite handsome in the flickering light. His build was of one who had wielded a sword most of his life. He had a tall frame, broad shoulders, and was well-muscled. And dark, brown hair that fell slightly over his face.

Rex reached out to pick up another log to put on the fire and winced.

"Let me help you with that wound, young man," Archimedes said, reaching into his satchel. He pulled out a needle and thread.

"Can't you heal him with magic?" Thea asked.

"The laws of magic are difficult to explain, but we do not have an infinite source of magic. It can be used up and has to be replenished. A low magical source can also weaken the person. Therefore, I have to use my magic sparingly. And taking into account we have no idea what lies before us, I would rather practice on the side of caution."

"I see," Thea said. After a second, she asked, "Where am I?"

"This place is called Casus."

Thea nodded. As Archimedes stitched Rex up, she stared into the fire. After a few moments, she finally asked the question that has been on her mind since the moment she teleported into that forest this morning.

"What is this tattoo? What is it's importance and what does it have to do with me?"

Archimedes finished up with Rex and turned towards Thea. "It is an aid to the only weapon that can destroy the King."

"A weapon to destroy the King? Why would anyone want to do that?"

"To answer that question, we have to go back to the beginning."

Archimedes had a far away look in his eyes as he re-told the story.

This world is made of six continents. The one we are on now is called Casus. 500 years ago, there were two brothers, kings, Nicholas, and Theodore. Each ruled 3 continents. When they were younger, the brothers were close, inseperatable, some would say. Nicholas was the eldest and would always look out for his younger brother and protect him where he could. From a young age, Nicholas was the strongest fighter and the most ruthless. As he grew into adulthood, his ruthlessness worsened, and he eventually led his father's armies and waged war against anyone who would dare threaten the throne. Theodore had a gentler soul. His strength lay in books and knowledge. He had no love for fighting but understood that sometimes it was necessary. Where his brother waged war, Theodore would go hunting. His most prized possession was his bow, as he loved archery. Their father, who ruled all six continents at the time, made them each heir of 3 continents. When they both ascended to the throne, all was good for a time. But since Nicholas was the eldest, he felt that he should be the sole ruler of the six continents. Over time, his hatred for his brother grew. He saw his brother as an obstacle to his birthright. One day, the most powerful wizard of the time, Ofaris, bestowed a gift to each of the brothers. Nicholas asked for impenetrable armor so that he may never be harmed in battle. The armor offered immortal strength and invulnerability. Theodore asked for a bow, his most prized weapon, and he named it Pistis Arcus. The bow would grant it's carrier heightened senses, such as keen sight, impeccable hearing, and improved elegance and reflexes so that they may carry and use the bow with ease. It is said that when the brothers each received their gifts, a bear tattoo appeared on Nicholas' chest and a wolf tattoo on Theodore's right forearm. Knowing how ruthless his brother could be and that his brother wanted him out the way, Theodore feared the immortality of his brother thanks to the armor. Theodore secretly went back to Ofaris, knowing he would be the only one who could make the arrows of the bow penetrable of his brother's armor. Ofaris agreed, and so the only weapon that could destroy Nicholas was forged. Somehow, Nicholas found out of his brother's secret plot against him and waged war against Theodore. Nicholas bested Theodore before he could get to the bow and killed him. When Theodore died, his tattoo changed into a wolf figurine. A young wizard who witnessed this opened a portal and sent the figurine through it. He knew that he had to keep it away from Nicolas. It seemed that with the figurine gone, the bow disappeared, and no one had seen it since. Nicolas went looking for Ofaris, but he, too, seemed to have disappeared. So now, 500 years later, Nicolas still rules the six continents. He is still ruthless and immortal since the only weapon that can kill him is nowhere to be seen. He is still on the lookout for anyone who may have the wolf figurine or who might bear his brother's tattoo as he knows that the figurine is out there, somewhere.

The fire crackling was the only sound as Archimedes finished his story.

"What does that have to do with me?" Thea asked, her hands trembling. Deep down, she already knew the answer.

"For some reason, the wolf picked you. You are the only one who can who can use Pistis Arcus. The only one who can destroy Nicholas."

"This should be fun," Rex said with a grin.