6 Unsettling News

Azul inspected the meeting place. It was a dining room whose walls were furnished with gold-framed paintings whose subjects included scenery of all sorts. One of the scenery he recognized depicted the plains of the Wild Front and the dominant herd animals that roamed the land--they were called bison, Azul had learned. The chairs of the dining table he currently sat at looked to be hand-carved mahogany with intricate designs running across their length.

In fact, it wasn't just the dining room that was fabulously furnished. The entire mansion spoke of wealth. It was a representation of the power, wealth, and status that could only befit one of the three dukes of the kingdom. Duke Azalea, who currently sat at the head of the table.

Excluding Azul, there were four people seated around the table. Duke Azalea, Grandmaster Janshari, General Godiva, and Captain Bernard.

It was an interesting facet of human society, titles were. Azul wondered where he could obtain one. He appreciated the convenience such a title would give him.

Duke Azul. It had a nice ring to it.

His inner beast also agreed, though whether out of vanity or something else, eluded Azul.

The presence of the inner beast--the consciousness that had controlled him when he first awakened--seemed to be becoming stronger and stronger. And dare he say, even more intelligent. It was simply bloodlust at first, but lately, the inner beast seemed to be almost communicating with him, agreeing and disagreeing with both his actions and inner thoughts.

The inner beast--though calling it a beast would be a misnomer, for it was something far more primal--almost seemed as if it was a split personality of himself.

Clearing his throat after taking a sip of what the humans called tea, Duke Azalea started, "While I do not allow strange people whose identities I am uncertain of to be privy to important kingdom news. I do trust Bernard and he has vouched for you."

"You have my word that he will be of no trouble, Duke Azalea," Bernard affirmed. "Azul is simply here to see Grandmaster Janshari afterwards."

"Hmm, yes. Yes, indeed. It is quite an exquisite specimen you have brought before me, Bernard. I can see a slight aura of darkness and death surrounding him. One would almost think he is one of the undead denizens of the Outlands. Then again, I doubt an undead would make it this far." Grandmaster Janshari said, the strength of his voice belying his age. He wore a robe of deep blue that loosely hugged his body. Long white hair along with a neatly trimmed beard framed his weathered face. The color of his hair was not the luscious snow-white of Azul's hair but rather the white of an aging man.

A barking laughter cut across the room. It came from General Godiva whose imposing stature made the chair he sat upon disappear entirely from view. "I say, Duke Azalea. I have taken a fancy to one of your maids. I do believe it was the redhead. If you do not mind releasing her from your servitude and into mine, I would greatly appreciate it."

"I doubt the maid will appreciate me doing that. Neither would my wife," Azalea said wryly. "You know her. She handpicks all the servants of the household."

Godiva shrugged his massive shoulders. "It was worth asking." He took a huge gulp of the black tea from the small cup, draining it in one go. "Now then, let us get to the more important matters at hand. I am sure you have already received a missive from King Gavin that detailed my arrival from Haven City."

Duke Azalea nodded. "I received it three days ago."

"As you well know," Godiva said, "We have a 'friendly' trading relationship with Meifolon Kingdom to the south. And a week ago, a Meifolon ambassador visited Haven City, carrying a direct letter from their Witch Queen."

Duke Azalea snorted lightly. "I had figured her to be too haughty to consort with lesser beings such as humans."

Azul could see embers spark in the golden eyes of the general.

"Those witches are worthy foes," Godiva said. "It's a shame I was not born in the time period when we were warring against them." His body shuddered, as if to shake his bloodlust away. "Anyway, the missive detailed of strange happenings in Cavaci Forest, the cause of them being a certain humanoid species we know all too well."

"Are there not always strange events in Cavaci Forest? It is a place that attracts oddities by the dozens." Bernard questioned. "Do you not think it could have been caused by another oddity appearing?"

