Undiscussed Business

The evil council is talking about the events of the world, and their future conquest to bring the world in a second darkness.

Chapter 11 Undiscussed Business

Irenue looked into the pool of water, glowing green with the torch fire. He observed the endless currents of ripples in it. After sending the assassin siblings he needed the last of them to be on good terms with one another. Not only that, with the threat of Vircona, and Kac’s improving ability, it became imperative that they needed to be close together.

“Avara, Socorous, Fastatru, Glutua, answer my call. It is important now more so than ever before.” he cast his voice unto the pool of water. Within the ripples faces began to manifest in the pool, all pale in comparison as the physical remains. No fleshy remains, but all white, pale with the moonlight and ghostly.

“We answer.” they all said as their faces were fully visible. Avara had read eyes, and his mouth was covered in a cloth wrapped around his head. To this day Irenue still did not know why he did that. Socorous was another ranger, but his face was shrouded with the hood of his cloak. His eyes, and any other facial figure could not be deciphered, but then it never could. Just so they would never be able to tell if he was telling the truth or not. Glutua has biting off a chunk of meat from the leg he had severed off of a victim he killed. Fastatru was seemingly distracted, occasional his attention seemed to go else where in admiration of something no one else could see. “What is your call?”

“We have problems, and I have my hands tied here. These dwarves are much too difficult to contain, and my movement against them is haltered. Socorous, I am sending two elves to you, make sure to receive them promptly. They have knews, and they are disposable provided it be for good cause. In other words, do not kill them. I am going to need your help with the dwarves, who be hard and sturdy. The sands of time will not move them.

“Avara, I too must ask of your assistance, and be weary for now. I know very little to what our approaching party can or cannot do. I must ask you to be careful when dealing with these dwarves. They are being sent to trap us, and use our impulsiveness to their advantage.

“Fastatru, do not forget the task I have charged you with. It is very important that this task be fulfilled. It will prove problematic in the future if this is not complete.

“Glutua, I hate you! You fat gluttonous sheep. If ye slack off during the time when we need to be focused I assure ye I will send ye back to that prison that you so loathed!”

“So, I thought we were in good hands when we left the Abyssal Chaos! Decrepantaur assured me that you were competent enough to lead this crusade dictated over 10 years he said it should take. Kinasa gone, Zinasa on its way out. Grento will be the next to fall after that, provided there are little more disturbances as of late there have been quite a few with the physical loss of Maya Truva, and the death of Fakino. Who knows where she be now? No one! She is gone, never to return!”

“To the Abyss with ye Avara! Ye cursed ranger of the man!” Irenue retorted.

“Be weary Avara.” Socorous replied. “It be not good to anger him, whose vice is wrath wherever he goes. He could most certainly kill you if he had little or no need of yourself.”

“Aye, but still he does have need of me, and like all I am irreplaceable. Should you choose to kill me be my guest, it shall do me the greatest of favors.” Avara replied casually.

“You gave yourself willingly unto Decrepantaur, and he has created the power in which ye now possess. Be weary, I can find someone else_”

“No ye cannot. Ye cannot give the power bestowed upon the seven of us to any one else for it is not your power to give. Doing so would cut down your power significantly Irenue. Always the rash...rash rash rash you are and rash you will become until you are returned to dust to the ground.” Avara sighed. “I joined Decrepantaur that night for I was in great need of healing. I stole riches beyond what any Dwarven King can bear to comprehend. Jewels, gems, gold all litter my should an adventurer wander in my mind, they will be dragged down by riches too big to fill their pockets. I will hear them struggle, and stain my mind with their blood. That day, I dared to steal the gold from Zinasa, and almost failed. I got the gold, depleted the number of mages they had that summer only to be shot down by a ranger, who could never find my tracks. His name if I can think on it, Derindil. The wound was fatal, and it was either die, and my effort in vain or live under the enslavement of Decrepantaur. I chose to enslave myself even further than my vice. That is what makes humans humans, we cling on to things to survive. I am nothing more than a parasite, and so are all humans and we.”

“Worry not.” Fastatru said in an attempt to get back to the topic at hand. “The...project is completed. Any one would be a fool now to try to get these things. Nay, it is impossible. Surely they will die trying.” He was referring to the trumpets upon discovery. No one was to touch them until they found out what they did or what the script meant. It was far too dangerous. Surely Decrepantaur would know but their reach and communication is limited since he is in another plane of existence.

Glutua dropped the severed human leg and agreed. The sound of a partially eaten leg hitting the floor resounded in the room. “I will refrain from unwarranted silliness.”

