Tale of Eldramir

Ezekiel had to stop himself from sneering in disgust at the offer. He knew full well that offering himself to the Broods was the equivalent of selling himself into slavery. He’d be forced to serve the Broods until the day he died. On top of that, he’d be forced to fight against humanity and the Spirits just to survive. He had no desire to do either. Regardless of the few times he’d fought with Spirits, he would not turn such a thing into his life’s purpose.

But he knew he couldn’t let them know he was never going to join them. It would be better to think that he would. Then he’d be able to get further into their territory. But at the same time, he couldn’t just accept, since the seed the Forest Spirit placed inside him, the one that would sprout and kill him, was still there. He’d have to see if he could get it removed first.

“... I am unable to do so.” Ezekiel said. His voice was low, and he did his best to sound regretful.

His words had the desired effect on his captors, as some looked upset at what he’d said, and others looked angry. But it was the woman in front of him who looked suspicious of his words that made him feel confident.

“We should just kill him and be done with it!” The angry Cruor standing a few feet away said. “If he’s not one of us, then he’s against us. Especially if he’s this far in our territory.”

There were looks of agreement as several other Cruor nodded their heads. But they were silenced with a glare from their leader.

“Why are you unable to join us?” She asked as she turned back to Ezekiel.

“Because the Forest Spirit stuck a seed inside me that will kill me if I absorb any Ichor. It was placed inside me in such a way that it can’t be removed without medical aid. Do you really think that a human of my Tier would enter your lands, alone, unless I didn’t have a choice?” Ezekiel asked.

He felt a sense of confusion emanating from Shine, but he sent back a feeling of reassurance to calm them down. He had no actual intention of joining the Cruor, after all. Shine calmed down as they came to understand what the deception was.

Looks of horror spread across the surrounding Cruor. Several actually took a step back in surprise. Even the Tier four head chief recoiled slightly as she looked over his body.

“... The Spirits are truly cruel. Although, that would explain how you could get so far into our lands without being caught. You are but a mere week or so of travel away from our headquarters. By foot at least.” The head chief said. “I have little doubt that the Forest Spirit intended for you to get to our home, where we’d force you to drink the Ichor of the Peerage member that resides there. At which point, many would die as the Forest Spirit sprouted from your corpse. But tell me, why would you say this to us now?”

“Because the seed is dormant until it touches ichor. At least that’s what I was told. The fact that I’m still alive, rather than dead from telling you this also means that the seed can’t pass on information to the Forest Spirit. I’m hoping you can help me remove it.” Ezekiel said.

Technically speaking he hadn’t told a single lie. He’d just omitted the fact that he had no intention of joining them, even if the seed was successfully removed. He idly wondered if the Forest Spirit was aware of this potential possibility, or if it simply trusted him enough to never actually desire to join the Cruor, even if they could free him of the seed.

As Ezekiel pondered these possibilities, the head chief began to chuckle, then laughed in a mad cackle as the rest of the Cruor shifted nervously. None of them knew what was so funny, nor did they know what they should do in this situation.

“Your gall is quite hilarious. It could very well be possible that we can’t take the seed out, yet you would tell us anyway. Who’s to say I won’t just kill you if we can’t turn you?” She asked. “Especially since you already killed two of our own?”

“The fact that you’re talking to me and seem to desperately want me to join you. Enough that I think you’d be willing to take the chance to help me.” Ezekiel explained. “Also, I’m fairly certain we both know that the two that I killed had no desire to take me back alive. They likely intended to feast on my flesh to absorb my mana to help them break through. Something that the drooling of your other members tells me isn’t a unique desire.”

Feeling more confident, Ezekiel stood up straight, rather than remain in a totally submissive position. He gave a pointed look to the Cruor with more avian features. Each of them was partially drooling as they gazed at him with hungry eyes. They quickly wiped their faces clean and looked away as the head chief swept her gaze over each of them. Glaring as she did so.

“Perhaps you are right. This is not the most refined encampment in our territory, after all.” Several Cruor looked away in shame at their head chief’s rebuke. “Fine. I will take you to our headquarters to meet with the Peerage Member. You’ll receive no ichor until that seed is removed.”

