The Falling

Zinasa's line of defense is falling. Now Crillion prepares for his dying breath.

Chapter 14 The Falling

So here they lie, littered across the already littered ground. Rubble, blood, limbs, and the dead of male, female and children high elves, littering every square inch of Zinasa. The floods of darkness covered the island, that is the capital of Zinasa; Riverside. Rivers of blood flowed as the rain heavily came down. Some cries of elves could be heard in the distance as they gave up all hope. Others, in despair as they knew their time had indeed come to an end. Others would give up, stay silent as the rushing drow would mercilessly slaughter the defenseless. Soldiers...trained to fight, and kill all that dared oppose their might, and they were trained not for ruthless war, but to defend their home, and that which they held dear. They had one job...and they couldn’t even do that.

They failed, and they knew it. As the drow approached the capital building, the castle in Riverside, one by one the elves dropped their swords. Some more quickly than others. Those who dropped their arms faster believed that by offering themselves willingly they would be spared. No avail, they were killed first.

Those that dropped their arms reluctantly, knew there would be no dawn for them. Dropping their weapons, falling on their knees, they prayed. They gave one silent prayer, for it was not meant to be known to the world hereafter, that there were some of the High Elves would humbly loved Unverdus, and humbly accepted their fate. “Unverdus, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come. Thy will be done. Here in Alkathos as it is in Heaven. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those that trespass against us_” They were all executed before they could finish this prayer.

“Victory is ours!” came the cries of many of the drow, laughing sinisterly with their red eyes, looking upon the work of art that would be pained in their dark forest for eternity. The Final Kingdom of Elves was standing on its last thread, it is going to fall! “In the tower! Never mind the light! We will snuff it out soon enough!”

The drow screeched as they entered the dome. Many were seared with great pain, as it was as real to them, as their spells and blades were to those that died defending against them. They ripped apart the door into the castle, entering the home they were forbidden.

“King Crillion!” A pair of elves wearing golden suits of armor pushed their way into the council room, where Crillion stared at the slaughter that was at his door step. He watched as the drow entered his castle. Yes, he knew they were going to make their way up shortly. “They are entering the castle, we need to get you to safety!”

“Can you not see?” Crillion said as he stared, not moving from his spot, and not turning to those that addressed him. “It was required that this should happen.”

“My Lord?” said one of them in confusion.

“Would you suffer an elder a few more moments of time, or would you care to end your existence, sooner rather than later?” Crillion asked.

“What?” was the confused response. “No, My Lord, we can still make it out of this!”

“So you choose to suffer an untimely demise?” Crillion asked, finally addressing them. “Well I will not have you waiting. It is cruel to let one await their death when it can come soon.”

Roots sprung up from the ground, wrapping the legs, arms and bodies of the elves that intruded him. Another root made its way to the door, slamming it shut. “Roots, so powerful yet passive. How can one passive thing bring forth great strength? The undoing of the world is much like this. The falling is indeed passive, but inevitably it will come. Golradir did not understand this, and now he will as he watches us from above.” Golradir turned and walked to his captives, and put his hand on their heads.

They quivered as the madness of the king could not be stopped. Gergo or Crillion? Both were insane. They grunted as the roots chafed their legs. Light emitted from his hands and into their heads. There was a brief scream, and then there was silence, as their arms and armor fell to the floor, leaving no other evidence for their existence. “You have served your purpose, and now out of mercy,I have sent you to Unverdus where you will watch the undoing of this world.” The roots receded back into the floor as Crillion walked back to his observatory, clutching his staff. “Come Gergo, it is the moment you have been waiting for. I am waiting for you, and have prepared a spell for the occasion. Your slavery will not end, and your encounter with me will only make it worse.”

Knock knock! “Open up the door!” screamed a drow. It was still jammed. Knock knock knock! The knocking grew louder, against Crillion’s liking. “OPEN...THIS...DOOR!” the scream of the barely understandable drow came.

