The Tale of Four

The Tale of Four

Chapter Nine

I made my way to Vincent’s study as quickly as I could. I approached the door and knocked gently. I waited until I heard his muffled voice say ‘enter’. I sat in the same seat that I had the night before and got comfortable. Vincent was finishing up his work and it took him another five minutes before he looked up at me.

“Sorry for taking so long.” Vincent apologized finally looking up from his work. “Once I get into something it is hard for me to get out of it.”

“That’s okay.” I replied. “I am taking up your free time after all.”

“So what is it that you would like to know?” he prompted.

“Where should I begin?” I pondered. I had so many questions that I didn’t know which to start with. Then I thought of the conversation at the training grounds earlier that day. “Martin and Brenda both said things like ‘human’ and ‘Lost Ones’, like all of you weren’t the same as me.” I began.

“Martin? Is he one of the men under Captain Eric?”

“Yes. I met both of them today, as well as many others. Brenda was kind enough to show me around.”

“I see. Well Brenda and Martin are correct about you not being the same as us. I guess I should start there. This will be a little long winded so if you need me to clarify something just ask.” He paused to make sure that I understood that this was going to be a long talk. I nodded for him to continue. “Right now you are in a world different from your own, this you already know. This continent is called Altear, and in Altear there are four great nations. Each nation is occupied by a different group, they are, Humans, The Fay, Behemoths, and The Lost Ones. We are what are called the Lost Ones, most other nations call us Demons. I will explain why later.” He said when I was about to question him. He then took out a map of the whole continent of Altear and put it on the table in front of me. “This is the map of Altear, as you can see. In the center is a colossal mountain that used to be a volcano many eons ago. You have been on this mountain before. At its peak, called Snowpoint Pass, is a flat expanse of rock with four arch ways, each arch way leads to a different pathway. Each pathway leads to a different nation. This mountain and the surrounding mountain range have split the continent in two. The North, East, and West are on one side of the mountain and the South is on the other. This southern region is where you were.” He said pointing to a spot close to the base of the mountain. “The south for many years has been home to the Behemoths. The Behemoths consist of Orcs, Goblins, Trolls, Wyverns, and other nasty creatures. To the West is the home of Humans, to the East are the homes of the Fay, and in the North lies the Lost Ones.”

I interrupted at this point. “You say Behemoths are a bunch of different creatures, then what about the Lost Ones and the Fay? Are there different races among these two?” I asked.

“I won’t touch on the Lost Ones for now, but don’t worry I will come back to it. As for the Fay you are right, there are many races among them. They range from Fairies, Elves, Dwarves, Brownies, and other such things. They are led by the Elves and control the biggest part of Altear. If you look at the map you can see that the East is vast and full of woodland. To the West is arable land, which the Humans have taken for themselves, and we to the North have arid land which is unsuitable for farming. Though we are close enough to the ocean to get food and it is a good place for trade.”

“What about to the South? From what I could see it wasn’t that bad, but it was rather rocky. That could be because we were so close to the mountain.”

“The South is a horrible place to be. The Behemoths have no need for farms or woods or oceans. To feed themselves they kill one another and feast on their brethren’s flesh. It is the way of their kind, though they do prefer Elf flesh above all. The South has become infected with darkness and no kind or good creature could survive there for long. It is nothing but a wasteland.”

“That sounds horrible and dangerous. But the Jail Keeper was a human if I recall correctly.” I realized.

“Yes, but he was neither good nor kind. Bad people from all races go there and flourish in their evil. They either become stronger or perish. It was the Jail Keepers good luck to find a master that supported him and gave him a ‘good’ job. That is until you came along.”

“Oh. I guess there is bad people everyone. Not that that should surprise me.” I mused. “What are these nations called anyway? I doubt they are called by the people who inhabit them.”

“They are not.” He replied. “The human region is called Vaxtion, the Woodland is called Lorelei, our home is called Bastion, and the southern region is called The Hollow. Each nation is ruled by a King or Queen, I am the King of Bastion, Lady Erin is the Queen of Vaxtion, Lord Arahaelon is King of Lorelei, and Saville is King of The Hollow. Saville is a human who wandered into The Hollow when he was exiled by Lady Erin. I’m not really sure you could call him a King though, I believe him to be a puppet to someone else, but I will say no more on that matter. I’m sure you realized by now that the place we stopped at on the way here was a human town.” He asked me, to which I nodded. “Lady Erin was kind enough to let me stay a few days to recover from my wounds. The path North from Snowpoint Pass is difficult and long, Markus thought it wise to stop and rest. That town was the closest to the mountain and just so happened to be a part of Vaxtion territory. So what else would you like to know?” Vincent asked.

