Legacy-Fall of Esquildor

A Story by Thomas Ashton

A short story from a collection that I wish to complete.

‘Let me tell you a tale o’children, a tale that is as old as time itself. A tale of endless wonder, a tale of infinite purity, let me tell you o’children the tale of the Carrier. Since before we can remember the Carrier has been the manifestation of the majesty of reality; the single lone hero that will bring about a time of great peace. Such a hero did exist, and many of you know him as the Proclaimer, as the great warrior that brought us out of a time of darkness and into the light. He achieved much throughout his life, including the creation of our fair city and when his time came, his body turned not to dust but light. Light which found its way to a newborn child and like a great Phoenix a new Carrier emerged from the ashes. And alas, the cycle of the Carrier continued on, silently watching, waiting, protecting all that is and all that will be’

“They are waiting for you, Legacy,” The muscly form of Valen spoke to his friend, he wore armour of thick metal which coated his skin in layers. They both stood upon a balcony that overlooked a courtyard of immense size. The northern wall that they stood upon ran for a kilometre long. Which was rivalled only by its eastern and western brothers, which both mirrored their northern counterpart. But ultimately they both exceeded their northern counterpart by half of its original length. Each wall was 50m thick of solid stone, none had penetrated the walls of Equildor and none would this day. “What am I supposed to say?” Legacy asked, like Valen he wore armour; but his was of a different breed, whereas Valen preferred armour that coated his skin in layers upon layers of protection. Legacy’s armour was light and thin, it moved as fluid as water when Legacy walked. His chosen arms lay at his sides, two short swords with menacing steel. Hilts emblazoned with circuitry that would imbue the blades with energies that could pierce diamond. “Just speak to them, that will do,” Valen responded, patting his friend on the shoulder. An absence of metal on metal was constructed by a cloak that Legacy wore around his body, it shielded the blazing sun from his face. It also blocked Valen from looking upon Legacy’s face, which at first sight did not seem to show an air of apprehension, but in further investigation found it would be that Legacy was indeed afraid. Shaking with such anxiousness that caused his very essence to fool itself into thoughts of hypothermia. His friend stopped in front of his companion to address him before he would speak to the wind, “Legacy, you are ready for this, fear not my friend. For whilst the sins of man will be ever present within the soul of time, darkness will always pave way for purifying light,” Valen said as he outstretched his hand, Legacy gripped it and they exchanged a silent moment of intimacy, the men nodded and Valen whispered “You are ready,”. Swallowing away his fears, Legacy walked towards the stone balcony, ancient cobblestone clashed with his historically advanced armour. The wind howled as it demanded silence, Legacy called upon all the strength he had and he looked down. Before him, before them there were One-Hundred-Thousand souls, warriors of the highest order all honour bound to Legacy. Inside his metal skin Legacy’s palms were sweaty, his knees buckled under new found weight, what strength he had to speak was ill found and weak; something that offended the winds.

“I-I gath-gather you all h-here today i-in t-the purs-s-suit of p-p-peace,” Legacy stuttered, wind howled as great insults were thrown at it. His fear was ever-present in the words that he spoke, or rather attempted to speak and his fears of failure manifested themselves in the winds that howled in the heavens. But such terrors were put to rest as a hand was placed on his shoulder, it was not one of material substance, but instead one of a spiritual nature. He felt his essence relinquish his fears and as he took a deep breath he found that new inspiration burnt within his mind like wildfires. He took a prolonged blink of 3 seconds long and spoke.

“Warriors of the Guard, you are not heroes to be worshipped, you are not valiant idols to be sung of. There will be no tales of our valiantness this day, but that is not why we are here. We are not here to be sung of, we are not here to be idolised or admired. We are not bars of gold, but instead the ever faithful steel. I am not one for the art of the tongue but on this day I find that I use not such art but the truth of which our histories are built from. Many of you know me, many of you don’t, but that matters not; we know what we are to face and it terrifies me to the core. We face an enemy that has no fear, we face an enemy that bows to no one and nothing. But in the face of such peril we must remember this, for those who sin in the endless night; darkness will always be cleansed by purifying light. We are not the heroes of legend, we are not the soldiers who boast of victories, we are the ever present spirit. The constant stream that cleanses all that it touches; we are the ghost in the night. The spectre that haunts the dreams of faithful sinners. This is our song, this is our tale and it shall not be broken this day!” Legacy spoke, ending the speech with a power that rivalled a hundred suns.

