Pt. X: Plague and Cure
by Vipers ©
This story
was split into 12 parts. Jump to any of the segments from here:
1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|10|11|12
Note: This story
was originally submitted as one long story
and it was only broken into 12 parts for faster page loading.
"Atrus... That's so good..."
He didn't answer, but his quickening pace was enough for her. His thrust was firm yet gentle. She lifted her hips slightly to encourage him. Her prayer was answered when Atrus slammed his member deeper inside her vagina. He had never been so deep before. The thought of having him so deep inside of her excited her even more. She moaned in ecstasy as her peak was approaching.
Then he stopped. She looked at him. His gaze was different. He was smirking.
"Atrus... what's wrong...?"
He didn't answer nor move.
"Atrus...? Please don't stop..."
Still no answer...
"Atrus! Keep on going!"
He just stayed over her, keeping his evil smile. His member turned cold inside of her. She was frustrated now, both from his rude behavior and her unsatisfied passion. She began to move and wiggle her hips, enjoying whatever sensation the cold member could give her.
You're a slut!
The loud voice echoed inside her head. Her mind screamed instantly, causing extreme guilt to flood into her brain. Adding to her horror, the image of Atrus vanished instantly, replaced by complete darkness.
You're a slut!
"Who are you?!" Anna cried.
You're a slut!
She cried while clutching her head. The voice echoed in her head, shaking her will and shattering her soul. The pain was incredible that she wished she would rather die than endure it. Yet it wasn't over yet. Death was not her option.
And she was left once again, alone, crying in the darkness.
Roberto, the prince and heir to the throne of Aragon, ran like crazy along the hallway.
He was furious. His associates didn't do their job really well while he and Captain Hawk weren't here. The troop training had been a mess while they're gone. Now Hawk had been drilling the troops himself, preparing them for the upcoming battle. More reinforcement from the north wouldn't come in three days. With the current situation, Aragon wouldn't hold very long against the undead army. If Aragon fell the demons would have easy access to conquer the rest of the land. Their only hope lay on the reinforcements from other race. It had been two days, yet he hadn't heard anything from them.
He entered the castle courtyard and found Captain Hawk barking orders at the soldiers. Hawk spotted him and ordered the rest of the trainers to resume the drill. He approached the prince and frowned.
"Not good?" he guessed.
"Very bad." Roberto answered. "The troops won't come in three days. We're completely defenseless right now. My father has bestowed full control of Aragon military forces in my hand, but if this is all we have, we won't last for long."
"The troops are basically ready." Hawk said. "The only thing missing here is morale. They are elite troops, but inexperienced. They've spent most of their lives hunting down robbers and pickpockets. Facing a legion of undead armies would definitely be a dreadful experience."
"I've send words to the officials at Blackwell. They are mounting militia defense around Castle Stoke." Roberto sighed. "More innocent people would be killed. The more those demons could kill, the stronger they would be."
"I think I'll go there and check." Hawk suddenly said. "We need to spy on them. I'll have the squires prepare my horse..."
"Wait for me!!"
For the first time, the two knights were happy to hear that voice again. Holgreb the Dwarf entered the castle courtyard from the entrance. He was different. Instead of wearing his old leather suit he had worn during years of his barbaric profession, he now wore a shiny silver chain mail armor with a large blue Dwarven royal crest on the chest. His old rusted battle-axe was also gone, replaced by a large majestic steel axe, probably made by the best smith in the castle foundry.
"Wow..." Hawk muttered.
"Quite impressive, eh?" The Dwarf knocked the chain armor, producing a solid clanking sound. "King Parson's personal gift. Not a bad deal. From the most wanted criminal to a royal hero."
"Wow..." Roberto imitated.
"Quite an improvement indeed..." Hawk nodded.
"How did you get here?" Roberto asked.
"King Parson sent a herald for the Elves at Elom. I hitched a ride here."
"And how is it going?"
"The troops are ready and on their way." Holgreb answered. "They should be here by tomorrow, I suppose. The king sent three detachments of his hand-picked foot soldiers."
"Thanks, we're going to need them..."
The Dwarf turned to Hawk. "You said you're going to spy on the zombies?"
"Yeah. It won't take long..."
"I'm going with you. You might need a backup. I can recall my experience when I killed the entire army of skeletons with Jesse the..."
"Er... sure, tell me that later... but we'd better get going..." Hawk said quickly.
