User blog:AloofComputer/The man who walked alone: Chapter 16

Chapter 16: The proud and the fallen

Veronica made her way to her house on foot. She was exhausted after hours of continuous search, and her wings ached. She passed by the few remaining taverns, and glanced inside. She shook her head slightly; his taste was still on her lips and in her mouth. Even though a drink sounded really tempting.

Around the tavern, small groups of monsters were gossiping lively.

“...and they say he butchered two elite squads alone!”

“Oh, my! How scary!”

“Not only that, he fought and injured Lady Druella and her escorts!”

“What a beast of a madman!”

“They say he’s like the old demons, and he lives on blood and raw flesh of humans and monsters! That he blew up the city all alone!”

Well, the rumors aren’t all that false.

Her musings were interrupted by the call of a harpy. “Good evening, Lady Veronica. Lady Druella requests your presence at the palace at once.”

''Druella? It has to do something with Alatar.'' “Thank you for the message. I’ll fly there right away.” She felt some of the fatigue gone at the thought.

---

“ You summoned me, Lady Druella?”

“Ah, yes, Shasha. There is something I want your help with. A seal, to be precise. It isn’t like anything I’ve ever seen. Not even the baphomets can help, so I guess it is not arcane in nature, but more like in the priesthood field.”

“I’ll try my best, Lady.”

“Just try to focus… being around this man can be so irritating.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in"> T hey entered the room where they kept Alatar. He raised his head slightly.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Hello again, ugly. Did you bring me company?” Alatar paused momentarily, as his gaze fixed on Shasha’s face. “And out of all the people, you had to bring me the Fallen God’s whore? I thought you had better friends.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">Druella put her hand on Shasha’s shoulder. “Calm now, girl. I told you, he is a handful.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“ You know, I don’t get it. Why would your father try to commit suicide over you becoming the Fallen’s bitch.” Alatar kept taunting. Inflict distress, emotional damage, anything and everything. “Sometimes I wonder, if saving him was the right thing-” a purple tentacle shot from the ground and gagged him.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“That’s enough out of you” Druella told coldly. Shasha looked visibly shaken. “Shasha.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Yes, Lady.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“I’ll make the seals appear; you tell me what you make out of them.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Yes, Lady.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">Druella conjured a sphere of mana and hovered it over Alatar’s torso. He bit at the tentacle as his body tensed in pain; the smell of burnt flesh made Druella and Shasha wince.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Well?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">Shasha knelt by Alatar’s torso, her hand tracing the seals lightly, as they appeared. Her expression darkened, until suddenly her eyes widened in recognition. “T-this… this?!”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“ What is it?” Druella asked impatiently. However, Shasha’s reaction shocked even her.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">A stream of tears started flowing from the red eyes of the fallen priestess. “How could you?” she screamed. She started slamming her fists feebly on his torso. “How could you let them do this to you! How could you… how...”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“That’s enough!” Druella ordered in concern. She raised up the fallen priestess and helped her out of the room. The lilim led her to a comfortable couch, where they sat.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“What is this about? What do you know?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">Shasha was still shaking. Druella hugged her with a sigh. She knew she wasn’t going to like one bit what Shasha was going to say.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“It’s… it’s the Nemesis Seals.” Came a trembling reply. Druella’s expression darkened. “Wasn’t this something the Order proclaimed heretical a century ago?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Y-yes. But a vague knowledge of it is still inside some forbidden books of the Order. And the procedure is said to pass from head priest to head priest.” Shasha raised her head, looking the lilim with tear-stained eyes. “This… this is one of the utmost sins for Her. She wants people to revel in pleasure, and that… THAT… “ she shuddered. “I’ll need to pray to her for guidance. I’ll need Her help to purge this anathema.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">Druella gave her a pat on the head. “You do that. But, for now, get some sleep. You look awful right now.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">Looking at the fallen priestess walk away slowly, Druella rubbed her temples. “Just what the fuck is up with this guy?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">---

