Tales of Eleutheros

Robert closed his eyes and tried to relax as best he could. After the battle, he had taken refuge in one of the dwellings that had been abandoned; Turak only gave him until morning to come up with his plan. Otherwise, they would be forced to kill the captives. Robert understood his reasoning. They could not stay in a place where more enemy warriors might show up at any moment. Still, he felt like it was too cruel to even consider killing everyone.

“Concentrate, Robert…” Dio’Mar said her spirit now the size of a grown woman.

Robert opened his eyes and found himself again floating in a sky. Back in the dream world.

Often, he found himself in this place. The ‘Dunum Dae Espae’ was where he was able to tap into and learn directly from Dio’Mar herself. He had grown very fond of it. After she had shown him how to come here mentally, he made it a point to return when he could.

“Very good…” she said, floating up to him. “What I am going… to teach you… is a technique used by a very strong Dae… a man that nearly conquered all of Pelemont.”

Robert nodded, doing his best to pay attention.

“He is remembered as a demon… but he was only a Dae who acted like one… this knowledge... will… change your perspective on many things, Robert… are you ready?”

Robert hesitated, her words and their implications heralding caution. He swallowed hard and said, “Yes.”

Dio’Mar lifted her hand and used her power to summon a small cyclone in her hand. A vision of a dead Dae then manifested itself before him, bloodied and cleaved in several places.

“The Dunamis can be used for many things… as you well know by now… the Dae have forgotten how to do more than just hit each other with large blasts of it…” She extended her hand toward the corpse, and a stream of wind flew into the wounds and orifices. Suddenly the body jerked; Robert was startled by the movement but stayed calm. The body then began to stir, lifting its head and then beginning to stand.

“What?” he said, his mouth agape. “Oh my god…”

The corpse, now standing, looked at him with glowing green eyes. It stood normally, as though it were a living and breathing Dae, save its glowing eyes.

“Unbelievable…” Robert stretched his hand out to touch it but watched his hand go through the projection. “So, I would be able to animate the dead?” The words left his mouth, and a chill entered his body. This was something very dark.

“Yes…” Dio’Mar let her hand fall to her side, and the corpse faded into nothing once more. “It is extremely difficult to maintain… but you, as a human, have a significant advantage over many of the Dae… not to mention… I have an idea how to keep them active while you travel…”

“Well, how is this going to help me save these villagers?”

Dio’Mar’s small mouth again curled into a smile.

~

Turak sat against the wall of one of the dwellings. He ordered his men to create cages from stone and imprison them until Robert had his plan ready, something that took every ounce of strength he had to agree to. Of course, this was probably a terrible idea and a blatant waste of time. Still, he had to have faith in the Spirit-Sent; he had proven himself once before, during the attack, so the least he could do was wait until morning.

Fires burned around the village to make it look normal to any scouts or warriors who saw it from a distance. This gave the Rexunii elite an opportunity to hide in plain sight.

“Lord Turak,” Yadri said, rounding the corner of the structure he was resting on. Following close behind was Richoro, still clearly angry from his confrontation with Robert earlier.

Turak waved them over and adjusted himself. As he did, he saw one more person follow the two officers. It was Demessa.

“My Lord,” Yadri saluted. “We have many concerns about the… um, Prince Reku. We have spent the entire rest of the day creating cages for people we should have dispatched during the attack. This puts us in a very vulnerable position. What if their patrols return? What if one of them escapes and runs for help?”

“You have guards on them,” Turak said, leaning back and looking at the night sky above. “We also have lookouts and can use Prince Reku’s ability to conceal ourselves. As long as you don’t screw up in watching those prisoners until morning, we will be fine. I told Reku that if he hasn’t come up with a solution, we dispose of them and move on with our mission.”

“Ridiculous,” Richoro said under his breath.

“Is there a problem, Richoro?” Turak asked calmly.

The Dae captain shook his head, sitting down across from Turak. “Nothing, my Lord. I just think taking the hum… ah, Prince Reku, was a bad idea, that’s all.”

“It was not an idea,” Demessa chimed in. “It was an order from our King. and you might not be standing here if it wasn’t for the prince. Have you ever seen a Dae use the Dunamis like that? Or ever seen a Dae-Jin use black wind before? No, we were able to sneak up on the enemy by running directly down their throat, and we didn’t lose a single warrior.”

