Thornblade Chronicles - Volume 1

Chapter 5

"And how did she successfully enter the kingdom? This seems suspicious," said Albert.

"She claims she entered through the river," Charles explained. "With the guards watching the kingdom's entrance and the height of the wall, her story makes sense."

"Back to the adventure, do we know which of his creatures are guarding the artifact?" asked Sarah. "If we know that, we can plan accordingly."

"Our informant could not get close enough to identify the type of creature. However, we have determined they were armed with Tormented Armor and Flaming Axes."

"His sentinels," Sarah muttered.

"Precisely. Sarah, do you have any potions which may help us to combat them?" asked Charles. Sarah placed some of her potions on the table.

"Some of these may help," she ordered the potions by color. "Some of these can make us unaffected by heat. The others will summon creatures with Aqueous Armor," she explained. Eli scratched the back of his head and looked at Devon, who shrugged.

"I will not pretend to understand any of that," Devon laughed. "But if you say we are ready, then I trust you."

"Other than that, I do not believe there is anything left to discuss," Charles concluded. "For now, enjoy the rest of the feast while it is still fresh. We will leave when everyone is done eating. What we do not eat, we will donate to the inn."

"We will not form a battle strategy?" asked Eli, astounded by the lack of planning.

"As a guild, we typically do not come up with a concrete plan for our quests. We become aware of what it is we are fighting or risking. The plan will come as the journey progresses. This meeting simply served as a sharing of information," Charles explained. Eli smiled.

"Okay, then," Eli reached for a sandwich and some cheese, eating them together. The team sat mostly in silence as they finished eating; they knew they would all need to be full before the journey started. Within the hour, they had finished eating. Each sat back in their seats and groaned. Devon placed his hand over his stomach.

"Delicious as always. I guess it is time to head out. We must leave before we lose this strength," Devon laughed. The guild members struggled to stand up, each wanting to lay down and sleep. But once they stood, they felt rejuvenated, ready for the quest. The guild members took a few minutes to prepare themselves, putting their armor back on and taking some of Sarah's potions.

On the way out, Eli, Devon, and Charles picked up a plate of food. Sarah and Albert were quick to exit the inn, but the three men with food walked slowly and carefully down the staircase and headed to the innkeeper.

"These are for you," Charles offered, placing his plate of fruits and vegetables on the counter. Eli and Albert followed with the fruit and vegetable platter and the cheese platter, respectively.

"Thank you very much," the innkeeper bowed to the gentlemen.

"Of course!" Charles smiled before rushing to the rest of his team with Eli behind him. Albert took some cheese and biscuits one final time and quickly ate them, causing the innkeeper to chuckle.

The guild members ran towards the kingdom's entrance. When they reached the central courtyard, Eli noticed that very few people were outside. He felt guilty; the lack of people was still likely because of his presence looming over them, despite his intentions being innocent. The members crossed over the bridge and into the damaged side. As they approached the entrance, three guards stood; the Dark Lord had increased security, likely after the previous day's events. Hearing their footsteps, the guards turned and saw the guild.

"Halt!" the first called.

"None may leave the kingdom!" the second guard continued.

"The will of the Lord is the will of the land!" the third finished. The guard's words echoed in Eli's mind; they were identical to what he had heard the previous day. He felt sorry as it became clear they were under the Lord's control. Eli, Devon, and Charles unsheathed their swords as Albert raised his fists. The guards responded by raising their swords.

"Please, there is no need for violence now," Sarah whispered. "Trust me," she wrapped her hand around one of the potions around her waist. The men looked at her hand and relaxed their bodies.

"Very good. Return to the kingdom at once," the second guard replied. In a swift motion, Sarah picked up the potion and threw it on the ground. A cloud of thick, white smoke filled the area.

"Run and head for the mountains!" Sarah yelled, and the guild members rushed by the guards and into the open field surrounding the kingdom. Eli looked back as he ran, watching the cloud of smoke dissipate. The guards locked eyes with him but did not chase. After all, they were tasked with protecting the kingdom, not to chase after them. Eli watched as the guards turned towards one another but focused on the adventure as the guild approached a battle fight.

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"The will of the Lord is the will of the land. They have broken that will," one of the guards spoke monotonously. "What shall we do?" he asked.

"Go inform the Lord of this treason; he will give us further instructions," another replied. The first nodded and ran into the kingdom. When he arrived at the main part of the kingdom, he ignored the citizens who fled from him faster than they had with Eli. Focused solely on his report, the guard sped up and reached the castle. He ran in and followed the red carpet to the throne room, where he saw the Dark Lord sitting atop his throne on an elevated platform.

"My Lord," he started, kneeling in front of his king. "I come bearing news."

"Report," ordered the Dark Lord.

"Five citizens fled the kingdom. One was a Mienard. They are traveling to the mountains as we speak."

"You failed your duty," the Dark Lord stood up, a sparkle appearing in his eyes. "Explain to me how you failed."

"The woman of the group used a Potion of Visibility. We could not see anything."

"Why should I not strike you down where you stand?"

"There is no reason, my Lord. My life and soul belongs to you, my Lord. The will of the Lord is the will of the land," the guard stood up and closed his eyes. "There is no forgiveness for my action."

"Very well," answered the Dark Lord. He walked to the soldier and unsheathed his sword. He drew the Bursor glyph on the hilt of his sword, followed by a crescent shape. The blade lit up a dark maroon color. "May Goddess Euna torment your soul for all eternity," he prayed before stabbing the man in the gut. The guard screamed as he felt his life slowly draining away. The Dark Lord laughed, feeling as the guard's life force drained through the sword and into his own body. Within a minute, the guard collapsed onto the floor.

The Dark Lord wiped the blood off his sword with a cloth and smiled. Once he returned atop his throne, he turned to the guard to his right. "Gather ten men. Go to the temple and bring the escapees alive with any artifact they find."

"Yes, my Lord," the guard ran into the castle halls.

"And you," he turned to his left. "Clean up this mess. I do not want this rotting corpse to stay in the castle," he ordered.

"Yes, my Lord," the guard ran to the body to clean it up. The Dark Lord leaned back in his seat and tapped the chair's arm.

"I will get to you, no matter where you go."