The Dark Covenant

THE DELEGATES MEETING: PENDING SALVATION

The excruciating pain spurting through his chest was past the point of being bearable. With every breath he took in he felt a pull closer to death. His lungs extruded, grinding the broken ribs against his flesh. Drom limped across the tilted loan, dragging his shattered knee along with him. The pulsating pain rendered his leg useless. Reaching the exit the figure nodded, staring down at his swollen knee.

“I apologize for the discomfort, but it was necessary,”

Drom swallowed bitterly, trying his best to breath without filling his lungs too much.

“What, what did you people want! Why are you doing this.”

“… We must proceed immediately king, your kingdom is in grave danger. We are only here to help you in protecting it, and in return, you help us achieve our goals.”

Still clinging on to the grimoire, Drom inched closer to the figure, tightening his jaw in anger.

“ Why did he have to die! You people are monsters. Killing an old defenseless man in cold blood!!!”

“… You are asking questions to the wrong person king! I am only here to accomplish the goals of my superiors. I am but a messenger.”

“Then take me to your seniors!!” he said, resolute. The figure leaned closer, further tilting his head.

“I assure you, when the time comes, the superiors will bring themselves to you!”. He retracted remembering how the king was in pain, "But we have to fix that first.”

He hoisted his arms up high, beckoning to the skies. He drew in an extensive breath, breathing through the gaps of his teeth he sounded like he was in the middle of a virile blizzard.

“I call to you great presence. Heed to my orison and grant me your unfathomable power! For we serve you, o great link, our path to...Tomasa!”

With the last word slipping through the cracks of his teeth along came a ghostly radiation. Drom was overcome by a sudden burst of vigor, his broken ribs searched for their severed parts and wound themselves together. His scissored knee reshaped and reverted, allowing him to bend his leg again. Within moments he was back to his old self again, perhaps better.

“Now, the link has chosen you to be one of the people who should witness the truth, just as he chose us.”

“Truth?!” Drom said, still confused as to what had happened. Moments ago he was in unbelievable pain and a moment after he felt like he could sprint up a hill without breaking a sweat.

“The great link has many things he wants to show you! But first, you must do as I instruct. Go to the dark bender, tell him you were sent by the commander. He will know what to do next.”

He stepped aside and cleared a way for the king to pass. Drom began his stride with the once broken left leg to make sure it was really healed. Putting all his weight over his leg he began his ascent up the flight of spiraling stairs. He halted and turned back to the figure.

“I may not know about your plans or intentions. I may not care what you do to me, break my bones, break my mind, break my spirit. Destroy my belongings… But if you lay a single finger on my family and my people… I will not rest until I have all your heads under my boot. And for the death of Hashi, his blood is solely on your hands. I will repay, a life for a life. I will hunt all of you to the ends of the earth, Anato Strider will be the first to fall under my sword, that is not a threat, it is a promise!”

The figure turned towards him, “... Farewell my king, and understand. His death was for a greater cause, and there cannot be peace without war, just as there cannot be love without hate.” a bright flash of light swallowed him and he vanished. Drom felt a cold surge charge him up. His veins filled up with vengeful blood, cracking his skin in dark networks germinating all over his body. For the sake of his kingdom, he had to ravel the feral side he tucked away inside him. The animal concocted from the dark aura he battled with every day caused by the Shai flowing through his body. For years he held back his fury, but now someone gave him a reason to release it. He had to bring out the worst in him.

ON THE HILLS OUTSIDE THE WALLS OF NORTH ANGUS

Standing at the peak of one of the hills poking out of the surface they eyed the dying lights of the city. Slowly the flickering lights died down, it was midnight, the villagers were shutting their windows, traders were blowing out their candles, the night sky informed them it was time to sleep.

