Chapter 23: The Enigma of Alokta

Alaric and Kimpa Vita stood side by side, the air thick with palpable tension. Before them, Gobinot, the leader of the Guild of the Eternal Dawn, continued to revel in his apparent advantage. Transformed by the demonic pill, he seemed to draw upon inhuman reserves of power, his body exuding a dark energy that made the air around him almost suffocating. Their combined efforts had allowed them to hold their ground so far, but Gobinot always seemed to have more tricks up his sleeve.

Alaric clenched his fists, his determination renewed. "We need to make him talk," he muttered to Vita. "If he knows something about Alokta and us, he's our only lead."

Vita nodded, her expression as resolute as his. "Focus on him. I'll handle the shadows."

Gobinot watched their exchange, a twisted smile spreading across his lips. "So, you really want to know what I know?" he sneered. "Fine, I'll show you why your friends are in danger... and why you can't save them."

With a sudden gesture, Gobinot conjured a wave of darkness that surged toward them like a tidal wave of shadows. Vita immediately raised her staff, invoking Divine Double Strike Ray. Two beams of sacred light shot from her weapon, slicing through the shadows with precision, but the dark wall seemed to regenerate as quickly as it was destroyed.

Alaric moved swiftly, using Spectral Swiftness to weave through the waves of darkness, looking for an angle to attack. He closed in on Gobinot, his blade glowing with ancient energy, ready to strike. But with each step he took, the ground seemed to shift beneath him, trapping his movements and disorienting his senses.

"Gobinot, talk!" Alaric shouted, frustrated. "Why are you trying to stop us from saving our friends? What do you know about Alokta?"

Gobinot laughed, a harsh, menacing sound. "Alokta... You think you understand, but you're still so naive. Alokta isn't just a threat to your friends, but a scourge that consumes everything in its path. An empire built on domination and submission, and you're much closer to them than you think."

Alaric felt an unusual chill run through him. Gobinot's words were like riddles, each syllable laden with a hidden meaning he couldn't yet grasp. "What do you mean?"

Gobinot paused, his eyes gleaming with a sinister light. "You think you're just a simple warrior, Alaric? The signs have been there from the beginning, but you've chosen to ignore them. Why do you think your guild sent you and your friends here?"

A shiver ran down Alaric's spine. Why did the guild send us here? He recalled their initial mission, the lack of information about their true objective. Why were there so many mysteries and dangers surrounding this quest?

Vita, sensing Alaric's growing confusion, stepped closer, her gaze fixed on Gobinot. "This isn't the time for riddles, Gobinot. Tell us where Lira and Kael are, now!"

Gobinot shrugged, a cruel smile on his lips. "Very well, I'll tell you where they are. But you won't like the answer." He extended his hand toward the ground, and the shadows suddenly parted, revealing a vague but recognizable image: a massive building, with flags adorned with Alokta's symbol fluttering in the wind.

"Lira and Kael are in a fortress to the east, in a place you'll never reach in time. Unless..." Gobinot paused, savoring the tension. "You choose to trust the path of the Mpaya."

Alaric felt his blood run cold. Mpaya, a word that resonated deeply within him, a word that had haunted the stories of his childhood in Eyoma. "Why are you saying that?" he asked, his tone becoming more urgent.

Vita frowned. "Mpaya means stranger, traveler... visitor. Why would Gobinot use that word?"

Gobinot laughed again, his rough voice echoing in the enclosed space. "Alokta, that's the name you know. But it's also an ancient way of saying 'foreigner' or 'visitor', just like 'Mpaya' in your Eyoma dialect. It's funny how words have a way of tying destinies together."

Alaric stood still, his thoughts swirling in a maelstrom of realizations and doubts. Alokta, Mpaya... strangers. His mind drifted back to his memories, revisiting the stories told around the fire, tales of invasions and unknown empires, of people arriving from the seas to plunder and enslave. He had never imagined that these stories could have a direct connection to his own past.

"You're saying... Alokta means 'foreigner'?" Alaric murmured, his breath short. "Does that mean... we are connected to them somehow?"

Vita turned to him, her eyes wide with surprise. "What are you saying, Alaric?"

Alaric felt a familiar pain in his head, as if a long-buried truth was trying to surface. "I... I don't know. But the stories from my people often talk about visitors, strangers... the Mpaya. We always believed they came from elsewhere to conquer us. But... what if it was more than that?"

Gobinot intervened, his smile wider than ever. "You're starting to understand, Alaric. But you're still missing some pieces of the puzzle. Your friend Vita already knows some things, doesn't she?"

Vita tensed slightly, but she didn't look away. "I know that Alokta means 'foreigner,' but I never made the connection with the Mpaya. If that's really the case, then everything we knew was wrong."

Alaric turned to Vita, a new determination in his eyes. "Vita, we have to go save them. No matter what this all means, we need to find them before it's too late."

Vita nodded. "Alright. But remember, Alaric, we also have to uncover the truth. For all of us."

Alaric gritted his teeth, nodding with determination. "Alright. But first, Gobinot must pay for what he's done."

He stepped toward Gobinot, his blade ready. "You've given me what I wanted to know, now it's over for you."

But before Alaric could strike, Gobinot raised his hand, shadows springing from the ground to bind him. "Do you really think it will be that easy? Your friends are in danger, and if you kill me, you lose your only chance to save them."

Alaric hesitated, his blade trembling slightly. "You're lying. I don't need you to find them."

"Maybe," Gobinot replied calmly, "but they won't survive if you waste more time here. It's your choice."

Alaric turned to Vita, a silent question in his eyes. She nodded. "We need to leave now, Alaric. We can't waste more time."

With one last look at Gobinot, Alaric lowered his weapon. "You've won this time, but I'll find you again."

They turned and rushed toward the exit, Vita pulling Alaric by the arm. The corridors were still filled with the echoes of Gobinot's laughter, but they had no time to dwell on his words.

Once outside, Vita paused for a moment, catching her breath. "Alokta means 'foreigner.' That's what it means... and it changes everything. If Alokta is actually the term for Mpaya, then your people have been connected to them long before you ever thought."

Alaric, panting, tried to make sense of it all. "So, the stories... the Mpaya aren't just invaders. So Kwame...?"

Vita placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It could mean many things, Alaric. But what is certain is that our destinies are more intertwined than we ever imagined. We need to go all the way to discover the truth."

As they headed east, where the fortress mentioned by Gobinot was located, Alaric couldn't help but replay the recent events in his mind...