Tale of Eldramir

Gerome, Trissy, and Ezekiel had managed to return and catch the last boat crossing the Turnboat river for the day, and upon returning to the Empire’s outpost they were immediately provided information regarding what had happened while they were away from the city.

Trissy was somewhat shocked, but was happy that her guild had done as they should have, and fought for Duke Harper, per the contract that all Guilds sign when setting up a base in a given city.

While the members of the Roaring Ruins Guild were prideful, and apprehensive about taking in commoners that hadn’t yet proven themselves, or had met their high requirements, they were also incredibly loyal to their contracts.

It was for this reason that Gerome even bothered attempting to make a contract for their help during the fight at the Ruins.

The fact that the Reaching Spires had betrayed the true Lord of Harkem was disappointing but wasn’t actually a surprise. Trissy and Gerome both knew that the Spires only cared about being the ones in charge of the Guilds, but hardly ever worked for it, using connections with the nobility to grow powerful.

The key piece of information that was most surprising, however, wasn’t just that the fighting had broken out as it had, but that it had been finished by two, previously unknown, Tier four Hunters that were not affiliated with any Guilds and were instead considered to have been contracted to the Church.

Up until this point, Ezekiel had been given a few confused or dirty looks by the people at the outpost due to the fact that he was being given special attention by Gerome. But things took a turn when the information regarding Warren and Evelyn was presented.

Neither Trissy or the military personnel in the outpost failed to see the looks of shock and recognition on Ezekiel’s face. Something they noticed Gerome twitched at, which resulted in them having to explain themselves regarding what they knew.

After presenting the information they had, Ezekiel started seeing a change in the various looks he was receiving from the people around him, even from Trissy.

“Seems like you really did earn a spot on this expedition. Not sure how, but it’s a little bit more believable now.” Trissy said to Ezekiel when the meeting was finished.

“How so?” He asked.

“Well, with how strong your parents are, it makes sense that their son would be something special too. Maybe even enough to not suffer too much for what you did.”

“Trissy!” Gerome sharply reprimanded her before Ezekiel could ask for an elaboration.

She shrugged her shoulders and turned away, heading to her own quarters rather than stick around and keep talking.

“What did she mean by ‘not suffer too much’? I know that what I did was... big, but even you agreed that we avoided the worst-case solution because of it.”

Gerome just sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. In his hurry and worry regarding Ezekiel’s well-being, as well as having to deal with the fallout of their expedition, he had honestly forgotten about the issues that Ezekiel was likely going to face due to his action in the Ruins.

“Simply put, the greater the destruction of an Ancient Ruin, the greater the punishment a Hunter will receive. Especially for the destruction of relics and Ruins pertaining to the Ancient Void.” Gerome explained as they walked back to their own quarters.

“But if that’s the case, then what happened to the Hunters that broke the first Void Lock and released those Rot Cruor on the first expedition?” Ezekiel asked.

“They were stripped of their Guild Membership and were forced to enter the city guard, or a noble's household guard. I’m not sure on the specifics, since the Titans didn’t suffer any consequences, but that's usually what would happen for that situation.” Gerome replied.

“Forgiveness can be given, of course, but it must be earned. Like Ishkel. He wasn’t immediately expelled since he only reacted to an initial attack by the Spires and had actually been forced from the temple when the Void Lock broke, so he was sent on the second expedition under probation. Given his performance, he’ll likely have any issues from before wiped clean from his record.”

Ezekiel pondered over Gerome’s words as they entered their shared room for the night. They would be heading out first thing in the morning, but he couldn’t help thinking things over and over again in his head. He couldn’t help but feel worried about this new information.

“Gerome, what do you think they’ll do to me after what happened? I mean, I’m not part of a Guild, I’m not actually a Hunter, but at the same time, I don’t think anyone’s ever done... what I did, to a Ruin before.”

He couldn’t help but hold his sword in a death grip as he spoke.

