• Tales of Xalthia

    Chapter 6: Confrontation


    Climbing the mountain to reach Prophet Castle was no easy task. There wasn't a clear pathway to use so Tsuki and Lynette had to climb over rock walls, jump over gaps, cross rivers and crawl through tight spaces. Fighting off monsters didn't make it any easier. Surprisingly, they haven't come across anymore black robes that may be patrolling around. They assumed that since they've never been found or caught, they have no reason to have security. As they made their way up the mountain, Tsuki had gotten a reply back from the King and Queen of Eresseas via carrier pigeon. The message said that they would send a platoon of armored reinforcements and that they would arrive within four hours. Conveniently, there was a platoon of knights that were returning from a mission in Briswater and since they were currently between Briswater and the mountain forest where Prophet Castle was, they weren't that far away.

    After a tough three hour climb, they finally found the remnants of the once glorified castle. It's such a sad sight, seeing a once prestigious castle that once housed someone of great importance was now a human chopping ground. They now had to find a way in. Unlike perimeter patrol, they had security all over the castle grounds. They don't appear to be a part of the cult either. They appeared to be mercenaries.

    They sat back and discussed their entry options. If they forced their way in without some form of back up and with no intel about what's inside the castle walls, they would be outmanned and outmatched. They could either wait another hour for the reinforcements to arrive but they don't know when the ritual will take place, so they couldn't afford to wait. They needed to act now. With every other option out of the way, there was only one approach they could do. They had to do it the stealthy way. Luck was on their side, however. Two people in black robes that appeared to be around their height and build were talking to each other, out of sight from the security around the castle grounds. They snuck up to both of the people and delivered quick and silent blows to their necks, knocking them out cold. They dragged their bodies into a nearby cave and then removed their robes. They put the robes on and pulled the hood over their heads to hide their face. Before knocking them out, they watched how they walked and talked. If their plan was going to work , they needed to pretend that they were part of the cult. The plan was to locate the people who were captured and flee the castle. They had no idea who else was in captivity besides the girl they saw at the base of the mountain. Once they were ready, they left the cave and started to approach the castle. The guards were fooled and allowed them to pass with ease. They now had infiltrated a heavily populated enemy base.

    Tsuki and Lynette walked into what appears to be the main hall as they entered the ruined castle. For a ruined castle, the cult has done an excellent job on keeping the place from crumbling all around them. The halls and the main hall had old, torn up rugs along with old paintings and portraits of the previous inhabitants. The main hall was littered with broken glass with an old chandelier that was barely hanging from the ceiling. The smallest push could make it fall. As they were looking around the main hall, they were approached by a man dressed in strange clothing with a gold staff. By the looks of his clothing, he appeared to be a priest of some kind. He also appeared to be the leader of the cult as he was the only one dressed different and was giving orders to other cult members.

    The man held out his arms in a welcoming gesture as he slowly approached Tsuki and Lynette, unaware that they weren't cult members. "Welcome, my brother and sister. I pray that your journey here had good tidings" he said. The man had an almost innocent-looking expression. He didn't look like the leader of a cult that practiced human sacrifice.

    Tsuki looked at the man and examined him. It was no wonder that people would follow under him. They wouldn't even know what they would be getting into until it was too late to back out. He couldn't afford to break stealth, however. He had no choice but to play along with the charade of being a member of the cult. "Yes. We didn't have any issues. So, what's the occasion for the gathering?" he asked. He didn't want to sound suspicious in his questions but there was no other option to obtain information. Once the armored reinforcements from Eresseas arrive, all hell will break loose.

    The man turned around and looked at an old, shattered mural. You couldn't even make out what it was originally because all of the shattered glass was littered around the main hall. "The hour for retribution has finally come. Today marks the anniversary of the fallen demon, Albatros. Tonight, we will sacrifice the blood of our fair maiden that we have kept in captivity from our Tomoha raid thirteen years ago. We couldn't do it until now because the blood that is required for the ritual was the virgin blood of an eighteen year old girl. Her blood will give our God, our Savior, a new life" he said.

    Tsuki paused for a moment before going on. Not only was the cult responsible for the attack on Tomoha thirteen years ago, but now he discovered that there was another survivor from the attack. He felt a sense of relief knowing that he was no longer the only survivor. This was the first time in thirteen years he's felt such relief. Failure was no longer an option. "Where is our maiden now? Praying for her life to God for someone to save her?" he asked. He hated playing out this charade but he had to deal with it.

