Nexus Fate - Chapter 15: Haphazard

Everything is guided.

The crackling of the fire-pit resounded through the dome of brush. The night breeze whistled past the tips of the dome's petals, while venturing up the cliff-side. This anomaly formed a mellow whooshing noise, creating a sensation of despair when met with silence. Silence is what met it. The companions looked upon the mysterious Chaim Dunn in disbelief.

Tal'Von forfeit all playfulness in his voice, “How do you know of the door. Why are you here?”

Chaim flinched at Tal's sturdy grip, “Yeesh' back off a little!”

Vensan's arms flailed in rage, “Who the hell are you! You better not be planning anything you hear m-”

Tal raised his voice, “Quiet!”

Vensan rested his arms and stood in silence, the echoing of the wind over-taking once again.

Chaim shook at Tal's merciless expression, “W- wait! I really don't mean anything! Please, believe me! I - I live here!”

Tal'Von let go of Chaim's hand, “I will ask you a few questions. If you do not answer them correctly... you will die.”

Chaim took a step back and widened his mouth in fear, “Please...”

Tal raised his posture, “If you run, you will die.”

Catasca shivered, “Head captain, you don-”

Tal'Von raised his hand to the handle of his axe, “Here is my first question.”

Chaim Dunn fell to his knees, his weak arm tossing and turning.

“What's your story.”

Chaim bowed down, “I live here! I've lived here since I was kicked out of the guard! I don't mean any harm!”

“What is Royce to you.”

“I - I... I don't have any connections to Royce! Not anymore...”

“How do you know of the door?”

“Listen to me now! I've lived here for a long time... a long time! I find things! No-one told me a thing... P- please~”

“My final question. How do you know the livid eaters won't enter this place?”

“They just don't! I've stayed in here with the lights out! They... they just don't come in! It's... it's a miracle.”

Tal'Von depressed his arm, “You've answered correctly.”

Chaim bowed down lower, tears collapsing in the mud. “Thank you, thank you, thank you...”

Teiy snarled and trudged to Tal, punching him across the face. “What the hell was that?”

Von Baron twisted in a blink, and kicked Teiy in the chest. Teiy flew a few feet, falling in the muck.

Teiy regained a crouch, “You're mad!”

Tal'Von hid his face, “You don't know what we could've been dealing with.”

Teiy looked confused, “What?”

Tal drooped over, holding his hands before him. “Only the top know of the door! I'm the weakest of them! If this man was a decoy for one of them, we'd all be dead!”

Teiy got back to his feet, “Weakest?”

Tal walked over to Chaim, and held out his hand. “You may have answered my questions right, but you're not going to leave my sight with so much knowledge.”

Vensan scratched his head, “Head captain, you still care for Royce's safety while they hunt for us?”

Tal lifted Chaim Dunn to his feet, “I care that this man knows who was with him, but I still have honor for Royce. I haven't been convinced completely of Teiy's story, but I will still continue.”

Vensan chuckled, “I don't hate Royce, but the fact they're out to kill me does effect my current kinship with them. However, I don't plan to ever believe that kid. Appearing in the middle of nowhere, ha! He doesn't look the type to be so innocent.”

Teiy turned to Vensan, “And what exactly do you mean!”

Catasca shouted over them, “Stop it!”

Everyone peered in Catasca's direction, noticing Ethel shiver by her side.

Teiy looked over to Tal'Von, “Just get on opening that door.”

Tal'Von grabbed Chaim's shoulder and led him to the others, “Alright.”

They all made their way to the side of the cliff wall. The rubble of past collapsed boulders covered the base, with the dome above breaking open to the night sky. Light blue etchings, on the wall, pointed four arrows towards a large piece of stone. Tal'Von Baron kneeled before it, and unlatched a satchel from his waist. From the satchel, Von Baron pulled out an old, charcoal-colored key. Teiy watched in intrigue as Tal'Von made his way up the rubble and pushed the key into a cranny in the stone wall. A loud click accompanied. Tal pulled the key back out, then tossed it up and back into his hand.

Vensan looked unsatisfied, “What now?”

Tal looked up, “We climb.”

Ethel looked up warily, “Climb?”

