Chapter 117: The First Disagreement
The northern region of Eldoris had been quiet since the attack on the east road.
Too many people had heard the tales of the corrupted forest with the blackened trees, the dead animals, and the sickly corruption that plagued the woods. The rumors spread faster than any council could handle and those who had not seen the dark markings on the roads knew something was happening in Varkesh.
And so when a lone warrior from Varkesh came to Eldoris from the north that morning, people took notice.
The tall and bulky man wore black leather armor with his back covered by a heavy axe. A strip of dark material with the sigil of Varkesh’s red crystal was wrapped around his arm. Two warriors of Eldoris followed him inside the city. The man was not pleased with what he saw. He looked around at the bustling street, the market stalls, the goblins hauling materials, the moonhares picking through the bundles of herbs, and the kobolds tossing the crates of goods from one pile to the other.
He spat on the floor.
"We were told these woods belonged to the monsters."
One of the warriors gripped his spear tighter. "They do." The man let out a low laugh. "Then why are there humans walking free?" A few people in the market paused at the mention. Some Velmoran travelers that had been leaning against one of the stalls turned to look. The warrior of Varkesh took notice and smiled.
"There they are."
One of the Velmoran men stepped forward. He wore the insignia of blue and silver, and had a short sword at his waist. "Watch what you say.".The warrior of Varkesh turned to face him. "You are in Eldoris."
"So are you."
The man came closer. "I’m here because my king has matters to discuss in this land."
The Velmoran man did not move. "As are we, under the protection of the diplomatic laws." There was a ripple of murmurs throughout the market. The warrior of Varkesh narrowed his eyes.
"Protection?"
Another laugh escaped the man. "You think your little kingdom can save you?" The Velmoran man’s hand hovered over the hilt of his sword. "We don’t have to be big to have laws."
"Varkesh has only one law." The warrior of Varkesh came closer. "Strength."
Perhaps the arguments would have stopped if the warrior of Varkesh had simply left.
He didn’t. He shoved the Velmoran man backwards and the traveler instinctively drew his weapon. The warriors of Eldoris pushed between them. "Enough!" The warrior of Varkesh turned to his axe but the market erupted as merchants pushed their wares back, goblins pulled the crates away, and moonhares ran to the sides of the street. "Lower your weapon!" one of the warriors shouted. The Velmoran man held his blade high. "He attacked me!" "He’s a warrior of Varkesh!" someone shouted from the middle of the market. "They’ve been corrupting the forest!"
The warrior of Varkesh turned at the words and his face twisted in anger. "Be careful of what you say." A second Velmoran warrior came up from the road. "What happened?"
Before anyone could answer, the warrior of Varkesh swung his axe down towards a Varkesh soldier. The Velmoran soldier dodged and rammed the Varkesh warrior. They both crashed into a pile of supplies of a merchant. The merchant barely had time to leap back as the wooden boards of his display shattered under the impact.
The warrior of Varkesh pulled himself off the pile and grabbed the Velmoran soldier by the throat. The soldier drove his blade into the warrior’s body. For a long moment, no one moved. Then the warrior of Varkesh released him and fell to the ground. The Velmoran soldier reeled back in horror at the sight of the blood on his weapon. The dying man of Varkesh stared at him. "You..."
He fainted. The Velmoran soldier took a step forward. Then another. And then he too collapsed. The market fell silent. Two bodies littered the street; one was Varkesh’s, the other Velmoran’s. Tanaka arrived within minutes. Sora walked behind him in the form of a slime. Karesh and Seris were already there. Tanaka looked at the two fallen men and steeled his thoughts. "What happened?"
Karesh stepped forward. "The Velmoran soldier killed a warrior of Varkesh." Seris turned to face him. "After your comrade attacked him."
"He provoked him."
"Your comrade entered the city and threatened the people." Seris said coldly. "Our soldier defended himself."
Karesh growled. Seris stepped forward. "So did ours." Karesh narrowed his eyes. "Monsters help monsters." The market fell silent once more. Karesh continued. "Varkesh does not abandon his own because humans tell him to." Karesh continued. "The fallen comrade belonged to me." Seris’ eyes darkened. "And Velmoran does not kneel because monsters tell them to." She pointed to the road. "We came here under the protection of Eldoris’ diplomacy. The people of this land have allowed us safe passage. Varkesh’s envoy resides in this city for days, yet you presume to enter the city, attack of our own, and kill one of yours and expect Lord Tanaka to overlook this?"
The words made Karesh’ voice drop. "Your nation is but a small country." Seris did not move. "Small doesn’t mean weak." Her voice echoed through the market. "And certainly not obedient." Karesh came closer. "Don’t make this a threat."