Bodies fell upon the ground, crimson hues stained the ground as the life blood of countless warriors ran from chasms that ran upon their skin. The silent cries of One-Hundred-thousand men filled the air, heard only by the two that still stood. Legacy looked upon the travesty that he had created, at the foul deed that he had helped to be. At the apex of the ballet he had faltered, the strength that had guided him had left him. And all trust and respect that hung on him like dampened clothing had been ill found. Through his own eyes the souls of the dead all looked upon him and they looked upon him with hate. Legacy sunk to his knees, for what action could be taken now? The dead themselves had voiced their regard, or rather disregard, for his presence among them. And yet the physical world had let its own intentions be known concerning Legacy’s continued existence. Neither the dead nor the living wished for him to be counted among them, so there was only one action yet to be taken. The only action that could be taken, for when both realms of the cosmic plain barred one from entering their domain, the only option left was oblivion.

So it would seem that Legacy’s fate was sealed, if not for the interference of a single man. A single soul that, still after all that had happened, reserved judgement for his failure.

“Get up!” Shouted Valen as he pulled on Legacy’s arm, raising his comrade to his feet, “We need to leave!” he shouted. But Legacy would not move, he knew his fate and it was not kind.

Legacy woke with a start, the candle that light his chamber had gone out during the night. The only comfort was the light of the full moon. A fog clouded his memories and all knowledge of the environment that surrounded him was lost. Sitting up he adjusted the bandages on his torso, intent on being met with smooth textures his fingers were treated to the crusty feel of dried blood. Re-lighting the candle Legacy sat in its illuminating glow, ‘Full moon’ he thought as he stared at the chunk of rock in the sky. Soon enough he determined that it was doing him no good by sitting in the room all by himself, placing a scorched robe over his battered body he ventured out of his chamber and into the mystery that waited beyond. It had not passed three seconds before a bulking mass of 200 pounds had grasped him.

“You’re awake!” the hulking mass roared, shouting to the heavens in such a matter that contradicted the very essence of his being. Legacy rubbed his eye in attempt to better get a look of this man, a man indeed it was for nothing else could have a voice so deep. His eyes, once readjusted to the light, got a better look at this giant and Legacy saw the face of a long lost friend.

“Blake?” Legacy half asked, half shouted at his friend, he expected to be greeted by an answer to his question but instead this inquiry was met with a hug that Legacy was sure would do more harm than good.

“How did you get here?” Legacy asked his friend, but he expected no answer from him, in his rampant excitement to see his injured friend Blake had forgotten the silence that guarded his tongue. The shouting within the halls caught the attention of others as the sound of hurried footsteps echoed off the metal walls. Soon enough Legacy was encased in the embraces of countless strangers, all who were excited to see him well. They brought him to a large cavern that had been used as a mess hall of sorts, as Legacy could smell the aroma of raging fires and roasting meat. Still too weak to move on his own he was herded to a spot by the largest fire, so great was it that it had to be contained by stones as large as Legacy’s head. He was pushed into a sitting position and a plate of food was placed in his hands, it took him a few seconds for him to comprehend what had happened.

“What is going on?” he asked, truly confused.

“Why what does it look like? We’re eating,” a soldier shouted boisterously, which was met by countless laughter from the cavern. Soon many realised that Legacy’s question had not been answered and they came to understand what it was that he asked. One from the group that had ushered Legacy into the cavern opened his mouth to speak, but stopped, he tried to speak once more but again he stopped himself, finally resting on “Valen should be the one to tell him,”

“Valen?” Legacy asked his spirits finally starting to rise as the name of his greatest friend and mentor was uttered within the cavern. As Legacy spoke his name the hulking warrior had appeared at his shoulder, he was happy to see his friend awake and well, but there was an underlining sadness that couldn’t be masked. Sensing his sadness Legacy pre-emptively initiated the conversation “What happened? I can’t remember anything,” he said. The soldiers all looked to each other, and Valen’s head was hung low. “So you don’t remember?” a soldier asked.

“No I don’t, will someone please explain what is happening?” Legacy asked, his anger, which had been held in check by his weariness was starting to bubble to the surface. There was murmuring amongst the soldiers at Legacy’s outburst, but were all silenced by Valen’s hand.

