Chapter 19: The Assault on Steelweld
Alto, now a vampire, had entered the throne room at Esteban's call.
"This is the elf you told me about before." Dred examined the vampire elf, unimpressed. He hovered around him in a circle, making the young man feel uneasy.
Alto had learned about Dred before leaving Elfandall with Vasasti to look for Tiafell. Even though his body was comprised of only a head, torso, and very long arms, the black demon was quite large, being six feet fall from his head to the bottom of his cut-off trunk, hovering two feet above the floor made him seem even taller and more intimidating. Alto remembered that the creature in front of him originally had a much larger quadrupedal body, but the top half was cut off by the wizard Marlon more than 800 years ago. His undead blood even colder as the figure looked down at him, he could sense its distrust toward him.
"Yes, My Lord." Esteban boasted. "He is the first elf to be turned into a vampire. Elven blood is not only delicious, but it serves his race well! If you think a demon/elf has vast potential, just image what an elven vampire is capable of!"
"Are you suggesting that he is superior to Tiafell and Trista?" The ghost-like demon narrowed his yellow eyes.
"Oh, certainly not My Lord! I am simply suggesting that should Tiafell become a problem, my young friend here will be able to stop him."
Dred looked Alto over, then turned his attention back to Esteban. "Tiafell will not be a concern when this is over, as he and I will have become one. Gather however many vampires you need for the attack. Trista is going to need backup, but we will let her humiliate herself first. With her spirit broken, she will fall completely under my control, then I will use her to take the lives of Tiafell's friends while I possess him. The more enraged he becomes, the easier it will be."
"Understood, My Lord" Esteban bowed. Dred glanced at Alto again, then vanished.
"Come, Alto, help me select some potential recruits for the attack." Esteban commanded.
"A moment, if I may. What was that about Tiafell?" Alto asked.
"As you just heard, we are going to attack Steelweld in one week to eliminate the threat they pose. We anticipate that Tiafell will be there, and Lord Dred wants to possess him to replace the body he lost 800 years ago." Esteban explained. "But not you, I need you to stay here and keep the castle safe while we are away."
"I must respectfully refuse. Tiafell abandoned me and my fiancé, and now she is likely dead because of it! I must kill him to avenge her! Please take me to Steelweld with you!"
"You will remain here, Alto, my word is final!"
"I cannot accept-" Esteban grabbed Alto by his throat and shoved him against a wall with enough force to shake the room. The seven-and-a half-foot tall vampire lord then raised the elf to his eye level.
"Making me repeat myself is an excellent way to get yourself killed, chico! When I tell you to do something, you do so happily without question!!!"
"Why are you doing this? You serve a master that wants to destroy the human race, OUR food source!! Just what are you think-" Esteban put his other hand over the vampire elf's mouth, then leaned in close.
"Listen very carefully to me, Alto, and do not repeat what I am about to tell you. I am not the fool you seem to think I am. I'm not going to let our food source disappear, but we need to play our hands carefully. I have a plan to stop him, a method to seal him away and make his power my own. It will only work when the opportunity presents itself. Until then, I must serve as his loyal subject and wait for the right moment to strike."
"What if Dred succeeds in possessing Tiafell before that happens? He'll be far too powerful for you to do anything then! Let me kill Tiafell, then Dred will never have the power he desires!"
"That would give us away, imbecile!" Esteban leered at him. "He would kill you and then me for allowing it to happen! I shall deal with this my own way, all YOU need to do is what I command, understand?"
"Fine.. but what happens once you seal Dred away? What is your goal?"
Esteban chuckled. "Isn't it obvious muchacho? We will carry out his plan to rule over this world! Demons had their chance and fucked it up. Soon, it will be time for us vampires to take our rightful position as the dominant species! After Dred's power is mine, I shall cast all of Elistria into an endless night so that every vampire can walk about freely without fear of the sun. And humans will be kept alive as livestock, so we'll live forever with an endless supply of food!"
"I see" Alto nodded slightly. "So, what about Tiafell?"
"Has anyone ever told you that you have a one-track mind?" Esteban let Alto go, allowing him to drop to the floor. "I don't give a shit about him. Once Dred is out of the picture, you can carve that sissy elf like a roasted bird for all I care. Until then, play your part."
Alto coughed a bit, then looked up at Esteban. "I understand, Master."
"I'm glad we came to an understanding." One corner of Esteban's mouth curved upward. "Come, we must select some vampires for the assault on Steelweld." Alto stood and left the throne room with him. Behind them, Dred reappeared.
"Fascinating..." the black demon chuckled.
Outside, Cardexx had tied a note to a pigeon's leg that was perched on his wrist. "Go now, make haste!" He waved his hand, sending the bird airborne. It flapped its wings and flew Southwest.