He still hadn’t unsheathed it since they’d left the Ruins, and he was already starting to feel a connection to it, even though he knew it was likely all in his head.

It had only been a few days, after all. Nowhere close to the month it was supposed to take for the Void Spirit to form for him to bond with.

Gerome was silent as he looked at Ezekiel for a moment. Westly perked up and looked between the two as he waited for Gerome to answer. His face fell, however, when he realized what his partner was thinking about. Something that Ezekiel didn’t fail to notice.

“I think that the thing that needs to be focused on right now, is returning to the city as fast as we can. You can focus on the problems at a later time. Now, it’s best if you get some sleep. From what I know, we’ll be getting a ride from one of the Hunters with a flying Spirit first thing in the morning. You’ll need your rest to make sure you have the energy to make the flight.”

With that said, Gerome turned over, and went to sleep. Westly climbed up to curl beside him, growing from his much smaller size to something closer to the size of a large dog.

Ezekiel tried to fall asleep. He really did. But the ominous lack of answers from Gerome, and the way his and Westly’s faces had fallen when discussing the topic had made him tense.

In some ways, he couldn’t help but wonder if he was walking into something even more dangerous than the Rot Den that he had entered previously. He tried to believe that these worries were just in his head, but it wasn’t for quite some time before he finally fell asleep.

Little else happened on the way back to the city. But the trip went by far faster than the trip there due to the Tier four Spirit that was carrying them on its back. There was some grumbling from Arnold, the Tier four Hunter that had been tasked with returning them to the city, about having to carry a child as well, but that quickly went away when Gerome explained the situation.

It wasn’t until late in the afternoon, almost sunset, that they arrived at the city, and were shocked by what they saw.

As they approached and saw the results of the damage to the city that were still being cleaned up, Ezekiel couldn’t help but let his jaw drop as he saw the carnage done to the area just outside the western gate.

The road had been torn up for kilometers, and the bits of the forest that weren’t charcoal were torn up and twisted as the landscape was somewhat changed by the various spells that had been used in different areas.

Ezekiel hadn’t had a chance to see the damages caused to the Ruins from the battles that had occurred there, and even then, the Ruins were ruins. It’s not like too much additional damage would be noticeable.

The Ruins were also wiped from existence, so this was really the first time he’d seen such destruction. Especially in an area where he’d seen it well put together and flourishing as trade and carts filled with goods and produce coming and going just a few weeks prior.

“Take a good look, kid. This is what happens when madmen get lost in their own heads. If it wasn’t for those damn cultists, things wouldn’t have turned out like this.” Arnold stated as he directed his Spirit to take them down to a fair distance from the city walls.

“What about the nobles that also turned traitor?” Ezekiel asked as they dismounted the bird shaped Spirit and began walking to the city.

“They were certainly bad eggs, but ultimately it is still the nobility that handles the bureaucracy of running and maintaining a city of this size. The tutors and higher standard of education they receive from their families is also helpful.” Arnold explained.

“That, and they can buy whatever position they want by spending their ancestor’s money, without having earned it themselves.” Trissy muttered under her breath.

Everybody heard her, of course, which she clearly knew, but just didn’t care.

Arnold glared and moved to let loose what Ezekiel expected was going to be a scathing remark of some sort, but Gerome interjected before he could.

“Excuse me, Hunter Arnold, but could you perhaps explain why we landed so far out? I assume that some security matters have been invoked, but would like to confirm, and have some idea of what to expect if possible.”

Arnold took a moment to calm down before turning to Gerome and speaking in a much more cordial tone of voice.

“Of course, Hunter Gerome, it would be my pleasure.” Arnold stated as he began explaining the situation.

“To keep it simple, flying to and from the city directly is now temporarily forbidden, as well, all who enter and leave the city must undergo a series of checks to confirm that they are not in any way allied to the forces that tried to take down Duke Harper.”