"Alert!! We have a dragon!!" One soldier screamed.
A dragon?! Here?! It has to be...
"Don't shoot!!" Roberto barked. "All archers, don't shoot!!"
Hawk had already run halfway through the courtyard for a better view and was delighted to see the golden spot in the sky. "It's him! Agar is here!"
The golden dragon flew gracefully in the sky and approached the castle courtyard, momentarily interrupting the training. Soldiers gathered around the courtyard, fighting for a clear look at the monster. Agar landed on the ground before Captain Hawk and bowed. Aurelia popped out from his back and jumped down before the captain.
"Greetings, Captain Hawk. I hope I'm not too late." She smiled.
"No... not at all... in fact we're loo..."
The Elf wrapped her arm around him and planted a full kiss on his lips. The entire soldiers in the courtyard gasped at the sight. Hawk quickly broke the kiss.
"Er... Princess Aurelia... uh... You're not supposed to do that..."
"Why?!" She protested. "I just miss you!"
"After one day?!" Hawk shot back. "Look... We Humans don't just kiss in the public..."
"Oh, don't tell me it's just another Human rules and regulations..."
"Uh... people...?" Roberto said. "We currently have a problem here..."
"How's the reinforcement?" Hawk asked.
"It's coming. On time, hopefully." The Elf answered.
"I'm going to spy on the enemies. Care to join?"
"Sure. We can use Agar."
"Be careful, guys." Roberto said. "All you have to do is peek in and get out. Got it?"
"No battle?" Holgreb asked.
"No!"
"Boring... Honestly, I can slay them all, just like in that old mine when we..."
"Let's get moving, shall we?" Hawk hopped onto the dragon's back and helped Aurelia. "Holgreb, you're coming or not?!"
The Dwarf, still grumbling, hastily climbed the golden dragon and soon the monster lifted off and flew toward the southern sky. Roberto watched the fading dragon for a while before turning to stare at the soldiers, finding them all staring at the same thing.
"What are you looking at?! Hit something! Stab something! Practice, or we're DOOMED!!"
Atrus knelt before the small room that was supposed to be their 'throne room'. The room was basically the main chapel of the new Temple of the Magi decorated with long wooden benches and a small stone altar. The temple itself was built on a small hill at the edge of the peninsula, with the view of the Northern Ocean around it. It definitely was not a perfect place for a main temple, for the frequent storm around the ocean provided poor environment for a quiet sanctuary. Even the oldest lighthouse in Northern Aragon was a better place.
This isn't going to be easy...
The wizards around him hadn't hurt him, or at least not yet. They let him keep his equipment intact. They even let him keep his sword. This was an excellent warning, however, since now he knew that if he drew the sword, he would be toasted before he could use it.
Another man entered the room. Atrus had learned that all mages were basically the same. They consisted of all four high races in the land, but all wore long robes and high collars and held a wooden staff with at least one fake gem. They all looked like street magicians, only far more dangerous.
"Sir Atrus White Lion, the Royal Knight of Aragon, the Prophet of the Guardian, and the greatest demon slayer of the realm." The man spoke up. His cloak was lowered, revealing a middle-aged man staring sharply at him. "So young yet so experienced... too bad you're just a lesser being..."
Atrus clinched. He had heard how the mages referred to the races outside their community as 'lesser beings', just because of their lesser involvement in the world of magic. It was their way to insult other races for expelling them from the rest of the continent. His fear returned. If he said one wrong word, the entire mission would be jeopardized. Only if Anna is here...
He decided to stay quiet.
"Nothing to say, hmm?" The mage chuckled. "Very unlike other lesser beings you are. Very good, because I usually fry those who start lecturing me about our standards and principles."
No questions asked yet. Atrus remained silent.
"We wizards are very highly civilized people. We do welcome other lesser beings as... a decorative yet inessential addition to the realm. But, you know... there are times when the lesser beings' annoyance level... presumably fueled by their stupidity... surpassed our patience level. Those are the times when... accidents... happen."
Silence.
"Fine!!" The wizard roared, then sat on his chair. "What do you want?!"
Atrus met his gaze. "I have come to offer you peace and propose an alliance against..."
"An alliance?!!" The wizard laughed so hard that some part of the old ceiling rocked slightly. "Listen to that, boys! The lesser beings want an alliance!"
The small room was filled with laughter. Human, Elven, and Dwarven laughter was joined together, creating a bad mix. Atrus was not in the mood to join them. Instead, he remained calm and silent.
