A portal opened...
He had descended. Dante waded through dirt, mud, and swamp until he came to the firey prison of Abbadoth. Those who had disobeyed the Master were trapped here in constant sorrow and agony. Those who had waited so long to see freedom from the Helscape, burning for eternity.
The wondering elven spirit was to lock them, the king and sheep herders of the lifeless, away forever. If all went according to plan, Dante would meet his Master again in Hovenlla, a home in the afterrealm that no Death Wanderer's tentacle can touch. A world beyond Abbadoth, Fonde, or any other tangible existence known to Man, elve, or mage.
His spirit had grown beyond the confines of the flesh-bound Fonde. The land was covered in dry air and fire; the beauty of Fonde Ssique's sun never shown in this dark, terrible abyss - not a glimmer nor a thin radiant sparkle. Black blindfolds covered the denizen's.
The portal closed behind him, driving Dante deeper in. He sought a spot to share his final thoughts with Val. He walked purposefully through Abbadoth. He drew his ethereal sword and held it protectively close to his body. He walked past tall white pillars. Dante passed water-fire, a great pillar, water-fire, and past another great pillar. On and on. It was all sprinkled with sparks, and solemn in pure pitch garish, twilight.
"Val..." he mentally called the archer as he walked past piles of tortured dead and burning souls.
"Come to me, Val. I open my wondering mind to you. Please open your thoughts."
Black blood flowed through the river of fire. Spirits gathered around Dante as he passed. They were the spirits of the tormented and pained. The elderly, soldiers from battles past, fresh, beautiful, youthful women who were no longer youthful. Many of them were burnt to a crisp, with dry throats still gasping. They begged Dante for a drop of water. From all sides, they pressed in on him with blood-curdling whales. He did not fear the melancholy dead. He raised his ethereal, bright blade before him.
"Back, for I has not come to jest with heathens and the persecuted!"
He pulled his sword out further and sat on a bench, waiting with the spirits and swinging each time the dead approached.
****
Val and Eddipus took a dirt path to the east and crossed a bridge into central Acropolis of the Tell. They searched for a marker that would usher them onward. According to Val's map, there were four ancient cities and their destination was the south of Crenith; a great fortress of King Berisha. They would need to travel through many Streets to reach it, but something else on the map caught their eye.
Val and Eddipus made a detour to the opposite corner of the Acropolis. It was in this area that an abandoned archer tower stood. They were hoping to scour the place for weapons. With all the Draugen and dogs wandering the state, they weren't going to make it far on an empty quiver.
"The watchtower must be deserted." Val assumed.
"As the rest of Crenith." Eddipus grinned.
Teylavere was dulling and needed to be cleaned. Eddipus was hopeful he'd find a whetstone. They approached the tower and entered, investigating the area of web-choked, dusty armaments. It looked like every guard and archer had vanished.
Val began to walk to the back. The arrows were locked tight in an armory. He kicked at the rusted door and grunted with no use as it rattled under the pressure. Sure enough, he soon spotted a sharp dagger sitting on a stone arrow loop. It was next to an abandoned mug full of rotten-smelling grog. Whoever this once belonged to left it when the blast destroyed Crenith. Val grabbed the burnt but sharp dagger and placed it in his boot while Eddipus walked over to a small grindstone. He was determined to sharpen his claymore. He slid Teylavere side to side while stepping on a pedal. It made a squeak as it spun, creating the sound of metal against stone. Pleased with his work, Eddipus returned the sword to its leather back holder.
Eddipus turned to a nearby wall. A yellowing burnt slip of wanted paper was tacked with a rusted nail.
"WANTED. Saul Josh, traitor of Crenith. Accused of Dark Gyromancy. It was thought that Saul was trying to summon the ancient king of death, Abbadoth. He has fled capture. It is believed that he fled for the hills somewhere southwest outside Crenith."
They neared over to the paper. Saul's eyes gave them chills as the picture was that of a much younger elve they were sure they knew.
"What happened here?" Val asked. It was more a question of personal shock.
