Whispers of a Dead Empire

The boat crossed the river quietly. The water barely made a sound as we passed over it. We all sat quietly, not even looking at the water. Our lessons were already learned.

"Ferryman, what do you know of this place?" Gunther's voice broke the silence, and a part of me was relieved that he asked. One of us was going to do it even if I just did it a few moments too late. He was harsher around the edges, but I don't think the man at the helm of the boat cared too much.

The Ferryman kept pushing the water, staring out across the empty river, unbothered by the enchantments laced through the water. He remained quiet for quite some time before he answered us. "Most of my memory was erased during the calamity. Now I only do what my lady asks, and that is to take the living back and forth across the river."

Calamity? I pondered on his words for a moment as I thought back to the journal we found. It said that this realm was torn away from the rest of the world. So it's called The calamity. But what really caught my interest was his job. "Lord Kharon, you mentioned your lady. Who is she? What do you mean by the living? Are you not alive yourself?"

"My lady, the Empress of Asteria. As for your next question, who is to say I am not? What is life adventurer?" His voice hung heavy in my ears and eventually my thoughts, and I had never really thought about that.

"Flesh, bones, a beating heart, thoughts, and a soul, I would suppose," I replied quietly. His words left a lasting impact on me, and I never once considered the question that he had asked. Maybe it was just me being short-sighted.

"There is far more to it than just that, but that is a conversation for another time. We are close to the docks." In the distance, the outline of the far shore was visible through the thick fog. The outline of trees stretched for quite a way out on either side. But something else struck me with curiosity, something that I had to know the answer to.

"You say you transport the living. What lies beyond the docks?" I feared the answer I would hear, and I knew it deep down, yet I didn't want to believe it was true.

"The dead and lost. Those who were once thralls of powerful necromancy, and those who are loyal to Asteria and the Empress." My heart sank as I realized that this was a domain of the undead. The most wretched of all creatures. Those torn from death by a necromancer and bound to servitude. Every necromancer was a walking crime against humanity and deserved only death.

"So your empress is a necromancer." Gunther's demeanor became colder, and the tension in the air grew even more palpable.

"No. She gave everything she had to sever the chains that kept us bound. We are all free, seeking a purpose in our existence. Far from a vile necromancer." Even though his monotonous words, I could detect malice and hatred at the thought of serving a necromancer. I glanced towards the other. Carter remained quiet as he listened, and Gunther was fuming. Alinore was just looking out across the river, her magic protecting her from the pull of the enchantments.

I cleared my throat and tried to calm the situation a bit. "Forgive us, Lord Ferryman. Necromancers have an evil reputation where we come from, and most are stamped out, and very few undead exist."

"It is fine. The lady would never stoop so low as to be a necromancer, and she is far too kind for something like that." The way he spoke about her made me feel like she was alive. But wouldn't she be a domain core? I scratched my head as I tried to figure out what this all meant. A domain of undead wouldn't be accepted, and the Velcrest Theocracy would lobby to destroy it. Yet, it was still a domain and one of the most valuable things on this planet.

"Maybe we should wait and see what the domain offers first before we jump to any conclusions." Carter's voice broke the tension, and I nodded in agreement.

"Yes. Maybe it is, as Kharon says, and the lady of the domain is kind. We have to consider all facets before we make a choice." I tore my attention away from the ranger and instead started forward. Thinking over what this could mean for us and for the future of Tenith.

The boat rocked as it contacted the dock. Words appeared on my screen once more with ablaze.

This time I was better prepared for it and didn't even flinch at it, though it took quite a lot of willpower to do so. I stood up, stepped off the boat, and reached out for Gunther's hand to help him up. Carter did the same with Alinore. I did one last cursory glance across the longboat and gave the Ferryman a nod. "Thank you for the conversation. I bid you, farewell Ferryman. May our paths cross once more."

Kharon pushed off the wooden dock with his oar and gave us a nod as his ship started to drift back into the river. "Farewell Adventures. Be warned, those that live in the woods know neither friend nor foe." The fog wrapped around the Ferryman, even going so far as to drown out the red light that emanated from his eyes.

