The Elderkin Prophet

Chapter 11

The journey to the pass was long and rough. Uul and Ophinia had trekked all the way up the mountain slopes and had reached the last stretch of pathing before reaching the pass. They stood side by side overlooking the forest, the village and the bay. All the huts they had passed earlier in the village were now just tiny specs far out in the distance. They watched on as the sun had begun to fall slowly. A light fog had started to return near the base of the forest. Uul turns around and begins to make his way towards the pass, Ophinia followed behind closely along with Moogi who tread beside her.

“Tonight, Nebul shall rise; the sunken moon. We best make haste for we do not want to be caught out in the open when it rises.” Uul remarked.

“Froli shouldn’t be too far away now, once we cross the pass we should be able to sight the Tower of Hope. Our supplies dwindle, we should reach quickly indeed.” Ophinia replied.

“How do you know that Froli is so close to the pass?”

“I remember seeing it before leaving from Froli before. I could see the deep cut that ran between the pass. The sun rays shined through the pass and lined up on the tower, it was a sight to see. I hope we get to see it again once we cross.”

“Indeed.” Uul smiled. “I’m glad you noticed.”

Minutes later, the pair reached the opening to Kenyut pass. It’s tall walls opened a way to the other side. The path was so wide that an entire army could pass through it. The base of the pass was reinforced and reconstructed with smooth stone which was so old that deep cracks had formed along the wall. The pass cut a clean line through the entire mountain. Some chunks of rock on the upper sides of the walls gleamed as the sun reflected off of them. The mountain was a storehouse for marble and large veins of white and green marble peppered the pass. The pass was so high up that light layers of snow had settled over everything. Several stone tablets with inscriptions were seen built along both sides of the pass. It narrated a story of a battle long ago.

“These tablets speak of the first ever ravage if I am not wrong.” Ophinia mentioned.

“Yes, I have heard tales of how valiantly the gull and the human armies had held this pass. The broken travelled in large packs across the hollow plains during that night; there was no forest back then.”

“You mentioned human armies. I’ve never seen one in person, only representations of them from books and drawings.”

“Our races once upon a time lived in harmony side by side. Sharing every recource but soon, the humans became more and more greedy. They began to harness the world leaving behind only ruins. They became hateful towards the gull and would often treat them unfairly. This angered the gulls and a war had begun between the two races. The wars went on for years that was until, the broken showed up. They emerged out of nowhere and began to ruthlessly destroy and corrupt everything that came their way. Be it human or gull. They were far stronger than anything they had ever seen before.” Uul stops to drink some water. Ophinia pieces things together.

“This made both the races form the pact of Sshar.” She speaks with realization.

Uul continued. “The pact ended the war between the races as they united against their common foe not knowing the origin of it. For years they fought shoulder to shoulder against the broken even though they still resented one another. Froli was built as a citadel in which both humans and gull lived. This was all until the first ravage. It was the first time the broken attacked in a devastating force. They held the line at this pass. Once the broken were defeated, they vanished. Soon things worsened between the races and the pact was broken. After all the bloodshed, the gulls emerged victorious. The humans were banished from the land. So with their long ships they travelled east across the seas. They started elsewhere, a fresh start. Far away from the gull. Finally there was peace between the races but the broken had not left. The gulls have fended against the broken ever since.”

“I wonder how the world would be if the humans and gull still lived side by side.”

Uul grunts. “No, It would not end well. I despise humankind. I find them cruel, selfish and weak. Like parasites waiting to feed upon anything they find.”

“Isn’t that a bit harsh?” Ophinia reacted with a surprised face. “I never knew you disliked them so much. Why?”

“You will find out whenever you meet your first one.”

Soon the two near the end of the stretch. They continue to converse.

“Uul, what do you think about this key fragment Glunarg revealed to us?”

Uul looks the other way and back at Ophinia.

“I don’t know what to expect anymore. I am as lost as any other who hears of this news. I have spent almost all my life fighting the broken and now we are a step closer to finally ending it all.”

“I envy you sometimes.”

“And why is that?”