“This includes checking all weapons and items to ensure that there are no weapons or tools that could be used to further destabilize or damage the city while it is undergoing reconstruction.”

At this, Ezekiel couldn’t help but hold his sword a little bit tighter as they approached the gate. All of the Hunters there noticed, but only Arnold thought it was suspicious.

“Something the matter, kid?” Arnold asked with narrowed eyes.

“Hunter Arnold, please. He is a child, and a Void Mage. That sword of his was a present, as well as something that he is growing accustomed to having so as to protect himself. Given what he’s been through, his reaction to it being taken away is to be expected.”

Gerome’s words seemed to placate Arnold a little bit, but he was still waiting for Ezekiel to reply. He wanted to know the truth from Ezekiel himself, as he knew that Gerome and Trissy might be trying to cover for him.

“Hunter Gerome isn’t wrong. The thought of handing over my sword... It kind of makes me uncomfortable. There’s nothing wrong with it. Especially nothing that's related to those stupid cultists. They’ve tried to kill me after all.”

Arnold got a strange look in his eyes as Ezekiel said this, before he immediately understood, and his gaze slightly softened.

“I was wondering why Hunter Gerome would take a kid like you to someplace as dangerous as a newly discovered Ruin. You’re the kid the Church was gushing about, aren’t you?” Arnold asked.

“Yes. But that seems to have caused more problems than solutions.” Ezekiel muttered.

“Hah! I doubt they were really your fault, kid. Well, anyway, you won’t have to give up your weapon if that’s your worry. Just let one of the Church Scholars scan it before taking it back.” Arnold further explained, hoping to placate what he considered to be a traumatized child.

Ezekiel tried to calm down but could only gulp nervously as he heard that. No one but he had seen what had happened to his sword, and he had been hoping to keep it that way until he could talk to his parents.

If Gerome saw what had happened to his sword, or the Scholars were able to sense the Void in it with their checks, or worse, their mana destabilized the consciousness forming inside it, he knew that everything he’d been through these past few days would all be for naught.

As they approached the city gates, Ezekiel was surprised to see a familiar face going over the checks on some of the people walking in and out.

Lina was sitting at one of the tents that seemed to have been set up for emergency medical treatment for those that were currently working on repairs on the walls and buildings that had been destroyed.

She was also surrounded by a number of official looking Mages and a couple of Hunters wearing uniforms that Ezekiel didn’t recognize. He assumed they were there as helpers.

“Lina!” Ezekiel exclaimed as he moved to run forward to greet the Life Mage.

Emotions welled up inside him that he hadn’t realized he’d been ignoring. For a moment, he paused to settle his mana once again in order to see if he had been suppressing them again. Not feeling any changes in his mind, he knew that his reaction was natural, and not extreme.

It seemed more likely that he was still in a state of disbelief due to the damages done to the city, as well as relief at finally being home. Something that Lina’s presence confirmed for him.

Before he could get far, however, Gerome grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and pulled him back.

“Stop.” Gerome’s tone was harsh and stern as he pulled Ezekiel back.

“You are causing a scene.”

Looking back at Gerome in shock, Ezekiel took a moment to look around some more, and realized that people were eyeing them with suspicion and caution.

“We need to get checked in first, then we can go see Miss Lina. I know you’re excited to be back, and Hunter Arnold has been most kind given the situation, but you can’t just go running off like that, even if we’re not in any danger right now.”

Ezekiel was confused. Gerome seemed to be acting much more seriously than Ezekiel remembered him acting during the trip. He also seemed to be much harsher regarding protocol than what Ezekiel was expecting. As he looked at Arnold and Trissy, however, he realized that the other Tier four Hunters were also much more tense than they were a few moments ago.

Seeing Ezekiel’s confusion, Gerome addressed Arnold with the issue he had noticed.

“It would’ve been nice to know, before we arrived, that the Imperial Inquisition was here, Hunter Arnold. Perhaps then, we could’ve made sure my ward was prepared, and would be able to know how to properly behave should the situation call for it.”

