Monsters

  Viktor Zólyomi:

  Rider of the Black Horse

  Part II: Monsters

  http://www.rideroftheblackhorse.co.uk

  Disclaimer: All names and occurrences in this story are entirely fictional. Any similarity with actual people or places is purely coincidental. Story, characters, and artwork concept (map and cover art) are copyright Dr. Viktor Zólyomi, 2011, all rights reserved. All graphics (map and cover art) are copyright Juliana O. S. Medeiros, 2011, all rights reserved. Kindle edition published in 2012.

  For my mentor Jeno and my beloved Juliana,

  and for the song Bring Me To Life

  1

  Contents

  Prologue

  Desperation

  Farewell

  Elven no more

  Belwor

  Guilt

  No tears for the fallen

  Retribution

  The hunter

  False revolution

  The prey

  Monsters

  Interrogation

  Army

  Welcome to Coldrock!

  Preparations

  Liberators

  Fading

  Duel

  The Commander's dilemma

  A piece of history

  World of fire

  Decision

  On the edge of chaos

  Deception

  Aftermath

  Showdown

  Coup de Grace

  Last ride

  He will rule in Hell...

  ...and destruction shall follow in his wake

  Epilogues

  Cast of characters

  Prologue

  Untamed land

  In the castle of Kurt Aurach, Kh'Tal, present day (2 years, 3 months, and 3 days before Twilightfall)

  It's been eight years since I've last been here. Eight long years since I've left Kh'Tal and returned to Arghard. I left so I could to do what I must. The one thing I have left to do in this life. Revenge. Retribution. Vengeance.

  But I have failed. He was an arm's reach away, but I failed to slay him. Uncovered and defeated in victory, I had no choice but to return here, to this beautifully dark world. And I had to bring others with me.

  Aaron, my dwarven companion, the infamous smuggler, has departed already. After we arrived and spoke with Kurt Aurach, he asked for some directions and promptly left. He wanted to go to the nearest town, and in it, to the nearest tavern. He no doubt wants to begin establishing himself as a merchant, and where better could a dwarf find new clients if not in a tavern?

  So, Aaron is already gone, but Flora chose to stay. She accepted Aurach's invitation to stay in one of the guest rooms. Her room is just as pleasant as my own, and Flora seems to like it. She also seems to like Aurach.

  `Our host seems like a nice man.' she says, looking out the window and observing the landscape. `I expected something different, after the things I heard.'

  `What did you hear?' I ask her.

  `That he is the great black magician who single handedly killed the Dragon Lords in the Great War. The terrible deathbringer who saved Ess'yer with his unholy powers, and who was later driven away by Councilor Jenathar, to keep Ess'yer safe from black magic.'

  `He is the one who defeated the Dragon Lords, yes. He is a black magician, yes. His power is untold, yes. But a terrible deathbringer he is not. That, is no more than Jenathar's lie...'

  `I never knew what to think of him. I was born long after the end of the Great War. I heard stories of how he had saved Ess'yer, but also heard other tales, and being an elf I understood how terrible black magic was. I heard how and why black magic had been banned. But I also heard tales of Councilor Jenathar. Tales that made me doubt his words.'

  `He is a liar, nothing more. He himself hoped to be a black magician long ago, but he has a deficiency. He cannot channel black magic energy.'

  `So, he is envious then.'

  `Yes. Envious, and hungry for power.'

  `Is that why you want to kill him?' she asks, turning towards me.

  `I want to kill him for what he did to me. What he did, he did out of lust for power. So, if you will, the answer is yes. I don't care for his reasons any more. Just for what he did, no longer for the why.'

  `You said you wanted to avenge your life. That you wanted to destroy that... demon.'

  `Th'Mesh. Yes.'

  `Can you possibly do that?'

  `There is a way. I will try. After Jenathar lies dead.'

  `There's nothing that could sway you from your path, is there?'

  `Nothing.'

  `I understand. You were there, with me, two years back. It was something I had to do. This is something you have to do.'

  `Yes.'

  She nods, and turns back to the window. In silence she stares outside, lost in her thoughts. What is she thinking? How does she feel? What does she think of what I did in Gatestown? I wonder...

  Suddenly she breaks the silence.

  `This world... Kh'Tal... I had heard much of it before. The forbidden world, the land of black magicians... It is such a strange place.'

  `It's not really the world of black magicians any more. Aurach's the only one here now.'

  `What of the many night elves that came here ages ago?'

  `They, too, abandoned black magic, just like the ones who stayed in Arghard.'

  `Why did they abandon it, do you know?'

  `No.'

  `A true mystery, isn't it? Knowing night elves, I'd never have expected them to abandon black magic... They never talk about it. Sometimes, I'd like to know the reason behind it. I guess it doesn't matter though. It's in the past.

  But this world... It is so strange. Is it true that it rains all day?'

  `Yes. From dawn till dusk, every day.'

  `Then how do the plants even survive? Without sunlight?.And... those trees down there seem to have blue leaves...'

  `They are blue.'

  `So strange... but so beautiful. I want to go outside, and explore. Take a look around.'