“So all this power has made you stupid.” Crillion said calmly. “Do you not understand that you are bent on destroying me regardless so why do you not just blow the door open!”

“STUPID!” screamed the drow as the door was blown to splinters. A sea or drow came flooding in. “Grab him! Gergo will fight him outside.”

“No.” Crillion said, pointing his staff at the drow who controlled them. “If he wished to fight, he and I will do it here.”

“You are in no position to make demands of us stupid elf king!” The drow growled.

“So be it.” Crillion said. The walls immediately split open, the pillars  turned into marble serpents, the snakes roamed freely, eating, biting, and swallowing the drow as their cries soon became voiceless. The rubble ascended in the air, floating as Crillion walked upon then, letting the castle itself collapse, ensnaring any other drow that remained inside. Nothing would disturb him. He looked up, and the light shone upon him, and the rubble in the air. Other parts of the rubble rotated around the makeshift battlefield, created by Crillion.

“Come out come out wherever you are!” Crillion’s voice echoed over the wasteland. He found himself in little else than darkness. The only light he had, was from the light around him. It illumined parts below, but only enough to see the outlines of shadows of the dead, and some scurrying drow, still crying from the light that haunted them.

Riding a dark cloud, Gergo descended. Crillion could see the dark aura from him, and laughed as he stared his death in the face. “Finally you come out. I was beginning to wonder when this might be.” Gergo said to him in irritation. “So you finally accepted your fate...old friend.” tears rolled down his eyes.

“As it will be revealed...you play a game of aces, numbers of aces against mine of kings, and one ace.” Crillion replied, smiling sarcastically.An ace of aces so it seems but no matter how much you build something, it will inevitably fall. Like the Great Babel. Alas, it fell despite it reaching to the heavens. It was built over the course of many generations, and when it hit the peak of its glory, it fell in a day. Its glory is the glory of mortals, not of Unverdus.”

“Unverus…” He wept. “Why! WHY!”

“Ah, so the damage is taking its toll on you already I see.” Crillion smiled. “ You feel it, i see it. I feel it in you. The separation between mortals and Unverdus is apparent in you. Gergo, my old friend. I do not need to send your soul to the Abyss of Chaos. This is good enough!” he laughed at his view of Gergo’s suffering.

This seemed to anger him for his eyes grew red. Hot with anger, he summoned  a dark veil of clouds in the light. The clouds grew ever so closer. Puffs of smoke emitted from all sides of the perimeter of the light walls. Screams could be heard, crying without voices. Yes, he recognized those voices. Those were the voices of cries of the now dead. Men, women and children who were defenseless, just looking into their own demise as they knew nothing else.

The light in this world, has faded. Crillion knew the time was coming, and unlike the many unfortunate elves that used to be around him, he knew his fate. So this is the end is it not. our love Unverdus, is the only love that truly matters. It does not boast, it does not anger. It is every patient, kind and quick to manage. Unverdus, your love is the only thing that matters. All things in this life are meaningless. Take me into your arms as I am felled; tonight...and tonight, let me see if Gergo will make it to Heaven or to hell. Alas, tonight I have finished the race. “Gergo, I see now where it is you do get your power, yet you will forever be ensnared by it. You are a slave bound in chains unbroken, the chains that hold you in your place...are the chains you love to worship. I know, this speech will end all of my thoughts, my desires, aspirations, and no one outside of you or me in this mortal world will hear them spoken.”

“Decrepantaur knows all. All things he devours, the sun and moon and the flours. He will end them all, and I am his tool!” Gergo hissed.

“So indeed you have come to realize that you are forced_No. Willingly, yes willingly you admit to serving Decrepantaur. You have abandoned the God Unverdus, and unless you change your ways, you sir will continue to go down this path of destruction, and you will be cut off from the Tree of Life!” Crillion said, smiling into the ghastly clouds, seeing holes with red fire form out of its mass. It was then that the beast took its form. Wings, claws, arms, legs and horns protruded from the mass of clouds, sucking away the last of the light from Crillion’s spell. The light was snuffed out. “A spell I have not seen I see, so this new power of yours truly is powerful...but it is godless.”

