Chapter 32:

Elm knelt before the statue of Stjerne, god of the stars, and prayed to his patron deity. Though Elm was but a mere human, he had risen to the position of head priest of the commoner district’s southern temple. The temple wasn’t much compared to the ones in the wealthier districts, but it was still home to many people of Hollow Shade. Elm prided himself in his temple’s ability to provide for his community. He silently thanked Stjerne for watching over humans like him. After finishing his prayer he turned to the statue of Bellum, goddess of war, and asked her protection for the commoners in these difficult times. Winter had begun and the Valley warlords and their tribes had become restless for lack of food. The doors creaked open.

“The evening service won’t begin for another hour,” Elm spoke with closed eyes.

“I’m not here for the service.”

Elm raised his head and turned to the visitor. A young blue goblin stood at the door. The goblin stood on his heels as if ready to leave at a moment’s notice.

“The woman up front said I could find the head priest in the main hall,” Stryg said.

“And you have found me.” Elm stood up. “I am Elm, follower of Stjerne, but priest to all four Ebon gods. May I have the pleasure of knowing your name?”

“Stryg.”

“A pleasure to meet you Stryg. What brings you to our humble temple?”

“...I’ve passed by your temple a few times, while on my way to a nearby tavern.”

“Ah, a visitor of the Merry Crescent.”

“You know it?”

“Everyone who lives in the south side of the district knows it. I quite enjoy their shepherd’s pie. But I interrupted you, please, continue.”

“Well, I noticed your temple and I thought I might stop by.” Stryg looked around the main hall. “I’ve never been in a temple before, it’s nice.”

“Never been? I take it you were not raised in a religious household. Have you perhaps come to join our temple?” Elm smiled.

“No,” Stryg shook his head. “I grew up being taught to worship the mother moon, Lunae. I’m not so sure about those beliefs anymore. But, I am here to learn more about the gods, especially Lunae.”

“A skeptic, then. I’d be glad to assist you on your journey to find your path once more.”

“I’m not lost. I just have questions.”

“And I’ll be glad to answer them to the best of my ability. But, first may I ask how you became unsure of your faith in Lunae?”

“Let’s just say my shaman wasn’t much of a spiritual leader.”

“A shaman? You’re not from Hollow Shade?” The spiritual leaders of Hollow Shade were referred to as priests. Shamans was an antiquated term that was sometimes used for magi as well.

“I’m from Vulture Woods,” Stryg looked away. “The Blood Fang tribe,” he spoke softly.

“A sylvan tribe from Vulture Woods. Really? Stjerne truly watches over his own.” Elm placed his hand over his heart in reverence to his patron deity. After a moment of silence he smiled at Stryg, “I am honored to meet such a warrior.”

“...Right.” Stryg said with suspicion. “Anyway, I wanted to know what you know of fate. Do you believe the gods really control everything? That they control all our fates? My professor at the mage academy says fate isn’t real, only another example of the ethereal balance theory. I was okay accepting that, but it’s been bothering me these past few weeks. I wanted to hear a priest’s side of the story.”

Elm tried to hide his surprise. The boy was a mageborn as well? Elm was beginning to connect the dots. It had to be divine providence that the boy had appeared here tonight. A sylvan child, the first seen in many years, with the power of magic, had come to Hollow Shade; and instead of going to one of the larger temples, had visited a temple of the commoners. His prayer to Bellum had clearly been heard. “You seem unsure of your professor’s words. Why do you think fate isn’t real?”

“Lunae is said to bless her chosen with the gift of magic. Yet, I was born like this,” Stryg gestured to himself. “A bad omen sent to my tribe by Lunae herself. And yet, I can still use magic. It doesn’t make sense.”

Unless the gods weren’t real. If Lunae wasn’t real, then Stryg wasn’t a bad omen. Perhaps, just maybe, he wasn’t a freak after all. A small part of him held onto that hope.

Elm nodded, “I see. I may not know of this balance theory your professor spoke of. But, I do know something of fate. You see fate isn’t something to be called out so easily. Many times it is impossible to discern until it walks up right in front of you.” He stared at Stryg. “For all their power, not even the gods, control fate. You say you're a bad omen from Lunae? Perhaps you are. But if so, then you are a bad omen sent to the tribe, to remind them of the dark days ahead.”

“...But my tribe said I was at fault. That everything bad was because of me.” Stryg’s fingers curled and dug into his palms until he unwittingly drew blood. “They hated me.”

Elm spread out his hands, “You were just the messenger, no fault should be placed on you.”

Stryg looked up in confusion, unable to accept what the priest said.

“Tell me Stryg, what do you know of the origin of the sylvan tribes?”