"It already became one the moment your comrade drew his weapon."
Tanaka raised a hand and silenced them both. "Enough." His voice was quiet but it seemed to carry through the market. Tanaka looked at the bodies. "Tell me what happened." The warriors of Eldoris described the events. Tanaka listened. When they were done, Karesh spoke first. "The Varkesh warrior provoked the Velmoran soldier. He should not have fallen."
Seris, however, responded immediately. "The Velmoran soldier defended himself after being attacked. He should not have fallen either." Karesh turned to Tanaka. "Your Majesty, Varkesh expects you to acknowledge that monsters protect monsters." Seris turned to look at him from the other side. "And Velmoran expects you to acknowledge the laws of diplomacy. We came to you in peace. We will continue to do so as long as you allow it. If Varkesh believes us to be small enough to be swallowed, they are mistaken."
Tanaka remained silent for a long time.
Finally, he looked at Karesh. "You want me to agree that Varkesh was wronged." Karesh nodded. Tanaka looked at Seris. "And you want me to agree that Velmoran was wronged." Seris nodded. Tanaka looked at the two bodies again. "I will not decide because of what you tell me." Karesh’ face twisted. "Then you refuse to be a true monster and support other monsters." Seris’ expression darkened. "And if he refuses to uphold diplomacy, what protection do we have?"
Tanaka looked at them both. "Because you both stand in Eldoris." The words were enough to silence them. "I will not allow either one of you to turn this city into a battleground." Before either could speak, a sharp screech echoed from the northern walls. The Mana Bird shot through the sky and landed on the tower overlooking the road. Zephyr’s voice echoed through Telepathy. "Lord Tanaka." Tanaka’s attention snapped to the bird. "What is it?" "There is movement in the northern woods. Something has happened in the camp of Varkesh." Tanaka narrowed his eyes. "Anything else?" "The corruption has spread." That was all Zephyr had to say. Tanaka looked northward. Beyond the walls, Varkesh searched for something. And now two nations were at each other’s throats because of it.
Far beyond Eldoris, in the deep forest near the hidden chamber, the surviving members of Varkesh’s scouting party stopped running. The chamber was now a death trap. The mages who had opened the ancient core were no longer among the living. Their corpses littered the ancient stones of the chamber, completely drained of mana. And something else had awoken from the opened core. It no longer looked like a crystal. It looked like a storm of shadows. A mass of some kind of corruption hovered above the broken platform, rippling like smoke, and taking the form of a vaguely humanoid figure.
Tendrils of black-green energy snaked from the mass in all directions. One of the survivors raised his axe. "What is that?"
The commander, Tharven, stared at the mass. For the first time since becoming a leader, Tharven’s control slipped. "The mages are dead." The warrior next to him gulped. "They were next to it." "No." Tharven’s eyes remained on the mass. "They were feeding it." The mass turned its non-existent eyes on the survivors.
One of the mages who had survived the first wave of corruption screamed from the ground. The mass of corruption rose to meet him. The scream stopped. The mage was reduced to dust. "Run!" Tharven ordered. The survivors fled. Not one of them looked back.
Rhazek stood in his throne room as the magical projection shimmered before his eyes. A warrior, his body broken, knelt before the image. "The mages are dead. The core is broken. Something came out of it." Rhazek listened. "How many?" "All of them." Rhazek smiled. "And the chamber?"
"Destroyed." Another projection appeared. This time it showed the events at Eldoris.
Two people were dead; one was a warrior of Varkesh, the other, a Velmoran soldier.
Karesh’s messenger had already delivered the news to Rhazek. The monster king listened to the message and smiled even wider. "So it’s begun." A demon at his side bowed. "Your Majesty?" Rhazek turned to face him. "Prepare yourself." The demon, Malthen, stepped forward. "Are we going to Eldoris?" Rhazek’s crimson eyes glimmered. "Not yet." He turned to the projection of the corrupted forest. "We’re going somewhere far more interesting."
Dark magic coiled around Rhazek. Malthen immediately came to his side. The room twisted. Then both figures disappeared. A heartbeat later, they appeared in the ruined chamber of the forest. The survivors of Varkesh’s scouting party stared at the new arrivals. Rhazek surveyed the destruction, the bodies of the mages, and the mass of corruption hovering above the broken platform.
His smile vanished as the mass of energy turned to look at him. It didn’t have eyes.
But Rhazek felt it looking at him. One of the surviving warriors who had barely lived through the opening of the core screamed.
The mass of corruption lashed out. Malthen took a step back. "Your Majesty..." Rhazek raised a hand. "Stay back."
The mass of corruption shot forward, revealing a massive claw made of the same black-green energy as the tendrils. Rhazek narrowed his eyes.
The battle had begun.