“By the gods,” Desmond muttered in shock of what he saw.
Nikolai threw up. Keely shoved her head into Ator’s chest as he held her. Kale looked away disgusted covering his mouth. Skivvy turned bright red for a moment as his grip on one of his scimitars tightened. Audra’s left hand glowed blue as her right hand was tightly gripping her scimitar. Aurora was kneeling down doing everything she could to not look at the sight. Desmond stood in front beyond shocked.
All were speechless.
The fort was massacred. All the empire garrison troops dead and scattered about the fort. The commander’s body was nailed to a tree in the center with obsidian tipped spears in each limb. His head was cut off and was on a small spike shoved into the ground behind the tree.
The buildings were either burnt to ash or laid ransacked. No supplies were taken. Just destruction. Large streaks of blood stained the wooden walls and ramparts. Limbs were scattered to pieces like shreds of leaves. A few footmen and archers were piled together in pile of ash and coagulated blood by the barracks building. The main officer's building was ransacked and streaks of blood and torn up bodies littered about the wooden walls.
The squad said nothing and quietly began the painstaking task of burying the dead.
Far off in a tall pine tree was a weathered, brown-haired ape man watching diligently as the squad slowly moved into the fort. The ape man quickly climbed down and ran towards the mountain wall a few miles away. He ran into the cave and was met by a large gathering of fellow ape men in togas as they were circled around a large fire. On the far side was a white haired ape man covered in scars holding an obsidian axe on his lap. He had a weathered and constantly frowning demeanor. His sharp, yellow eyes shined bright in the darkly lit cave. Next to him was the dark figure from the Dark One’s throne. He was in all black robes with his face and features hidden under a hood.
The running ape man immediately knelt down and grunted out in a guttural tone, “They have reached the fort… They are wanting vengeance.”
“I see,” said the white haired ape man as he adjusted his wolf cloak and back. “How many?”
“Eight total… They killed about eleven of us, injured a few. Injured are outside with healer… They are skilled. More skilled than the last force that came through… Their leader carries the sacred Elvan sword… Argonak, what shall we do?”
“Hmm,” Argonak said as he rubbed his white head.
He looked to the dark robed man. The robed man said in his alarmingly calm and raspy voice, “They will come for you… It’s best to fight back… One wolf may die, but the pack remains determined… I suggest you kill them.”
He stood up and started walking towards the fire. The fire quickly changed purple and a portal opened up. The dark robed man looked at Argonak as if he was staring into his soul.
He said, “My master is not forgiving if you fail… You have served well before… But your numbers are dwindling and the empire grows closer to your lands and kind… You want them to die as well?”
“No.”
“Then kill those empire forces… My master will not relent if you fail… That is the deal of the blood pact your father made those many moons ago. You want your kind to survive, correct? Then kill. A pact is a pact… Remember that.”
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The dark robed man walked through the portal and the fire burst upwards turning back into a normal large flame. Argonak was conflicted, but hid it under his tough demeanor.
One younger ape man with a club asked, “What can we do? We should rebel against this Dark One! Why must we cause more bloodshed in these once sacred lands? We have suffered enough. No more of this demonic pact! We must do something… We must make peace and ally with this empire and fight back against the Dark One! It’s the only way out of this pact.”
“Nonsense,” cried out another ape man with two spears in his left hand. “You, Vorgaka, should know that the blood we have spilled and pain we have caused will not be forgotten by the empire humans and elves… Especially not after what we did to the fort and all of those wars for the past decades… We cannot! We must uphold the pact in order to survive! One does not simply retreat from a demonic deal without suffering! We could all die!”
“The pact? You mean us allowing evil to reside in these lands so that we may survive a little longer out of fear? We turned to those demons for help and this is what we have fallen to? Savages so afraid of all that we kill all who venture too close like a pissed off mountain lion? What makes you certain that HE will not turn on us and eradicate us anyway? These demons never cared or helped us! All they have is given us the desire to kill and make enemies with all. You who are most loyal to the pact have been marked across your chests! Not all of us here have it… We are too few in number to continue this pact. We are dying! It’s time for change… Argonak… What say you, father? You are leader and most venerable amongst us,” Vorgaka exclaimed vehemently.
The rest of the ape men argued amongst themselves as Argonak leaned back on the cave wall pondering the right decision for a few minutes. Some of the ape men were beginning to shove one another and threaten violence.
“Politics… Politics…. All the same,” Argonak yawned to himself.
Argonak closed his eyes with a defeated sigh. He stood up and every one of the ape men hushed and sat down out of respect. Argonak began to walk away. After five steps he said loudly with pain in voice, “We have made a blood pact. One that cannot be broken… Though it has kept us alive for now… We have caused harm and pain to all… Especially ourselves… We argue now because we fear for our future… There are those who say that this pact was foolish to begin with… And there those who say it was necessary… Both are true… We are a dying species of our own fears and prejudices… There was a chance to make peace before… But we have squandered it… Like a dandelion seed we blew into the abyss seeking shelter from the storm… Now we have no choice in the matter.”
He let that last part settle for a moment.
“Our hands are bound in blood and regret… That empire group will want vengeance and rightfully so… Maybe we do deserve to die… Maybe we don’t… I have lived long enough to see the worst and best of this world… We shall meet them and fight them… We have our pact… But I know it is wrong… Maybe someday, Vorgaka, you can lead us into the light. Into a better pathway for us. One in peace and not bloodshed. Your soul is not tainted like mine.”
Vorgaka looked away knowingly with pain in his eyes.
“But the pact was made and blood has been shed a long time ago. I, as leader, must uphold the pact for my heart is bound by it… You may leave with half of us or those that wish to start anew… The rest who chose to follow me will stay for I stay. Those that wish to leave and are unmarked shall go north of here. Away from this cursed land… That is my final decision. Go!”
Argonak left as half the ape men left with him. The other half looked to Vorgaka for guidance.
Vorgaka bowed his head and said to himself quietly, “Understood father. Understood. Die with honor… I will find a way to save your soul. I swear it.”
Vorgaka and the other half left the cave and headed north. Argonak watched from the cave with his half and solemnly watched as half the ape men and all the ape women and children left with Vorgaka. Argonak had a tear leave one of his eyes as he saw Vorgaka look back at him with an expression that showed pain, sadness, and shame. Argonak waved and turned around into the cave quickly wiping his eyes. Vorgaka let one tear fall down his cheek as he stared longingly to the cave. He had so much more he wanted to say to Argonak, but he knew those words would mean nothing.
He prayed in his head, "Please safeguard my father's soul. For he is not an evil being. Just forced into a position he did want."
Now it was just 50 of them left to fight.