Looks of shock and outrage appeared on the faces of all the Cruor that were there. Even Ezekiel looked surprised, as he had not expected such an opportunity to fall into his lap. The head chief had already pointed out the possibility of the Forest Spirit sprouting from the one seed that Ezekiel had mentioned was inside him. Why would she be willing to take him to the headquarters anyway?

This thought and more ran through Ezekiel’s head, but he couldn’t come up with an answer. Luckily, he didn’t have to ask why, as it seemed like the other Cruor were just as confused and worried.

“Milady, is that not exactly what the Forest Spirit wants? To have its seed placed within our headquarters?” One of the other Tier three Cruor, not the angry one, asked nervously.

“That would only be a problem if we allowed it to come into contact with any ichor. So long as that doesn’t happen, it will be fine. Even then, it would be but a single avatar against the whole of the encampment.” The head chief said. “Besides, this encampment doesn’t have the necessary tools to remove such a thing without losing the boy’s life. We will need to grant him enough ichor to both heal, and covert, likely right after the seed is removed. Only the Peerage member can do that. Any other ichor would be too diluted to turn him properly.”

Many of the Cruor had looks of understanding as they thought about what their head chief was saying. But there were still concerned looks on most of their faces. They knew the value of a freshly converted Void Mage, especially one that was at least Tier one, if not Tier two, as they hadn’t confirmed which it was that Ezekiel was at.

However, that didn’t mean they wanted to risk the possibility of losing their Peerage member. There were only a handful left, after all. If the Peerage member died, that would mean they could no longer replenish their people’s numbers in the future. Unless another Peerage member came to their island. But that was unlikely to happen if their current one died.

“So, tell me. If we remove that little problem inside you, will you join us?” The head chief asked as she focused on Ezekiel. Her taloned arms caressed his face and neck as she smiled at him. It was not a nice smile. It was far too wide and seemed to have too many teeth.

“Sounds good to me.” Ezekiel said, doing his best not to swallow nervously, lest he cut his throat open. “I realize, I don’t actually know who you are.”

The head chief chuckled at Ezekiel’s now nervous demeanor. She seemed to take great joy in Ezekiel shifting emotions.

“You may call me Araza. And you?” She asked.

“Ezekiel.” He saw no point in lying about this. It wasn’t like they had any reason to already know who he was. Telling them his real name would also help him, as he didn’t know if they could tell lies like many Mages could. Luckily, it seemed like she didn’t want to know anything else, so she turned away.

“Get some transportation ready. We’ll set out tomorrow. For now, leave the boy in one of the more secure ground huts. Keep his stuff separate but get it ready as well. We’ve got a potential first generation with us. Let’s not waste any time in turning him to our side, shall we.” Araza ordered.

There were looks of discontent as the Cruor set out to make the appropriate preparations. Ezekiel ended up being led through the encampment to a small hut. It wasn’t much bigger than the prison pit that he was in previously. But at least this one was above ground and had some air flow from the open windows and door. As well as a small bed made from moss and bundles of grass from the remains of what plant life managed to survive in the Desolate Lands. Though Ezekiel still felt uncomfortable as his guards continued to glare at him hungrily.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Shine asked him quietly later that evening.

“No, but it’s the best shot we’ve got to hurt them the most.” Ezekiel said.

“We could just go now. If you puked up the rest of the seeds now, we could sprout them and get away. The Forest Spirit swore to get us out of here when we sprouted the seeds, didn’t it?” Shine said.

“It did, but I get the feeling that we need to clear this island as soon as possible. I don’t know why, but ever since we got captured, and brought to this encampment, I’ve gotten the feeling that merely taking out the smaller camps won’t do much. We need to take out their headquarters somehow. This may just be our only shot.” Ezekiel explained.

“Is this feeling anything like the other ones you mentioned you got when you did Void related stuff?” Shine asked.

“Somewhat. It’s not just a feeling in my gut. It’s a feeling in my soul.” Ezekiel said.

“I think I know what you mean.” Shine told Ezekiel. Much to his surprise, since Shine hadn’t told him they’d had such feelings before now. “I’m scared, though, and I don’t like it. If it looks like things are going to go bad, you’ll stop, and summon the Forest Spirit, right?”

