User blog:AloofComputer/The man who walked alone: Chapter 11

Chapter 11:Blasphemy

“What was going through your head? Don’t you see that this is a fool’s errand?”

Alatar and Pallanto were standing inside the commander’s office, with the commander shouting and pacing back and forth.

“Sir, I-”

“Can it with the formalities! This is fucking crazy!”

“We can’t hold out otherwise.” Alatar answered.

“I know it, damn it! I know! Yet the whole part of your plan fails if you fail! This is downright impossible!”

“That is why it’s going to work.”

“Don’t spout nonsense! Those two divisions are not coming with just their cunts and skimpy clothing! They are fully armored heavy troops! And these are the ones we know about!” The commander took a few deep breaths. “What is your plan, Alatar? I know it is something equally crazy, otherwise you wouldn’t have proposed this plan at all.”

“Yes, it is.” Alatar’s tone made both the other men freeze.

“I intend to do something just as outrageous. And this will piss off the Order. Very much.”

“More than I am now? Well, aren’t I for a treat. What is it?”

“I intend to become an incubus.”

“WHAAAAT?!”

“Gee, commander, no need to scream, I am next to you.”

Frederic grabbed Alatar by the collar of his shirt. “Do you think this is a good time for jokes, boy?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Alatar shot a frigid gaze to his commander. “Do you think I am joking, Frederic?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“What good will it do if you turn to a sex crazed monster? Humor me, if you will.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“Not entirely sex crazed.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“Clarify. Now. And in plan language.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Alatar took a deep breath. “The demonic mana takes root in men by feeding from their primal desires. You know, the seven sins.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“Yes, I know. Lust, envy, greed, sloth, pride, gluttony and wrath. What of it?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“During the previous demon king’s reign, the monsters fused their mana with wrath. That was the disposition of their king. With the current demon king, they fuse their mana with lust. However, what if there was nothing that the demonic mana could take root on?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“You can’t mean you will try to suppress all cardinal sins in you? Even gods haven’t been able to do that.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“I won’t suppress them. I will seal them.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“What do you mean, seal them? You can’t seal something that is in your very nature!”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“Actually, it is not exactly a seal. More like a curse.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“I find it even more difficult to understand, or like it.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">That is why I will need a priest, Pallanto and you. It must be done by tomorrow night.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“Even if this supposed thing will work, which I doubt, what then? Even an incubus isn’t enough to stall Druella.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Alatar sighed. “Fine, no more secrets.” He removed his shirt. The three marks of corruption stood against his skin. He told them the true story of his escape.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“So, I already have little time to begin with.” he continued, putting on his shirt. “That means I will not try to harass. I will try to destroy. As much as I can. I’ll try to make a showcase of what will happen if they decide to invade. I’ll show them that the cost will be much greater than the gain. Hit them straight in the morale and fear. Shock and awe, as you would put it, commander.” Alatar smiled, but his smiled flickered quickly.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“Assuming the transformation is successful. That is why I’ll need your help too, Frederic.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“My help? I won’t like this, will I?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“What I will do, is place upon me the three Nemesis seals.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Shock and horror came over Frederic’s face. Pallanto looked puzzled; the commander was showing something none had even seen, ever since he was knighted.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“NO! Just… no! Have you lost it?!” the commander started stammering. “Where did you even learn about that?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“Alatar, what are the three Nemesis seals? I pride myself on my knowledge, but I haven’t even heard of them, even though I am the head of the mage’s branch of the order.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Alatar shot a questioning look at his commander. Frederic sighed. “Tell him” he relented. “He was bound to find out sooner or later.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“The three Nemesis seals are a punishment of the Order that was declared forbidden and heretical a century ago. It was meant for high treason of the order’s members. Specifically, if one high ranking member actively helped expand the demon realm. There have been a few instances where it was administered. I found only one in the archives, and mentions of the others on it. The person was a head priest of a mid-sized town, who smuggled and distributed demon realm products among the population, like prisoner fruits and the like, added alraune nectar to honey jars and dumped undine spring water to the well. He was caught and put on trial. His name was stricken from all records; all who receive that punishment are referred as the Forgotten ones.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“And the seals?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“There are three seals placed on the punished person’s body. The first is the Seal of Emotions; it draws all emotions from a brain, and the person becomes like an automaton, unfeeling and uncaring. The second seal is the Seal of Desire. It seals all seven cardinal sins-”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“That actually sounds useful” Pallanto interrupted.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“The seals work in unison. One cannot exist without the others. Not only that, but when I say that it seals them, I mean completely seal them. When gluttony is sealed away, even the slightest feeling of hunger is sealed. Imagine that. While it might sound nice, the third seal is the one that turns it all to a nightmare, if one could feel it. The Seal of Pleasure. As it is named, it seals all feelings of pleasure and comfort. What the person is left with, is his intellect, and his pain. Nothing else. It is a torture for life, without even the despair or courage needed to end it.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“And you intend to put that on yourself? Nevermind the fact that it can drive you insane?” Pallanto sounded really worried.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“Drive me insane for what? Even the memories of those emotions are taken. Will I go insane because of despair I can’t feel? On anger I can’t feel? Remember, this is a set.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“Do you even know how to cast those things? If it is forbidden, I doubt I will find anything in the library. There is a good possibility that even the Order’s Grand Library won’t have any clues, and they won’t let us inside their forbidden section anyway.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“I suspect, to protect this knowledge, there won’t be anything left in writing. The secret of the seals is probably passed from the top priests to their successors. And I know someone who was a successor...”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“Fullmoon won’t cooperate” Frederic said in a harsh tone. “You do realize what you will be asking of him? To mutilate you, without crime? That is a sin worse than murder.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“I have to try. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Besides… I intend to add a bit twist on the seals.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“What do you mean?” Pallanto sounded interested.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“I need to keep the corruption seeds at bay. Only holy energy can do that. What I intend to do is to trap them inside the seals, along with a big amount of holy energy. Even if they catch me and undo the seals...” Alatar’s voice trailed off, and smiled. A really nasty smile.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“...the holy energy will react with the demonic one, and kill everyone around. Including you.” Pallanto continued.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“Exactly.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“You really have lost it. Maybe that succubus fucked your brains out? A suicide mission, with a suicidal lunatic, on suicidal seals, blowing himself on fail?” Pallanto tried to joke, but his laugh was bitter.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“If I succeed, we win. If I fail, the explosion is bound to cause tremendous damage. So we win again. This place is bursting with demonic energy, so the reaction will be spectacular.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">“One other thing, Alatar” Pallanto asked. “Sealing you, horrid as it may be, won’t turn you into an incubus. Don’t you need demonic energy for that? The procedure is quite slow if you don’t have a monster to… help out.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Alatar flashed his nasty smile again. “It is a good thing I had that little misadventure then?” He put his hand in his expansion pouch, and pulled out something shining. The five devil gems, bristling with trapped demonic power, shone in the dim light.

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

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Chapter 11 is out. I warned you, this is going to be a bumpy ride. Criticism welcome.