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">The door opened at Alatar’s prison room again, and a middle-aged mage came in, along with Druella. Alatar raised his head again. “I swear, ugly, do you intend of ever letting me sleep? Who is it this time… oh, hello there headmaster. You look well.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“You, on the other hand, don’t.” The headmaster was highly annoyed when they took him from the embrace of his witch wife, but the summons of Druella were not to be ignored. And after being briefed on the matter, he was really upset.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“You turned out to be quite the scoundrel, Alatar.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“And you turned out to be quite the monster, so don’t lecture me on ethics. I am past lectures here.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“ It seems your arrogance hasn’t dwindled one bit.” he sighed. “I got out of bed and the embrace of my wife, just for you, you know. So, let’s we get over this quickly, shall we?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Do let’s.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“You know, your actions here are an act of war. An act that can cause many lives to be lost. You even have blood on your hands. Innocent blood-”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“The werewolves were not innocent blood, headmaster. Can it with the bluffs. I am not some first-year student anymore, you know.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“ ...fine. You have blood nonetheless. And attacking the city’s non-military buildings, injuring innocent bystanders, causing shortage of food, water and medicine, widespread terror… terrorist doesn’t even begin to describe what you did.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“True.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">This answer, cold and empty, surprised the mage. “I assume you have a reasonable excuse for this, or am I to conclude that you have gone completely insane?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">Alatar sighed. His mentor’s violet eyes sparked with interest. “Fine. Remeber that report I gave you two months after my graduation? About declining birth rates and the demographic implications?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Yes.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Did you reach the part where I wrote, in big scary letters, my conclusion?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“...no.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“ Let me summarize it then. Humans will die out. One way or another. Monsters don’t bear human offspring. They either have to make do with born incubi, or human men. Even in the unlikely event that monsters find a way to bear incubi more often, then what does that leave humans? When the population of both humans and monsters explodes? ”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“...”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“ I’ll tell you this, old man. And get it right into your sex-filled head. I don’t fight out of religious zeal, or because someone told me to. I fight because I have to. I know I am targeting innocents. But what do you define as innocent? If a village grows beyond what it can sustain, and they all starve, who is to blame? None? Or all? When the infighting begins, and the first lives are lost, the killers take the blame, but not those who created the conditions.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in"> Alatar’s face hardened. “I will fight, tooth and nail, hand and foot, steel and spell. Not for me. I forsook my life for this. Do you think humans will stand and take it? We come to this world kicking and screaming. We won’t go quietly. I understand why I must fight. Do you understand your position?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“My position is by my wife!” the mage answered.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“And mine is against you, as monsters. Simple logical clash of interests, nothing personal. Glad we sorted this out. Now, if you could show yourself out… I’d escort you, but I am a bit tied up here.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">The mage turned and left the room, joined by Druella who watched the scene unfold in silence.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Well?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“ He won’t listen. He has fixed his reasoning on his human side.” The mage pinched the bridge of his nose. “Damn that boy. To think he would go to such lengths… was he really the only one behind the whole mess in the city?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“The actual perpetrator, yes. He may have Order backing and training, we haven’t confirmed anything for certain.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">The mage looked surprised. “Order training?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“From what I gathered from his memories, he joined the Order of Holy Light.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">The name of the fearsome chapter of the order caused admiration, surprise and grief in the man’s face. “That boy… he really is set on his thinking.” He looked at the lilim. “Lady Druella, this man was a scrawny little kid. He grew to be a scrawny little mage. To pull through that training, and still retain his skills as a wizard… that is not something I see every day. It takes supreme willpower, or something deeply personal. Or both.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in"> He turned to the now closed door. “I will try to find a way to reach him. But I suspect, only something that will hit the very basis of his reasoning will get him to yield. And there is one thing that bothers me...”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“What is it?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“What if he is not the only one? What if there are others like him? What kind of chaos will we be in for?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“I don’t know. And I dislike not to know. I think it’s high time I went to visit mother.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">---

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">P.S. Chapter 16 is out. Criticism welcome