“Yes. I promise you, that is exactly what I’ll do.” Ezekiel said without any hesitation.

He was telling the truth too. He’d already taken countless risks on this mission. He still regretted accepting it in the first place. But he knew there was no going back. So, he felt that he needed to go as far as he could. The least he could do was play their trump card if things looked really bad for them.

“Thank you.” Shine said quietly.

Feelings of reassurance and thankfulness went back and forth between the two for several minutes. Eventually, the two finally fell asleep on the relatively soft bed. Tired from their travels, the fact that they were being guarded was surprisingly comforting, as it meant they didn’t have to worry about being caught or killed while they slept. They were already prisoners, after all.

Now, they just had to wait and see what the next few days would bring them.

Ezekiel wasn’t certain what he was expecting when he had arrived at the headquarters of the Cruor. He just knew that he was grateful when they had finally landed, as the so-called transportation that they had made for him was basically a hammock that was carried between two Cruor as they flew.

He had been wrapped up tightly, and a separate sack was arranged to carry his equipment. However, even with the precautions to ensure he survived the trip, he didn’t feel at all grateful to be near his stuff since he was still at risk of falling if anything unexpected happened.

Worse yet, since the ones carrying him were Tier three, that meant that their trip to the headquarters was significantly slower than what a Tier four could make at full speed. Thus, the trip that would have taken him over a week on foot, and the Araza a single day, instead took about three days, and they were forced to wait and rest in nests that the Cruor hung from tree branches.

It seemed that needs were met according to necessity when it came to the Cruor, as there were few, if any means of camping on the ground. Something that the Winged Cruor found pointless.

He did get a chance to make some small talk on the way to the headquarters. Since they were convinced that he was going to join them, as they were the only ones that could technically save him in this situation, some of the Cruor guardians or carrying him were willing to answer some of his questions. Though Ezekiel was smart enough to not ask anything personal or related to military matters.

Imagine his surprise when he discovered the truth regarding the Cruor’s reproductive ability. Most of humanity was under the impression that only the Broodlords and their Peerage could have offspring at all. That was what he’d been told as well. To find out that any pairing of Cruor could have offspring, but they just never hatched without being baptized in the blood of a given Brood’s Lord or a Peerage Member was scary. As it meant that their understanding of how Cruor reproduced was nowhere near complete.

Ezekiel couldn’t help but wonder what else humanity was wrong with. He was happy to find out that it was true that natural born Cruor had a harder time growing stronger, as their bloodline was further from the Broodlord or the Peerage. It was also more difficult for a born Cruor to become a Broodlord, often being unable to contain the Brood’s power without mutating and dying. Though naturals could still become Peerage members.

Apparently, this information was too important for him to know, however, as right after he got it the person who spoke to them was berated and punished. Ezekiel also found himself being gagged, so his only conversation companion was once again Shine. Who was happy to debate with him about what their next steps needed to be.

Said conversations stopped when they reached the headquarters. The bonded pair ended up looking on in awe as they witnessed the elegantly crude architecture of the Winged Cruor’s headquarters.

Somehow, they had managed to cultivate trees and other plants that thrived much more easily than the trees and plants throughout the rest of their territory that seemed sickly or near dead. The trees were also far larger than the ones that were in the surrounding area. Though still nowhere near as large as the ones that resided in the Forest Spirit’s territory.

Unlike the encampment that they’d departed from the headquarters was not composed of artificial structures with flat lands surrounding it for the sake of open field surveillance. Instead, there were several traps that lined the areas leading to the city. Many of these would potentially take out a high leveled Adept Hunter if they got hit by one.

The homes for the Cruor in this area were also entirely airborne, with no structures existing near to, or on the ground. Instead, there were countless bridges built between the trees that crossed back and forth going higher and higher. As well as carved openings that lead to the internal structures within the trees. From what Ezekiel could tell, these structures were also multi-leveled, allowing the Cruor to go up and down within the trees, instead of having to fly to each and every one on the outside.

Ezekiel was brought to the largest tree that was also in the center of the city sized area of trees. As he was wondering what was going on, and where they were headed to, he saw Araza peel off a piece of the bark on the massive tree in front of them. Inside was a dark hole that seemed to lead into the tree.