“Legacy…This is going to be difficult to say, but…Esquildor fell,” He said. It took Legacy a few seconds to comprehend what Valen had said, for a second the name meant nothing to him. For a second, a very brief second, Legacy had felt that he was back home; that he was back on Earth, at a time when all the events that had brought him to his current predicament had not or would ever occur. That the cosmic powers-that-be had not chosen him, that he hadn’t been called upon. But his illusion was shattered by the last remaining logic that still resided in his fragile mind. “Esquildor…Fell?” Legacy asked slowly, this sentence felt wrong. Even as he said it his mind didn’t want to believe it. “But that’s impossible, none can penetrate Esquildor,” Legacy continued, shaking his head.

“I’m sorry Legacy, I know this is hard for you to come to grips with. I know you had friends there, but…It’s the truth, Esquildor is no more,” Valen said. Legacy stood, ignoring the pain that so blatantly wanted him to sit down. He walked away from the party of soldiers that he sat with, away from the warm fire that had kept his body from shaking. Around him other groups of simple civilians were looking to see what the fuss was about, and Legacy saw his true failure.

“Then I have failed,” he whispered, loud enough for Valen to hear who too had stood up to comfort his friend. He put a solid hand on Legacy’s shoulder as he said “It wasn’t your fault; it was reckless for the Council to give you this post. You were pushed into this war too soon, you weren’t ready,” But Legacy didn’t want to hear Valen’s words, he shoved his hand off him as he turned to face his friend. “But I should have been ready!” He shouted, the words echoing off the walls of the cavern.

“Ever since I was chosen, ever since I became the Carrier I have been expected to bring peace to reality. And in my first ever chance to do this I fail!”

“But you haven’t failed, we can still win,” Valen said soothingly in an attempt to calm Legacy down.

“Oh don’t be naïve Valen, Esquildor has fallen! You know what that means as much as I do. Esquildor was one of the last Strongholds we had! Now that it is no more nothing stands between the Tsudarian and the Eternal!” Legacy raged, his words as cold as ice as the truth of what he said pierced the hearts of many and tarnished whatever hope they had left. Save for one young child.

“But you’re the carrier,” his young voice said, silence fell upon the cavern as the young child stood. He was only six years of age and had seen more bloodshed than some soldiers would in their entire lives. One of his eyes had been wounded and was covered by a bandage, his hair was shining blonde and his tanned skin was only stained by the blotches of dried blood that, in the child’s mind, made him look like he was a poke-dot monster. “You’re the carrier,” he continued “You can do anything,”

Perhaps it was the innocence of his words, or perhaps it was his unyielding belief in the idea of the Carrier that made Legacy falter; falter as if he had been stabbed with the entirety of a Star Forged Sword. And in this situation, Legacy would have taken the sword a hundred times than face this child. Shaking his head Legacy could take no more, “I’m no carrier, I’ve failed you,” he said as he ran out of the cavern.

Two hours had passed before Valen made any attempt at talking to Legacy; he had found him in his quarters meditating on the floor. “Meditation?” he asked “That’s not something you’re known for,”

Legacy made no attempt to reply to Valen’s words, he only continued his meditation. “Look, I understand that you are under a great amount of pressure. But you can’t beat yourself up about it, you may be the carrier but you’re still a child,”

“I’m 25, I’m no child,” Legacy said through closed eyes.

“That’s still a child to me and to the rest of the Eternal, you are the youngest Carrier to be chosen and frankly you have been chosen at the worst possible time. There hasn’t been a war that has caused the eternal to act since the Second Void War during the time of the first Carrier. What I’m trying to say is that no other Carrier has faced war and no other host has ever had to lead an army, you are the first, there are no standards,”

“But I failed,”

“You didn’t, we will win,”

“Oh really? We will win will we? It was my responsibility as Carrier to defend Esquildor and I failed, since I was chosen I was told of the power I wield, of the great responsibility I had to all of reality. And in my first chance to live up to that expectation I failed. You don’t understand Valen, my choosing broke a cycle that has been going for millions of years, and I’m not one of the herald species I’m human. Many believe my choosing to be a mistake and many other believe that the circumstances of my being means that I am special, that I am to be greater than the average Carrier. And yet all I’ve done is fail, continually fail…I need to redeem myself… I need to redeem my honour,” Legacy said with open eyes this time. Valen dropped his head, knowing that nothing he could say would help ease Legacy’s worried mind and with that he left, leaving Legacy to his meditation.

