Chapter 99: The Unfaltering Shield

“And so, the destined friendship was formed,” the narrator echoed across the amphitheatre.

Gale and Veres walked through the rubble of their village, hoping to find another survivor. There were none.

“The children scavenged through the homes of the villagers and gathered what little food they could find.”

Gale tore apart a few pieces of wood from one of the hovels and started a small fire. Unlike the flame magic the narrator had cast, Stryg noticed this fire was fake. The actress was too young to be a mage and she had used no flint. There had to be another purple mage casting an illusion spell from backstage.

“Oh sweet Bellum, it’s cold,” Veres shivered.

“Come over here, you idiot,” Gale waved him over.

“Thanks,” Veres nodded and sat besides her next to the fire.

“Don’t mention it. We have enough wood from these houses to stay warm for at least a year, I think.”

“Gale, the winter storms will be coming soon, we can’t stay here.”

“What are you talking about? There’s finally no one to stop us from eating more than just scraps. We can finally warm ourselves next to a fire and sleep under an actual roof. Why in all the bloody Realms would we leave?”

“We can’t survive in this place. There may be a lot of food here, but the blood will go bad soon. We don’t know how to hunt either. In a few weeks the snow storms will hit and we’ll be trapped here. We’ll slowly starve.”

“Then what are we supposed to do, Mr. Genius?” Gale huffed.

“We need to keep going to other villages, until we find one that isn’t destroyed and willing to tolerate us, for now.”

“Are you serious? Everyone hates us. Don’t you realize that? We’re just orphans.”

“The war won’t last forever. We just need to survive until it’s over,” Veres rested his head on Gale’s shoulder.

At first, she tensed at the gesture, but then she relaxed her shoulders. “We’ll never be accepted no matter where we go.”

“Then we’ll make a place for ourselves. A place where no one can afford to turn their back on us ever again,” he swore.

“Heh, it better have moose meat filled with lots of juicy blood.”

He closed his eyes, “As much as you’ll ever want.”

The light faded away from the stage until all was dark, except for the narrator. Stryg could still see the props and actors scurrying across the stage, but he switched his attention to the narrator.

“Gale and Veres gathered all the food they could carry and set off into the cold wilderness in search of a different village. As fate would have it, they would find a new village to wait out the winter storms.”

The drums began beating softly, the chorus and strings in sync.

“Veres had even been right about the war. It ended not long after spring came around.”

The drums began beating louder and louder, the chorus’ voices became more foreboding, the strings played at a shrill pace.

“Yet, another war began soon after. Our orphaned heroes were forced to move from place to place, trying to survive in the war-torn Northern Lands. Yet, no matter the hardships they faced, they stood together.”

“When they grew old enough, Veres enlisted as a soldier in one of the warring armies. He had promised Gale a better life and he was intent on keeping his word.”

An older Veres appeared on the stage. He was dressed in armor and holding a sword. An enemy soldier appeared from the shadows and attacked. Veres parried the blow and pushed him back. Another enemy came from the rear and swung his axe.

Gale jumped into the light and blocked the axe with her shield and stabbed her blade straight into the man’s gut. Veres turned around in surprise.

“Gale had made a promise as well. She was not going to let Veres fight alone, no matter the enemy,” the narrator smiled.

The stage darkened once more.

“While Veres was a talented swordsman, his true talents laid in his military strategy. The young vampire proved to be a genius tactician on the battlefield. He quickly made a name for himself among the soldiers and was given his own command.”

Emerald light dyed the stage green. Veres was atop a small cliff, leading his soldiers into battle against a battalion of drow. The green light slowly shifted towards the center of the stage.

“There was one under his command who had shown great promise, a prodigy mage whose skills were only matched by Veres’ own wit,” the narrator remarked.

The earth exploded in a thunder shattering roar, blasting the drow away. Gale rose from among the rubble, blasting the few that remained with green and yellow bolts of power.

The crowd roared in excitement. Stryg knew there was no such spell for magical bolts and that it was nothing but illusions, but he found himself smiling as he watched Gale and Veres tear into their enemies.

“With Gale’s magical prowess, Veres was able to implement the most daring of plans and succeed again and again. In just a few years, Veres’ name began spreading through the ranks, a fearless commander who brought victory wherever he went. His fame grew so great that he even caught the eye of the legendary Ebon Lord Koval.”

The music grew to a crescendo as a tall figure obscured in a black cloak appeared on center stage. Veres kneeled in front of the man and offered his sword.

“Veres pledged his service to Lord Koval without a second thought. The Ebon Lord asked how Veres had succeeded in all his battles, no matter the odds. Veres admitted the truth without hesitance.”

“My most trusted soldier, Gale, is the reason,” Veres looked over at his best friend. “I just plan the strategy, she is the one who never fails to execute it.”

“How interesting,” Koval reached out with a pale hand.

Gale was dragged forward by an unseen force. Her face landed in the clutch of the Ebon Lord.

“Hm, yes, I see it. She is truly gifted, a soon to be archmage,” Koval surmised. He released her and disappeared into the shadows.

The narrator’s voice rang out through the music, “Lord Koval did not just accept Veres’ pledge, he bestowed upon Veres the title of War Lord and Gale the title of Mage Lady. He then made Veres the general of one of his greatest armies.”

“Lord Veres and Lady Gale did not disappoint. They defeated Lord Koval’s enemies with ruthless swift tactics,” the narrator exclaimed.

Snippets of battles passed through the stage. Veres and Gale ran through the battlefields, striking down all who crossed their paths.

“They were so successful that Lord Koval made Lord Veres the marshal, commander of all his armies. Veres and Gale were no longer simple orphan children in an abandoned village. No longer would anyone dare turn their backs on the renowned vampires. With his new found power Veres fulfilled his promise and went on to have a large castle built for Gale as a token of their friendship.”

