Greetings All
I am back from a small break. Thanks @zakludick for holding down the fort while I was gone. I wrote a little more than what I wanted to, but I really wanted to paint a picture of what Mortis is going through.
Be sure to read Part 82 before starting here or you might be a little confused. I hope you all enjoy!
“Magna. Adiran.” Interrupted Mortis as he came to stand between the twins.
“Yes?” the twins answered in unison.
The knight cupped each twin’s head and drew them to his as he knelt. This was an act he had always done with his nephew when he had been forced to ride out into battle. He wanted to show affection without overly doing so. He said nothing else as he got to his feet. He didn’t need to. Magna understood. Adrian didn’t, but he had a small smile on his face.
He nodded his head once at them and then turned to repeat the gesture with Adiran. The man hadn’t expected it, and almost tried to pull away from the revenant, but Mortis didn’t let him.
“You are of my line.” Whispered Mortis. “Time is immaterial. Remember that.”
Without another word, the knight stepped from the room. If there were Blaze knights within the castle, he needed to deal with them. He knew how he would deal with them, but he didn’t know how they would deal with him. He was an unknown.
Ignoring servants and soldiers swarming around him, he marched to where he sensed the strength of the new foe. This wasn’t any foe he had been forced to face, either in life or death. These were knights charged with keeping the church in line. A church that had gained too much power and thought that it had the right to decide who was evil and who wasn’t. The very church that had forced Mortis to slay his sister to lift a “curse” laid on their land.
“No more.” Whispered the knight as he strode with purpose. “I won’t let this get corrupted too.”
Soon the corridors of the castle became less crowded with servants and soldiers and more with what remained of the priests. Some were dead, others lay chained in place with some form of magic. Their wild eyes told Mortis all he needed to know. There were several people within the castle already making their sweep of the corruption.
“Halt!”
Mortis faced a person clad in white and gold armour and he frowned heavily. This was what his brainchild had been reduced to. Flashy armour? The soldier’s eyes grew wide when he saw Mortis looking back at him. He tried to ready a spell, but before he could utter anything, Mortis was upon him.
The revenant gripped his arm tightly and stared at the man, trying to determine what he should say when the man headbutted him. The gold armour, blessed with holy fire, would normally cut through the likes of Mortis, but it did nothing but irritate the knight.
“Get me your cleric. Now!” he roared.
He released the terrified human, who spent a few seconds trying to find his feet before he ran for his life, dropping all his weapons. Mortis snorted and bent down to pick up the white gold-trimmed long sword.
“You were meant to control the church, not become one yourself.” He growled.
He continued after where the man had run and soon he found himself in a side courtyard where several ranks of gold-clad warriors stood with their backs to him. They were yet to notice him, as they were staring up at a large, dark-skinned man issuing orders while standing on an overturned barrel. He was animatedly giving directions until his view fell upon Mortis staring up at him. The hushed silence fell on him, and so the ranks of men started shifting uncomfortably.
“Well, well.” The man’s booming voice echoed once more, “Seems the life drinker was speaking some truth. I haven’t seen a revenant in decades!”
Mortis made to take a step forward but found a crossbow bolt buried at his where he was intending to put his foot. He looked to his right and saw a set of crossbows aimed at his head.
“The next two go through your eyes.” Warned the woman.
No one moved, no one even dared breathe, but Mortis was in a rush. He needed to sway the Blaze Knights, or the kingdom would fall. He slowly raised the sword in his hand and pressed the flat of the blade across his forehead before sinking the blade into the stone before him.
“Cleric, now!”
Those gathered before him didn’t take kindly to his demand and he heard the rasp of several blades being drawn. The woman looked shocked and lowered her weapons, while the large man laughed and jumped from the barrel.
“Alright undead, I see your challenge…”
“No, not you.” Interrupted Mortis, “I would speak with your cleric.”
“And how would you know I’m not a cleric?”
“You don’t bare the right flames, pup.”
That took the wind out of the warrior’s sails, and he looked over to where the woman was once more raising her crossbows.
“Have you fallen as far as the church as not to answer my summons!” yelled Mortis to the courtyard.
The colour drained from those gathered and they looked around nervously. Normally, they would attack a creature like the one before them, but it had laid a sacred blade upon its forehead, marking it as one of them and untainted. Not even their leaders were making a move to banish the undead thing before them.
“You were charged with preventing the church from ever terrorizing a nation again with made-up systems deeming people evil or not, but all I see is a sect of bullying knights that slaughter without discrimination. This is not what you were meant to be!”
“And pray what is it we were meant to be?” came a new voice behind Mortis.
He didn’t need to turn to know he had finally found the cleric.
Mortis raised his hand above his head and allowed a blue magic flame to spring to it. The flame danced upon his palm before it stretched like a ribbon to circle down his arm. When it reached his neck, it blazed into a white flame for a second before disappearing.
“I see.”
The man, ablaze with blue and yellow flames, stepped from behind the corridor where Mortis had first been walking. One hand held his rapier steady while the other stroked his moustache and goatee. He circled the revenant a few times looking him up and down, yet he never raised his weapon. Mortis followed him with his eyes but refused to move. The other soldiers were growing more nervous, and when one raised a crossbow, Mortis thought he would finally be shot. However, the blazing man swung his rapier to point at the soldier, “Lower that, now! He has asked to parley.”
“Robert…” started the woman.
The rapier was then pointed to her, and she instantly fell silent. The rapier’s point then found itself being pointed to Mortis’ forehead. The revenant bowed his head so that his forehead rested against the point. The man Robert muttered an incantation, but nothing happened. Even he seemed a little shocked at that and he stepped back with a look of surprise on his face.
“Do you see my intent?” demanded Mortis.
“It would see that texts were translated a little too loosely.” Robert sheathed his blade, “Your Majesty.”
He bowed his head before the courtyard exploded with a cacophony of noise. He only had to turn his head for everyone to resume their silence. He turned back to Mortis and said, “You have to die.”
“That is within your teachings, but before you end my existence, if you even can, there is an army of the undead on the other side of the castle.”
“That is hardly your biggest problem. The sacrifice is still being made.”
“Sacrifice? What sacrifice?”
“This church believes that if they sacrificed the prince then they would be saved by their saviour. Again, texts are too literal for what was going to happen.”
“But the prince has been saved.”
“And what about the one who was being used to keep him alive?”
The realisation hit Mortis, and he almost turned to run back to where the twins were.
“I’m afraid I can’t let you go now.” Said Robert, “While you may not be my enemy at this moment, your soul is bound to the curse that brought us here. It will need to be cleansed.”
Where we go from here is completely up to Zak. Or he may decide that he wants to continue with some other characters. We have plenty of things happening at the same time, so keep tuned!
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Mortis Custos Parts
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