Before he could ask what was going on, he found himself thrown into the hole, followed by his water satchel, and the opening was sealed shut once again. Ezekiel rolled to a stop after falling several dozen feet, barely managing to brace himself before he hit the ground. He let out a couple of nasty curses as he realized he was once again trapped inside one of their prisons. This one being made from what seemed to be reinforced wood that had somehow been fed and strengthened off of the ichor.

“What the hell? I thought you said you were going to help me!?” Ezekiel yelled in feigned outrage. While he didn’t expect this situation, it was actually something that worked well for him. As it meant that he would have the privacy he needed for the next step of his plan.

“You’ll get help if the Peerage Member grants it. For now, we can’t risk you doing any more harm to our people. Sit here until I get back.” Araza’s voice called to him through the sealed opening.

“Ancients dammit!” Ezekiel exclaimed before slamming his fist on the wall and sliding to the ground. He was happy that no one could see him right now, as it meant that he could smile as much as he wanted and no one would be any wiser regarding his intentions.

“Does this mean we need to move forward with the plan now?” Shine asked curiously.

Ezekiel could only sigh in apprehension as he grabbed around blindly for his water satchel. He could only hope that he’d have enough to purge his stomach before he ran out. Otherwise, this was going to be even more unpleasant than he was expecting it to be.

“Yes, it does.” Ezekiel said as he upended his water satchel, taking a few gulps before bending over and sticking his fingers down his throat once again.

Slowly, but surely, the stench of bile filled the small prison he’d found himself in. The guards above, having no desire to interact with their enemy, only chuckled as they heard the sounds of their prisoner throwing up. Not once bothering to wonder what Ezekiel was doing. Instead, they took great joy in his apparent suffering.

High above the prison holding Ezekiel, Araza flew up, towards the peak of the tallest tree in their territory. This was the resting area of the resident Peerage Member, and the nominal leader of the Winged Cruor on this island. Coming up to the peak, she saw the Peerage Member, a man with long golden hair dressed in a toga, as well as only having talons on his feet. His hands had fingers, though his nails were still sharp. His name was Azrak

As she landed on the top of the tree, she was surprised to see that there was someone else at the top with her Brood’s Peerage Member. This person was not a Winged Cruor, and he looked incredibly human in appearance. If not for the bald head, and fins for ears, she might have mistaken him for a human in truth. This was the Peerage Member of the neighboring Deep Cruor. Araza knew him as Morlin.

The appearance of the Deep Cruor in such a high area was a great surprise for Araza, as she knew that being out of water discomforted them at best, and those at or below Tier three couldn’t even survive for that long. Though that time grew longer as they grew stronger.

Taking a knee as she landed, she bowed her head in subservience as she addressed her two most direct and powerful superiors.

“Lord Peerage Members. Araza of the fourth encampment greets you and brings you what she hopes is wonderful news.” Araza’s tone had changed greatly from the tone she used when addressing her inferiors at the encampments. If anything, it sounded like she was trying to gain favor by showing how submissive she was to the two beings in front of her. Even though they were all in the same Tier.

“I assume that it is news regarding the human that invaded our territory.” Azrak stated. “Good. Morlin was just telling me some news about the humans. Apparently, they managed to make landfall some weeks ago on the Spirit’s side of the island. I’m guessing that this will allow us to more easily find whoever has intruded in our lands.”

Internally, Araza grew gleeful, as she knew that presenting the news that she had captured the human alive for them would see her rewarded.

“Actually, Peerage Azrak, the human has been captured, and is waiting in the cells beneath this tree. He is a Void Mage. One that has verbally agreed to join us, so long as we can extract the seed planted inside of him by the Forest Spirit, when he was forced to journey into our lands under threat of death.” Araza said.

Her head was still bowed, so she did not see the reactions of the Peerage Members. Looks of surprise and confusion crossed their faces. They had not been expecting the human that had apparently invaded their lands to be found so easily.

It was believed that this was a professional of the Obscuring magic that allowed one to move past defenses as easily as breathing. To hear that it was a Void Mage meant that it was something that they didn’t think was possible, as only a rare few people had ever managed to actually reach Tier one in recent decades. Similarly, it was unheard of a Void Mage actually being able to use spells, as they didn’t exist.