  `You should rest awhile, you've been through a lot.'

  `I'm alright, and I could use some fresh air.'

  `Alright. Let me get some things first, and we can go...'

  `I'd rather go alone, Jase. And you really need to rest.'

  `This is a dangerous world, Flora! You are a stranger here, you do not know what to look out for, what to avoid.'

  `Jase, I'm a hunter, I lived among the wild animals of the forests all my life. I've met dangerous beasts, including magical ones. I had to deal with the beasts of Envorryn so many times I couldn't count it even if I wanted to. I can take care of myself.'

  `Flora, this is a wild, untamed world, full of dangerous creatures in the wilderness. You have no idea what's out there...'

  She turns away from the window and looks at me.

  `I'll be careful, don't worry. Besides... That scoundrel of a dwarf left alone too, and you weren't so worried about his survival skills. If he can handle himself out there, so can I.'

  `Listen...'

  For a moment, I think of trying to reason with her more. But why? How? She was so hard-headed back in the time when we fought Gaxev's mercenaries. And in two years, elves change very little.

  With a sudden thought, I reach for the amulet around my neck.

  `Take this.' I tell her, handing her the amulet.

  `What is this?' she asks, as she examines it.

  `It will help you out there. It's called the Amulet of Darkness. If you touch that cube-shaped stone in the middle of it, and focus on it, a magical darkness will surround you. You alone will be able to see through that darkness. If you are ever surrounded by foes, use it, and you can use the confusion to flee under the cover of the magical darkness.'

  She eyes the stone curiousl
y for a while, then she slowly puts the amulet around her neck.

  `It feels so strange. I don't know what it is, but it makes me feel...'

  `Unease?'

  `Yes. Perhaps...'

  `Ignore it. You will get used to it. It is part of the amulet's nature, so to speak. It will not harm you.'

  `Where did you get this?'

  `I found it here, in this world.'

  `I should have guessed...' she says, smiling. `It fits to this world perfectly.'

  She then heads for the door, to take her little walk outside. From the door, she turns around.

  `Jase... Thanks for this... thing.' she says, pointing to the amulet.

  I nod, and she leaves.

  *

  After she left, I retired to my room to rest, but no sleep came over me. I just lay in my bed for hours, thinking. Eventually I realized how much time had passed without hearing her return, so I got out of bed and walked out to the balcony on the first floor. The balcony is situated just above the main entrance of the castle. From here, I should see her coming.

  I stand here looking towards the horizon and watching the main entryway from the corner of my eye. Hours pass but she does not come. Then finally, her figure appears.

  She seems to be moving slowly, stumbling. Then, just some ten feet from the main door, she suddenly collapses.

  `Flora!' I shout, but she doesn't respond. I rush down to get to her, as fast as I can. I pick her up, hold her in my arms. Her heart still beats, but slower than normal. She is unconscious. Upon a quick glance I see no wounds on her, no trace of blood, nothing. Suddenly I spot a pair of wounds on her neck. Puncture wounds.

  `She's been bitten...' I mutter to myself. Knowing what that means for her, I turn around and rush with her as fast as I can to Kurt Aurach's laboratory.

  She's an elf. To my knowledge, no elf has ever been able to survive the bite of a vampire...

  Desperation

  In the castle of Kurt Aurach, Kh'Tal, present day (2 years, 3 months, and 2 days before Twilightfall)

  `She will die, Jason...' the old magician tells me, after examining Flora's body.

  `No! There must be something to do! She cannot just die like this!'

  `Do you see the puncture wounds on her neck?' he asks, pointing his finger at the wound I'd already noticed when I found her at the gates.

  `Yes. Vampire bite.'

  `Indeed. And she's an elf. Elves cannot survive a vampire bite.'

  `There must be something to do!'

  He sighs deeply, and looks at Flora for a long time.

  `I have immense power over black magic. No spell I know, neither arcane, nor black magic, can help her. But all we've spoken of the nature of arcane magic long ago applies to black magic as well. A strong will and a large enough supply of black magic energy... can do many things that are not limited by spells.'

  Then he looks up at me and says:

  `I cannot promise you anything, but if you insist, I will try to use my powers over black magic to save her.'

  `Please do!' I tell him.

  `You must know, that there is great risk. It could kill her in great agony, or condemn her to a fate worse than death. To even attempt this seems like an act of desperation to me, and desperation is rarely a source of sound advice. Are you certain you want me to do it, now that you're aware of what risk it involves?'

  As he tells me that, I look down at Flora's face. I stare at her, then look up at Aurach again.

  `Please try. She must not die like this!'

  `Very well. Wait outside. I must do this alone.'

  *

  Hours pass as I wait outside his laboratory. Every minute, every second seems like an eternity. All I can do is wait and do nothing, filled with worry and regret, feeling helpless. Now, after all that time, the door finally opens. No-one comes out, so I step inside.

  Kurt Aurach is standing at the end of the laboratory, in front of the largest pentagram painted on the floor. Inside the pentagram, Flora is floating several feet above the ground, as if she was laying in mid air.

  `I've done all I could do for her.' says the old mage.