    The man pointed down one of the side hallways that led further into the castle. "She's down in the cell block. She tried to escape but we retrieved her. Apparently, she saw two people by a pond at the foot of the mountain and tried to make it to them. Luckily, she failed and they didn't hear her cries for help" he said. He was enjoying the fact that the girl was so desperate to find help even in a futile situation.

    Tsuki thought back for a moment. So, it was the girl from before. "Think again, you lunatic" he thought. He shook his head and tried to act concerning. "Should we have guards posted, just in case?" he asked. He needed to know that the man was anticipating an unwanted guests.

    The man shook his head and turned back around. "No need. We've never been found before so why bother? Besides, even if they had heard her cries for help, they would never find a way up here" he said. He then examined Tsuki and Lynette, who was silent the whole time, before shrugging. "Soldiers are weak any way. No one has come close to killing me, Magus Lexhime nor as anyone even realized that we're operating under people's noses" he said with a cocky attitude.

    Tsuki wanted to cut down the man where he stood. His cockiness was making him sick. Going with his better judgment, he chose not to as it wasn't the time to break stealth yet. "I'd like to have a talk with our maiden before the ceremony" he said. It was time to have a prison break. He didn't want to stay in this place any longer.

    Magus nodded. "Of course. Make our maiden comfortable before the final hour. She's a little big on edge right now" he said. He then turned down the opposite hallway from where he pointed to and started to walk further into the castle halls until he disappeared around a corner.

    Tsuki waited until Magus was gone from sight. He then looked at Lynette, who was still silent. "Let's go. This place is a disgusting hellhole. Be on your guard and don't attract attention to yourself" he told her. He then walked down the hallway that Magus pointed to. He wasn't sure if he was being honest or trying to trick him but they didn't have time to wander around the corridors aimlessly.

    Lynette was disgusted by what she was seeing and hearing. How could humans do something like this to other humans? These people didn't deserve to be human beings. When the man named Magus left, she looked at Tsuki and nodded. "Okay. I'll just follow you" she said. She then followed Tsuki down the hallway that was pointed out to them. She made sure not to make eye contact with anyone or talk to anyone.

    Tsuki and Lynette searched the castle grounds for quite some time. It took them longer than they expected to find the cell block because there was no straightforward paths. After getting lost a few times and a forty-five minute search, they finally found the cell block. The cells were quite big. By appearance, they could hold at least thirty people. After walking past rows of empty cells, they found a girl in one of the smaller cells, staring up at a window that was closed off by bars.

    Tsuki grabbed onto the bars when they found her. Finally, they could now leave once they released her. Maybe they didn't need the reinforcements after all. "Ah, there you are. Took us a while to find you" he said. He knew that the girl would be scared and angry. Hell, he would be too if he were in her shoes.

    The girl slowly turned around and saw two people in black cloaks that belonged to the cult. Her initial reaction was to be expected. "Ah! What do you want with me now!? Go away!" she shouted. She was scared out of her mind and angry at the same time. She was a frightened child who was locked in a cage.

    Tsuki examined the girl's condition. She was in ragged, torn clothing, her feet were dirty as well as her arms and legs. She looked like she hasn't taken a bath in quite a while. However, when his gaze got to her face, his body completely froze. His face showed signs of total shock. "Y-you...no...it can't be..." he said, stunned. He slowly stepped back from the cell. It was as if he was looking at a ghost. He hesitated at first, but soon turned around and took off running down another hallway.

    Lynette waved her arms in front of her, shaking her head. "No no, you misunderstand! We're not part of the cult. We're here to rescue you. Isn't that right, Tsu---?" she asked, stopping before she could finish her question. She looked over to Tsuki, who had interrupted him. She saw his drastic facial expression change. "Hey...are you...?" she attempted to ask. Before she could finish, Tsuki took off running down a different hallway. "Wait! Where are you going!?" she shouted. She then gave chase to him to find out what spooked him so badly.

    Lynette had chased him down a fairly long hallway before eventually, she saw him stop. Tsuki was trying to catch his breath while trying to regain his composure as well. He couldn't believe who he saw. Lynette was clearly worried about him and tried to comfort him.