“Because you spent your life with a goal, you fought for something you believed in. Now you are close to finishing it. You fight with such courage and unyielding determination. I look up to you y’know. I on the other side of the coin am just an escapee mage. I don’t have any ambition of any sort or path I wish to follow. That is until now.”

“Until now? What do you mean?”

“Uul, I want to join you on the hunt for the fragments.”

Uul begins to hesitate. He did not want Ophinia to get involved in this mess because he did not want to risk her safety. He had planned to leave Ophinia under the care and guidance of Glunarg when he would leave for the hunt. He pauses in silence for a moment thinking of a way to answer the youngling.

“It is not safe. After we collect our coin from Mulnac, I need you to stay with Glunarg while I find the fragments.”

“NO! You can’t stop me. I started this quest with you and I wish to see it through completely.”

Uul sighs. The thought of what Glunarg told him before leaving crossed his mind.

“Fine, you may join me.”

“Thank you.” Ophinia imitates him appreciatively. Uul nods his head in annoyance.

“We’re almost through.” Said Uul

The two finish crossing the pass and now stand on the other end of the passage. A tall stone tower was the first thing they could see in  the distance. It sat in the centre of a large city that wrapped around it. The city sat on a large pedestal like platform in the centre where several large, deep cracks and ravines ran deep around it. There was little to none vegetation near the city because of the rifts but the footholds of the mountains surrounding the city had light bushy forests. The entire land was the result of a meteorite striking down at this location ages ago.

“Alas, back here we are. The crater city of Froli.” Ull seemed relieved.

Ophinia seemed awestruck. “It’s so much more breath-taking all the way from up here.”

“Yea! And we just made it in time too, before the sun has set. Come let’s reach the gates quickly.”

A few hours pass and it begins to become dark. Nebul had started to rise as it was barely visible in the sky. As the sky darkened, everything became darker and darker. The darkness of the night allowed the large crystal formations from deep inside the ravines to shine in the feint moonlight. The entire depression began to glow with several feint colours; white, blue, green and magenta. The light bounced of the high stone walls of the city. Soon Uul and Ophinia arrived at the drawbridge to the city, they could hear the sound of drumming from a distance. They made their way into the city.

Large red banners lay unfurled at the mouth of the city. It suggested a heavy presence of the Onxy Legion for the city was the headquarters of the organization. As the two passed the walls, they were greeted by winding mazes of small and big houses on either side. A long wide road pointed them straight towards the centre tower. The quiet and relaxing sounds of nature were now replaced by the noise of a booming busy city. The city was divided into two sections, the old city and the new. The old city was where most of the population resided while the new city was where all the work and trade was set up. There was another path that left the city from the opposite side, facing the free lands where almost all of the trade and travellers would come from.

“Put on your hood.” Uul ordered Ophinia. She obliged.

Many blooming gardens and beautiful fountains decorated the centre of the city. Froli was enjoying a period of golden age. There was a rich trade system of merchants who frequently visited the city with stock full caravans. The people were happy and loyal. Numerous new scientific advancements were achieved in the academy of knowledge. The Onxy Legion had charted large territories for future expansions.

Ull and Ophinia near the centre of the city.

“You want to know one more thing that separates us from humans?”

“Sure.”

“Humans have their pesky kings and queens who are corrupt and bleed the land of its beauty and natural order. We gulls follow a council system which dates back to centuries. Even the smallest of settlements or tribes have a council of village elders who decree upon a decision for the best outcome. They pass the final judgement and hold supreme jurisdiction. Only the most loved and respected of gulls are chosen to form the high council of Froli.”

“Hmm… That’s interesting. I did not care much about politics hence I was unaware.”

“I can understand if a lot of this is still new for you. I can only imagine how caged your life was in Ravenhold. I’m happy that you could escape from that hellhole.”

“That hellhole had a cause and purpose which is good but the way they managed it was evil and cruel. It was nightmarish.” Ophinia shrugs.

“Look there!”

Ophinia points towards a large gathering of people around a gigantic shrine at the base of the tower. It was a large shrine dedicated to Pagull, the shaper of worlds. Most gulls had their faith in Pagull and their religious customs revolved around the laws of life laid down by the god himself. Some gulls would also worship Minerva, the goddess of love and growth. While very few gulls believed in Harem, the fallen. Much of the events that happened between the gods have been lost into time but some stories still live on as myths and legends amongst the folk. These stories were often told to younglings and children in order to peak their interest in the gods.