General Godiva shook his head. "The cause, this time, does not lie with oddities. No. This time, it is the doing of orcs. And the Witch Queen has asked King Gavin for aid, her reason being that the troubles of Cavaci Forest, which borders both kingdoms, concern the well-being of both kingdoms."

"Has the orcish cause truly been confirmed? I trust those witches as far as I can throw them," the duke said, his pale brown eyes glinting with concern.

"Yes, I personally scouted the forest out with a few griffon riders," Godiva said. "And while I could not make much out due to the thick canopies of the trees, what little signs I could see pointed toward orcs. The reports from some of the adventurers and slavers who went looking for opportunities in Cavaci Forest also gives credence to the witches."

Godiva gave a grin that showed the front of his sharp teeth, akin to that of a beast. The grin contradicted the obvious intelligence that could be found in those golden eyes of his. "I also found some stray orcs at the edges of the forest and took great fun pummeling the information out of them." He shrugged his massive shoulders. "They threatened me with their leader's name."

'Orcs,' Azul mused to himself. They were green skinned humanoids with a large skeletal and muscular structure different from that of a human. And he had seen one of them being brought in by a slaver at the city entrance. Azul had not known of their names at that time, but had found time to ask Bernard the things that had interested him after the shopping endeavor.

Throughout the whole exchange, Azul could plainly see the silence that had fallen upon Grandmaster Janshari. The old man was deep in his thoughts, his eyes closed to the world.

"Do you have anything to add, Grandmaster Janshari?" the duke asked, noticing the lack of response.

"An orc uprising," the grandmaster slowly said, breaking his previously steadfast silence. "That can only mean one thing. A Supreme Orc Lord has been born. And such an event has only occurred once before in our kingdom's long history. But that was over five centuries ago and the continent trembled before his might."

"And…and--

Azul could hear loud panting sounds coming from General Godiva, his tongue licking the edges of his lips.

"How strong exactly is this Supreme Orc Lord?" Godiva asked in a barely suppressed voice, his usual bass voice a pitch higher.

Amusement crawled onto the grandmaster's face. "Much stronger than you."

Godiva laughed out loud. "Then I will place my wholehearted faith in your words, grandmaster. Ah right, before I forget in my excitement, King Gavin has ordered you to come see him at your earliest convenience, preferably in a week. A meeting of all important nobles has been called in Haven City, but not before he personally meets with all three of the dukes."

Duke Azalea sighed out loud. "War is brewing and the future horizon looks bleak."

"Bleak for you, and maybe the whole kingdom. But not for me," Godiva replied, once more showing the sharps of his teeth. He turned toward Bernard. "Now then, Bernard. The other news concern you and the kingdom. The emperor of the Dutch Desert has awakened, most likely due to the disturbances in Cavaci Forest, I presume."

At those words, Azul noticed Bernard's body freeze entirely still with only his hands moving slowing, which then finally clenched into tight fists.

"Keld zo'Gar," Bernard darkly whispered under his breath.

"An ancient dragon, emperor of the sands of Dutch Desert," Duke Azalea added, directing a stern look at Bernard. "It would be a fool's errand." His look then softened. "I will not stop you, Bernard. Ten long years of your life, you have served under me and for that, you have my deepest gratitude. But as your long-time friend, one who does not wish to see you die a fool's death, I merely implore you to think before you do this."

"Not to worry, old duke," General Godiva said, a wide smile forming on his face. "King Gavin himself has ordered me to subjugate the dragon, along with hiring some of the finest adventurers the kingdom has to offer; the adventurers will be all at least of the Sixth Rank. The kingdom still remembers the terror the dragon brought fifty years ago before it went into its slumber. Vengeance shall be served."

The duke merely shook his head at that. "Do as you must. I will merely wish you all the best." He stood up then, leaving the dining room.

"So?" Godiva raised his heavy brows. "Will you undertake this quest or not?"

"Yes," Bernard simply replied. Not a single trace of emotion could be felt in his one word reply.