“We lost the war against the orcs and were forced to flee to Vulture Woods,” Stryg said as he wiped his blood on his pants.

“Not quite. About 300 years ago the goblins of the Silent Marshes did in fact lose the war to the ancient orc warriors. But they didn’t flee. The orcs had surrounded the few remaining goblin survivors, ready to finish them off. But it is said that Lunae stepped in and saved her children. Nothing of the sort had ever happened before. For the watcher herself to intervene was a testament to the importance she held for those goblins.”

Stryg had never heard any of this before.

Elm continued, “After saving the goblins, she led them to Vulture Woods. Their descendants became known as the sylvan tribes, and have been kept safe by Lunae to this day, or so the story goes.”

“Protected? I’ve seen plenty of goblins killed in those Woods.”

“Yet, the tribes still live. Do you know of any other non-goblin tribes that live in Vulture Woods?”

“...No.”

“Exactly my point. The sylvan tribes are protected by Lunae and from the stories I’ve heard, they have been honing their warrior skills ever since. I don’t believe you were a bad omen Stryg. I believe you were a call to action, a warrior mage sent out of that monstrous forest. Perhaps meant to face the monsters that run rampant all around us. The world is a cruel place Stryg. I am glad you have come to the commoner district.”

“I’m not here to join you. I just wanted some answers,” Stryg took a step back. He clearly had gotten much more than he bargained for. This priest was crazy, or as much of a liar as the shaman Cruvor had been.

Elm inclined his head, “I understand.” He knew that Stryg, a skeptic, wouldn’t wish to join the temple right away, but Elm needed to try.

“I need to get going,” Stryg walked away.

“If you ever have more questions, please don’t hesitate to stop by.”

Stryg didn’t turn around. He left the temple feeling more uncertain than when he had arrived. He shook his head as if to rid the thoughts. He couldn’t listen to that priest. He wasn’t about to fall to lies of grandeur like he had with Cruvor. The sun was beginning to set. He needed to hurry, Loh had asked him to meet her at the city gates.

After running for twenty minutes he arrived at the meeting spot. Except, he wasn’t the only student. The whole duels class stood around the closed gate.

“Oh, you’re finally here, Stryg,” Callum waved him over.

Stryg nodded in acknowledgement. “What’s going on?”

“I don’t know, Loh just told us to meet her here,” Callum said.

“She’s late as usual,” Kithina said, walking over while rubbing her arms. “It’s freezing.”

“Hm.” Stryg was used to his master’s abrupt nature. This meetup wasn’t much of a surprise to him. Nor was the cold much of a bother, he was content to wait.

Callum sniffed the air, “What’s that scent? It smells delicious.” The half-vampire looked around searching for its source. His eyes finally settled on Stryg’s hands.

Stryg glanced at his palms. The blood had dried, but it still stained his hands. Kithina looked at Callum in disgust. Stryg took a step back from the vampire and assumed a fighting stance.

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t realize it was you,” Callum scratched the back of his neck. “I’m normally not like this. Vampires don’t just freak out at the sight of blood. We can control ourselves. The scent was strong is all. Hybrid blood can be quite...potent sometimes.”

Clypeus, the full blooded vampire, stepped away from the other students and began sniffing the air, too. His head snapped to Stryg. The goblin hissed in warning.

“Case and point,” Callum finished.

“You’re all here, good.” Loh called out. She was riding on the back of a female centaur. Instead of holding reins, Loh’s hands rested around the centaur’s waist. The centaur trotted over to one of the nearby guards.

The guard bowed his head, “Miss Noir we are ready at your command.”

“Excellent, you may begin.” Loh unmounted and patted her centaur on her soft upper belly.

“All of you, follow the guards up the ladders,” Loh said.

The students looked at the guards who began climbing the tall metal ladders all the way to the top of the jet black wall.

“That has to be a few dozen feet at least,” Kithina muttered in shock.

“60 feet to be precise,” Callum pointed out.

“I wish you hadn’t said that,” Kithina swallowed.

Stryg glanced at the ladders. It was just like climbing a tree back home. Except this one had easy branches to grab a hold of. He made his way up first. The others soon followed. Kithina was the last one in line.

“No need to worry, they are attached quite firmly, they won’t tip over and fall,” A guard patted the ladder.

“It’s not the ladder I’m worried about falling,” Kithina said as her feet began to wobble.

She hated heights, but she feared Loh more. With shaky hands she began to climb up. After a few painstakingly long minutes the dwarf managed her way to the top. She was about to complain about the wretched experience until she saw the view.

The Dusk Valley’s hills stretched all around. Snow had covered the green hills entirely. The setting sun bathed them in golden light, causing the endless fields to shine like a trove of treasure.

“Beautiful,” Kithina whispered in awe.

