Death: Genesis

Zeke’s feet thudded against the loamy ground as he followed Pudge through the Old Growth forest. The trees were so large and far apart that their traversal was only slightly more difficult than it had been back on the Mukti Plains. Still, the terrain was varied enough – with streams, dried riverbeds, and subtle outcroppings of rock – that it wasn’t all smooth sailing. As such, the distance between them and their quarry had only grown lengthier over the past day of pursuit.

It was also complicated by Zeke’s insistence on maintaining his colossal form which, for all the strength and endurance it granted him, was ill-suited for speedy travel. However, he didn’t want to let the form drop because he knew just how valuable a hidden identity could be – especially given the pair of discoveries he’d made only a few hours after defeating the Knights of Adontis.

The first concerned the identities of the warriors he’d killed. According to both Jasper and Eta, they were assuredly recruits fresh out of training, and as such, they’d been given the unenviable duty of patrolling the small kingdom’s borders. The only one who’d had even a modicum of power – at least by his allies’ reckoning, which was based on the embellishments on the armor – was the leader who Zeke had killed before he’d had a chance to react. The rest were low-leveled and unremarkable, which told Zeke that, if he was confronted with a true Knight of Adontis, he would have a much more difficult battle ahead of him.

The second discovery was that, when he was in his colossal form, his true identity was hidden by a simple label:

Triune Colossus – Level 50

To outsiders who didn’t know any better, he would appear to be a monster.

“Appear? Right. You are a monster,” said Eveline.

Zeke ignored her as he circled one of the massive trees, bounding over its roots as he followed Pudge. They had considered simply fleeing across Adontis and hoping to outrun any pursuit. However, when Sasha had pointed out that such a journey would take weeks – even though, on the map, the kingdom looked like a tiny sliver of land, the scale was such that it was hundreds of miles wide and many times that in length – Zeke had chosen to chase the mysterious rider.

But despite their constant pursuit lasting more than a day, they still hadn’t caught sight of the scout. In fact, according to Pudge’s senses, the distance between them had grown even larger, meaning that the rider was steadily leaving them behind. Still, Zeke held out hope that they would catch up when their quarry finally had to rest. After all, no one could keep going indefinitely. Even Zeke, for all his advantages, would eventually be forced to stop. He was banking on his high endurance and the effects of [Cambion’s Awakening] to let him last longer than his intended prey, though.

However, after only a few hours more, he thundered to a stop when the forest came to an abrupt end. Stretching to the horizon was nothing but cultivated fields. In some grew grain. Others played host to tall stalks of corn. But in the distance, Zeke saw a variety of plants he couldn’t identify.

“Farms,” Pudge said. “What does it mean?”

“Civilization,” he answered. “There’s probably a city nearby. Or at least a village.”

Fortunately, the light had already failed, and so there was little chance that they would be seen. It did present a choice, though. Would they keep going? Or would they head toward their eventual destination? According to the maps, that would take some time, and Zeke had been told that the lands of Adontis were heavily patrolled.

In the end, he knew that, if they were going to cross the kingdom, they needed more information. And given that the kobold rangers had already proven themselves incapable of staying hidden, even from the green troops sent to patrol the border, Zeke expected that they would have to get that intelligence some other way.

“It’s obvious, isn’t it?” said Eveline.

“Is it? Enlighten me.”

“You should just walk in,” the former demoness said. “Think about it. You look human. These people are human supremacists. Shouldn’t be that hard to blend in. You can find their city, give it a nice look, and then continue on your way like nothing’s wrong. If they stop you, you’re just another human, right?”

That idea certainly had merit. As far as Zeke knew, he was still virtually indistinguishable from the human being he’d once been. Certainly, he had a few extra scars, but that wasn’t so uncommon that it would be noteworthy. And even if it was noticed, it wouldn’t mark him as anything but what he appeared to be.

Still, the idea of sneaking around just didn’t sit right with him.

“Oh, grow up. We all have to do things we don’t want to do,” Eveline chided.