  `Is she alive?' I ask slowly.

  `I... do not know how to answer that question. Is she dead? No. Is she alive? I do not know, to be honest.'

  `If she is not dead, then she is alive.'

  `That is not necessarily true, Jason. Have you ever met zombies, or skeletons?'

  `Skeletons, I think I've seen before. Zombies, no.' I tell him, slowly, trying hard not to let my frustration be seen on my face. I do not like the direction in which he is steering the conversation.

  `They are undead creatures. The name obviously fits. They died, and were brought back into an existence which is somewhere between life and death. They do not live, but nor are they dead. They are mindless creatures, bearing no soul, living on instinct, or following orders of powerful mages or beings. Yet, there are other creatures like them, who are, shall we say, more alive. Liches, and some powerful skeleton warriors, bear a soul. They are alive in a certain sense, but their bodies are still as unliving as those of mere skeletons and zombies. Hence, it is easy to accept that they, too, are commonly called undead.

  But there are yet other creatures commonly classified as undead who are, arguably, something entirely different. Vampires are referred to as undead, but their bodies are somehow alive. Their flesh does not rot, their bones do not crumble, they require no magic to sustain them. They are completely different from zombies and skeletons in this sense. So why call them undead?

  Yet, there is a certain truth to the term in their case as well. For their bodies undergo a transformation which involves the slow death of their body. As their body dies, it transforms into something new, something that lives again, only it requires a different form of sustenance than before.

  Vampirism is a strange disease that kills the body, and then brings it to life in a new form. If we classify undead simply as creatures that once died and were somehow brought back from death, then we may call vampires undead. But is undeath so simple to classify? That is difficult to answer.'

  `Are you saying she's a vampire now?'

  He nods slowly.

  `Yes, I'm afraid so.'

  `How? How can that be? Elves cannot become vampires, the bite kills them as far as I know. That's what you said, too.'

  `It's true. No elf has ever survived the bite of a vampire. But you see, the reason behind that lies in the nature of vampirism as a disease, and the frailty of the elven body. The disease kills the body and then converts it and brings it back into a new form of existence. It cannot do so if the body dies too fast. The frail elven body cannot withstand the transformation. It dies too quickly. That is why elves die before they could be reborn as vampires.'

  `Then how...?'

  `I tried all I could to purge the disease from her. All my power was not enough to do so. It was far, far too late. As I realized that, I knew that all I could do was empower her body. I had to give her a vitality never before seen in an elven body, so that she could survive the transformation. I hoped to somehow reverse the process once the disease revitalized her body, but I had to realize that there is no reversing it. Even the power of a thousand black magicians wouldn't have been enough for that...'

  I look at her, observe her face. Her skin, her hair. She looks so alive...

  `She doesn't seem like a vampire.'

  `The transformation is not yet complete. It has reached the stage where her condition is stable. It will take at least a day until she fully becomes a vampire. Her skin will turn pale, her hair will darken, and her body will become immensely strong. But I do not know how she will react when she understands what is happening to her... I know that elves have always looked at vampires as loathsome monsters...'

  `She deserves a chance to live, if only like this. She would have just died meaninglessly otherwise. You saved her. I thank you.' I tell him, still looking at Flora.

  `I do not know if I saved her, or doomed her.
I hope time will prove the former, and not the latter...'

  Farewell

  In the castle of Kurt Aurach, Kh'Tal, present day (2 years, 3 months, and 1 day before Twilightfall)

  The ominous words of the old magician resounded in my ears for hours, and they still do. Was she damned now? I do not know. I do know that he was right about one thing: elves despise vampirism in all forms. I know not how she will react when she awakens and realizes what happened to her, but I fear she will not take it well.

  After Aurach saved her from dying, I took her to her room, and laid her in her bed. I've been waiting outside her room ever since, staring out the window at the end of the corridor. It is around nightfall, the storm ended not long ago.

  Suddenly I hear her scream. A scream of shock, of fear...

  I knock on her door.

  `Flora! May I enter?'

  She does not respond. I slowly open the door and step inside.

  She is sitting on her bed, covered by a thin blanket. She stares blankly in front of herself. I sit beside her.

  `Are you alright?'

  She does not respond. I wave my hand in front of her eyes, but her eyes do not react. Then I touch her shoulder. She startles.

  `Are you alright?' I ask again.

  She now stares at me with a confused look on her face.

  `Jason? Did you die, too?'

  `We are not dead, Flora.'

  `Really?' she asks, with a sharp edge in her voice.

  `Do you remember what happened to you?'

  `I remember... a fight. I fought them. I killed one of them, I think. There were too many of them. I used your amulet to flee. I remember seeing you up in the window... and then nothing.'

  `Do you recall what you were fighting?'

  `I... I'm not sure. Humanoid creatures, but they were fast and strong.'

  `Do you remember their faces? Their teeth?'

  `Teeth... Yes... Like fangs.'

  `Vampires.'

  `Vampires?' she asks, surprised. Then she seems to remember something more.

  `They bit me. Right here.' she says, touching her neck. But there is no wound left. `Or did they?'

  `They did.' I tell her. She nods.