But even after Valen had left his words resided in Legacy’s mind “Meditation…That’s not something you’re known for,” And it was true, during his training as Carrier meditation was an everyday activity. However Legacy never had the patience for it and had skipped many a lesson in favour of exploring the great city of the Eternal. Though now, in perhaps his darkest moments, meditation was the only comfort he had left. He wasn’t entirely sure what was supposed to happen and as the hours passed by the notion of having nothing cloud his mind was appealing. So surprised Legacy was when the lone candle in his room flickered and died, blown out not by the wind but instead by spiritual means, the ensuring surprise was almost enough to cost Legacy his concentration…almost. With the warmth and light of the candle being extinguished Legacy expected to be plunged into darkness, however there was no absence of warmth, no absence of light. Not wishing to hamper his concentration Legacy opened not his eyes and continued to meditate, eventually though curiosity got the better of him as he peered through squinted eyes and what he saw was something that would stick with him for the rest of his days. As he opened his eyes he reeled back as before him sat his old mentor, the Monk Realf’gar. He was the same as Legacy had known him, preserved as if he had fallen into a vat of amber and had been frozen in the years since Legacy had seen him. For a moment Legacy thought him to be a trick of the light, and for the next few he believed for the monk to be a material being. But neither were true, as Legacy observed his old friend more, he realised that the figure of the monk was translucent and was a whitish hue. Legacy leaned in further to get a better look, but was interrupted as Realf’gar began to speak.

“Remember my dear Legacy, you are the carrier, the stream through which all of reality flows through. Every Universe, every world and all the forms that life may take flow through you and as the Carrier it is your duty to listen to them, to keep the balance. However if you focus enough, the barriers that guard the domains of life and death and time become putty in your hands and remember my dear Legacy in your darkest moments that the wisdom of the Universe is at your disposal” And with that the form of Realf’gar disappeared blowing away with the wind. Legacy sat there for how long he knew not, contemplating what the monk had reiterated to him.

“Wisdom of the universe,” Legacy repeated to himself. Something about that seemed familiar, but alas he couldn’t figure out where, though adamant Legacy was to figure out what this meant and how it could possibly help him in this situation. For some reason Legacy thought that the confined space of his chamber wouldn’t help and he sought a larger space. Knowing that he would not find peace in the large cavern that he had eaten in before, he instead sought to find some other place to meditate. As he walked along the stone corridors of the bunker they had sought safety in, Legacy spied a circle staircase that lead up beyond the ceiling and into the Earth that guarded them from the starry heavens. Up Legacy climbed, following the stone steps, he climbed for how long he knew not and at several points a light from up ahead assured him that he was almost finished but his confidence was misplaced as each point of light had only been a small lamp. Though after walking for what seemed like hours he could start to see the moonlight flooding into the staircase which eventually gave way to a stone balcony that was etched into the side of a large mountain, clouds flew just above Legacy’s head as he could see far across the horizon. The view was breathtaking even despite the fact that the sun hadn’t risen yet, but this was not why Legacy was here. As he went to sit down on the cold stone he realised that he was still wearing his scorched robe and it was not at all suitable to protect him from the nipping cold of the stone and the wind. But he banished such thoughts from his mind as he, for the second time this night, adorned the traditional meditation posture as Realf’gar had taught him. In accordance to his teachings, Legacy’s legs were crossed, his head was tilted for slightly, his spine was straight and his fists were clenched and meeting each other, his knuckles resting on each other. As he had before he cleared his mind, expect this time he focused on what the monk had told him.