Dakario stood beside his king. A few steps beside them stood the feminine figure, surrounded by eight other ladies armed to the teeth. The vurhanil king swiped at the buzzing flies aviating over the piece of stake he had in his hand. He hoisted it with both hands and sunk his rusty teeth into it, ripping off a hulky chunk. Jawing on the meat, he licked his lips cleaning off the blood.

“Midnight, it is time. Tell them to surround the walls.” the vurhanil king said, pointing a ragged bone towards Darakio.

“ Yes master,” Dakario said, turning to the thousands of vurhans loitering in the valley beneath. Dakario rolled down his eyelids and lowered his brows in concentration. All the vurhans simultaneously began dash into the forest leading towards the walls of Royal Republic. They spread across the field aiming to surround the walls. Their furious stomps echoed throughout the forest, sounding like a huge landslide. Their shrieks shook leaves off their branches and their feet dug out the solid underneath them as they ran. Further south a blaring yell of a battle horn sounded. The three turned their attention towards the sound and saw the army of undead knights trampling over the miniature hill, from afar they looked like dolls, but their torches flickered like fireflies and the fumes of burning oil reached the three from the other side.

“Sisters, be by my side as we walk into battle!” lady Melo addressed the eight warriors next to her. They all chanted back in unison, all in agreement to follow their mistress to the gates of death. As the last of the vurhans left behind their trail of puke and dust the vurhanil king, Dakario, Lady Melo and her band of female assassins made their way down the hill. To the south Kanchi Asobi, Ladzgery Tyndale and Jrue Deryleen also begun their descent, all heading for the gates of Royal Republic.

BACK IN THE CASTLE

“Are you sure about this Dai?”

“Look, I don't want this responsibility, I've never wanted it since the day I was born. This is my chance to get rid of all this crap and move on with my life. I'll be a normal human being, and you can have your precious kingdom to rule for your entire life without having to die by my hands. It's a win for us all!”

Drom looked back at those fiery eyes, finally, a chance to challenge fate and emerge victoriously.

"You understand that if you do this you will loose your power!"

"

I never wanted it. Don't you hear me I don't want this power, it's a curse I don't even know why you're calling it a power."

"Listen brother, a conflict is approaching our land as we speak. Fight by my side this once. Only this once and after that you can relinquish your Title in a more respectful way!"

Daito stared back at Drom, "Then do this with me first, and I will fight with you to the very end!"

"Without your power?"

"I won't loose my power right away! It'll take a while for my power to escape me, and before it does I will help you fight,"

"Who told you that..."

"The same people that told you to bring the Book and the dagger to me..."

There was brief moment of silence before any of them spoke. Drom swallowed bitterly the looked Daito dead into his pupils,

“Okay fine, but don't do this with any regrets,”

Daito run the blade through his palm, handing over the dagger to Drom who did the same, they both put their hands over the thirteenth page, as their blood blended and browsed across the book random letters popped up, the entire page was finally filled with peculiar writings.

“Can you read it?” Drom asked. Daito perused the page for a while, mastering the instructions.

“It says the covenant renewal spell needs the king’s blood directly from his heart, but the covenant-breaking spell needs both the blood of the king from his heart and… and the dark bender's blood, also from his heart.”

“That's crazy, that is totally insane. We are both going to die!”

“It says no one will die, soon after the seal is broken we will return to normal!”

“Yeah, but are you willing to risk that!”

“At this point, I'm willing to try anything Drom,”

“This is crazy! There are no take-backs, no second chances, and all for what?”

Dai raked the cover of the book and pulled out the dagger. Holding it firmly under his grip he clenched Drom’s arm when he began walking away.

“You're not going anywhere!”

“What's gotten into you?! Stop this!”

At the exact moment Harmel violently pushed open the doors, a monk from the Forgotten Temples of South Angus was beside him, panting his lungs out.

“DROM! It's URGENT!” Harmel shouted, taking a moment to cup his knees with his palms. The monk jumped in and carried on where Harmel left off.

“An army, thousands of soldiers, are outside the walls… they, they are ready to attack!!!”