She wasn’t wrong. So, Zeke told Pudge his plan, and though the former dire bear didn’t particularly like the idea of being left on the sidelines, he couldn’t disagree that it was a viable plan. Even so, Zeke retreated into the forest where he summoned the gate. Once it had manifested, he sent Pudge back inside to fetch the others while he stood watch. No dangers presented themselves before the tower’s major players – Kianma, Sasha, Pudge, Jasper, and Silik – all joined him.

He explained Eveline’s plan, then asked, “Any objections?”

“Many,” said Kianma.

“You don’t know Adontis’s history,” Sasha added. “They’re almost as bad as the Radiant Host when it comes to how they treat non-humans. If they find out you have such a large population of kobolds – let alone the other races in the tower – at your beck and call, they’ll do everything they can to kill or enslave you. They’ll send whole armies.”

“You seem to know a lot about them.”

“By necessity,” Sasha responded. “Before I left home, my father made certain that I knew what was out there. He talked about all the worst people on this continent, and the Knights of Adontis were near the top. They’re monsters.”

“But if they think I’m human, they won’t know to treat me differently, right?” Zeke persisted.

“Maybe.”

“That should be the case,” Jasper pointed out. Then he shrugged, “My people know of Adontis as well, and the human spies we’ve sent into their territory have always gone unmolested.”

“And you think I can pass?” Zeke asked.

“Unless they have very specific identification skills, yes,” said Jasper. “Anything other than the basic [Inspect] or its variants are exceedingly rare.”

Neither Kianma nor Silik had anything to add, mostly because they were almost entirely ignorant of the world outside of the environment beneath Min Ferilik. Hopefully, that would change over time, which was why he liked to include them even if they wouldn’t be capable of contributing to the discussion. One day, they would be experienced enough to offer their input.

After a few more minutes of discussion, the decision was made, and everyone else headed back into the tower. As soon as his companions were inside, Zeke let his colossal form fade, then checked to make sure he looked the part of an ordinary human. He had some clothing in the local style that he’d looted from the knights he’d killed, so he felt confident that he would fit in well enough.

So, with his disguise finalized, Zeke set off through the forest in the direction Pudge had indicated he might find a road. Sure enough, after only an hour – during which time the sun had set – Zeke stumbled upon a wide road that, if he was honest, was little more than a cart path. Still, almost all roads eventually led somewhere, so Zeke set off in a direction that would take him past the fields he’d seen.

After another couple of hours, he caught sight of lights in the distance, and he hurried along until, at last, he reached a walled town. It was no fort, but the defenses were extensive enough that Zeke felt that it would be well-protected from all but the most determined of foes. Even as he approached, he ran through all the ways he would try to conquer it.

A siege was possible. And the walls were far weaker than Berghem’s had been. But Zeke caught sight of tall towers that, to his eyes, swirled with thick mana. That suggested that each one was far more than it appeared at first glance. Likely, those towers played host to some sort of powerful weapon meant to defend the city.

Zeke hoped he wouldn’t find out.

And as he drew closer to the gate – which was closed for the night, save for a smaller wicket gate to the side – he once again began to wonder if he’d made a mistake. If his nature was discovered, he’d have a fight on his hands. And while he didn’t think they would be able to kill him, Zeke knew that if he was attacked, he would be forced to go all out. That, in turn, meant that many people would have to die.

And while he’d already begun to think of the Knights of Adontis as enemies, the same couldn’t be said for the people they ruled. Killing combatants was fine. Slaughtering innocents was decidedly worse, even if it usually couldn’t be avoided. In any case, Zeke considered simply turning back around and taking his chances by traversing the kingdom without gathering any information.

He might’ve done it, too, if the guards hadn’t already caught sight of him.

Regardless, there were two good reasons not to simply go running off into the wilderness. First, he had no idea of the deployment of the Knights of Adontis. He needed that information if he was going to avoid confrontation. Second, the entire kingdom was a mystery; Sasha’s map was great for a general picture of the world, but it wasn’t very detailed. As such, it was impossible to plot a proper path through Adontis with only that map as a guide. Zeke intended to get something more detailed.

And while he was at it, he wanted to investigate the state of the city while lying low just long enough to avoid whatever response might follow the slaughter of the patrol.

