• Tales of Xalthia

    Chapter 14: Dark Tidings


    It was already dark outside by the time Briswater's caravan reached the entrance to the Cavern of Solace. Due to the sun setting, that would make their journey through the now dimly lit caves more difficult than it did before. Not only was there a lack of sunlight that shines through the openings in the caves, cave monsters are much more frequent during the night hours and some of them can be quite dangerous to handle even for expert fighters. That wouldn't be a problem but with the abnormally high monster rates in the caves, the dangers traversing in the cave are very high.

    The Cavern of Solace actually serves purposes other than just passage to Basilwell. Within the cavern lies a research center located in the center of the winding caves. The reason why a research center was located within such a hostile environment was because of a strange pillar from the age of the Ancients. This mysterious pillar emits Mana in a physical form, which can be very toxic if one is exposed for a period of time. While it may look appealing to tourists and adventurers, there are talks that the pillar is linked to a powerful and devastating power known as Albatross. Just like the Ancients, not much is known about the pillar or why it was formed. The only reason why researchers were able to link the pillar to Albatross was because of ancient scripts left behind by the Ancients. The cavern's other purpose is to serve the people of Basilwell when they become threatened. There is an evacuation center that serves as the exit of the caves. Whenever the town becomes threatened by pirates, invaders or natural disasters, the people take refuge in the high caves.

    When the caravan finally reached the cavern, it came to a stop in front of the guard that were standing by at the entrance. Tsuki, Lynette and Ramza stepped off the caravan and stretched their muscles since they were in a cramped space for so long. They said their goodbyes to the caravan driver and in moments, the caravan took off back towards Briswater.

    Tsuki watched the caravan as it took off. Once it disappeared off in the distance, he turned around and showed the guards the pass Maxwell gave him to get entry into the caves. "We'd like access to the caverns. I think this will be sufficient" he said, handing them the pass.

    One of the guards took a look at the pass and pushed it away. "No one is allowed inside. I don't care what kind of pass you have. Now scram!" the guard said in an aggressive and threatening tone.

    Lynette got a bit angry when the guard denied them entry even though the pass was supposed to grant them access. "What!? You're denying us entry!? That pass was given to us by General Maxwell, your superior!" she shouted, approaching the guards.

    The other guard looked at Lynette and gave her a dirty look. "You heard us, little girl. Now leave!" the guard shouted. He then kicked Lynette in the stomach, knocking her onto the ground.

    Ramza placed himself between Lynette and the guard that kicked her. "Whoa! What's the meaning of this!?" he demanded. Something wasn't right with this situation. They were not acting like Briswater soldiers at all. In fact, there was something off about them.

    The guard who kicked Lynette was getting aggravated. He then turned around and walked back up to the other guard. "We got nothing to say to brats like you. No one is allowed access. I suggest you leave before things get ugly" he said.

    When the knight turned around, Tsuki saw something on the knight's back. It was covered up mostly but due to some wear on the knights' armor, the covering was coming off. "It can't be..." he muttered to himself. After examining the knight's back, he could see an emblem of a Phoenix and shield engraved in his armor, but covered up. He immediately recognized the emblem and drew his sword. "Guys, these aren't Briswater soldiers or any soldier of Cayhill for that matter. They're soldiers from Menorion!" he said.

    The other guard grumbled a bit when Tsuki exposed who they really were. "Damn kid. Looks like the truth has come out. Now that you found out who we are, we cannot permit you to live. Die!" the guard shouted, drawing his lance from his back.

    The guard that attacked Lynette drew his sword and charged at Ramza, swinging down at him. Ramza drew his broadsword and blocked the attack. Before the guard could react, he drew his gun from its holster and shot him three times before breaking their clash then spun around and slashed the guard down his chest, killing him. Meanwhile, the other guard lunged at Tsuki, thrusting his lance at him and hoping to impale him. Tsuki dodged the thrusts then kicked the lance aside, breaking the guard's balance and causing him to stagger. He then spun around him while grabbing his lance and twisted him around. Before the knight could react, he swept his foot across the guard's feet, knocking him onto the ground and quickly impaled his sword into the guard's chest, instantly killing him.

    After the two guards were killed, Tsuki took his sword out from the dead body and swung it, cleaning the blade of blood. "Menorion soldiers...why are they here? Are they the ones responsible for the deaths of Briswaters' troops?" he asked. He didn't like where things were going. He had a very bad feeling that something was happening that they didn't know yet.