Suddenly, a look of worry passed over Azrak and Morlin’s faces. They, and every other Peerage Member in every single Brook, had previously been informed of a Void MAge that had apparently caused the total destruction of an entire city Ruin on the Continent.

Such a thing was generally unheard of, but it was something that was ultimately confirmed. Both by Cruor presenting eyewitness accounts, as well as turned Void Mages that got news from the human factions. As well as the odd bits and pieces of news from other Hunters that were captured and tortured for information.

“This Void Mage. How old is he?” Morlin asked. From what he and Azrak knew, the Void Mage they were worried about was barely grown yet. Not even an adult according to human aging standards.

“I do not know for certain. But I do not believe that he is fully grown. He is far too small for that, and he is far too skinny to simply be a short man. I think.” Araza said with her head still bowed.

Azrak and Morlin shared a look. They officially knew that this was potentially a problem, but they knew they needed more information before they jumped to any conclusions.

“Did he give you a name?” Azrak asked.

“Ezekiel.” Araza replied.

Arzak immediately stood up. He began striding out of the room with haste as he headed to a separate area where there seemed to be a pool of sorts surrounded by jagged eldritch Runes that were quite unlike the smooth and elegantly carved Runes of humanity’s enchantments.

Hearing Azrak get up and walk towards the pool, Araza risked glancing upwards. Confusion marred her face as she frowned. She had been expecting to be praised. Instead, it seemed like she was now being ignored.

“The human you speak of is known to us. He is a potential risk. One that we cannot afford to make deals with without the blessing of the Broods.” Morlin said as he too stood up and walked over to the pool of Ichor. He was a guest in this place but given the close ties between the Winged and Deep Cruor of the Archipelago, he was given a bit more leeway when it came to approaching the pool.

Said pool began to overflow as Azrak entered into it. Ethereal lights began to glow as Azrak closed his eyes, only for them to open up, but they were now a slick, oil stained, color that seemed to rapidly shift as his eyes moved erratically.

Arzak muttered quietly, but even so Araza and Morlin heard his words. But it seemed like gibberish to Araza. Only Morlin could understand what was being said. But even he could only translate a handful of words. The sounds coming from Azrak’s mouth were more like the sound of a bird cry than actual human words.

Suddenly, Azrak’s eyes blinked shut before immediately opening once again. With a gasp, he arched his back, nearly throwing himself out of the pool of ichor.

“KILL THE BOY! HE NEEDS TO DIE RIGHT NOW!” Azrak screamed as loud as he could. It was so loud that the Cruor in the surrounding trees were able to hear him as well.

Yet the warning had come too late. Cracks could be heard throughout the tree city of the Winged Cruor. Vines and branches of healthy brown bark were now rapidly growing throughout the pale white tree husks that made up their headquarters.

Screams of shock and pain were heard as numerous Cruor were killed. Crushed under the lively trees growing up from below. Panic was spreading throughout the Cruor as they began dying by the droves. Numerous Tier four plants began growing. It had spread so far that several of the massive trees in the surroundings began to topple, as their supports were torn away or had new trees growing and pushing upwards from within them.

Even the tree that Araza and the two Peerage Members resided in suddenly shook. A thunderous ‘crack’ was heard as the tree split vertically down the middle. The pool of ichor was destroyed, and began draining down the crack, even as the two halves of the tree began listing sideways.

Several different Tier four avatars of the Forest Spirit appeared, growing from below as tree branches sprouted upwards. They reached for the three Tier four Cruor, but Azrak and Morlin had somewhat of a headstart in realizing what was happening. So, they managed to flee the tree in time.

Araza, however, was a tad slower, too shocked to fully understand what she was seeing as she witnessed her home being destroyed. As she tried to fly away, her limbs were entangled, and she was pulled down by multiple avatars. She didn’t even get a chance to scream for help as the trees took root in her flesh. Holes appearing in her body as branches and roots retreated. Their bark was falling off as they grew so as to dispose of the ichor that stained them.

All the while, a young man fled from the battlefield. Accompanied and carried by several green and brown Legendary knights made of wood.