Author: Karoqian
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Well since i posted the previous six chapters i found it long enough to post it, i will post Chapter 7 (longest yet) separatly.
<^> Karoqian <^>
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Chapter 7, Two Sides.
'When the guardians are away,
You will have to keep death at bay,
Since for each passing day,
Your world becomes more grey.'
As Karoqian and the new shadowranger's move towards the shiverpeaks the groups learn about eachother, no longer are the Shadow's feared, and no longer do they look at the Knights with disgust.
Both sides now go peacefully, though the group that is now travelling back is outnumbered by Rangers, they manage to work well together, small skirmishes against charr and other beasts are no match against them. Since death already comes from the heavens before the enemy sights them.
Day's pass and each night Karoqian's feels slightly ashamed about some of the knights, almost all the Rangers are female and the knights certainly dont dislike their company, drinking ale and saying awfull pickup lines to the female company is becoming an common sight, though Karoqian already knows the Rangers have little care about that, they find most of their admirers quite handy if they have to carry something heavy, there's always one that can carry some more stuff.
Walking up front is Karoqian with some of the leaders of the shadow's, he chose not to take any officers with him for the fact they were needed to keep the rest of the army in order, but frankly he hasn't been thinking about the Knights of Light and Darkness for some time. He's far too busy with the new group that is joining this Allegiance, he finds the leaders to be nice but he notices that they dont have too much knowledge about anything outside of the Grey Forest. He doesn't mind though, they've proven their markmanship in each skirmish and hes impressed by their abilities, one of the leaders got his particular interest: Karana.
A young woman that is already one of the best rangers amongst the shadows, and a fine leader, with her blonde hair and friendly face she already has most knights daydreaming, however she pretends not to see it. Alongside her is Vinasi, raven black hair and the same length. wether they are both twins is unknown, Karoqian only knows they share alot of their time together practicing or just sitting around chatting with other soldiers. But as friendly and soft as the shadows are normally, as fierce and brutal they are in a fight, they fight fiercely until the last enemy is down, they seem to feel little fear in a fight.
After some days of travelling they arive in the foothills, only to be surprised to find out the Knights of Light and Darkness have set up a camp for the night, arriving at dusk they are easily spotted, the Knights and shadow's keep silent as Karoqian starts to grumble, he is not pleased to find them here.
Walking through the first rows of tents he is being watched by soldiers and Knights alike, but they keep silent and try to avert their eyes, Karoqian is definitely not happy about this, while he passes they look at the shadows who are standing in perfect line at the edge of the first row of tents, waiting for news.
Karoqian can hear people whisping behind him and turns around attracting the soldiers full attention, he looks foul at the soldiers and they are silent again, he walks on towards a tent which is without any doubt the center of the camp, with all kinds of flags and banners raised from the top he walks in.
In surprise the officers stand up, looking around he lets the others know just by looking at him that he is not pleased.
'What is this?' He asks. 'Can't you even do anything on your own? I asked you to go to Kryta, as far as i know this ISN'T Kryta'
'I-it was my fault, i gave the order, we were all worried and thought it would be best to go search for you' Says Leander.
'Bah, i think i have overrated your abilities, did you really think you can just handle the Grey Forest? do you have any idea what it is? even the charr couldn't burn the forest down' Karoqian says.
Calis stands up and says: 'Well, you now see what happens, what should we do now? go back?, and were are those shadows you were going to get?'
'One thing at a time, the shadows are waiting outside, and no we are not going back, i heard that the war against the charr is becoming more intense, and i have some friends over there who seem to have problems' says Karoqian.
'What friends? and how did they end up there?' asks Calis.
'The Afterlife Warriors, no doubt you heard a few things about them, they have had quite some troubles with their ex-general, i think its a great excuse for us to go hunt some charr again, we haven't fought them for some time have we?' Asks Karoqian while he looks at the map on the table.
'Them? heh, its only for the excuse that im going in there, and besides i want to fight some charr again, i want to hear their petty growls again' says Calis proudly.
'Yes them, and the forces will split up once we reach charr territory, the shadowrangers will get a quarter of our army, im sure their leaders can handle that, and besides, they could use some Warriors, the rest isn't really needed since they can handle themselves fine' Says Karoqian
'And what about us?' Haskeer asks while sitting in a chair with his arms crossed.
'We will continue on to the charr capital city, however it is imperative that we attract their attention, the charr wouldn't let us just walk in without getting all the warbands within a hundred miles towards us' Says Karoqian.