Catasca chuckled, “Don't worry.”

Teiy looked up with Tal, “But what about the wagon?”

Tal'Von patted the rock wall, “Stop worrying so much, Teiy. I was only joking.”

Teiy lowered his vision to Tal, “Huh?”

Tal'Von Baron stretched out his arms, “It's hard to see the entrance isn't it?”

Chaim stepped forward and pointed out, “The edge is right behind your right hand.”

Tal'Von put his arm back in the key-crevice, “Indeed!”

With a pull, the wall of stone slid slowly from the cliff-side. Dust clouds formed from the rubbing rock, with hints of purple. Surprisingly, the formations of stone stayed intact. The edges of the rock slab totaled around the height of three grown men, and the width of a few steeds lined alongside one another.

Tal'Von Baron stepped aside, “Get back.”

The others took a few steps back.

Tal sighed, “Further.”

The others made greater steps back, and the commotion of the grinding stones ceased for a moment. The unanticipated silence left them in awe, then the wall collapsed. The “door” fell down unto the rubble of stones beneath it, looking as if it was made to be a ramp-of-sorts at one time. The “door” was held by four golden cables, which led into the dark corridor.

Tal'Von Baron held out his arm, “The secret passageway.”

Teiy looked across the broken rocks underneath the leaning stone-slab, which was above ground-level. “Still, what about the horses?”

Tal held his hand to his nose, “You... we will just bring the horses up the stones, inside. Leave the cart here for now. We'll be back.”

Teiy quivered, “What if our pursuers consider we came here? Will they notice your absence?”

Vensan nodded, “I don't feel comfortable agreeing with a little, mystery boy, but he has a point.”

Tal'Von flung his arm aside, “Normally, I'd say your assumption is correct Teiy, but the incident at the gates of Royce killed many. The incident with the sand worm is a whole other situation in itself. It'd be a safe assumption on their part to think I am dead. Checking the crushed bodies won't serve them much use either.”

Vensan squinted at Teiy, “'Whole other situation'...”

Tal'Von hopped down from the rubble, “Unshackle the horses! And stranger, 'Chaim Dunn' was it?”

Chaim stood straight, “Yes.”

Tal gazed in the man's eyes, “Do you understand your place?”

“Yes.”

Von Baron rubbed his bruised face, “If you run, you die. That rule still stays in place. Once we finish our involvement with your home, we will reward you and set you off on your own.”

Those words brought a tear to Chaim's eye, “R- reward? Thank you!”

Teiy held onto the reigns of his horse, “I've got this one! The other horse wasn't mine, Vensan. Watch out. I don't know how easy he is.”

Vensan untied Lyez's horse, setting it free. Vensan leaned forward, keeping a tight grip on the reigns. The horse did not stir.

Vensan raised his thumb, “Please Teiy, don't underestimate m-”

The horse darted away, Vensan keeping hold. Mud slid across his armour, his face slowly lowering to the ground as-well.

Vensan cried out, “Horse! Stop, why don't you!”

It continued, and Vensan closed shut his eyes. The soil fluctuated with his face, and Vensan's torso lifted in the air.

Catasca yelled out, “Let go!”

Vensan held on for a moment longer and lifted up his eyes to witness the oncoming boulder above him. Vensan let go, tumbling and rolling across the ground. The boulder collapsed, flinging red dirt in the air.

Teiy stood unmoving, “No way...”

Catasca hid Ethel's eyes, “Oh my god!”

Tal'Von ran towards the boulder, “Vensan!”

The others followed him, going beside the large rock's mud pile. Vensan laid, curled up beside the fallen rock. The horse's hoof could be witnessed out from under the stone. Vensan rocked himself in the red mud, tears rolling from his eyes. His upper teeth bit through his lower lip, pouring blood over his chin.

Teiy collapsed beside the boulder, “That was... too random...”

Author's Note

This is my first attempt at writing a full story.
Also the chapters are at a short length because I posted them first on DeviantArt, and people will never read your stories if they are too long there (which is why I moved here).

I'd appreciate any type of criticism as this is my first writing.

*By the way, I will very likely combine chapters to lessen the total number after I have completed the book (as with chapters of this length, the amount will very likely enter 3 digits).