Chapter 4: Stillborn

Damien was waiting for us in front of the cave, the moment we reached him, he started complaining about how we shouldn't have gone off on our own and that we should stick together at all times.

Leah simply ignored him and went into the cave to get a bit more sleep, after telling him what happened to her this morning. When Damien asked me what she meant, I told him all about the men that attacked us.

Damien: You were lucky to make it out alive. Why did we bother to have a strategy meeting yesterday if we were just gonna ignore it afterwards?

After he calmed down, the two of us resumed our guard duty, posting ourselves in front of the cave.

As we stand guard, we start discussing about the tournament and its organization that we know of.

Damien: I just can't understand it, what are the organizers thinking? They're letting people without any trace of magic into the competition, and they don't even enforce a rule that prohibits fighting before they announce our first task. It's like they don't care about the lives at stake!

JÒN: I don't think they do. Do you remember what they made us agree to before joining the tournament? Whoever wins the tournament would be obliged to come to Avalon's aid incase of an outside invasion. They just want the most powerful mage in the world as their personal bodyguard.

Damien: But even so, if their plan is to get their hands on a powerful mage, why haven't they announced the objectives? Wouldn't it be in their best interest to get the tournament over as soon as possible?

JÒN: Maybe they encountered some difficulties and as working to fix them.

Damien: I really hope your right, Jòn! Because, I don't want to believe that they are doing all of this intentionally...

Damien suddenly stops talking, as we sense someone approaching our location. Leah's spell must have worn off.

Damien: Jòn, keep your guard up!

As the person approaches, we can sense his magical energy is just as weak as that of the crossbow men from before. Is this a survivor from our last fight, looking for revenge?

Once he reaches us, we realize that he is rather young for a warrior. He seems to be in his late teens, but no older than twenty and he's wearing loose pants and a loose tunic, not much different from a pajamas. The fact that he's walking with his eyes closed and hands in his pocket isn't really helping his case either. He looks like he's sleepwalking and not participating in a life and death tournament. However he can't be one of the locals either, since we would have been immediately notified to not harm him.

Damien: Good morning lad! Lovely day for a walk, isn't it? What business would you have with us? If you're lost, we'd be more than happy to give you directions.

Theo (smiles politely): There's no need, I was looking for some old friends of mine when I sensed there was a fellow stillborn nearby, so I just had to stop by and say hello. There's so few of us nowadays, that it would be a shame to not at least greet each other! My name is Theo. Pleased to meet you!

My whole body freezes for a second.

JÒN (to himself): An actual stillborn? Here? No... No, I should calm down. It's likely just some other guy bluffing like me.

Seeing I don't say anything, Damien replies instead

Damien: Don't mind him, Jon's a little shy. I'm sure he's also pleased to meet you. My name's Damien.

Theo: Oh? Then you must be the healer in armor I've been hearing so much about! And it seems you also have a third member in your party. A survivor of the Institution of Truth, no less. I didn't know any of them were still alive.

JÒN: What's the Institution of Truth?

Theo: You mean she didn't tell you? Well then, I won't spoil the surprise. Why don't you ask her yourself when she wakes up, my stillborn friend?

Damien: I think that's enough, Theo. I don't think it's important to pretend any longer. You and I know that Jòn is an ordinary human not a stillborn.

Theo (surprised): What, you told them the truth? I honestly didn't think you'd manage to make it this far without bluffing. I must admit, I'm impressed!

Damien: This stillborn bluff isn't going to get you very far, you know. Especially since you're blind. Who ever heard of a blind stillborn?

Theo: Hmm? What makes you think I'm blind?

Damien: You've been closing your eyes ever since we saw you.

Theo: Oh, this! I can actually see just fine. I first closed my eyes long ago, when I got tired of seeing the ugliness of humanity. I mostly open my eyes in completely unpopulated areas nowadays. My magical sense is a more adequate replacement for my eyesight. I can feel every creature's and object magical energy, which tells me where they are, and I get the added benefit of not falling prey to illusion spells. I don't need eyes to constantly remind me why I despise humans so much.

Damien: Aren't you a little too young to be worrying about humanity's sins? Or is this some kind of phase you're going through in order to get people to notice you.

Theo (smiles): You of all people should know better, healer in armor. Surely you must have seen all the worlds suffering and injustice throughout your travels. The anguish, agony, you've seen them all, over and over again. Tell me, healer, you've spent a lifetime trying to right the wrongs others have made. Do you feel like the world has become a better place because of that?

