AEONS: THE GODS ARE DAMNED

Chapter 25

Both swords spark as the wielders held nothing back as they struck each other; both were battered and weakened; with a quick movement the girl twists the swords in an attempt to break the sword lock; the swords moved in a twist on and on as both fighters didn’t want to lose his/her sword; until the girl finally stop the twist by thrusting her sword forward mid-twist; Chase didn’t expect it but was smart; the tip of the sword stopped at his neck, his own sword stopped at her chest; hovering just above the heart.
The crowd clapped and cheered; cat calls were heard and the guards hailed them; both fighters separated and with beaming smiles they bowed to the audience with heaving chests; suddenly huge wings flapped and someone landed in the ring; it was Ralnor, he stood and the wings retracted back into him. He walked towards them.
“I have to say, that was one of the best duels this ring has ever seen, and it ends in a draw”
“Lord Ralnor” the girl said and curtsied
“Allania Lithron, it seems you are making yourself at home”
“I truly am”, the crowd departs
“I see that you have met my protégé”
Allania smiled and looked at Chase, “He is a worthy fighter although his skills doesn’t speak of you”
“Ah! That is because he is trying to build his own skill”, Ralnor said and soon they all strolled out of the ring and headed back to the castle; Ralnor and Allania started chatting about old times and Chase felt awkward; He excused himself as he left for the Haemir’s room.
*
He entered Haemir’s secret workshop from the wall; Haemir looks up from the pile of books and papers;
“You look like you just met lady Allania”, Haemir said as he went back to the papers.
Chase chuckled and wipes his face of blood with a piece of cloth from a rack, “She is the best sword fighter, apart from Ralnor, that I have seen in my life”
Haemir chuckles as he works with his compass, “Then it won’t come as a surprise if I told you that she was once Ralnor’s student, one of his best”
“Like seriously?!” Chase exclaimed
‘Yes, Ralnor and I traveled to the Eastlands; she is the princess of Cystenn, we met her when she was but a child, she was so attached to Ralnor; she wanted to learn from him, always around him like a leach”
“And he taught her? Just like that?”
“Ralnor might be tough on the outside…” he looks at Chase, “…but he isn’t as cold as he likes to admit”
Haemir finishes the sketch and drops the pencil; he rests back into the chair and rubs his eyes.
“You are tired” Chase said as he rested his hands on the table for support.
“I need to show you something”
“What?”
“Come with me” Haemir said and stood; he picks a coat off the rack and they both walked out of the workshop.
*
They walked away from the castle and headed towards a huge towering volcano; they walked up the volcano’s side.
“I seriously don’t understand why we need to climb to the top of a doomsday rock”, Chase said as they climbed the stairs that has been engraved into the side of the mountain – definitely by magic.
“I need you to see someone”
“Well, this certain someone must love rocks or fire” Chase said.
They climbed till they passed the middle of the tall volcano, then the stairs stopped and led to a spacious ledge. They walked on the ledge, walking round the volcano; on the other side of the mountain stood two tall statues, they were over 12ft tall, each held a trident; the statues stood facing outwards from the mountain with their backs resting on the mountain itself; the statues stood some feet away beside each other, in the space between them was an iron gate.
“Wow!” Chase said with a low voice.
The tridents of the statues are bent towards each other creating a cross over the gate. Haemir stood in front of the Iron Gate and the statues pulled back their tridents and the gate opened;
“Wow again" Chase said as they walked past the gate and entered into the inner parts of the mountain. The gate shuts close and the trident returns to its position.
They walked for couple of minutes in the tunnel; the walls were lined with torches which lit on its own accord and several runic symbols that flicker alongside the flickering torch flames; they came out of the tunnel and Chase was surprised still.
On the other side of the tunnel, was an opened gate; there was a ledge after the gate, much like a cliff of some sort; the volcano was actually dry and very large; it was now nothing but a large cone of rock…or so he thought.
They walked to the edge of the cliff, which was very spacious that it doesn’t qualify as a cliff but just a spacious edge. The moonlight shines through the hole at the top of the volcano, casting a large white circle of light on the ground of the volcano.
“What are we doing here?”
“This is the pit, the home to oldest living dragon” Haemir replied
“I thought you were the oldest”
“Oldest Drengrin not Dragon”
Suddenly, deep rumbling was heard as something moved in the shadows within the huge space of the volcano. The light created by the torches that lined the outer walls behind them couldn’t show what was coming; suddenly two huge glowing eyes appeared; each eyeball was approximately the size of a car; the volcano shook as the creatures moved in a serpentine way.