Arnold flinched slightly at Gerome’s harsh tone.

“I didn’t know they’d be inspecting the reconstruction. They only arrived here yesterday morning, and from what little I’ve heard they were supposed to be going over things with the Duke, not wandering around the city with the Tier three Scholars.” Arnold said with a voice filled with regret and indignation.

“-sigh- Well there’s nothing to be done. Ezekiel, you answer every question you are asked, and do everything you are told to do. I will not be letting you out of my sight, but you need to be wary of those with the willow tree symbol on their uniforms, do you understand?”

Ezekiel nodded his head in understanding. He didn’t quite get what the issue was, but he knew that Gerome was looking out for him, so he wasn’t going to question it right now.

As they stood in front of the security station that had been set up, Ezekiel started growing nervous as they approached. He specifically focused on not touching his sword.

Arnold went through first, showing the pass that he had attuned with and was quickly let through. He then said his goodbyes as Trissy was going through and went off to report back about his return.

As Trissy was being checked over, and her equipment was being explained to the guards, she didn’t have much on her, as the majority of the loot they’d gotten was kept back with their expedition group, nothing happened, and Trissy also went to check in with the Duke, heading straight to the center of the city rather than continue waiting around for Gerome and Ezekiel.

Finally, it was Ezekiel’s turn, as he and Gerome walked forward to have their items checked over.

Gerome quickly emptied his Void pouch and waited for his items to be expected. Ezekiel stood next to him in front of the table for the items and placed everything he had on him onto the table. Including his sword and the boots that Quentin had made.

Seeing the items laid out on the table, the guard gave Ezekiel a questioning look before asking why a child was returning with the leader of one of their top guilds.

“The Titans hired him for aid when it was discovered that there were items relating to the Ancient Void in these Ruins. I have a contract regarding the specifics of his involvement.” Gerome spoke up before Ezekiel could say anything.

Holding out his arm, several bands of light appeared and the contents of the covenant he’d sworn were revealed. A small commotion broke out as the guards went over the contents.

“” What’s going on here?” A voice called out from behind Ezekiel and Gerome as they waited for the commotion to die down.

“Ah! Nothing sir! I was just surprised at these two’s reason for leaving and returning to the city.” The guard said with a salute towards the man that had walked up to them.

The man in question was one of the Inquisitors from the Empire. It seemed he had broken off from the group that Ezekiel had seen previously, and wished to inspect what the commotion was.

Dressed in a black and green suit that was clearly enchanted, and having a thin sword attached to his hip that was practically sparking with energy, the man’s indigo eyes seemed to stare directly at Ezekiel’s soul. He was older than Ezekiel’s parents, but not so old as to have too many gray hairs.

Other than his uniform, he wore no identifying markers that indicated what Tier he was at, but Ezekiel could only assume that it was at least Tier three, as the man didn’t have a bonded Spirit with him.

“Any problems with their reasons?”

“No sir. The information provided by the Titans confirms Guild Leader Gerome’s reasons for leaving, as well as the identity of the Void Mage that is with him. The Covenant Hunter Gerome has is proof enough.” The guard stated as he held out a report for the Inquisitor to look at if desired.

Taking a moment to look over the document in front of him, the Inquisitor raised an eyebrow as he read more and more.

“You have finished checking their items, correct?”

“Almost, sir. We’re having a bit of difficulty checking the boy’s since they weren’t included in the Titans’ report.”

The Inquisitor looked at Ezekiel and stared him down. Ezekiel was tempted to stare back, but instead his flinched and looked away as soon as possible. He figured this was a more appropriate response for the situation.

“Hmm. Well, boy, what do your items do?” The Inquisitor asked.

“The items-” Gerome tried to speak up.

“I’m talking to the boy.” The Inquisitor sharply interrupted.

Ezekiel silently gulped as he saw Gerome fall quiet.