Was it the best plan?

Maybe not. But he couldn’t think of anything better.

“Not surprising,” Eveline said. “Thinking never has been your strong suit.”

He knew she was only teasing him in an attempt to relieve the tension. However, he couldn’t stop himself from responding, “You’re welcome to offer a better plan.”

That only brought silence. Sometimes, she just liked to poke holes in whatever route he took while completely ignoring context and mitigating factors in an effort to feel superior.

In any case, Zeke approached the wicket gate with a mixture of caution, anxiety, and feigned confidence. To his surprise, though, the pair of guards – who pointedly did not look like knights – let him through with almost no questioning. They asked his name, his reason for visiting Heartwood – the town’s name, no doubt – and his origin, but Zeke bluffed his way through by reciting his well-rehearsed story, which established him as a trader from Westport whose caravan had been attacked by river naga. He claimed to be the only survivor.

They could clearly see his level, so that was believable enough, so they didn’t ask him any other questions. And just like that, he entered Stoneheart by passing through the wicket gate.

The town beyond was much the same as Zeke had expected, based on what he’d seen from afar. However, he had to admit that he was more than a little impressed by how clean everything was. Usually, any degree of urbanity was accompany by a commensurate level of filth. People – whatever species – were invariably dirty, selfish creatures, and those traits were almost always on full display in cities.

But Heartwood was spotless.

The cobblestone streets were clean and free of debris, waste, and detritus. The walls were graffiti free, and even the pedestrians seemed well-fed, clean, and in good cheer. After everything Zeke had been told about Adontis, it certainly wasn’t what he’d expected.

“Look closer,” said Eveline in his mind.

“What?”

“You’ve passed at least a dozen slaves since you walked through that gate.”

“Huh?” Zeke muttered, looking around while trying not to gawk. And then he saw them. The elves, all wearing thick, woolen robes and following a couple of steps behind much more richly dressed humans. Zeke hadn’t noticed them because their distinctive features were hidden under hoods. However, once he knew what he was looking for, they were obvious to anyone who’d ever seen an elf’s graceful gait.

Once Zeke started noticing them, he saw them everywhere. They really weren’t that numerous. Not compared to the humans. However, one slave would’ve been too many, and so, Zeke found that the sight of even a handful was nearly overwhelming.

But it was nothing compared to when he passed the beastkin pens. Hundreds of them, all being ushered into cages. None of them were permitted clothing, and most looked so downtrodden that they could only shuffle from one place to another.

As Zeke watched, he caught snippets of conversation that told the story of what was happening. The beastkin were used to work the fields, though, because they weren’t allowed even a modicum of freedom – the city’s residents considered them extremely dangerous – they were required to be housed in the pens in the city.

“Don’t do something stupid,” Eveline cautioned, bringing Zeke’s attention to the fact that he was on the verge of embracing [Triune Colossus] and laying the city to waste. “Do what you came to do. Be smart. For once in your life, think.”

Zeke’s fist trembled with unspent anger – the sort he hadn’t really felt since he’d first walked into the troll’s larder filled with human bodies. That simultaneously felt like a lifetime ago and as if it had only just happened. He still remembered it in his nightmares. What he felt standing there in Heartwood and staring at those unfortunate people was similar.

And yet, there were others depending on him. He couldn’t just haul off and throw himself against an entire city. If he did, he would end up dead. And then, what would happen to the kobolds in his tower? What about Pudge? And Eta? Kianma? No – for once, he needed to follow Eveline’s advice.

So, with some degree of difficulty, he pulled himself away and continued on to the inn that had been mentioned by one of the guards.

Once he entered, he was beset by a cheerful atmosphere that only served to stoke his anger. How could these people be so happy when such suffering was happening only blocks away? It was maddening.

And yet, he understood it. It was so much easier to look at those beastkin and see monsters, especially when the humans stood to benefit. Suffering wasn’t difficult to endure when it was happening to someone else – especially when the other party looked different.

Eveline said, “Just find your maps. Get your information. And then we can leave.”

“I’ll do the first two. But I have no intention of leaving without freeing those people,” he said.