Val had seen spell books, demonic wishing eyes, and ghost pouches in the past. He never touched anything dark cultist in nature. He remembered a book that sat on his mother's desk at Huntsman's. The book had a face on the ash-ridden cover. It was for a customer wearing a dark blue hood. He had said he was a merchant himself who sold nick-nacks, elixirs, and housewares. Val now wondered if it would be used for more nefarious purposes. It was illegal in most places to perform such tasks for a reason. It was one of the few things Val feared. He never would have entertained the idea of communing with the dead.
By the looks of it, Saul Josh had been the cause of Crenith's current predicament. A lump formed in the back of Eddipus's throat as his eyes scanned the words on the wanted poster again and again.
He couldn't shake the feeling that he knew the criminal. A whisper from the Winds told him the truth. "You know him!"
Val could have never imagined the insanity someone could bring about through magicka means. He was baffled as to whom the loathsome elve was.
"Just some killer," Val said. "A maniac. A conjurer."
They wouldn't be needing much and there was no time for becoming unnecessarily over-encumbered. They forwent any extra bulky items. Eddipus threw some lighter armaments in an unassuming gray pack. Val stowed two rondel daggers, one with slight rust on the handle and a chip in the blade. Both were still sharp enough to do damage to any drawing near. Two tally marks had been etched into a gold pommel. Val added a hand full of arrows he found lying about. Just as they were ready to leave, closing the bag with everything ready to go, they heard a growl from behind them.
They turned to see a hideous draugen dog shakily stagger in. The creature groaned, saliva dripping from its eager teeth. For a moment, Val was reminded of the demon cur on the road. It crept closer. In an instant he reached for the gray bag and pulled from it an arrow, jumping frantically at the mangled mutt. Eddipus, seeing his friend battle the beast readied his weapon and stood back just in case Val went Berserkr again.
He jabbed the arrow in the thing's neck and wouldn't let go, struggling like a rider on a bucking wild horse. His arm was around its neck.
"Run!" Val yelled.
Eddipus hesitated. He would run but not without his companion. He thrust Teylavere forward at the mongrel, knocking Val off to the floor. Eddipus pulled out his claymore from the beast and sheathed her.
He grabbed Val by the arm, pulling him up.
They ran fast to a spiral staircase up the hall. The animal shot off a snarling cry behind and started galloping. They turned a corner, past a stone base. Above, supported a wooden loft behind a large door standing open. They ran in, only to be greeted by the drooling snout as they slammed the door in its face and slid a wood beam across.
Inside, along the walls were sets of double windows.
"We must jump!" Eddipus said, pointing above and running forward. Val objected, sweat dripping from his head.
"Thats insane!..."
The door behind them rattled as they heard scratching. The beast broke splinters of wood into the air. Val looked out the window and downward toward an open hey barrack. He shook his head and backed away. A piece of the door broke open. The creature's snout poked through and sniffed frantically, its mouth oozing blood mucus onto the floor.
"You can take your chances with the Draugen dog?"
"No.." Val said, lowering his tone and walking to the double-head windows. The gap was wide enough for them to fit through, perch, then leap.
"You ready?"
"No"
"You've climbed and perched on trees. You've even somersaulted mid-air, Val. Just let go as if in a tree."
"This isn't a tree." Val snapped.
Eddipus was calm.
"Suffering produces perseverance."
"I'm not suffering," Val said, shaking his head.
"Val, suffering comes in many forms. Fear is one. Persevere as you always have, my friend."
"It's just...I told you I trained in a king's court..."
"Of course, Val."
"It's a half-truth. A giant, big enough to be a king."
"...The giant trained you?"
"No. In my mind, I trained." He paused. Breathing heavily.
"The bit about my parents and the Rapha siege is true." Val became expressionless, an unreadable brick wall.
"I fight Galith mentally. I ready my arrows till the day I kill him. It will take one shot between the eyes."
Not wasting another second, Val snatched up the courage. 'Persevere' as you always have.' It stuck in him as Dante's words of wisdom had.
Through the window, he climbed and took a leap of faith.
"Val! Come to me." He heard and with those few words, Val silently slipped away.