“My clothes are enchanted with basic protections, though most of them have been damaged. The boots are meant to take in Void mana to supercharge a Tempest based movement Rune that will let me fly in a single direction at a fast speed until they stop receiving mana. They only go one speed. My sword is enchanted to better contain and focus Void Mana so that it can strike harder in combat.”

Ezekiel spoke quickly, and barely managed to not stumble over his words. Something about this situation was making him more nervous than having faced the Rot, and he was tempted to release the hold he had on his mana but knew that allowing his mana to flow freely after keeping such a tight hold on it in this situation might seem threatening.

That didn’t mean that he didn’t dearly wish that he could stop feeling so scared and nervous right now.

The Inquisitor didn’t say anything, but he walked over to the boots and took a look at them, Inspecting the enchantments that were visible from the outside.

“The boots seem to be as you say they are, and I don’t want to test them here if they are as you say. Your clothes speak for themselves. The sword, however,... show me what it does.” The Inquisitor said.

“... I can’t.” Ezekiel said quietly.

Gerome and the Inquisitor looked at him. One with worry, and one with a glare.

“Why not?” The Inquisitor asked.

“I’m almost certain that it’ll break if I channel mana through it right now.”

“Why is that?” The Inquisitor’s voice was sharp and direct.

“It changed when we were in the Ruins. I don’t want to do anything with it right now.” Ezekiel muttered quietly. “But I don’t want to throw it away. It’s special to me.”

Ezekiel knew he had to be careful. One wrong word and the Inquisitor would know that he was lying. Even now, he was a little bit nervous since he wasn’t being entirely forthcoming with his answers, but he hadn’t told a single lie, so he hoped they wouldn’t dig too deep.

The Inquisitor didn’t say anything in reply. Instead, partially unsheathed the sword, and looked at the strangely colored blade, raising an eyebrow in confusion. Chrome had a similar look on his face, as he was familiar with the sword that Ezekiel had taken with him on the expedition.

Unfortunately, the Inquisitor noticed Gerome’s confusion, and turned to glare at Ezekiel, who immediately felt a pressure descend on him, making it hard to breathe.

“You’re lying.” The Inquisitor stated. “It seems your Guild leader is unfamiliar with this sword. Meaning you acquired it in the Ruins. Not the city.”

“N-no! It’s t-the same s-sword. It changed. Like I said. I didn’t want anyone touching it, or taking it away for being broken, so I never unsheathed after it changed.” Ezekiel’s head was bowed as he stuttered briefly before forcing himself to speak clearly, if quietly, under the weight of the Inquisitor’s mana.

He tried to look sideways, eyes filled with a plea for help as he momentarily locked gazes with Gerome, who wasn’t moving to provide aid of any sort.

The Inquisitor bent down to place a hand on Ezekiel’s head.

“Inquisitor, please! He is just a child!” Gerome cried out quietly. He didn’t want to turn this into any more of a scene as it already was, but he knew that news would spread from the guards that were staring at what was happening.

He also wasn’t sure there was anything he could do right now. Yes, his covenant meant that he needed to protect Ezekiel, else he would lose his bonded Spirit, but fighting threats in the Ruins was different from fighting an Imperial Inquisitor.

Fighting the Cruor and Umbral Beasts meant possibly losing his life. Fighting the Inquisition meant his entire family, and the Guild, would likely be expelled from the Empire entirely. Whilst he cared about Westly, and Ezekiel, he didn’t think that he could honor the Covenant in this case.

Looking around quickly, Gerome noticed Lina was headed in their direction, having finally noticed what was happening, and recognizing both Ezekiel and Gerome.

The Inquisitor ignored Gerome and moved his hand to tilt Ezekiel’s head upward.

“Is what you say the truth?” He asked whilst staring into Ezekiel’s eyes.

Ezekiel found himself unable to remain quiet as the indigo eyes seemed to command his soul to answer in his stead.