    Lynette placed her hand on his shoulder. She was worried about him. She hasn't seen him act like this, let alone running away from something. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked in a concerning tone. Why happened to him so suddenly that caused him to flee? He wasn't like this. Something definitely happened.

    Tsuki caught his breath and calmed himself down after a few minutes of taking deep breaths. He then sighed heavily. He felt ashamed for letting something like that shake him up so badly, given his position as one of the royal family's personal guards. "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. I'm fine now" he said.

    Lynette shook her head. "You have nothing to be sorry for. What happened?" she asked. Tsuki is a tough person; it wasn't easy to scare him or make him flee. She was extremely curious on what happened to him but didn't want to push the matter and make it worse.

    Tsuki took a few minutes of silence to gather his thoughts. Once he was ready to speak, he looked at Lynette. "I guess I can't keep it a secret any longer, given the circumstances. That girl...she's not just a captive from Tomoha. She's also...my childhood friend from Tomoha...before Cheria" he said. He was in no position to lie or hide the truth now.

    Lynette was quite surprised when he told her who she was. It took her a moment to make the connection. "Your childhood friend from Tomoha? Before Cheria? That would mean..." she said. She was slowly making a connection that tied Tsuki to Tomoha.

    Tsuki nodded slowly. "Yes, exactly what you're thinking. I lied to you when I told you of my past back in Crescentia. My hometown...was Tomoha" he said. He was extremely hesitant about telling her about this. He knew that he couldn't keep it a secret forever.

    Lynette's face turned into shock. She was not expecting to hear that he's from Tomoha, just like that girl. "W-what? S-so, you're a...survivor along with that girl? But, there have been no signs or records of any survivors from that tragedy..." she said. She didn't know what to say. She was completely speechless.

    Tsuki took a deep breath before speaking again. "That's because I've never told anyone, not even the royal family. The girl's reasoning behind it is obvious" he said. He felt a bit relieved that he share such a scarring past with someone on top of discovering that his first friend was still alive.

    Lynette finally understood why Tsuki suddenly wanted to investigate the castle. She opened Pandora's Box when she told him about the castle and the cult. She had no idea at all. "I-I'm very sorry. If I had known..." she said. She felt as if it was her fault that Tsuki was now confronting his past.

    Tsuki shook his head. She was not at fault in the slightest bit. "No, don't apologize. I kept the truth hidden so you wouldn't of known. Besides, if it wasn't for you, I would never have decided to come to this castle where I found someone I deeply cared about that I thought was dead" he said. He was sincerely grateful that she had told him about the cult and the castle. Now that he had confirmed who the girl was, he had to make haste and get her out. He then turned around in the direction he ran from. "Come, let's get her out of that cell and out of this place" he said. He couldn't wait for the reinforcements from Eresseas . He was going to have to force his way out.

    Lynette looked at him and felt relieved that he was doing better. Even though he forgives her, she still felt guilty. She shook off her guilt and nodded at him. This was no time for despair. "Yes...let's save her from this hell" she said. This girl has been held captive and probably endured torture for thirteen years. It was amazing that she was still alive.

    Tsuki and Lynette then retraced their steps back to the cell blocks. They noticed that it was starting to get dark outside by looking out the windows. They were running out of time. They still haven't seen anything that told them that the reinforcements were nearby. Even if they don't come in time, they couldn't afford to wait. They would be left with no choice but to force their way through if they didn't arrive on time. Soon, they eventually returned to the cells but something was wrong.

    Tsuki walked up to the cell where his childhood friend was being held. There was only one small problem; she was no longer there. "She's gone! That means...the ritual!" he shouted. This was bad. They didn't even know where the ritual was taking place. He then looked at Lynette with a sense of panic. "We're returning to the main hall! Maybe we'll find something" he said. He wasted no time. He took off back in the direction of the main hall, where they came from originally.

    Lynette walked up beside Tsuki when they discovered that the girl was gone. When Tsuki decided to return to the main hall, she nodded. They really had no other way to go. Maybe they would run into someone who could show the way. "Of course! Let's hurry!" she said. She then followed him back to the main hall. As they ran down the hallway, they could not see any members of the cult. They must of all gone to where the ritual was being held.