Chase was scared and it showed visibly; the only reason he hasn’t turned and run was because Haemir seemed calm.
A loud deep and resounding voice rumbled out from the unknown beast, “Haemir, long time, no see” the volcano rumbled the words.
“I have been busy” Haemir replied
“You know this...thing?” Chase asked with a trembling voice
“Yes”
“Oh, did you bring me a meal? This is a rather small offering, Haemir, why don’t you bring in something larger”
“He isn’t a meal, and it will serve you well if you keep all form of malicious thoughts to yourself, Grimuth” Haemir replied. The beast walked out of the darkness and moved into the moonlight; it was so horribly huge and menacing that Chase took an involuntary step backwards.
“Is the young Aeon scared of Grimuth the Cruel?” Grimuth said as he walked closer to the cliff; Chase took another step back but Haemir held his hand to keep him from running away. Chase stopped moving when he saw huge chains around Grimuth’s neck.
“Looks like I shouldn’t be scared of a chained dog” Chase said.
Grimuth gave a loud deep laugh that shook the volcano again, “Chained? Yes, but not held back” Grimuth said and moved closer until the chains couldn’t go any further.
“I seem to be right” Chase said with a smirk
Grimuth’s nostrils blew out wisps of smoke.
Haemir quickly spoke, “Grimuth here is one of the first dragons of Maregere, the first dragons had enormous sizes and Grimuth was one of the largest”
Grimuth chuckles, “Yeah Yeah Yeah, I was large and feared”
“…and cruel” Haemir finished the words
“Ah”, Grimuth sighed, “those where the times”
“So why exactly is he locked up in an extinct volcano?” Chase asked
“Because he joined force with Kelpas”
“So he has been here for, what, 5000 years?”
“Yes”
“So how old is he anyways?”
“No one knows but according to my knowledge the ancient dragons appeared at least 100, 000 years ago”
“Over a hundred and fifty” Grimuth corrected him.
“So he is basically about 10 times your age” Chase said
“Yes and over a hundred times more dangerous; ancient dragons were unlike the modern ones, they served the dark gods and were granted immortality as long as they didn’t break their vow to their patron god, and the god they served will also grant them the power of nature and knowledge of their plans”
“So we are here to find out the dark gods plans” Chase said
“Yes” Haemir replied
“And you think I will say a thing…you must be more puerile than I thought” Grimuth said and turns away from them, he walked back into the darkness.
“Yes, I think you will Grimuth” Haemir said and held forward his right hand, the chain on the beast’s neck glowed and runic symbols show on it; the beast roared in pain and anger.
“What are you doing? You will get him killed” Chase said as he pushed down Haemir’s hand
“We need that information” Haemir told him
“We can talk it out”
“He is too stubborn”
“But not stupid, he will talk"
“How? I won’t tell you a thing” Grimuth hinted in
“Shut up” Chase said and his eyes glowed, the beast roared in pain and the beast struggled with the chains as they tighten around his neck and burnt him like pure molten magma.
“That’s enough” Haemir said and Chase stopped, “Will you talk now?” he asks Grimuth
Coughing he answered, “You can show off your torturing spells on me but am not impressed” Grimuth said and Chase’s eyes shone again, the beast roared in pain for few seconds then Chase stopped. He coughs again, “But I must give you, you have more potent torturing spells than your father young Aeon”
“What does that mean?”
“Don’t ask” Haemir quickly added
“He knows my dad, How?” Chase asks Haemir
“Your father loved torturing me, but he never could get much from me, maybe because your mother dulled his skills, Argh!!” Grimuth screamed as Chase angrily activated the runes on the chain again.
Suddenly the screams stopped; Haemir had intercepted it and stopped it.
“Why did you stop me?” Chase said in annoyance
“How will we get the information if he is dead” Haemir replied and Chase calmed down
“Yes, yes, listen to your teacher”
“Why don’t we do this again” Chase asked and walked closer to the edge of the ledge
“What is the plan of the dark gods?”
“the dark gods have no plan, their lives is linked to the dread lord, they wish to sever it by causing an unstableness but Kelpas has more in plans than they know and they know he isn’t their friend or ally, they will usurp the dread lord with Kelpas’ help and then get rid of him” Grimuth explains
“See? That wasn’t so hard” Chase said and they both turned to leave
“Be careful Drengriel, the devil was once an angel and an angel can be the devil” Grimuth said
Chase looked back to him, “what does that mean? How do you even know that?” but Grimuth has retracted into the darkness
“Let’s go, Aranor waits” Haemir said and Chase left reluctantly.