A beautiful woman in a red dress appeared on stage.

“Yet, with all the power and fame they attained, came a woman Gale did not predict. Veres had forged an alliance with Lord Koval by marrying his daughter.”

Veres appeared and took his stunning bride into his arms and spun her around. They laughed and kissed. Gale stood in the corner, a tear falling down her cheek.

“Lady Gale had fallen in love with Veres so long ago, but she had stayed quiet of her feelings,” The narrator bowed her head. “It was those same feelings that brought her to stand side by side Veres and defeat whomever threatened him. And so, with a heavy heart, Lady Gale wished her best friend and the love of her life, a wonderful and happy marriage.”

The drum beats rose in power. The amphitheatre was dyed a soft gold. Illusionary flames curled around the stage. Ebon Lord Koval stepped out from the fire.

“Lord Koval, the greatest enchanter and smith in all the Realm, forged a magical sword as a wedding gift for his new son-in-law. A weapon so great that its name would echo through the centuries,” the narrator said.

She danced her way to the front of the audience and placed her hand next to her ear.

“Krikolm!” The crowd shouted in unison.

Stryg looked at Rhian in surprise, “You know this story?”

“Some of it, but everyone knows Kriklom and Oginum,” Rhian shrugged.

“Oginum?”

“Yeah, you know, Krikolm and Oginum. The most famous weapons in Hollow Shade?” Rhian whispered.

Stryg did not, but he made a mental note to learn more about it later. For now, he focused his attention on the play.

Lord Koval pulled out a longsword from underneath his cloak. Its blade was blood red with a black crossguard and a white grip. The black pommel was engraved with twin gems, a grey and white stone.

“Veres, I offer you my masterpiece. Let it be bound by blood to your House for all generations that it may guide your heirs to victory in all wars to come,” Lord Koval handed him the crimson blade.

Veres held Kirkolm up high with a warcry. The crowd cheered.

“And more wars did come,” the narrator said. “Lord Veres and Lady Gale faced them all, defeating their opponents with diverse strategies and relentless martial and magical prowess. They were unstoppable, until one day…”

The scenery changed. Gale and Veres were walking through a forest, a few guards followed behind.

“Our heroes had just defeated the armies of the Ivory Realm and were heading home from the war.”

Hidden warriors jumped out from the trees and rushed Gale and Veres from all sides. “Death to Veres!” They screamed.

“They were ambushed by the army of another Ebon Lord. Veres and Gale had already left their own army behind and were traveling with only a small retinue of guards,” the narrator said softly.

Gale blasted the enemy soldiers away with bolts of arcane energy. Krikolm practically sang in bloody glory as Veres cut down beasts and drow. The two vampires stood back to back, facing off against their foes.

The enemy general rode into the fray on the back of a dire bear. He signaled his men to stop fighting.

“We only want Veres. Surrender, Lady Gale, and pledge your loyalty, and we will spare your life,” the general called out.

“We’re surrounded,” Gale muttered.

Veres’ shoulders shook, “I’ll figure something out.”

Gale looked at his bloodied face with tears in her eyes. “There is no time.”

She grabbed Veres and kissed him on the lips. Gale pushed him away and into the arms of one of their last remaining guards.

“Get him out of here!” She commanded.

“Yes, my Lady!” The guards shouted in unison and dragged Veres away.

“Get off of me!” Veres pushed them back. “Gale, what are you doing!?”

She smiled, “Can’t you see? There are too many of them, we won’t survive this.”

“There has to be a way, I’ll find a way! I always find a way!”

Gale shook her head, “Not this time. I don’t want to die, but if today is my day, then I rather die on my own two feet protecting my friend.”

His eyes widened, “Gale…”

“Death it is!” The enemy general ordered his army to attack.

Gale spun around and faced the onslaught of enemies. “You want Veres?! You can’t have him!”

She clapped her hands together, a blast of red ward symbols shot forth and formed a magical wall behind her, cutting off Gale and the army from Veres.

“Are you insane? You may be an archmage, but you are only one person, you cannot fight us all,” the general sneered.

“Wrong!” Gale yelled. “I am the Shield of Veres. Be it monster or man, here I stand proud and I shall not falter!”

The enemy charged her. She flung them away in emerald blasts of power. The enemy shot arrows and magic at the ward wall, it held without a crack. They swarmed Gale with countless soldiers. A few attacks managed to wound her, but none pierced the wards.

“The enemy general could not understand how she remained standing despite her injuries. Lady Gale continued to fight no matter how many attacked!” The narrator shouted with pride.

Wave after wave of enemies charged and still, Gale held her ground. The crowd cheered, tears in their eyes. An arrow pierced her leg, a blade slashed arm, a hammer cracked her ribs, still she fought. Eventually, a mountain of bodies formed around her.

Gale dragged her feet forward. “You… won’t… get past…” Her head sank, yet she stood tall.

The red wall of wards crumbled to dust behind her.

“No matter the enemy, no matter the wounds, Gale did not falter. She fought to the very end,” the narrator cried out.

The light of the stage faded away until it centered on the motionless figure of Gale.

“Mage Lady Gale managed to hold off the entire army long enough for Lord Veres to escape. Veres eventually returned with his own armies and destroyed those that had ambushed them to the very last man. Veres went on to fight countless more battles and supported Lord Koval in the unification of the Ebon Realm.”

The light faded away.

The narrator’s voice rang out in the darkness, “Lady Gale’s sacrifice paved the way to a stabilized Ebon Realm. No matter how many lords and ladies have come since, The Realm will always remember the one who faced an entire army alone. Of how she stood proud and unafraid in the face of insurmountable odds. The Unfaltering Shield of her best friend to the very end.”