General Godiva turned toward Azul. "So, stranger, or rather Azul, I should call you. Will you come with too? While I do not know who exactly you are or what kind of power you hold--I do know this." A purposeful pause lingered in the air for a few seconds. He smirked. "The strong recognizes the strong. And I feel you will be useful in the upcoming endeavor."

To Azul, much information had been conveyed, some of which he did not have the first clue to even begin to understand, the reason stemming from his general lack of knowledge. He did, however, understood the urgency and the jist of it all.

A silence fell as Azul began to think.

If he was honest, Azul did not felt much desire to help the kingdom. What he desired, though, stemmed from his curiosity and bloodlust from his inner beast. The beast wanted a taste of the blood of what seemed to be a powerful and ancient creature.

On the other hand, he wanted to know who and what he truly was. What was his purpose? Was he the only one of his kind in the world? Azul felt incomplete, as if he was missing some crucial part of himself.

A cough interrupted the silence that had taken control of the dining room, and interrupted his chain of thoughts.

"By Bernard's behest, I do believe Azul and this old man have an appointment," said Janshari who had stood up from his chair and was now heading toward the door. "Follow me into my study room."

"I see," Godiva said. "Well, I shall not be going anywhere. Bernard and I have things to discuss in preparation for the subjugation. We shall be in the dining room awaiting your reply. But I do have a feeling I will not be disappointed."

"Do come along now, while the night is still young," the old man said. "As you can clearly tell from my decrepit body, I do not have all the time in the world."

As Azul exiting the dining room and followed alongside Grandmaster Janshari, he could hear General Godiva bellowing for a servant.

"Oh, and get me that redhead maid to serve me tea."

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The study room of Grandmaster Janshari was, simply put, a library unto itself. Rows upon rows, columns upon columns, shelves upon shelves of books, manuscripts, ancient scrolls, and other such articles could be seen covering all four walls of the rectangular room. In the center of the room, as if purposely placed into the center position, a wide, heavy desk whose entire surface was filled with various opened text and half-written manuscripts could be seen. At the edge of the desk, an unlit candle stood by its lonesome among the sea of text. Two wooden chairs, one for the owner of the desk, and one supposedly for a guest was placed at the front and back of the desk.

"Do sit down." Grandmaster Janshari motioned to the chair in front of the desk.

Azul promptly sat down, the text on the desk catching his attention. He could not make out any of the words written in the various manuscripts and scrolls that were laid out on the desk. The memories of the two adventurers did nothing to help in this regard--the two of them had been illiterate.

"Tell me the story of your awakening. Hearing it from Bernard would not do you justice."

Azul obliged and retold his story in Trade Tongue as best as he could, all the while to the rhythmic nodding of the grandmaster who muttered "continue," every so often as Azul progressed in his story.

"Marvelous. Utterly marvelous," Janshari said, his old age not hiding the fervent tone of his voice. "Speak to me in the language you awakened with."

Azuld once more obliged and spoke a few words in the language he awakened with, ignoring the protests of his impatient inner beast--or rather, self.

A frown creased the grandmaster's face. "Sadly, despite all my expertise in the languages of the continent, I do not recognize this. It seems to have hints and tones of some ancient languages I know of, some of them stemming from Draconic and others stemming from the eastern kingdoms."

"Nothing else?" Azul shortly asked, annoyance tinging his tone.

"Ah yes," the grandmaster continued, not a hint of Azul's annoyance entering his thoughts. "You say you awakened near the edges of the Outland Ridges. But as far as I can tell, there are no oddities to be found there. There are only wyverns, trolls and such deeper in. But the Esotherial is strong there, so perhaps…perhaps…but I have never heard of a sentient and animate oddity…or perhaps an Esotherial teleportation…no...can't be."

"What exactly is this Esotherial and esotheric I keep hearing about?" Azul asked.