As the people were gathered around the shrine, a band of travelling gull musicians were playing their instruments nearby. Each member had a unique instrument. A large wind instrument was also humming loudly in the background as its empowering sound resonated with the crowd. Uul takes a moment to worship his god while Ophinia waited behind a lamp post, away from the crowd.

 She did not believe in anything since she was never exposed to any such things as a child. All she knew was how to control and harness the endless void known as the Fold. She never really knew how she was tainted with the scarring effects of it. All she knew was that she had come in contact with some magical entity during her birth month which inflicted the scar onto her hands. The same story was told to all the other children who were abducted from their families. Ophinia was lucky enough to have the scars on her hands where she could hide them easily. Most others had scars all over their bodies and were deep and visible even through thickest of cloths. Few unlucky souls were inflicted with the diseased variant of the Fold which slowly spread all across their bodies, slowly consuming their life force and soul leaving only a husk of their former self behind. All the children were ruthlessly trained and subjugated to long hours of concentration and torture in order to control the effects of the fold and use it to reveal new discoveries. The original motive of the Ravenhold fortress was to find ways to combat the broken and find the Nightwell. All this was portrayed to the outside world but little did they know that their ambitions had changed and now they used the power of the fold to delve deeper into that dimension. Extreme concentration would often invoke chaotic beings into the world through rifts of time. These creatures arrived in form of monsters which were then captured and studied. Those who had connection to the fade were known as Kintari. Most common folk accused the Kintari gulls for their magic and outright blamed them to be the cause for the first appearance of the broken. This was of course, a myth. Ravenhold was built as a safe haven for the Kintari since the common folk began to mercilessly kill innocents who were affected by the fade because of this fear. The fade was more like a disease, a curse. Some considered it a gift. It often left an unending burning sensation where ever it spread on the skin. Ophinia always felt this burning sensation but had grown accustomed to the pain. Whenever she tried to use the energies of the fold, her hand would shake because of the searing pain. That’s why she would try to avoid using this form of magic since it could only be used at the cost of a sacrifice. That sacrifice was the energy source of its user. No other substitute for this sacrifice was discovered yet.

Shortly while Ophinia was lost in her thoughts, Uul returned back to her and together they began to press forward. Moogi was getting all riled up because he was scared of the loud sounds from the instruments. Ophinia tried her best to calm him down without anyone noticing. The two made their way towards a large building right of the tower. It was particularly decorated with banners and trophies. A group of soldiers greeted Uul near he enterance and escorted the two inside.

“I like how they respect you so much.” Ophinia remarked.

“Yea, I’m like a star hero to most of the new bloods.” Uul boasted with confidence.

He had earned the respect and favour of the Onxy legion because of his commitment to the cause and his heroic survival in the 8th ravage long ago. He was old and had already planned to retire. This was until he was requested by Mulnac to find out about the missing scouts. It was his last mission; he did not know that it would unfold into this but he was glad that he was a part of the current events.

As the two turn the corner, ready to meet with the captain; Uul requests Ophinia to wait for him.

“I need you to stay here and wait for me until I finish reporting to Mulnac.”

“Alright, I’ll wait by the stairwell.”

Uul makes his way to Mulnac who is standing up and resting his arms on a large table. There were several stitched pieces of maps bound together to form a larger one. There were a few other higher officers and an unfamiliar face seated beside him. Mulnac looks at Uul approaching and greets him warmly.

“Greetings, old friend. You’ve made it back just in time for the celebration.” Mulnac and Uul hug one another.

“I trust you bring me word of the scouts.” He continues.

Uul gives him a grim look, suggesting that the scouts did not make it. The other members present in the room become silent as well. Uul hints at Mulnac that he wanted to speak to him alone. Mulnac waves his hand at the officers who quickly take their leave. He walks towards the unfamiliar face and shakes his hands.