I released a pent-up breath as he vanished. It wasn't often you met a friendly boss, and especially one as powerful as he was. But I was thankful that I gleaned as much information out of him as I did. "What do you guys think so far?"

"He spoke highly of the domain, but for all, we know he could just be just another slave." Gunther was the first to speak up. I'm thankful for how blunt he could be, and it left little to the imagination.

"I think we should do a little more exploring. There is more going on here than meets the eye." Carter flipped through the journal he brought with him. I would assume that he was just trying to figure out everything he could about the area, which was good. I did not know what we were about to get ourselves into.

I glanced towards the last member of our group. The one who spoke very little, though we all valued her input immensely. "Alinore?"

She affixed me with her sea-blue eyes before she glanced away. "He spoke truthfully about what he felt, and there was no magic binding him. I think we can trust the Ferryman."

We stared at each other as we weighed our choices, though ultimately, I had the last say. Alinore was very rarely wrong on the matters of magic. Yet, I still detested the fact that we were in a realm of the undead. While I have never once encountered them, I have heard stories and read books about them, which is far more than enough for me. "Alright then. Let's keep exploring then." I stepped further onto the docks and saw that it was a mirror of the one we just left. The only thing missing was the book that we found the first time.

Carter and Alinore pushed ahead. This time he had his bow drawn and an arrow at the ready. We were no longer at the entrance, and there was no telling what we would encounter here. Alinore drew a small wooden wand and stood at the ready. Her magical eyesight was glowing softly in the moonlight, and then tendrils of silver magic wrapped around her like a snake, ready to strike at any moment.

"Are you alright, Gunther?" I walked down the length of the dock, checking the boxes and crates, hoping to find anything useful to sell later.

"This place doesn't feel right, and undead is a blight on the planet. There is a reason that they don't exist. We shouldn't be here, and we need to destroy the domain and leave." His words were filled with a dull rage that felt almost palpable.

"I get that. I do. I'm not a fan of all of this either but think of the rewards we can earn if we pull this off. I need this, and we can't destroy this place." I stopped in my tracks and glared at my friend. I needed the accolades from this domain. I needed the bounty from the crown, and more than anything, I just wanted to put my life together.

"It's always about money, and power with you, Redrick, and that frightens me. I need you to see the forest and not just the trees." He huffed through his teeth as he stormed past me. I watched as he caught up with the others, and more than anything, I just felt defeated. I placed my hand on the hilt of my rapier and could feel the weight of the summoning stone pressing against my hip. I could summon the domain core and see for myself what this place indeed was. But I won't. Not yet. Not until I was alone. They didn't need to know that I had an item that powerful. Not even Gunther needed to know. Lest he takes that chance to end this domain.

I pressed forward, deciding to hang back a few meters. Mostly to watch the rear in case we get ambushed and also to give Gunther some space. He was angry. Thankfully, he would keep things professional, but it still bothered me. I didn't like it either, but I will put aside my detest if it means I can achieve my goals. They came first, everything else second.

I stepped off of the docks and onto a dirt road. That led up into a forest. The stench of death filled the air, and the trees were graying and slowly dying. There were some pinpricks of color, but not enough to make a difference. The fog clung to all the trees and was growing thicker with each passing second. The only sound that I could hear was that of my party walking. Other than that, it was deathly silent.

This place felt wrong. But the Ferryman said that the empress here gave everything to sever the hold that a necromancer had over this place. What happened here? Everything I have learned so far hasn't yet let me connect the dots. I hope, and I pray he was telling the truth about this place. Destroying this domain would be the last thing that I wanted to do.

We pushed deeper into the forest. All around us were trees that were stuck in a half-dead state and a road that was large enough to fit all four of us if we were to stand shoulder to shoulder. The smell of decaying flesh filled my nose and caused my stomach to twist and churn. According to the research that I managed to dredge up, domains usually had a safe zone. If we could find that, we could plan out how to tackle this place and see what other information we could find about Asteria.