“... Yes...” Ezekiel forcefully muttered.

The Inquisitor paused for a moment before letting Ezekiel go. He immediately began gasping for breath as he fell to his knees. No longer too tense to fall.

“... Let them through. The sword is strange, but it isn’t an issue.” The Inquisitor said before turning away from the guard station and walking away.

By this point, Lina had reached them and was immediately checking over Ezekiel to see if he was okay. Ezekiel barely noticed this, however, as all he could think of was how much he didn’t want to meet another Inquisitor ever again for as long as he lived.

Lina, seeing that he was more or less fine, just stressed and exhausted, turned to glare at Gerome. Disappointed and angry at his lack of action despite his Spirit Covenant.

“What the hell was that about!” She demanded as she helped Ezekiel climb to his feet.

Gerome was quiet for a moment, not sure how to answer as Ezekiel faced toward him. He flinched as he saw the look of betrayal in Ezekiel’s eyes. They both knew what choice Gerome had made, and while Ezekiel would admit it wasn’t the wrong choice, that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.

“We probably shouldn’t talk here. I think I should drop him off at his home first, and then I’ll need to head to the castle.” Gerome said as he packed away his things.

Ezekiel did so as well, but he didn’t say anything as he did. He was extremely careful as he put on his boots and sheathed his sword again, attaching it to his hip like normal.

“You’ll need to take him to the Cathedral. That’s where his family is right now. I’d accompany you, but I’m too busy playing twenty questions with the Inquisitors, while also making sure no one gets too badly hurt during the reconstruction, to do so right now.” Lina told them with an apologetic tone.

“That’s fine. That won’t take too much longer anyway.” Gerome replied.

“Goodbye, Lina. I hope to see you later when things quiet down.” Ezekiel whispered as he briefly hugged her before heading toward the Cathedral, not bothering to wait for Gerome.

Gerome just sighed in frustration. He hadn’t liked his choice either, no matter how much he thought it was right. But he really didn’t like the fact that it was only now that Ezekiel was acting like a pouting child.

“Ouch!” He suddenly exclaimed, reaching up to hold his ear where Westly had bitten him.

It seemed like Ezekiel wasn’t the only one who was upset with him right now.

It took them little time to reach the Cathedral, and when they did, they had to do another check to enter, but this time it went much faster, as they were both able to confirm their identities without any issues, and there wasn’t as strict of an item check as there was for entering the city.

As well, it seemed like there were no other Inquisitors that might be able to cause problems for them at this time.

As they walked through the halls of the Cathedral, Ezekiel was shocked to see so many people when it wasn’t time for the awakening ceremony.

While still considered a religion, the Cathedral and the Church of Ten were still scholars. As such, there wasn’t so much in line with standard worship and prayer. Especially as it was known that the Ancients had left this world ages ago.

So for the Cathedral to be so full meant that there was a reason for staying. One that Ezekiel knew was related to the conflict that had occurred here.

He didn’t have too much time to think about it, however, as he and Gerome entered into one of the halls where there were numerous people waiting and taking refuge.

“Ezekiel!?”

His mother’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts as he looked towards one corner of the room.

Sitting on a small cot was his mother and father. Both had one of his sisters in their laps, and Theo and Reya were curled up next to them.

Ezekiel’s appearance was a pleasant surprise for all of them, as he wasn’t expected to have returned for at least another month and a half more, give or take a few days.

Rather than wait for his parents to get up and come to him, Ezekiel subconsciously focused his mana, dashing towards them at speeds almost too fast to see, before stopping in front of them and hugging his family tight.

Tears streamed down his face as he wept in his parent’s arms. This was the first time he’d cried so openly since he’d reached what he’d considered to be a good age to stop crying for attention when he was young.

He ignored his parent’s panic and questions for now. The only thing he cared about was the fact that he was home. That he was safe, and that he was with his family once again.

For now, all of his problems could be dealt with later.