“I shall call for the council to decide on your plan. Meanwhile take some rest and enjoy the celebrations.” He says to the unfamiliar person who was dressed in formal eccentric robes.

He gets up and leaves the room without even acknowledging the captain. He wore a very snobby and unimpressed look on his face.

Mulnac turns to Uul and offers him a seat and a drink.

“Now… Tell me. What happened to my unit?”

Uul takes a deep breath and drinks from the cup.

He began to narrate the incidents in detail while obscuring the details about Ophinia.

“We reached the forest at early before dawn. We followed the trail deeper into the forest but had no sight of them.”

Uul pulls out the sigil from his backpack and places it on the table.

“We found this buried in the mud of an abandoned camp. We followed the trails onwards which lead us to a massacred body of one of the scouts. His insides were ripped open.”

Mulnac sighs. “I hope I did not send them to a senseless death.”

“Upon following the trail further we came across an open swamp field where we saw multiple dead bodies of scouts and a few broken which lay dead on the ground.”

“Broken? Are you sure?”

“Yes, there were three scouts further up ahead who were fighting a living broken one.”

“I don’t understand.” Mulnac says in disbelief

“I know what you must be thinking. Hear me out. We ran into battle and defeated the broken but it had taken the lives of two scouts already. I rescued Kin’uel but he too met an unfortunate death shortly after when more broken ones emerged from the forest behind us. Kin’eul gave up his life trying to protect us.”

Uul pauses and reveals the scroll and hands it to Mulnac who opens it immediately.

“He handed me this. His unit did indeed find the cave that was rumoured to be in the forest. Inside they found this scroll in one of the chambers. As soon as they recovered it, the broken pounced upon them, killing every single one.”

Mulnac remains silent for a brief moment to honour the scout’s valour.

“Is this some kind of map?”

“I don’t believe it myself but this is a map that leads to a fragment of some sort of key which when combined will point the way towards the Nightwell.”

“I… I cannot believe this. How can you be so sure?”

“I visited Glunarg before coming here; she deciphered the ancient text and revealed me this information. I came straight to you after.”

Mulnac looked at Uul in shock and disbelief.

“That is all of my report.”

“Uul, you know what this means right?”

“Yes I do and I am willing to continue the search for the fragment.”

Mulnac nods towards Uul. He looked extremely thankful.

“Listen, you and your friend should take some rest. After the celebrations I need your presence at the tower where the council will preside. We need to act on this immediately. The council will be eager to arrive at a decision on this matter.”

Uul agrees to the terms. Before he gets up to leave he asks on last question.

“Hey, who was that person who left before me? The one in the robes.”

“Oh… That ignorant prick? The fool is the high magister of Ravenhold. He came all the way here to make a deal with us. The mages will assist the Onxy Legion if we help them hunt down escapee mages and lend our forces to protect the mages during their false experiments. They think us to be fools? We fell for their lies once already, never again.”

Hearing this, Uul’s eyes widened immediately. His muscles tensed up and froze. The hair on the back of his neck stood up. He immediately got up and rushed towards Ophinia.

“Ruuney will show you to your quarters!” Mulnac yelled in the distance.

Uul panicked since he knew that if the magister were to find Ophinia he would capture her or even execute her right away. He turns the corner and sees Ophinia still standing near the stairwell. His gaze begins to scan the area for the magister. He was gone. He lets out a sigh.

Uul rushes to Ophinia and asks her.

“Did he see you?” He asks frantically.

“No, No don’t worry. When I saw him turn the corner I immediately turned around and looked the other way. Thankfully I had my hood and cloak still on.”

“OH! Thank Pagull… I feared what would happen if he would find you.”

“I know. What I don’t understand is that, why is he here of all places?”

“He came here to make some deal according to Mulnac. Come I’ll explain on the way.”

The two meet with Ruuney who escorts them to their quarters. Uul explains everything that happened to Ophinia on the way.

Once they enter the room, Uul talks to Ophinia.

“Take rest, it’s been a long and tiring day.”

“What about you? Where are you off to?”

Uul pulls out an old diary from his backpack.

“I will return shortly, I need to fulfil a dying gull’s last wish.”

Uul leaves to fulfil Kin’uel’s request.