Damien: Just because there's a lot of evil in the world doesn't mean there's no good worth fighting for. As long as I don't give up, I'll find a way.

Theo (smile widens): Oh? So you're an idealist then. But tell me hero, what happens when your pure ideals clash with the cold hard truth of reality?

Suddenly, Damien falls flat on his chest and I can tell he's been pressed against the floor by a very powerful force.

Theo: What happens when you meet a force so great that it simply squashes you against the ground, like a bug?

The force pushing Damien intensifies so much that it makes a large Damien shaped hole in the hard rocky soil beneath him. As Damien who couldn't hold back the pain starts groaning in sheer agony.

I realize my hands have gone cold and my whole body is shaking. I need to calm down because if I screw up we'll all die.

JÒN: Let him go!

Theo: You want to save your friend, Jòn? Then how about we make it an even trade? Your life for his, what do you say?

JÒN: How about a different trade?

Theo: What do you have in mind?

JÒN: When we first met, you said you were looking for some friends. If you let us live, we could deliver a message for you, incase we find these friend of yours before you do.

Theo: So you're saying your friends life is only worth delivering a message?

JÒN: It is to you. I think you've made it perfectly clear that human life holds no value to you. That means it should all be the same to you if you let us live or not. But if you let us live, we'll get your message delivered for you. How's that for an even trade?

Theo laughs, and the force pushing Damien gets weaker

Theo: When you put it like that, I suppose you have a point. Very well then, your lives for a message.

The friends I'm looking for always wear dark blue robes, and on their chest, they should have emblems that picture an eagle holding a baby with its talons. If you're to meet anyone who fits this description, just tell them Theo sends this message: Remember the still night.

JÒN: ... And if they ask me what that means?

Theo: They won't, no matter who you meet, as long as they fit my description they'll understand.

JÒN: Uh... Ok, then. Consider it done

Theo: Perfect

Theo releases Damien from his spell, and turns to leave.

Damien (slowly getting up): I won't... let you leave this place.

Theo: Surely, you must be joking

Damien: If... I let you go now, you'll only hurt more innocent people. I'll stop you, no matter the cost.

Theo: See, now that puts me in a difficult position, since I already made an even trade with Jòn over there. I can't just kill you now, since that would violate the terms of our agreement.

Damien: Silence

Damien rushes towards the stillborn, and slashes fiercely towards his neck. Theo simply dodges effortlessly, and Damien goes for a second strike, this time meant to cut him vertically in half. Theo steps casually to the side, making it look like child's play. After a few more wasted strikes on Damien's part, just when it looked as though he might have caught the stillborn on the wrong foot, Theo simply put his bare hand in front of his face, and stopped the full force of the sword with only his index finger.

Damien (confused): No...

Theo: I tire of this!

He then waves his other hand and immediately, Damien falls to the ground like wood.

JÒN (shouts): No!

Theo: I only put him to sleep, he'll wake up in a few minutes.

He turns to leave

Theo: Oh, and don't worry about looking for my friends. I'm sure you'll be meeting them soon enough.

He smiles again and heads into the forest.

JÒN: Damien, can you hear me? Wake up!

JÒN (to himself): Just what kind of spell did this guy use? I'm pretty sure that Damien has some really strong spells protecting him at all times. Standard sleeping spells should be nothing at his level.

While I try to wake Damien up, I hear a very familiar yet inconvenient voice coming from the direction in which Theo left.

Tzotzil: Stillborn!

That's the Cutthroat named Tzotzil's voice. No doubt about it, I'd recognize that voice and thuggish accent anywhere.

I turn around where the voice came from and see that aside from a familiar face, there are also a dozen unfamiliar faces lined up in front of me.

It would appear Tzotzil managed to assemble a team in the short time we were apart. Although some look and smell like they haven't bathed for months. I guess birds of a feather really flock together.

Tzotzil: I have been looking for you, stillborn. I have been tracking your footsteps since yesterday. I told you we'd meet again. No one can run or hide from Cutthroat Tzotzil.

JÒN (sarcastic): Could we try that again? I just came up with this new great idea for a hiding spot.

Tzotzil: The only hiding spot you're heading for is your grave, boy. What happened to your healer friend? Is he taking a little nap?

Just as Tzotzil finishes his sentence, Damien starts waking up and looks around him confused.

Damien: What happened? Where's the stillborn?

JÒN: Forget about the Stillborn. Look who decided to pay us a visit.

