Chapter Twelve Faceless

Faceless made sure his hood was in place as he walked through the empty streets. It was the hours of the Black Gods, so no one was out but him and other people and creatures of the night; superstition and reality blended during these hours and you could never tell if this time when you stepped outside whether you would ever step back in. Faceless palmed the two souls in his hand. The souls light was dimmed by the black diamond it was trapped in. The adder stone formed whenever he made a kill of a creature with a soul, this was his pact with his God. He gave him the souls of his kills and took on missions from Pathaldron in exchange Pathaldron would give or infuse his belongings with power or augment his body.

The mission tonight had been simple, they had been tracking the records keeper for years and finally found him. Pathaldron had sent Faceless and Screamer to capture or kill the records keeper and drag out the names of the priests and clerics of light. If he died, then the names would be forgotten, and the names they had would become their true names, and if he lived, they would learn the names.

“The darkness always wins in the end,” Faceless said with a smile invisible thanks to the enchantment on his cloak that forever cast his face in shadow and made him hidden in the darkness.

Screamer had died in the fight but when facing a high priest of Zizula that was to be expected. The shadows Screamer had summoned had weakened the priest who had taken his own life to keep the Turashen from killing him and stealing his soul and forever locking him out of his heaven. It had been a cowardly move, he had saved his own soul but doomed those of every other priest, cleric, and paladin who had entrusted him with their true names. He had used a Death Curse a forbidden a suicided spell that used necromancy to use one’s own life force that every other church forbid from being taught however followers of Zizula were not concerned with law only with winning.

Faceless went into the woods outside the village where they had assassinated the priest and knelt in the darkest shadow he could find and placed the soul stones on the ground and bowed his head. “Master I have completed your assignment and have brought you the souls of the priest and his family,” Faceless prayed. He didn’t know whether his master would come, but the stones would be gone by morning either way.

Faceless felt a puff of air and looked up to see the gleaming white teeth of Pathaldron as long as shortsword as black saliva splattered onto the plants withering them away.

“Excellent work,” Pathaldron said.

Even though Faceless knew this was only an apparition of his God he couldn’t stop his heart from hammering at the site of the gargantuan black wolf as every instinct, his species had urged him to flee. Faceless banished such instinct and nodded. He did not ask for a reward, that was not his place sometimes Pathaldron didn’t give compensation for every mission to test his follower’s loyalty.

“What do you require of me now, my master?” Faceless asked.

“Screamer perished in the fight?” Pathaldron asked not answering his question.

“Yes, my lord, the priest used a Death Curse on him and obliterated him,” Faceless answered.

“I felt his passing. I sense a great change is coming in the world my servant and you will be a part of it,” Pathaldron said speaking more to himself.

“Whatever you command my lord,” Faceless agreed.

“You will transport you to the town of Tor there you will find directions to a ruin known as Wraith Eminence, deep below it is a city. This is secret knowledge I give you, and you must swear not to tell anyone, or I will flay your soul,” Pathaldron threatened.

“There are three creatures in mortal flesh there, they are dungeons creatures of immense power that approach even the manifestations. You will go to the one known as Wraith Eminence and assist him in anything he requires you will offer him a position as one of the Turashen and give him the service of the Turashen’s servants the Raku. He will usher in an age of shadow and the war between light and darkness will turn, and we shall have the upper hand,” Pathaldron commanded.

Faceless rose and bowed, “It shall be as you command my Lord.”

“You will need help I give you these gauntlets they will let you teleport from shadow to shadow to give you an advantage against your enemies,” Pathaldron said pushing a paw forward along the ground revealing a pair of black studded leather gauntlets.

Faceless smiled and put them on. “A pleasure to be of service as always my master.”