“Lady Demessa, we don’t mean any disrespect,” Yadri said. “We just don’t see how we can solve the problem of the prisoners.”

“Lord Turak has given Prince Reku until sunrise to solve this problem; I think it would be best to save our doubts and wait until then.” Demessa proceeded then to sit against an assortment of boxes across from Turak.

Hours passed as the Rexunii warriors waited for their human Prince to finish his meditation. Turak noticed how his warriors were skeptical of his strange behavior; locking yourself in a small hut for a day and night with no food, water, or interruptions was bizarre, to say the least. Regardless, they waited, keeping a close eye on the civilian Dae. They wailed and screamed as they were packed in like animals, but what did they have to complain about? They were alive, and that was more than Turak had expected for them at this point.

Throughout the night, several of the captives attempted to escape by using their meager Dunamis to try and break free of the cages, to no avail, of course; these were created by extremely powerful Dae-Voh. The Rexunii guards made quick examples of them as to deter any further endeavors. After that, only the weeping and moaning remained.

Turak opened his eyes, taking in the cool morning air. The first beams of light were beginning to shine over the large mountains that surrounded the village. Time’s up, he thought. He stood from his makeshift bedroll, just a blanket and his cloak that had been rolled into a pillow. All their normal field equipment was packed and stored for a quick getaway.

Turak made his way to the small hut where Robert had been meditating. Nothing had been seen or heard from the man since he’d locked himself inside the afternoon before. He knocked heavily on the door. “Prince Reku! Are you in there?” He waited several moments, hearing nothing from within. “It is dawn! We need to move as quickly as possible. Do you have your solution?” Nothing still. Turak raised his hand to knock harder when the door opened suddenly, and a very tired looking Robert greeted him.

“Hey, Turak,” Robert said, quite informally. “Morning already?”

Turak looked at him, crossing his arms over his chest. “Yes. Do you have anything?”

Robert stepped from the hut and yawned. Turak noticed that he was far from calm but completely exhausted.

“I do,” Robert said, turning to meet his eyes again. “Just be ready for it… it’s pretty strange.”

Turak raised an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’ll see.” Robert began to walk but stopped, turning again. “By the way, where are the bodies from the battle yesterday?”

~

Demessa clenched her fists in frustration, listening to the disgruntled blasphemy of the two officers Yadri and Richoro. She was far enough away that they believed she couldn’t hear, but their raised voices and insults directed at Prince Reku were too much to ignore. She sat up from where she had been attempting to sleep through the night and strode over to them.

“Good morning, my Lady,” Richoro said, bowing his head. “Seems that morning has come. Does the little demon prince have a plan yet? Perhaps he will think better after he has had some breakfast.”

Yadri giggled behind him. “Why waste good food? One look at the corpses again, and it’ll all come back up!” Her giggle turned into a laugh, and the two of them erupted. Demessa even saw the warriors who were around them stifle laughter of their own.

“Impotent fools,” she said. “You know nothing of what he is. I will have words with the King when we return.” She turned to leave and saw Robert walking with Turak toward where they had hidden the bodies, in a large warehouse for food storage. Richoro and Yadri must have seen as well, as they quickly began moving toward them.

“Here,” Turak said, pointing to the door. “They’re piled in there like shit. I wouldn’t open the doors; the smell will knock you on your ass.”

Demessa walked up behind them, followed by Richoro and Yadri. “Good morning Lord Turak, Prince Reku,” she greeted them.

Robert looked at her and smiled. It was a genuine smile, it seemed. But spirits, he looked tired.

“Do you have a plan, Prince?” Yadri asked, looking less than happy.

Robert ignored her question and looked again at the door. He approached it slowly and placed his hand on the stone handle. He hesitated for a moment, then spoke over his shoulder. “Whatever you see come out of here, don’t attack it.”

The Dae looked at each other in confusion. What? Demessa thought. What is he talking about?

“Do you understand?” he said, clearly waiting for a response.

They just nodded, bewilderment still plastered on their faces.