'So we are the decoy?' Asks Calis.
'No, we are simply taking out as much charr filth as we can, in the meantime the shadows can go help our friends, from what i have heard they are near the Pyre of Zaaz, holed up to hide from the mercenary's that are attracted to the bounties King Adelbern has placed on their heads' Says Karoqian while raising his head a bit.
'So be it, and now i want to see this new addition to the guild' Says Calis impatiently, he walks out of the tent and walks a bit further to get a clearer view of them.
'My my, so these are the feared shadows? a bunch of women with bows? THIS is what we are always told to fear?' Calis Says.
Immediatly all the rangers their eyes are looking at Calis, Karoqian turns around and the rangers stand as they stood before, but Calis stands shivering, and walks past Karoqian like he has seen his greatest fear, on the edge of hearing Karoqian can hear whisps, he slightly turns his head so he can listen were it comes from, it seems the rangers are discussing stuff but almost no-one would ever notice it since their whispering seems like the faint howls of the wind.
Walking back he hears mumbling and gibbering from Calis's tent, he is already aware of what Calis is doing, hes packing his stuff, the shadows did something with Calis, as if he has seen his primal fears.
Coming out of his tent shivering stands Calis, apologizing with a weak voice he straps on the final baggage before he wanders out of the camp leaving soldiers standing in confusion, it has happened, Calis has left. Karoqian walks into his tent and finds the guild cape on the ground, he feels a bit better about it since he wouldn't want him to take it when he doesn't need it anymore, as with previous ones happened, when they leave for good the cape is immediatly taken, its a disgrace to Karoqian to have an ex-knight still representing Knights of Light and Darkness for a bit.
Karoqian tells the shadows that they can unpack their stuff and make camp, and within minutes the first buildings are set up, the tents seem to be easily builded up but before he knows in the center of their camp they start building a small house of planks they seem to have been carrying with them, as the Knights watch discussing how it would look like the building is nearly finished.
It's a makeshift longhouse, and putting the final pieces of straw on the roof a small hole in the roof reveals smoke coming out, and immediatly the leaders of the shadows and other higher ranked rangers go in.
With most of the knights and soldiers standing in awe they can only be amazed about the fact how good these shadowrangers actually are, Karoqian slowly walks towards the building and looks at the doors, even though the building was made in less then an hour its completely sealed, even the door is tightly inplace ensuring that outsiders won't hear anything not meant to reach their ears.
He walks in and watches around, the walls are already nicely decorated with animal skins, various bow's and arrows are also on display and on the otherside of the door against the wall is a painting displaying a few rangers standing in a group in a location in the Grey Forest, most likely those are heroes of some sorts for the shadows.
'Do you like it?' Asks one of the Elite rangers while he sharpens the metal arrowheads.
'Hmm, i presume these persons on the painting are some kind of hero's?' Karoqian asks.
'Oh yes, though all but one have passed away, but i know you have seen the last surviving person on this painting' and the rangers walks towards the painting pointing at the face of a young ranger sitting infront of the others.
'He seems familiar...hes the one that i met in the hall in your settlement' Karoqian answers.
'Just one of the settlements, their are many scattered across the land, but indeed you are right, he is the leader of our settlement and when the painting was made he was the youngest of the group' says the ranger while moving back to sharpen the arrowheads.
Karoqian walks around looking at the decorations and feels jealous considering his army only has to do with tents and the higher ranked ones only get a bit bigger tent and thats about it.
He is amazed by the size of the room, and he walks on until he sees a table were the leaders are sitting and discussing unimportant things, as he closes he is immediatly confronted by a jug of ale pushed in his arms by a ranger, it seems their celebrating something.
'Whats going on?' he asks surprised.
'Its finally over, the charr have stopped their invasion of our home, we scared them off!' says Karana while she raises her drink and slams her jug into the other ones as they drink up another ale.
'The Charr? Scared? well thats something new' Karoqian answers and drinks the ale while trying not to spit it out.
'Yes, for a long time they tried burning and chopping the forest down, but each time they met our arrows and the northern edges of the forests are littered with Charr corpses and abandoned siege machines, and now they have given up, the searing only managed to burn the upper branches of the trees' says Vinasi.
'Yep, and now were all celebrating that we have achieved victory!' shouts Karana and she bashed the jug so hard against the others that it breaks spilling ale on the table, they laugh as she curses and walks away to get a new jug.