"Ah right, I forget in my haste. You have no knowledge of this world or have forgotten most of it. Do forgive me," Janshari said, bowing his head slightly. "The Esotherial is the invisible stuff of energy that moves the soul and the spirit, and governs consciousness, will, fate, memories, and other such forces. The energy comes from the higher dimensional realms and suffuses the world, causing esotheric happenings, what we call oddities. And we collectively call these various realms and energies the Esotherial. In addition, though more of a misnomer, the common term non-scholars use for esotheric is magic."

"For example---

Grandmaster Janshari snapped his fingers and a small flame alighted on the tip of his right index finger. "We call this esotheric fire, or fire magic as the non-scholars like to call it." He moved the small flame toward the candle and lit it. Then he snapped his left fingers and a small ball of water floated lazily above his left index finger. "This is esotheric water." He doused the lit candle with the small ball of water.

A feeling surged through Azul. Excitement? Realization? He could not tell. What was this feeling he felt. It was a familiar yet unfamiliar feeling.

"And the man you know as Bernard has a Major talent in esotheric Fire."

"Major talent?" Azul asked. While he could not understand some parts of the explanation the grandmaster had given on the Esotherial, it was at least a start. And there was surely more, no doubt.

"Yes, esotheric talents come in all sorts of forms and shapes, and in varying degrees of strength. Starting from the least powerful to the most powerful are Trivial, Minor, Major, Supreme, and Cardinal."

The old man's pale, grey eyes, almost hauntingly, peered deep into Azul's own crimson eyes. "And you, my friend, have a Supreme Talent in esotheric Blood. A talent which I had thought had long ago disappeared from existence centuries ago. I have only read of such talents in ancient scrolls and manuscripts."

Was this the first clue to his realization of himself? Was Azul someone who had been in slumber from centuries ago?

Softly, the old grandmaster shook his head. "But you seem nothing like the races that could manipulate esotheric Blood. You are all too entirely human-looking. Races that could manipulate esotheric Blood did not even remotely resemble humans."

Disappointment shot through Azul. It was his first time feeling such an emotion. Anger soon quickly replaced it. Anger from not knowing who or what he was. Rage that came from deep inside.

A fierce clash of self-control and anger.

And despite his inner beast fanning the flames of anger, Azul's self control won out.

"Then, what exactly am I? Who am I?" Azul asked in a barely suppressed voice.

"That I am uncertain of," the old man said, stroking his neatly trimmed, white beard. "However, I do have a small measure of talent in manipulating outcomes. It is known as <Fateful Advent>, a minor talent but decisively rare. Only a handful are lucky to be chosen by it."

"You say that as if it is alive," Azul said questioningly.

Grandmaster Janshari merely chuckled. "The Esotherial is alive and it chooses us and we choose her. Intertwined, we are all."

A slight pause.

"But first, before I tell you more. I have a request."

"What is it?"

"I have what is known as the Sight," Grandmaster Janshari said. "Humbly speaking, the talent is decisively rare and invaluable, so much so that it cannot be classified. But this Eso-Sight allows me to manipulate the essences of Esotherial and in doing so, help someone unlock his seat of power, channels that are necessary to fully access the Esotherial. Some, after all, are born with locked channels."

"What does that have to do with me?" Azul asked. He was sure that he already had access to esotheric Blood, as the grandmaster had called it. After all, Azul could use his Dread Aura, which most likely stemmed from his blood magic, and manipulate the blood of his enemies through his hands.

"It has everything to do with you. You," the grandmaster said, a strange ghost blue glow entering his pale grey eyes, "have not entirely unlocked your seat of power."

Another slight pause.

"But in return, I want you to help someone."

A silence reigned for the briefest of moment before being broken again.

"Who?"

"A witch," Grandmaster Janshari replied. "Call it a favor accepted and a favor returned."

"What exactly does this entail?"

"A blood covenant," the grandmaster simply said.