Robert creaked the door open, and almost instantly, the air was filled with the foul smell of death. He took a step back and lifted his hand toward the opening and closed his eyes to concentrate. Again, Demessa saw the strange black wind flow from him into the stone warehouse. Robert’s hand began to shake, and sweat beads began to form on his face. He was clearly struggling. What in the name of all the spirits was he doing?

Robert let out a cry as he fell to a knee. More wind blew from him, and it was now a gale.

Suddenly it stopped, and Robert’s hand fell to his side. Demessa watched as he heaved for breath, his body now completely exhausted.

“What was—” Richoro began, about to ask a question when he was interrupted by a body stumbling from the darkened opening. The Dae officer’s eyes widened at the sight he now beheld. A warrior, who was clearly dead, standing on his feet again. He had been impaled by a stone spike from the looks of it, his abdomen opened at the belly, and some of his innards still hung out. Still, though, he stood, looking at them with black eyes.

“By the spirits!” Yadri shouted, pulling her blade and pointing it at the creature.

“No!” Robert wheezed. “What did I tell you?”

Demessa looked on in horror as the corpse took steps outside, allowing another to follow behind him.

Turak was frozen, his face a mask of fear and astonishment.

“This…” Richoro said, his eyes fixed on the strange sight. “By the spirits… this is unnatural.”

“Reku,” Turak managed to say. “What have you done?”

Robert began to stand, wobbling as he did. “This is the only way I could think of...” He strained to stand, and Demessa leaned in to help support him.

Turak’s mouth still hung open as more of the things began pouring out of the structure. “How many are there? And what exactly are you planning on doing with them?”

Robert pulled a skin canteen from under his cloak and began to drink, seeming to savor the taste in his mouth before he spoke. “I re-animated about thirty, I think. As far as what I am going to do with them? I’m going to send some to escort the civilians over the border and back to the nearest Rexunii fort.” With a shaky hand, he pointed at Richoro. “And he’s going back with them.”

Turak raised his eyebrow again, and Richoro looked even more shocked at the statement than the literal walking dead before him.

“I’m sorry, my Prince, but what exactly do you mean by that?” He said, his voice seething with anger.

“Exactly what I said.” Robert turned to look him in the eye, leaning on Demessa’s shoulder. “You and your bloodthirsty bullshit are going back to Rexun. I don’t have any need for someone like you here.”

“But I do,” Turak said, stepping before him. “He was following my orders, Reku, and though you are King Alektor’s brother now, I am in charge of this expedition.” He turned to Richoro over his shoulder. “Go, gather the rest of the warriors. We will be marching soon.” Turak focused his attention back on Robert. It wasn’t clear exactly what Turak was thinking, but it was obvious he was not happy about their current situation. “What of these creatures? What do you think our warriors will do when they see clanless corpses escorting civilians across our borders? Invite them in with open arms? They will slay them all as they approach, and I will not allow a single warrior of mine to accompany them.”

Robert stared for a moment at him, digesting the words. “Then let’s move on,” Robert said. “Leave them here, alive and well. I can use the animated warriors to go off in several directions. Lead anyone who might be looking for us on wild goose chases.” He paused, probably realizing they had no idea what a goose was. “A fool’s errand,” he corrected. “They will be confused, and we can monitor their movements.”

Turak thought in silence, and while he did, Yadri spoke up.

“You have no respect for the dead,” she said, hatred burning in her eyes. “This is why the Espi-Dae called you demons. Maybe they knew something like this was possible.” She turned then, walking with Richoro to assemble their warriors.

“She isn’t wrong,” Turak finally said. “But this does provide us with a tactical advantage. Demessa.” He turned to her. “Gather as many spare Rexunii cloaks as you can. We will make them look the part. Reku,” he looked back to Robert. “How much control do you have over these creatures?”

Robert Sighed. “Not much. I can give them basic commands, like run in that direction until you reach a certain spot, that’s about all I can do for now.”

Turak grunted, obviously mulling over ideas in his head.

“But I can learn more,” Robert continued. “I just need to practice.”

“There will be plenty of time for that.” Turak looked again at the strange undead creatures standing before him. Their eyes were a dark reminder of their wicked existence. “Stay with us, Prince. I’m sure there will be more dead to practice on.”