    Ramza put his weapons away and examined the bodies. He then went through their belongings to find anything of value but didn't find anything. "I don't know. We better get a move on. I'm worried about the people of Basilwell. The Kingdom of Menorion has been rather restless lately" he said. Even though he wasn't from Cayhill, he couldn't stand by and watch Menorion soldiers have their way. The Kingdom of Menorion have been on Ersheaths' watch list for quite some time because there have been reports of suspicious activity that are surrounding their king. He then turned around and held out his hand to help Lynette up to her feet.

    Lynette didn't expect something like this to happen. It ended just as fast as it started too. The fact that there were Menorion soldiers roaming around Cayhill made her nervous and uneasy since Menorion was a power-hungry nation. She took Ramzas' hand and stood up, brushing the dirt off her. "Perhaps they're plotting something?" she asked nervously.

    Tsuki shook his head. "I don't want to speculate on situations that we don't have a real understanding of yet. We need more information before we can assume anything and we need to find it soon. I need to inform Eresseas what's going on if they are indeed plotting something within the borders of Cayhill. If they are plotting something like an invasion or an attack, then this journey of ours is going to take an abrupt turn" he said. He walked up to the entrance to the caves and peeked inside to make sure that the coast was clear. After not seeing anyone, he turned back and faced Lynette and Ramza. "Let's go. If they were preventing entry into these caverns, then they're either hiding out within these caves or Basilwell" he said.

    They were all in agreement and then made their way into the dark caves. The sounds of water dripping from the ceiling, small waterfalls and monster howls filled the emptiness of the cavern. They could also feel the dense energy in the air due to the large amounts of Mana emitting from the pillar that was located in the center of the cavern. The air felt very heavy and thick. It made it a little hard to breathe normally. There were winding, twisting pathways that tend to overlap and intersect which made the caves almost like a maze. Having no map or sense of direction within the caves, they were on their own.

    They were in the caves for about twenty minutes and they were in constant battle with monsters. The talks of the abnormally high monster rates were true, after all. They haven't encountered any Menorion soldiers which makes them wonder if they were actually hiding out in Basilwell. Eventually, they made it to the research center. There were black steel walls that surrounded the massive structure. It looked more like a compound than a research center. However, access to the steel compound was strictly regulated by Basilwell officials. It didn't appear that Menorion soldiers have set foot within the walls. They were curious about what was inside the walls but since they don't have access to the compound, they continued along the pathway.

    Eventually, they reached a dark, partially submerged chamber with the sounds of water echoing throughout the chamber. They were on higher ground with the exit of the chamber at the bottom towards the water. It appears that they were in a circular shaft that spiraled down. Once they walked into the chamber, they could hear echoing voices in the distance. They got down onto the ground and crawled over to the cliff's edge to overhear the voices. They seemed to be coming from the bottom of the chamber.

    At the bottom of the chamber, there was a group of soldiers in the same kind of armor as the ones from the entrance. One appeared to be the leader while the other three looked like his subordinates.

    The leader looked towards one of the soldiers and appeared to be distraught. "What!? Say that again for me" the leader said. He was shocked and devastated when one of the soldiers gave him a report.

    The solder that was talking to the captain was nervous and a bit frightened to reread his report. "Uh...we received a report that the Eresseas' royal family sent one of their personal guards to oversee what's been going on in Basilwell. Apparently, this personal guard is one of the Royal Eight. It seems the Shadow Knight engaged them in Briswater but backed down and left without a fight. We've also lost contact with the soldiers who are guarding the cave entrance" he said.

    The leader paced back and forth, looking anxious. He didn't like the report he received. "The knight left!? Why are we relying on that knight if he can't get the job done!?" the leader shouted. He then took a deep breath and sighed heavily. "Let's quicken our pace. Eresseas must not know of our plans. Let's return to the camp and go over our strategy. If we're fast enough, we'll disappear before that guard arrives" he said.

    Moments later, the group of soldiers left through the opening at the bottom of the spiral chamber. Once they left, Tsuki and the others stood up and gave each other a suspicious look. They were right. Menorion was indeed plotting something and apparently, it had something to do with Eresseas. This made Tsuki uneasy. He had to find out more.

    Ramza folded his arms in thought. "The Shadow Knight is associated with Menorion? What's going on here? That knight doesn't have any known alliances among the nations" he said. Whatever was going on was making him uneasy especially when the Shadow Knight is involved.

    Tsuki shook his head. This was becoming more of a concern for him. He was getting anxious about what Menorion was planning to do with Eresseas. Given their activity lately, whatever they're planning can't be good. "Standing here won't get us any closer to finding out the truth. They mentioned a camp. They could be referring to the evacuation camp. Let's try and get there before they disappear" he said.

    They nodded and followed the spiral path down the bottom of the chamber. If the chamber wasn't partially submerged, they could go further down but due to the current water levels, that was impossible. They followed the soldiers through the opening and found themselves in another part of the cavern. They made their way through the caves once more while fighting off more monsters.