Karoqian goes outside the building and notices that its quite silent, some soldiers are annoyed by the rangers dancing and singing songs, but Karoqian doesn't bother, finally they know how it feels to be unable to sleep due to all the noise.
Walking into his tent he stops, standing idly on the other side stands Vina, she seems to have been waiting.
'So you have finally come' she says soflty while raising her head to look into Karoqian's eyes.
'Do you always have to be like that? Since the day i met you you've always been showing up out of thin air' Karoqian says.
'It's what i do, as simple as that, and i don't show up out of thin air you just lack the sight to see me' Says Vina.
'So why have you come?' Karoqian asks.
'You are nearly dead, Tarolan...it glows more each day, even know its power affects all that you travel with, and the more that join the more their lifes become bonded with it, and the more stronger it gets the less you are alive' She says.
'Is it...but how...' Karoqian tries to understand.
'Tarolan will be your end if you do not surrender it to someone with more power, someone that can handle it, someone like...me' She says without any sign of compassion.
'So...you want it, and even if i give it, how do you get it removed? I doubt i can just manage this army without it...' Karoqian says with doubt.
'Then you will have to rely upon others, you got quite a company and many are more then capable, and now...i will take Tarolan for my own' She says before her gaze paralyzes Karoqian, he falls to the ground and she holds her hand above Tarolan, its shining more and more and then she starts chanting an unknown spell, as she continues Karoqian's hand starts to shiver, the flesh starts to crack and slowly the seal is tearing out towards her palm, and suddenly in a flash Tarolan flies out and hits Vina's hand, she grabs it and stands up.
With a smile on her face she walks out.
Outside the shadowrangers feel a disturbance, and some knights and soldiers see that the glow on their weapons faints, immediatly confusing starts but the shadowrangers seem to know whats going on, they run towards Karoqian's tent and inside he lies with a soulless look in his silver colored eyes.
Karana takes a look at his hand and notices that small lines in shapes of strange text appear to have been ripped out from the inside, calling for healers a large group gathers outside the tent, some shadows try to hold the crowd off to let the healers walk in but they barely can hold the crowd back.
One of the healers looks at Karoqian and casts a spell, immediatly Karoqian gasps for air and his his eyes become deep blue again, shivering he looks at his hand, he tries to move it but Karana keeps it on the ground. 'Don't move it, you will only make it worse!' she shouts and Karoqian looks around confused, its like a dream...everything is blurred and he feels very light, his eyes close as he faints from the loss of blood.
Outside some soldiers are already dropping their cape on the ground, some of them have already given up hope, and they gather their stuff before disapearing into the distance heading towards their unknown destinations, inside however the monks and shadowrangers work endlessly to fix the wounds, while they put off some armour on the right arm they find many scars on Karoqian's skin, most are slashes but none of them are deeply cut, its more like they were burned into the skin, focusing at the matters of hands they unwrap blood stained bandages to replace them with new ones, divine enchantments and holy prayers are cast on Karoqian to keep him alive, in the corner Haskeer sighs a bit, 'the second time hes on the edge of living...' he thinks, while he stands in the corner watching the others in chaos trying to stop the bleeding.
While the healers and shadowrangers keep shouting at eachother in the chaos Karoqian slips away, slowly the memories slip by, feelings of peace and serenity take over, but a slight thought and he recognises it, it is not the feeling of dying, its a more familiar one, the call of Vina.
In a flash he opens his eyes again, looks around and finds himself in his tent, he stands up but all around him lie dead bodies, the ground is stained with blood and everyone that was alive before now lie dead on the ground, he walks outside and looks around, black mists swirl around and the wind howls all around in the camp, the coppery scent of scorched flesh and foul smell of rotting corpses fill his nose.
Trying to understand what happened he walks across the bodies, some just have some slashes from what appears to be claws and other corpses are horribly mutilated beyond recognition.
Blood covers everything, the ground, the tent cloths, the grass and even from the trees small droplets of blood fall.
'Like the new decoration?' A voice asks.
Karoqian turns around and just infront of the black mists stands Vina, wearing a black robe she stands still, the staff in her hand is shrouded in black smoke, and the mists behind her gently swirl around her feet.
'What have you done?' Karoqian asks.
'Good you ask' she says and she pushes a corpse gently with her staff. 'I haven't done anything, nothing has happened, im just showing what im capable off, these are my thoughts...and you have the honour of seeing one, lovely isn't it?'