"Now I don't know what's wrong with you, little boy, but have you read your own history?" The wizard asked Atrus. "For two hundred years since the completion of the Great Temple of Magi, we, the greater beings of the realm, has been reduced into the scapegoat of the realm! For many years, with our great power we sustained the life and death of this universe!" His hand stretched out and showed the entire small room. "And now, see what you have done in return."
Silence.
"We aided you with our magic. We supplied you with endless tools for your welfare. We blessed the living and prayed for the dead!" The wizard stared into Atrus' eyes. "And in return, you attacked our temple, burned it to the ground, massacred our brothers and banished us from the main continent. Quite ironic, really, but true."
Silence.
"I have enough of this!!" The wizard roared again. "You will be sorry to ignore my words, young man! Who do you think I am?!"
"A pathetic madman." Atrus answered.
Suddenly the room was filled with a dozen angry wizards each holding a fireball on their palms. "You take it back, buster!" The wizard threatened.
"Why should I if I'm also telling the truth?" Atrus said calmly.
"Any last wish, lesser being?!" One Elven mage hissed behind him.
"Nothing..." Atrus shrugged. "Just a regret that the greatest beings in the realm have really been reduced into the most barbaric tribe who could only pride themselves in the realm of the past."
Several wizards were ready to throw their missiles, but the one before Atrus, who seemed to be their leaders, raised his hand. "Very well... now let's hear your reasoning, that is, if you have one."
"I'm aware of your current stance to the rest of the races in the realm. I'm also aware that we have done many terrible things in the past. But a greater threat is coming right now. If the demons are not stopped, the entire realm will fall."
"Are you saying that we're incapable of handling this matter?" The lead wizard asked.
"Frankly, what I'm saying is that you'll be foolish to handle this matter yourself!"
The wizard seemed to burn in anger right now, but somehow he managed to refrain it. "I'm expecting a valid reason for that, young man!"
"The undead army is currently attacking the south part of Aragon." Atrus said. "If they succeed, they will have clear access to attack all nearby regions, the Elves', the Dwarves', and eventually, yours. The allied army of the Humans, the Dwarves, and the Elves will gather together and try to hold them back for the moment, but we need your help to defeat them."
"You need our help?" The wizard sneered. "Let me tell you something, kid. The wound from the past is very hard to heal!"
"Yet if you indulge yourself to the past, then no improvement could be made." Atrus countered. "I cannot change the history, and I can only apologize on behalf of other races for what they have done to you in the past. But now things are different. Now, for the sake of our children, we need your help. The past will not come again. The future will."
The room was totally silent for a while, except for the sound of the vigorous wind from the sea blowing through the roofs. Atrus sighed. He had sent his message. If they received it as it is, he might have the chance to succeed. If they didn't, he really doubted he could make it back alive.
Then the head wizard exploded in laughter. "I have to say, wisdom is a rare thing in the head of the lesser beings! Lord Guardian has indeed kept you well under His wings!"
"Wisdom is in everybody's heart." Atrus said calmly. "We only need to set it free."
The environment was a bit warmer for the wizards had ceased their hostility, at least for now. "All right, young man, you've impressed me with your wisdom. You're what Lord Guardian has told me."
"You've talked to him?" Atrus asked.
"Of course... in my dream." The wizard smiled. "My name is Calem. I am one of the Warriors of the Guardian, the man you seek. I also hold one of the prophecies."
"May I know what it is?"
"In my dream I see a lone island, surrounded by storm, covered with dust and topped with snow. And standing in the middle of the land was a small greenish gem. It was so small in the middle of the continent, yet it radiated a faint yet powerful wave of life... I don't know how I could come to that conclusion, but we wizards could feel what you less... uh... normal beings couldn't feel."
Atrus thought for a while. Holgreb's prophecy had been fulfilled. Aurelia's prophecy about undead army was coming. Both Lynn's and Calem's dreams were still puzzling. Anna was the best when it came to deciphering dreams. How he missed her...
"So are you going to help us?" Atrus finally asked.
Calem smiled. "You've told me, but you haven't convinced me."
"What should I do to convince you?"
"Leave us!" And the wizards around him left the chapel.
(next)
This story
was split into 12 parts. Jump to any of the segments from here:
1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|10|11|12
Note: This story
was originally submitted as one long story
and it was only broken into 12 parts for faster page loading.