Tzotzil's henchmen starts talking amongst themselves. It seems they are not fully convinced they should risk going into a fight against both the legendary hero Damien and a stillborn (me), at the same time.

I use this as an opportunity to call for Leah.

JÒN: Leah, we are being attacked! Come quick

Leah: Stop shouting, I'm right here. As if anyone could sleep with this stench. It smells worse than all the corpses we've passed on our way here.

She then addresses Tzotzil and his men

Leah: Good gods, we've already passed three lakes since we arrived. Three! One single swim in any of them would have done the job. Maybe with a big rock tied to your feet in order to remove the filth for good.

Tzotzil: Who's the loud-mouthed wench?

We've been here one day and you've already bought a whore? Couldn't you have kept it in your pants at least until the end of the tournament?

Tzotzil's men (scared): Boss, I think she's a Cortana.

Tzotzil: Is she? I didn't know brothels hired Cortanas on this continent. Gotta get me one of those.

He smiles maliciously and looks at Leah

Tzotzil: Love, how much you charging? I bet I can make you enjoy yourself more than any of these two chumps. Hehehe!

Knowing Leah, my first thought was to look up. As I suspected, while Cutthroat Tzotzil was talking, Leah was busy piling up floating ice swords in the sky. She sent them flying all at once. Five for each of them just to make sure.

Tzotzil's henchmen died on the spot impaled by the many swords made by Leah. Their leader however, managed to deflect four of the swords with his flying knives in the nick of time. The fifth sword went through his right leg.

Tzotzil (groaning): You cowards hired a whore for a bodyguard? How low can you get?

Leah: Looks like you're not all talk, Cutthroat but let's see you deflect the next ones.

Damien: Wait, Leah! I think he's learned his lesson.

Leah: You can't be serious! And what would you have us do? Send him off with a stern warning?

Damien: We'll tie him up, leave him here, and let the gods decide his fate.

Leah looks as though she's considering whether to simply kill Tzotzil. She decides not to, probably not wanting to push her luck. Instead she faces me.

Leah: Jòn, say something to him. He'll listen to you.

JÒN: I'm sorry Leah, but I'm with Damien on this one. Let there be no more blood shed today.

Leah: You've both gone insane! Listen to yourselves. You're siding with a thug!

Damien: We're not siding with anyone, if the gods see fit to release him, then he has learned his lesson. Otherwise he'll stay here and rot.

Tzotzil was waiting for the right moment when we weren't looking. He seizes the opportunity and grabs a teleportation scroll out of his pocket. Before any of us notices what's going on, he cast the spell and pops out without a trace.

Leah: Now look what happened! He got away. Was that the gods decision too?

Damien: Don't mock the gods woman, no one could have known a common thug like him would have had access to a teleportation scroll.

There's a slow sound of hands clapping coming from the trees. Looking to see what's making the sound, I see Theo leaning against a bagel tree with his usual smile on his face.

Theo: Outstanding, those thugs never stood a chance. I would have expected no less from a survivor of the Institution of Truth!

Damien (shouts): YOU!

And he rushes towards the stillborn. Once again with one wave of his hand, Theo puts Damien to sleep in the middle of his build up, which makes him fall to the ground.

Theo: Seriously, this is getting ridiculous

Leah looks sternly at the stillborn.

Leah: Why didn't you do it?

Theo: Pardon?

Leah: Why didn't you kill him? If you were able to put him to sleep so easily, you could also have finished him off.

Theo: How perceptive! Well, it so happens that I made a bargain with Jòn which prohibits me from killing any of you. Unless he fails to uphold his end of the bargain of course!

Leah: A bargain? With Jòn? What could he have possibly offered you in exchange for our lives?

Theo: He offered to deliver a message.

Leah: A message? There's no way you would have spared our lives for just one message. What do you really want?

Theo smile widens again

Theo: Really, now. When's the last time you got an honest answer by asking a question like that?

Leah: Never. So I'll ask you this, instead. How do you know about the Institution of Truth?

Theo: Is this really the question you should be asking? Shouldn't the question here be why your friends don't know anything about the Institution?

Kate looks at me, I can see the hesitation in her eyes.

Leah: It's complicated

Theo: Indeed, it is. Well then, I'll be waiting for you to deliver my message. Do not fail me, Jòn.

Leah: Wait...

Theo ignores her and disappears into the darkness of the forest.

>>>End Of Chapter 4<<<