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Tiafell and his friends had been training to harness their magical talents by learning new spells and mastering them under the tutelage of the wizard Marlon and later Samora, his daughter. Tiafell was required to undergo additional training to learn how to control his demonic energy and balance it with his elven aura. Though he was able to reign it in to a degree, it seemed that full mastery would forever be out of his reach.
They spent every morning studying academics to broaden and strengthen their minds, followed by learning and practicing new spells. For three days every week, the group also sparred with Marlon's golems to keep up with the physical training they received in Steelweld. The other days were spent resting in the evenings, encouraged to spend their time reading to increase their knowledge while resting their minds. "An educated mage is a powerful one", this was the foundation of Marlon's lessons.
As for the elderly wizard himself, his already failing health declined further, leaving him too weak to stand or sit upright and rendering him bedridden. He was asleep more often than he was awake, often sleeping for 16 or more hours every day. Samora, who he had passed all his knowledge to, became the overseer of their training while also undergoing her own to adjust to everything she received from him. Though she accepted her responsibilities as the new master of the tower, Samora's heart broke for her father. She knew that his time was coming soon, but she could not fathom how someone who had lived for more than 900 years was about to die. She regretted the time they had spent apart after their heated disagreement years ago; all that time they could have spent together was gone.
One day after practice, Tiafell was sitting under a dogwood tree reading a book about the Continent of Adrui, which was home to the other major kingdom in the world. His mother, Erafell, was buried next to this tree. Sitting in that spot brought him peace, as it did for his mother before him. It was her favorite spot to eat, read, and take naps, it had become his too.
"The major terrain of Adrui is something called a 'desert', an arid sand-covered place where it is scorching hot during the day and freezing cold at night." Tiafell summarized what he was reading out loud. "The Adruian citizens must be remarkably tough to live there!" He leaned his head back against the tree in awe. "Our world, Elistria, is so remarkable, I didn't know it HAD a name until recently! My mind is still blown away by the fact that it is round like a ball, not flat like the elves claim. That makes SO much more sense!!" He kicked his feet up and down giddily as he absorbed knowledge that was previously inaccessible to him. As he was reading, the ghost of an elven female was reading along over his shoulder and enjoying being with her son, though he was unaware of her presence.
Marlon was asleep in his room; his breathing had a slight rattle to it. The pigeon that Cardexx had sent days before landed in his window seal and chirped loudly, startling the ailing wizard awake.
"Oh, a letter?" He held his tired hand out, allowing the bird to perch onto it. Using his other hand, he freed the note from its foot and let it fly back outside. He unfurled the note and read it carefully. "Oh no..."
Samora was in her bedroom, the next room over, studying one of her father's tomes when she heard him call her name. The witch immediately rushed to his side.
"Father? What's wrong, do you need help?" The concerned daughter asked.
Marlon looked at his daughter sternly. "I need you to bring everyone in here immediately, we have an emergency!"
Without questioning him, Samora left to gather the four youths together. Tiafell was still reading near his mother's grave, Cirris and Mirya were browsing the library, and Nadia was outside honing her spells to summon familiars, having learned the value of training during the day when her vampiric powers were dormant. Once they were together, Marlon explained the situation.
"The attack was planned six days ago; it takes that long for a carrier pigeon to arrive here from Basilix Castle. To conclude, Trista and her forces are going to attack Steelweld tomorrow night before coming here to kill us and take Tiafell." He summarized.
"Steelweld is a four-day ride on horseback from here, we'd never get there in time to help!!" Cirris pointed out.
"I have a way to get you all there within an hour. It's the same method we mages use to instantly send letters to each other." Marlon responded.
"Right, of course! That should work!" Samora added. "Letters are sent instantly, but larger objects, like people, take about an hour to travel the distance between here and Steelweld. But unlike letters, people have to use a transportation circle, which we have."
"But even if we get there that quickly and warn them, will they have enough time to prepare for it?" Nadia inquired.
"The amazons will be more than ready for them by tomorrow night, I am certain of that." Marlon coughed, then cleared his throat. "I'm more concerned about Dred and the others getting involved. They will bring reinforcements with them, enough to overwhelm Cleyene and her fighters. I fear that many of them are going to lose their lives, even in the best case scenario.."
"We'll do what we can." Tiafell stepped up. "Maybe we will be able to end this war before it even begins. But the longer we stand here talking, the less time the amazons have to prepare!"
"Well said, my boy." Marlon smiled. "Help me to my wheelchair, we must go to the transportation circle." Tiafell and Cirris helped the frail old man into his chair, he had become so thin and light that it was easy to move him. Samora was saddened further to see her once strong father in such a helpless state.