“Yeah, it really is,” Callum agreed.

“It’s bright,” Stryg shielded his eyes with a hand.

“I see everyone is enjoying the sight,” Loh said. “Now turn around.”

Stryg was more than happy to look away from the sunny spectacle. The great city of Hollow Shade stood proudly behind. Buildings of all shapes and sizes sprawled all around. One large tower stood out amongst the rest, far in the middle of the city. It was split in two, as if a giant sword had cleaved the building in half. Two half circles formed on the inner side of each side of the tower.

“Now, I want you all to look straight down. What do you see?” Loh asked.

Nora, a human girl, spoke up, “The wall?”

“If you give me another dumb answer I’ll throw you off the wall,” Loh warned.

Nora’s mouth closed shut in a flash.

“Magestone,” Clypeus stepped in front of Nora. She smiled gratefully.

“Correct,” Loh said.

Wait? Stryg looked down in surprise. He knelt and touched the cold ebon stone. This was magestone? He had read how difficult it was to work magestone, with the largest pieces only the size of a fist. He looked around the wall that spanned miles. This was impossible.

“A little over 300 years ago there was nothing in Dusk Valley, but grass.” Loh began. “Then one day suddenly, these magestone walls appeared out of the blue. No one knows how they were created, only that the ebon lords were responsible. The walls were situated in an ideal spot for trading and soon people flocked around from the whole Realm. Eventually, these walls surrounded the beginnings of the prosperous great city of Hollow Shade. But, great wealth attracts many dangers. Tribes came from all over to try and pillage this city. Back then the rulers of the city, the ebon lords, were able to drive off any invader with ease. But those times are long gone. Now, we must defend ourselves and our interests.”

Loh walked to the outer edge of the wall and pointed down. The students carefully walked over and looked below. A group of a dozen men and women sat in the snow. Their limbs were tied tight even as they struggled to escape.

“Down there are prisoners. Some were caught for stealing, others had no nameplates, a couple of them are even raiders from the Valley.” Loh went on, “The ebon lords may all be gone, but they left us with their greatest weapon.”

The last wisps of sunlight began to die over the horizon. Stryg looked at the walls with dawning realization. Magestone was inherently clear as water. For it to be the color of obsidian meant it was fully charged with black mana. But how was that possible? Not even an army of black magi could charge half the wall and even if they could, mana leaked out of magestone with time. There couldn’t be any left after 300 years. This whole thing should be impossible.

“Do you know where this city got its name? The ‘Hollow’ part came from the city starting with just these walls, the inside was empty, hollow. But ‘Shade’ comes from them,” Loh gestured towards the etched wall.

Shadowy hands began to emerge from the magestone outer wall. The ethereal hands pulled themselves out to reveal an inky mass of a formless creature. There were no distinctive features save for the faint smoky outline of limbs. They screamed a high pitch inhuman screech. Stryg and the others covered their ears in pain.

“Shades!” Loh shouted over the horrid sound. “The wretched existences created by soul magic, the signature spell form of a true black mage. Yet, no amount of true black magi could create something this horrifying.”

Hundreds of shades emerged from the ebon walls. The prisoners below shouted for help. They doubled their efforts of escape, to no avail. The shades dropped from the walls, tunneling through the air as if swimming in water. The first one to reach a prisoner sunk into the man’s body. He began to convulse, his veins blackened, and his blood vessels burst. Pink froth spilled from his mouth as his body began to break apart. The skin melted away as the muscles slipped off the bone, revealing the monstrous shade within. The shade emerged from the corpse and moved to its next victim, but other shades had already latched onto the rest of the prisoners. In only a few seconds all that was left was a pile of rotting flesh and bone. The shades stopped their inhuman screams and fell silent. Their inky bodies swam up through the air and began drifting around the wall.

A few of the students vomited at the spectacle, Kithina included. Though, Callum guessed it had somewhat to do with the height for the redhead dwarf.

“This is why people don’t go near the city at night,” Stryg whispered in understanding. No one wanted to die in such a horrifying way.

“Correct,” Loh said. “The shades only come out at night and they stay on the wall’s outer side. It's why the warlords of the Valley haven’t sieged us with their hordes. But, make no mistake, they are out there. They attack the nearby towns, caravans, and trade routes, including the Dire River. If we lose those trade points, our city cannot sustain itself. The city’s soldiers cannot alone stop the enemy. It’s our job as magi to defend those points of interest. The Dusk Valley’s warlords have become more restless as of late. War will come to the Valley, it’s just a matter of when.”

“I brought you all here to remind you of why you study in the academy. It’s not for wealth, prestige, lust, or power. You study, you train, for your own survival.” Loh looked at each one of her students, finally settling her eyes on Stryg. “Remember that.”