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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cerulean_Wings" data-source="post: 4085486" data-attributes="member: 55060">Here's the next chapter. To be frank, I've felt like the words took ages to come to me when I wrote it, and it took longer than usual to write it up, for no particular reason. Kinda depressing, if you ask me.But hey, I'm not going to stop writing just because I'm like this one day; tomorrow I'll probably feel better, so no worries. Hopefully the writing in this one isn't worse off than the average.Chapter 35Unusual guardians“This can’t be the place”.Darius’ was not alone in his denial; the rest shared a similar sentiment. “I’m afraid it’s the fortress that we’re looking for” Kahleen said, the only one who had passed by the area and thus knew how Tidebreaker looked like. The fortress was four floors tall, rivaling Valor’s Banner in size, and taking into account that this was a safeguard against Barbarian invasions, that spoke volumes of the impressive sight it created. It was built on the southern side of the river that originated from the Dire Lake to the east, in order to offer added protection against attacks coming from the north. The stone walls were adorned with the banners of House Dagoth at regular intervals, a golden sun with a black background, but not a single guard was to be seen ‘adorning’ its outside figure.  Or rather, not a single mortal guard. These… beings, large humanoid toad-like monsters, with dark brown skin and fierce claws and teeth, set themselves as guards of the southern gate, one in each side of the entrance. It was redundant to say that they caused panic upon anyone who happened to meet them, even at a distance; but their presence, their aura, that was what brought uncontrollable shudders to the six travelers when they noticed the monstrous beings. Needless to say, they were not from this world. “What are they?” Vincent whispered in a barely audible voice. Kahleen took a deep breath, as if to settle herself, before responding. “Daemons, bound by House Dagoth to protect the fortress”. “Surely you jest” Gon whimpered, his lower lip trembling slightly. “Why in damnation would the House of Wisdom have daemons instead of normal guards?”. Kahleen shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe someone inside will enlighten us, for I didn’t ask about this matter in my previous visit”. She glanced the daemon’s way, and could not help but notice that the thing stared back at her, a hungry grin clearly visible through the mist that covered part of its face. The shaman tried to repress a shudder, and failed. “I’ll be damned if I’m going to let a daemon stop me from getting in” Gilliam muttered through clenched teeth. The mercenary’s fists were closed tightly around the hilt of each of his swords, but so far he had restrained his desire to draw adamantine out. He jumped when he felt a hand press on his shoulder from behind.“Han, this isn’t the best time to scare the living Hell out of me” the nervous mercenary said, and Hantel smiled apologetically. “It wasn’t my intention. I simply want you to know that I’m with you, and so is Berethor, if it comes to a fight against such fell beasts” the priest informed him reassuringly. “Although it would be preferable to avoid such confrontations…” he added sheepishly, as his previous statement sounded like it encouraged such fights. Gilliam nodded. “Good to know. Thank you, Han” he replied before turning around and facing the entrance once more. Its iron gates were shut, but he hoped that it would not remain the case for long. “Let’s get this over with” Darius suggested. “The more we stay here, the more uneasy we’ll be”. Everyone responded or nodded their agreement, and as one they approached the gates. They had made it ten feet away the daemons when both snarled at the group almost in unison, forcing them to a stop. Their breath was almost as bad as their bodily odor, which in turn rivaled that of the nastiest city sewers. How in damnation was Darius able to hold himself from vomiting, not even the soldier knew.“Who are you, mortals, to dare enter the fortress of Dagoth?” one of the toad-like daemons bellowed, its daemonic voice echoing through the forest for a long while. With its large frame, it could easily reach for anyone in the group with its claws, if it so desired.Gilliam had to swallow hard before mustering the will for a reply. “We, a band sent by House Suran to remedy some troubles in the north-“ he explained, and was cut off by the other daemon by means of a snarl.“Your names, foolish human!” the otherworldly monster demanded. Gilliam, and for that matter everyone else, felt like stepping back one feet was perfectly reasonable at the time. “I-I’m Gilliam” the mercenary said. With a quick stealthy gesture from him, the rest followed suit and declared their names as well. Both daemons seemed more at ease then (which meant no one would be devoured as of yet), and even went as far as nodding to the group, a gesture they understood as “Go in before we change our minds”. No one needed much encouragement to go past the pair of daemons and reach the iron doors to the fortress. Once they were in front if of them, they began to open out of their own accord, as no one was there to manipulate the double doors. “There better be mortals-I mean humans and whatnot-in there” Gon said low enough so that the daemons did not hear as they went into Tidebreaker. The main tunnel that the doors lead to was pitch dark, which came as a surprise for the group.