'Lovely? haven't you noticed it yet? you're...changed...different, you used to be the embodiment of goodness...now your little less then a twisted representation of chaos' Karoqian says.
Vina starts to laugh and her staff starts to shine, in the middle of were they are standing a strange portal appears, showing strange images.
'Look...see how the puny fools try to bring you back? the fools follow you werever you go, faithfull and without hesitation they fight and die should you ask them, they are blinded, they should know there is only death waiting for them' she says. 'look around you, THIS will happen should you continue, there is no victory against the darkness...'
'we shall see...' Karoqian says as the ground starts to fade and in an instance the surroundings change shapes, Karoqian recognises it, its their Guild Hall. In the distance he sees a keep, with shining white walls and its gates open, children play outside and on a hill stands Vina, now wearing a white robe with golden lines, decorated with colourfull flowers. She looks at him and gestures him to come, as Karoqian makes a step it all changes, the trees suddenly are burning, were the children played now lie skeletons, the walls are darkened and rows of spikes are coming out of the wall, spears stand around with skulls at their base and on the spears in the wind a cloth covered in blood swings around. Vina still stands on the hill, now again wearing her black robe and the staff she previously held.
Stunned by the sudden change Karoqian looks around, behind him is the raging sea the distance shrouded in mist, much is still recognisable on the island, except that it now has the taint of darkness.
'Are you prepared to die?' Vina asks him.
Karoqian turns his head towards her and looks straight into her glowing eyes 'Die? no, i won't die here, it is you that should have been dead years ago, the day you died should have been your end, instead i chose to ressurect you, to become that what you were before, only stronger, better, wiser...i now see i made a mistake that day, the hate and anger that has always been inside you has once more taken control, just like before, and again we face eachother, again your only desire is seeing me dead. Is this all worth it? if you kill me you kill yourself, you know that, why have you embraced darkness once more?' Karoqian asks while he looks at Vina.
'Because that is what you wished, power comes from anger, hate creates strength, darkness is the only power worth embracing, even you know that, you travelled to some of the most darkest places that exist, even you are tainted, but instead you counter that by wandering across the country visiting temples that represent the light, peace and serenity, but even there you cannot clear the taint those dark places have left upon you, and in order to end this all, your dead is needed' She says.
'Then it will be like that, i will meet you here, at this island, with my army, my friends, this battle shall be between you and me, Tyria can do without us, those Afterlife Warriors will live on no doubt, death isn't something new for them' Karoqian says.
'So it may be, i will be waiting for you here, you chose your death, and the death of those you bring with you, as i said before, there is no victory against the darkness' She says
'We shall see...' Says Karoqian and he dissapears as clouds of dust sway across the ground he stands on.
'He's awake, he's awake!' screams a healer as Karoqian opens his eyes, he rises and looks around him, he feels that there still are several enchantments on him, a sting of pain in his right-hand attracts his attention, he looks at his hand, covered in bandages he slowly unwraps it, the skins bears no witness of a wound, as if nothing ever happened. But something DID happened, he feels weaker, he hears no more whispers in his mind, and his sword that lays in the corner no longer has a glow.
'What is it my lord?' A healer asks.
'Vina took Tarolan, she has risen again, our Guild Hall is covered in the vile taint of darkness, we cannot stay in these lands, we must make journey to our island, staying here will be our deaths.' Says Karoqian.
'What happened?' Karana asks.
'She came and with some spell she ripped Tarolan out of my hand, then she showed me what happened to our Guild Hall, and you were all...all dead, slain in cold blood' Karoqian explains.
'Then we must move, the Afterlife Warriors can take care of themselves no doubt, we go to the nearest port and sail towards our island, to rid it of the chaos that has taken it.' Karana says.
They all agree on that and tell the news to those outside, the army has thinned out, most of the officers are gone and many Knights and soldiers have given up hope, marching together and following a different path.
Days follow and Karoqian slowly replaces the officers that gave up with new persons, many get promoted and to his surprise they surpass most of the previous officers, they all have their stories and they all have their strengths and weaknesses, they all have their reasons for walking alongside Karoqian, and in the distance lies the port, ships already lie prepared in the port, messengers went ahead and the Knights are ready to go into the unknown, to a place across the seas that is already called: The 'Battle Isles', and near that island chain lies the island they own, now shrouded in darkness...
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