    As they walked along the pathways, Tsuki was hit by a massive dizzy spell. Before he could say a word, he collapsed and blacked out. When he came to, he found himself in the strange space he was in when they were in the Briswater mines. Just like before, the unnamed figure from before was also there.

    Tsuki looked at the figure and folded his arms. "You again. What is it now?" he asked. He still knows nothing about what he's experiencing and why.

    The boy nodded at Tsuki. "It would appear that you've encountered the Shadow Knight" he said. He then approached Tsuki and examined him for a few moments before nodding once more. "Yes...just as I thought. Your encounter with the knight has as started to awaken your true self" he said.

    Tsuki watched the figure as he examined him until he brought up the Shadow Knight. "Wait, you know about the Shadow Knight? What do you know?" he asked. The Shadow Knight has been thrown around in conversation for quite a while and now it appears that the knight is associated to his visions.

    The boy floated away from Tsuki, putting some distance between them. Moments later, another figure formed within the space. It was the Shadow Knight. "The Shadow Knight...you can say that the knight is the Guardian of Ancients. The Shadow Knight is an Ancient, selected by our elders to find out what's happening in the world and guide the misguided souls" he said.

    Tsuki still didn't know much about the Ancients and he was getting annoyed because he didn't know a thing. All he knew was that they were a race of people who were first to in habit their world. They wielded a different power than what people do in the current world. "An Ancient? So, they still exist. Researchers would go crazy if they knew an Ancient was still alive" he said, scratching his head. He was involved in matters that were way over his head. "But wait, I overheard that the Shadow Knight is affiliated with Menorion. That being said, he or she is in league with a nation who seeks nothing but power!" he said.

    The boy shook his head. "Do not worry. The Shadow Knight is not working for Menorion. You can say that the knight is using them" he said.

    Tsuki looked at the figure of the Shadow Knight and examined it for a few moments. "If he's an Ancient, then can't the other Ancients, if there are any still living, keep tabs on him?" he asked. With their level of technology, keeping an eye on the Shadow Knight would be a simple task.

    The boy shook his head once more, sighing. "Unfortunately, no. Once an Ancient enters this world, we lose communication to our home. Which means, we have no idea what the Shadow Knight is planning. Saying that, I'd like you to seek him out and find out what he's planning" he said.

    Tsuki wasn't too eager to confront the Shadow Knight again. The power the knight demonstrated back in the mines were frightening. He'd be fighting a losing battle. However, if he could get the knight to talk, maybe he could learn and hopefully fill the blanks in his mind. "I'll see what I can do" he said. There was one other thing he wanted to know, however. "One more thing. Who is the Shadow Knight?" he asked.

    The boy smiled a bit at his question. "You'll find out the answer to your question in time" he said.

    Moments later, the two figures disappeared as the strange space around him disappeared. Before he knew it, he opened his eyes, regaining consciousness in the caverns with Lynette sitting next to him, calling out his name.

    When Tsuki woke up, Lynette was relieved. She was worried when she saw him collapse all of a sudden. "Tsuki! Are you okay?" she asked.

    Tsuki sat up, placing his hand over his face. "Ugh...my head" he said. He still didn't know anything about the strange figure or that space he was in. Lynette and Ramza still have no idea what he's experiencing and he's like to keep it that way until he finds out more.

    Ramza walked up to Tsuki and folded his arms. "With all of this thick, dense air in this cavern, it's no surprise you'd collapse and black out. It's almost suffocating in here" he said. He wanted to get out of the cave before the effects of being exposed to such dense Mana become worse.

    Tsuki stood up, brushing himself off and nodded. "Yeah, that was probably it. Let's just get out of here" he said. He was well aware that they have nothing to gain by making a sick person to march on, but they couldn't remain in the cave much longer. Not even their camp sets would help.

    Lynette didn't want Tsuki to push himself since he was the first one to pass out. However, she knew that they couldn't rest in the cave. "Take it easy until we get out of here. We don't need you passing out on us again" she said.

    Tsuki nodded and the three of them continued their way across the winding paths. They were still in constant battle with monsters. Eventually, they made their to the evacuation camp which serves as the exit to the caves. When they arrived, there were no soldiers. The entire camp was deserted. It seems that the soldiers from before had escaped. Not seeing a point to remain in the camp, they quickly took their leave through the cave opening and found themselves on a high mountain path that overlooks the ocean and Basilwell off into the distance. Once they walked out, they took a deep breath to take in fresh air. There was an instant change in the air so now they could breathr normally.

    To be continued...