“You’d think they can afford some torches here…” Gon quipped, squinting his eyes in vain to see in the dark. Then the double doors closed behind them, and after the solid of closure, everything was black. “Great. Doors that open on their own, but no lights. Who’s spending the budget in this place? A mentally disabled baby ogre?” the roguish soldier said with sarcasm.“State your business” ordered a voice that emerged from all directions at once. It sounded imperial and unbending, like that of a seasoned general. This startled the six, but they managed to keep their composure in the absolute darkness that surrounded them.“We seek to rest here, as part of our journey towards the Frostfell Mountains” Vincent declared. His voice echoed slightly through the corridor, and the response came after several seconds of eerie silence.“And who has sent you in your quest?” the same voice demanded. This time, it was Darius who responded “House Kashtar, in order to assist House Suran”. Talking to this person in the dark felt awkward to say the least. A moment of silence, followed by heavy footsteps. “Very well” the same speaker said. He uttered a strange word, which sounded like a signal, and the darkness gave way to the light of torches that were stationed along the tunnel entrance on both sides. Everybody in the group sighed in relief.“Praise Berethor” Vincent and Hantel said as one. Now they could see where they were: the tunnel was tall, close to fifteen feet in height, possibly to allow daemons to enter without problems. Elegant stone arcs were joined to the ceiling at consecutive intervals, and more banners of House Dagoth could be seen on the walls, following a similar pattern. The fortress smelled old, like it was not aired often enough, but at the same time it did not stink. Kahleen was the first to notice a humanoid figure walking towards them from across the tunnel. The elf looked young, which could mean between thirty and a hundred years old, and moved with a grace that almost seemed second nature to him. His clothes were elegant, ideal for the typical swashbuckler and fencer, a combination of red and gold. The man was not good looking-he appeared as the epitome of physical perfection, being slim like a cat, no less agile than one, and at the same time having his body in excellent physical condition. This much could be perceived by the balanced steps he took in order to approach the six.“You’ve finally arrived” the dashing elf commented, his tone smooth and no less elegant than his outfit. “I worried that you would stay outside in fear of the daemons that guard the gates”. Gilliam wanted to respond, but for the time being he first had to force himself to stop staring at the man; he was perfection incarnate, and it was difficult to not gawk at him with envy.“Ah, yes, yes, that, the daemons…” the mercenary mumbled rather than said. He cleared his throat hastily in order to regain some semblance of coherent speech. “Well, it’s our first time here, save for Kahleen, who has passed by before” he explained with a gesture towards the shaman, who nodded. The handsome fellow smiled. Gilliam felt like his heart had skipped a beat. “Understandable. Now that you’re within the walls of Tidebreaker, you may relax; nothing will harm you here” he said to them. “Unless, of course, you invoke the wrath of the castellan…” he added with a chuckle. “Not that you’d want to do that, naturally” he finished with a wink. “My apologies, good sir, but I don’t believe we know who you are” Hantel said with a smile of his own. The elf brushed his snow white hair with a hand in an attempt to look awkward. “Ah, where have my manners gone to, this time?” he mused. “My name is Ephredesias, Steward of House Indoril, appointed by the god Indoril to be its guardian”.His words were met with absolute silence spawned from complete disbelief. This man being one of the First certainly explained his literally divine charms and appearance. The First were beings crafted by the gods, imbued with divine powers.“Should we bow?” Darius whispered as inconspicuously as possible.“I’d say drop to the ground and grovel for mercy” Gon suggested in an equally stealthy way.