“I will bring forth my Hell unto all Heavens. Nothing is safe from my grasp!” Gergo said as his dragon began to breath its fire onto Crillion.

“Not if I have anything, or nothing to do with this final revelation!” Thunder clapped, and waves of blood roared below, staining the already stained and ruined earth. Lightning was cast down from the heavens as the clouds grew thick, and it began to rain, snuffing out the fire of the Smoke Dragon. “You are outside Gergo. You have the forces of nature to contend with!”

The rain poured and poured, creating grand rivers and flooding the basin. All of the drow underneath drowned, and those that managed to get away scurried off back into what was once Kinasa. The rained poured onto the dragon, and lightning struck it. The blow on the dragon was too much that it dispersed into nothingness.

“So you have grown stronger too I see.” Gergo coughed. He pulled out a sword, and started walking on the floating rubble. The rain was still down pouring, and now everything rested on the ocean of blood that was created. “Though I see it strange, that you of all people would drown the drow in your own blood!”

“For when your end is near, that is all you will see. Blood! The rains of blood, the sea of blood, even the ocean will be made from undrinkable blood! That is the world Decrepantaur is creating, and he is succeeding. As I am already sure you know.” Crillion said grimly.

“Is this the world you desire?” Gergo asked, walking on the now blood stained rubble. “To see all of this covered in chaos and destruction?”

“Nothing my friend would make me happier than to see history unfold itself. The Sands of Time is broken, the Wheel of Fate has spun it’s last rotation. Welcome Gergo, to the Fourth Age! One more Age will come, this will be the Age in which this world is truly ensnared by darkness.” Crillion grew quiet, as his face silenced all emotions, with Gergo now at arm length from him. He could see the amulet, now within his grasp. Could he take it? If he did could Gergo return to his normal self and restore order? It is still a possibility. “Yes. I have seen it. I died here today. Here and now. After you leave you will be further ensnared when you are no longer the same. I saw your death, and if my sight does not fail me, it will be Kac Xaizan who kills you. Before that, wars break out all over Korilya, the rest of the lands of men as surely as the sun shall rise the next day, Shiro has fallen, and will little news to travel, Core crest may find out too late. Grento, is already at war with the Wraith Glutua, and Fastatrue also there should Kac arrive and put a hinderance on their plans. Kac will kill them, and defeat them, blowing the trumpets that no one knows of their origin. The fifth age will begin when Kac dies, and the sixth age will conclude upon the Second Coming!”

“Bah! Second coming? fourth fifth and sixth ages pass upon my watch, yet I will die before the fifth age. It is all meaningless. All of it!” he rose up his sword to strike, and in one deft movement, Crillion made for his chest.

Crillion swiped the amulet from Gergo’s neck, and he collapsed, clutching his chest. He convulsed over the rock, and almost slid off into the sea. “Arrogant fool. Can you not kill me.” Crillion knelt on the ground, casting his staff into the sea. “May a more suitable wizard find that staff some day. Not in this age, but in another.”

Crillion observed the audible but incoherent babbling of Gergo. It was a guttural sound as if his throat was tightened as he spoke. He glanced over at the amulet that was in his hands. He could hear the chanting, put me on. Go for it. Just do it. Do it. Do it now! Do you not realize that this resistance is folly! “No it is not inane, Demon.” Crillion spoke to it. “Are you disappointed, that one such as me could accomplish this, a mere mortal saw through your deception. Your gaze has no effect on me, and I wonder what will happen, if unattached to a host, if you touch anything of the material world.” Crillion let that thought linger in the demon’s mind. It was silent for a time, but he could still feel the beat of it’s heart. “So even demons have a heart I see, one of great pain and misery. Truly I say to you, whoever you are, your soul will never return to this world in the shape that it is now.”