“And you sir.” Socorous said gently. “What will ye be doing in all of this? You have dictated that me and Avara should work closely together, Fastatru in his projects of torture I am sure, Glutua and his conquest of Grento, exacting his revenge for the Wizards who righteously denounced him. What will you be doing in all of this?”

“I am preparing the way for Decrepantaur. He left something, in a place deep underneath the ground. It lies in an iron pit now. Covered by the iron malice of those who rid the world of the wood elves. It is very important for our plans, if we are to eradicate all members against Decrepantaur and for Unverdus. It must be done, and I am the only delegated to do thus.”

“What makes ye so undoubtedly qualified?” Socorous said in response scratching the cloth around his face. “What does not make any of us qualified to perform said task? Is it your armor?”

Avara pulled out his bow and fired it. The green arrow rose from the pool of water and glided into Irenue, piercing through his chest. The arrow scratched the amulet he held protected through his armor, closest to his heart it lay. The black knight fell backward, grabbing hold of the wall.

“And if I desire to clear the way for Decrepantaur...what are you going to do to prevent me from fulfilling my desire?” Avara asked. “You who are so high and mighty yet under your control we have lost bost bodies of Fakino and Maya. They are both dead because you failed to foresee these creatures coming out of the woods.”

He was right, and Irenue knew this to be true. However life here for them was not much different than that below in the Abyss. Without the direct connection of Decrepantaur all of them were limited to what they could do. They are all aware of this, though some more powerful than others, cunning and sharpness. What could they do with the growing threats to the west. First would be Vircona, and her drow army with unimaginable power. It would be very difficult for all of them to confront that. Then Kac, and his small band of Rangers. They were disbanded but for how long he could not know. Kac was strong, and with Yana who drove Decrepantaur away and Kora who slew him in battle no less.

“Do you not understand?” Ireneu replied. “Ye may be able to hide in the darkness but you will never see. I can see better than you for I was given those eyes. I am the right hand and it is my DUTY TO CARRY OUT THIS TASK AVARA! IT IS MINE!” his roar echoed along the caverns and into their ears several hundred miles away. “We are all that remain, and your parts are no less important than this?”

“What could be more important than returning Decrepantaur to his former glory?” Avara reiterated. “What is more important Irenue? Killing Unverdus? What say you when that is impossible! How does one kill a God!”

“By killing all of his followers. Yes for the glory of Decrepantaur we will kill Unverdus and kill all of his followers to summon him when his power is overwhelmingly depleted we will unleash the Abyss of Chaos unto this world!”

Socorous laughed. “So you leave the minor causes to Glutua and Fastatru, leave me and Socorous to deal with the dwarves as you go on and rally for the revival of Decrepantaur? Well now that seems rather counter productive.”

Avara nodded his head in approval of the statement. Truly, it was dangerous to leave the two rangers as close as they were together for long. Who knows what diabolical schemes they have conjured up in the small time they are not in these meetings.

“There are believers of Unverdus in Korilya, there were dwarves influenced by elves so much that many farmers worship Unverdus. They must be killed mercilessly. There are souls inside the city that worship and build temples dedicated to Unvedus. Yes their knowledge of Him is far from what it should be but the mere knowledge of what He wants, and His name is dangerous enough.” Irenue recalled. “Furthermore, the work of Fastatru is no less important for what little elves there are left are likely to come to the aid of Grento as the growing myth arises that it will fall into darkness.”

“You mean more so than there are now?” Avara laughed sinisterly as he reveled at the amount of dark souls that already corrupted that land with witchcraft. Truly he recognized freedom as a dangerous thing and the false illusion of it leads people to enslavement, curiosity kills. It truly does kill what makes a human a human. “And the elves? What few there are left? How so? Kinasa is now an iron machine with no soul. Zinasa is burning.” Glutua and Fastatru left, ignoring the insults of the rangers. “Crillion is the only obstacle in Gergo’s way.”

“What you say is true, but that will not stop the Ranger’s Guild from interfering. You of all people should know that.” Irenue commented. “And they are in Paxis, very close to everything that still matters. Core Crest, and Grento are the last human nations left. Very shortly I will send Grush out to reclaim and eradicate all in there so we will have a foothold to the rest of the world.”

“And what of Vircona? She is a threat is she not?” Socorous replied. “You claim she killed one determined to find you, and just as she did or right before or right after she was killed by her. Is Vircona a threat to our plans?”

“Not yet.” he assured him. “Because our interests work together not against. At least for the time being.”

“And when that time is up?” Avara asked. “What then?”

“Then she must be eliminated at all costs. Whatever it takes she must die when she decides to turn on us.” he answered.