“Wisdom of the Universe”

He kept these words in his mind, caught within the web of concentration that he was weaving. He wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, but he was sure that something was supposed to happen and as the minutes passed and he experienced nothing his frustration started to rise. Though was able to keep it in check, as the minutes rolled by in waves however and the sky threatened to break into dawn Legacy’s frustration grew so large that he could contain it no longer. He stood up in protest and shouted to the sky in anger; turning away he punched the side of the mountain fragments of rock fell where his fist had struck. His anger however, despite its great quantity, soon subsided and was replaced instead by shame and guilt. He fell to the ground in a heap and announced to the stars, “I’ve failed, I’m no saviour, I’ve let everyone down and I can’t save this world,” For a few seconds nothing happened, but as Legacy’s emotions poured out in waves the sky started to blacken despite the oncoming dawn and a storm that could only have formed on another world suddenly raged in the heavens. The wind, as strong as it was, almost flung Legacy off the safety of the balcony but alas he found the strength to resist the storm. He held a lone hand up to his face to protect his eyes and as he did the winds parted creating a safe haven in which Legacy was enveloped and there two meters away from the balcony hovered the form of a middle-aged woman. Her face was as white as the spirit form in which she took, she wore the traditional clothing of the Eternal royalty but there seemed to be an air of battle around her; the dress she wore, like her, had seen combat and the combination of such demanded respect. Something Legacy would have given her, if was not already absorbed by guilt. Her form was like Realf’gar’s, she was a whitish hue yet unlike the monk she seemed to be aware of Legacy, her eyes staring at him almost lovingly.

“You haven’t failed Legacy. You have saved countless worlds before and you shall save this one. You cannot let the Tsudarian win, or paved the way will be for an era of darkness. You cannot give up hope,” she spoke in a soft tone, her words were in equal parts soothing and loving as commanding and inspiring. Legacy bowed his head in silence, he knew not who this apparition was but her words inspired nothing in him they only reminded him of his failure.

“I can’t, I am not the Carrier that I am supposed to be. I am not the Carrier that they need me to be and I can’t save this world,” Legacy’s words were not as much as a way for him to express his guilt, but more of a way to show the spirit how lost he was, he half expected her to speak more soothing words of encouragement but she didn’t. What she did say though gave Legacy a new understanding as to who this apparition was.

“You are right; you are not the Carrier you are supposed to be. You have been thrown into this war before you were ready and that is not your fault. You are not to blame for the conflict that rages in the stars, that is my burden to bare,”

Legacy took half a step forward, intrigued as to her acceptance of blame. Confused as to why a member of royalty would be responsible for the current state of the Universe, obviously this woman was more than she seemed.

“In my time as the Carrier, I should have seen the return of the Tsudarian, I should have seen the signs. But I was impulsive and in my impulsiveness I paved the way for chaos to once again grip the Universe. I give you this wisdom Legacy. It is time that you rise and claim the mantle of Carrier that has been denied to you since your choosing. It is time you learned,” And with that she approached Legacy, her dress just skimming over the stone railing, and when she was within distance from him she raised a single finger and laid it upon his forehead. At the point where her corporeal finger touched Legacy’s physical skin, a field of white light started to spread. It enveloped his temples and then the rest of his body, the energy was electrifying and as the spirit lifted her finger away it seemed that the energy started to be produced by Legacy himself. He looked down at his body, the scorched robe that he wore was burned away by the energy and was replaced by his armour of fluid metal. He closed his eyes and bowed his head, raising it his eyes were a piercing white. The spirit flew back a few metres and disappeared from sight, but Legacy paid no attention to her. In truth Legacy was not entirely himself, the energy that the spirit had bestowed upon him grew in intensity breaking the stone on which he stood. Expanding Legacy now became enveloped in a sphere of energy, lifting him up he hovered high up above the balcony, which now had crumbled into pieces and started to fall to the ground. Down below the sound of smashing stone woke all that were taking refuge in the underground bunker, the falling stone creating holes in the ceiling in which all could see Legacy as he floated high in the sky. Everyone was speechless, standing still as they saw this man, this lone man who had failed in battle only weeks before command a power that none of them had ever seen, all perhaps but one. For Valen instead of standing there gobsmacked by Legacy’s new found power, he smiled and nodded, he had never been prouder of his friend.

Legacy opened his mouth and the words he spoke were a combination of thousands of individual voices, the voices of the Carriers. Drawing upon their power he spoke, addressing the Tsudarian warriors that inhabited Esquidor and the lands beyond, his voice covering the entire world.

“The Carrier has returned! You cannot win!”

And with that Legacy surged forward, fuelled by the power of the Carriers that preceded him he intended to meet the Tsudarian army head on. He intended to right his wrong. To redeem his stolen honour. To win and to save this world.