You defy Decrepantaur. He will destroy you and everything you hold dear to your very heart. I myself will live through some brief torture as I failed here tonight.

“You will return to the abyss of chaos once this abomination is destroyed, and I will have no mercy upon thee as your host kills me. I will return to Unverdus through the second birth of Heaven, and you will have a second death.”

Decrepantaur sees all and will therefore see the end of thee foolish elf! I will destroy you when I return!

“I will be dead. Do you know nothing. When you return to this world, I will be with Unverdus, and he will come down to smite all that stands in the way of the grand orchestra! I can hear it. I can see it. The ending...oh how beautiful it will be! Yes Unverdus that will be your final song conducted by mortals, and it will be the most beautiful sound anyone will ever see!” He wept. “Farewell Demon. Safe hunting!” He tossed the amulet into the red sea. Preluding its splash came a voiceless cry of constant cursing as it stained itself in the same blood it shed. The blood it shed, was to be its demise, and indeed it was. Never again would that creature torment the mortal world again.

Crillion shifted his attention to the sea in which he cast the amulet into. It was a marvelous sight as the moon began to shine through the clouds as the clouds dispersed altogether. The moonlight glimmered upon the red sea. He sat down next to the still trembling Gergo, letting his feet slip into the bloodied sea. “It is a beautiful thing I suppose, as beautiful as it gets now. This sea, is only one of the many seas that will wash away all transgressions Gergo. This world will be made knew. It will be better.” A sword was thrust into his chest, yet he made no signs that it hurt him. “Took you long enough did it not? Gergo you seem to be losing your edge.”

“What...a fatal blow to the heart! How are you not dying!?” Gergo complained as he turned the sword to provoke a response of pain from Crillion but without success.

“Oh, worry not Gergo. I am dying...no. I was already dead. Dead to the world My perceptions were the real death of me. I was dead before you started this conquest...and you can say I was dead when Gergo ceased to exist. Gergo...can you hear me?”

“I...I hear you.” he pulled the sword out of Crillion and tossed it into the sea, sitting down next to his friend. “Why...why Lord Crillion?”

“You all...you were deceived long ago. Half a year...a full year perhaps. Yes, you were deceived with a disease which lead to all that you see here.” Crillion wrapped his arm around Gergo, who embraced it, and accepted the pulled embrace he felt from the elf who was dying...because of him.

Gergo looked into his trembling hands and cried his soft clear tears into the sea. “I can see the shackles on my hands. The shackles that are tied, and I cannot feel them. I am forced now to do the will of Decrepantaur...oh how weak and powerless I have become, this wretch I feel the overwhelming need to destroy myself...but I cannot. I cannot kill myself nor can I live with myself. I am a good for nothing wretch that Unverdus wants no part of!”

“That is not true,” Crillion replied, noticing his blood ceasing from his wound. “I fear as if my time is up, but one last word will I say unto you, Unverdus allowed what happened to bring forth his glory...to show the entire world his glory. Those from the known lands of Alkathos and from beyond!” His breathing grew heavier. “Farewell Gergo, for now I must depart.”

“Where will you go?” Gergo asked as Crillion slipped into the sea.

“To Heaven...to be with my Father, and observe the happenings of the world. The rest of it, for truly I have seen things that you have not. Nor will you ever live to see it. I lay myself to my eternal rest, and you will live perpetually until you die. Gergo, someone will kill you, just not me.”

Crillion slipped under the sea with his last breath. Gergo cried in great agony and sorrow as the feelings now became real to him. They were no illusion nor any diseased thoughts; the diseased thoughts that plagued him from the very beginning. He cried, rubbing his eyes with his hands until he saw the peaceful body of Crillion rise from the sea, his hands neatly folded upon his chest, and those eyes. Those eyes were beautifully focused on the night sky that was now cloudless. The redness of the water lit up the sky, and Gergo began to weep uncontrollably. “What have I done…?”