    They eventually returned to the main hall, where they heard the sounds of drums, humming and chanting. They were on the right track. After looking around the main hall, they saw people walking into a darkened chamber with torches. They took some torches off the walls and followed the people into the chamber. Inside the chamber was massive. The room appeared to be a meeting hall in it's past life where a large group of soldiers would gather and discuss strategies or hold large meets. In the center of the room, was a massive incantation symbol written in chalk. At the far end of the room was a stone table where Tsuki's childhood friend was bound by chains attached to her arms and legs. The ritual was already underway. They need to act now before it was too late. Luck was finally on their side though. As Tsuki was looking around, he noticed a stream of red smoke from a signal flare come from the woods outside in the direction of the main gate from one of the windows. He knew what that meant.

    When Tsuki noticed the stream of red smoke from a signal flare, he knew that the armored reinforcements from Eresseas had arrived and were not that far out. From the distance from where the flare came from, they were about ten minutes out. He nudged Lynette and pointed to the window so she could see the signal flare smoke. "It's time. Let's do this" he said. He then casually made his way through the crowd to reach the stone table at the other side of the chamber.

    Lynette felt the nudge and turned her head to the window that Tsuki pointed to and saw the signal flare smoke trail. She looked back at him and nodded. "Right. Be careful" she said. She then followed Tsuki through the crowd, keeping her head down to avoid eye contact and suspicion.

    When they reached the small stairway to the stone table, they saw Tsuki's friend struggling to break free and putting up a fight. She wasn't making it easy for Magus, who was performing the ritual along with his assistants. Magus had a ceremonial dagger in hand along with his staff. He was speaking out some type of prayer of sorts and was about to finish up the ritual. It was time to act now.

    Magus approached the captive girl with his arms spread out. "With that, O'Lord of Chaos and Ruin, we offer you the pure, virgin blood of our beloved maiden. Bless us with your grace. Show us and this world a new way of life" he spoke as he finished his prayer. He stood next to the stone table as he handed his staff to one of the assistants and got his dagger ready.

    The girl was riddled with fear. You could see the sheer terror in her eyes. "No...please...don't kill me...I'll do anything..." she begged. She knew she was going to die, regardless of how much she begs. She could only prolong the inevitable.

    Magus leaned down to her to whisper something. "I told you before. You are property of the cult" he whispered. He then stood up straight and looked at the crowd so everyone could hear him. "As our property, this is your true purpose. But, don't worry...you'll be happier in the next lice, knowing you changed the world's future for the greater good" he said. He then held the dagger over her chest and plunged it down.

    The girl knew this was it. All she could do is close her eyes and wait for death. Tsuki did not hesitate to take action. When he saw Magus plunge the dagger, he launched himself from the stairs and slammed his elbow into his chest, forcing him to drop the dagger as he was knocked back with force.

    When Magus was knocked back, the entire cult was put on edge as Tsuki was now the center of attention. Magus covered his chest with his arm as he looked at Tsuki. "You...what do you think you're doing!? How dare you interfere with this ritual!" he shouted. He was angry that he was interrupted before he could finish the ritual. He got back on his feet and gave him a long stare. "As a cult member, you know the rules for interrupting a ritual" he said, snapping his fingers afterwards.

    Once he snapped his fingers, one of his assistants rushed at Tsuki with a dagger in hand. The assistant lunged the dagger towards his chest with no hesitation. His movements were slow though. Tsuki grabbed the dagger that Magus dropped before it could hit his captive friend. He then saw one of the assistants lunge at him with a dagger. He grabbed the assistant's wrist and struck the dagger he had into the man's chest. He then kicked the man down the stairs into the crowd.

    Once the man went down and bled out on the floor, he turned and faced Magus and removed the black robe. "Unfortunately, I don't. You people think you can sacrifice a human life for the sake of a fallen demon or false God? Get real" he said. He turned his head to the his captive friend, who was giving him a long stare. After a few moments, he looked back at Magus and gave him a cold look. "This cult ends now" he said in an aggressive tone.

    The time to confront his past was now. He now has a chance to avenge his fallen village and the victims of the tragedy. With armored reinforcements fast approaching, there was no way they could fail. They had to win no matter what. However, fighting a cult capable of fighting off wiping out an entire village won't be an easy task even with reinforcements. They had a tough fight ahead of them.

    To be continued...