“Oh, please, I’ll have none of that!” Ephredesias said merrily with a movement of his hand. “Unlike, ah, other guardians, I don’t believe it to be necessary to demand absolute servitude from mortals”. His words put everyone at ease, and Vincent released a breath he had been holding since he heard the elf’s title. “Well then, may we rest in here?” Gilliam asked in an overly-polite way. Ephredesias shook his head, much to his dismay. “I’m afraid that decision is up to the fortress’ castellan” the elegant First replied with a hint of amusement. “That would be me” said a voice from behind Ephredesias. No one was entirely sure, but it sounded a lot like the first one they heard upon entering Tidebreaker. A more noble looking man came from behind the First of House Indoril, seemingly appearing from thin air. He was human, and his peculiar motif was gold and black, as his entire regal outfit consisted of those two colors: His jacket and leather trousers were mainly gold with black edges and lines running elegantly through them, while the boots were the opposite. On the center of his golden threaded velvet shirt was a black sun with waved and spiked rays around it. The value in gold pieces of his entire outfit equaled to that of a small house. The castellan’s hair was short and spiked backwards, a mixture of blond and dark hair, and whether it was originally blond or not it was hard to tell.“You’re the castellan?” Gon inquired with some doubt. The man seemed fit to be the emperor of the land, rather than a castellan of Tidebreaker. Gon’s query was answered by a stern look from the man clad in gold and black; never before did the rogue feel like running away at the speed of light was better than to have to endure that look. “You doubt my claim, Gon, soldier of the Honor Guard?” the castellan asked, sounding very much like a king, with his potent voice resounding within the fortress’ tunnel. Gon swallowed hard and shook his head violently. He looked rather pale, Darius noticed, pretty much at the same time that Gon had not revealed his name yet.  “Now now, no reason to put extra pressure on your guests, is there?” Ephredesias said in an effort to put the castellan at ease. The imperial human appeared to pay no heed to this, which spoke volumes of his standing, for he had just ignored one of the First. “Tidebreaker is one of the most powerful fortresses crafted by House Dagoth, and only I have the say about who stays and who doesn’t” the man went on, settling his penetrating gaze upon the other five. “I am Tallernos, the Black Sun, the initial First created by the god Dagoth”. This revelation was the final nail on the coffin where the group’s worst fears laid. No one had seen the man until then, but only extremely ignorant folks did not know about him, or rather, his iron fisted behavior. No one made a move, fearful, and rightly so, of divine retribution.  “Your motives are sufficient to me” Tallernos said at length. “You may rest here for a day, and utilize the facilities of the fortress as well, which include the arcanists and smith”. With that, the castellan turned and began to walk away, clearly not seeing the group’s response as important. Ephredesias shrugged, as it was beyond his control, and followed suit after a quick salute.“Wait” Kahleen called. “What now?” the castellan asked with a hint of impatience as he stopped walking and half-turned to look at the shaman, making Indoril’s First stopped as well. She gestured towards Gon, and for a brief moment he did not have a clue of what to do. Then he quickly dug into his pocket, bringing a gem with a green glow into view.“Crystalline essence” Tallernos gasped, something that concerned the others. The castellan was suddenly right in front of Gon, even though he had been several feet away from the soldier a second ago, staring at the mysterious gem with intent. “We must talk about this in private” he concluded with a dead serious demeanor. His words were directed to the six, and they all nodded firmly. With that settled, Tallernos turned once more before disappearing from sight. Ephredesias did the same without another word, leaving them all by themselves in the torch lit corridor.“Quite the welcome” Gon commented with relief, now that the castellan had left.“Could be worse” Darius replied. This drew an incredulous look from Gon. “Or maybe not” the blond soldier admitted. “Not one, but two of the First in the same place?” Hantel mused out loud. “Most remarkable. Hopefully it doesn’t mean more trouble for any Noble House”. The priest commenced to walk forwards, seeing that no one else wanted to lead the way.“I’ve never seen to one of the First, much less talked” Vincent admitted to Gilliam. The mercenary half-smiled at his words. “Not as charming as one expected, yes?” Gilliam said.“Yes for the first one, no for the second one” the squire admitted, and he went after Hantel. Darius and Gon did the same, walking at different paces once they noticed they were doing it in unison, and Gilliam saw no reason to stay in the entrance for another second.This left the shaman alone by the doors.“I only expect answers from you, Tallernos” Kahleen whispered. “The purpose of that monster taking away my life force, back when I was the shaman of the tribe… is it too much to ask?”. She started to walk through the corridor at length, wiping her one eye with a forearm in order to get rid of some moisture that had appeared in it.</blockquote>

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