“You haven’t explained why you were called The Lost Ones by your people and Demons by the others.” I replied. “I’m curious because demons have a negative connotation where I’m from, but you don’t seem anything like the descriptions I’ve read and heard about.”

“Well the story behind this is from the very beginning of time that we know of. Most others have forgotten the old stories, but we have not. It is said long ago that we were all one people without any distinction between us, but as time went on small things began to change. As we changed from one another we began to notice these changes. Some thought that they were better than others because of these changes while others thought themselves inferior. After many more years these changes had separated us, but we were still on good terms with one another. Then one day a war started. It is not known who started it, but the repercussions of that war are still felt today. This war lasted many years, from generation to generation. After a while everyone got sick of war and death and kept to themselves. It was at this point in time that the nations of today were started officially between the Humans, Fay, and Behemoths. There was only one group of people who were left out from these groups, The Lost Ones. We were different in every way from the others, but also the same.” He paused at my confused look. “I can see why you would be confused. If we were similar then why were we different? It is because we had aspects of each group. We lived long and were wise like the Fay, we were innovative like the Humans, powerful and sometime cruel like the Behemoths. It was because of our similarities with the other groups that kept us from being accepted. We were not trusted so we were cast aside and forced to the North with these dry lands and little water. We were feared so they put us here hoping we would die.”

“But you seem much more kind and rational then the Behemoths. Why would they choose to throw you aside instead of them?” I interjected.

“Because at the time the Behemoths were a very small group and not yet forced to the South. They kept out of the way until they grew stronger. They tried to take over once that happened, but lost thoroughly. Even then the South was a place that all feared and steered away from. Nothing good comes from that darkness. When rethinking the situation the Lost Ones were lucky that we got sent North instead of South. I can’t imagine what we would have turned out to be like with the bitterness and anger that we held towards the others.”

“But where does the Demon and Lost Ones name come from?” I asked impatiently.

“Well around the time that the Great War ended almost all of the previous history of us being united was lost. Only our tribe had some stories left of those time, plus the fact of our very existence, led us to call ourselves the Lost Ones. Meaning that we are all that is left of the lost times of our unity. But the others not knowing, or caring, of these stories called us Demons of the North because of our strength and mystical powers. Only the Fay have powers like ours and a few humans as well. The humans call themselves warlocks and such. We, the Lost Ones, believe that the humans with powers are more closely related to the old races, which is why they have such power. It is only our belief of course; we can’t prove any of it. But I would like to think the stories true.”

“That is really sad. To think that all of you at one point lived together in harmony but because of minor differences you were split apart. I wonder if all of you could once again be united. At least the Lost Ones should be accepted by the others.”

“I wish for that as well, for more practical reasons.” He agreed. I looked at him in confusion. “We cannot stay in the North forever. Even now my race is dwindling down to nothing. There are very few oases in this desert so my people can’t expand and with the monsters at night destroying what little settlements there are I’m afraid that we will really become a lost race.” Vincent confided to me.

“That’s another thing I wanted to ask about. What are these monsters?”

“They are darkness itself. They come from the wicked hearts of all things and take solid form. There is no controlling them. Their only thought is to kill and destroy all in their path. They don’t eat, sleep, or get weary. If you ever get near one it is wise to run as fast as you can. Do not try to fight it.” He said seriously looking into my eyes. “Even one from my race would have trouble going one on one with a monster.”

“How often do they appear?” I asked nervously.

“They don’t normally come around settlements unless they have nowhere else to go. They fear the light above all things so it is common knowledge to have a fire going on throughout the night when out in the wilderness.”

“This place seems to be getting more and more dangerous by the minute.” I exclaimed.

“I’m sorry you feel that way.”

“It’s not your fault Vincent. I mean if my situation is bad then yours is a hundred times worse. I just have to worry about myself while you have to worry about and entire nation of people.”

“Well the extinction of my race won’t be solved in one night. Nor will it happen in one either. I suggest that we go to bed and worry about things tomorrow.” He replied getting up from his chair and stretching. I did the same and followed him out into the hallway. “Do you remember the way to your room?” He asked.

“I do remember.” I replied nervously looking down the dark hallway.

“Do you want me to escort you back?”

“No!” I said hurriedly. “I will be alright. I was never afraid of the dark before and won’t be so now. I hope you have a good night’s rest.” Before he could say anything else I was off in the direction of my room. After I got out of his line of sight I became frightened. All this talk of monsters and Behemoths and the South really got under my skin. What I needed was a good night’s rest as well so that I could sleep this fear off. I made it to my room without any monster getting me and dove into my bed. As I lay there I was going over all that Vincent had told me. This place, Altear, was dangerous and scary. There was no way I could ever complete my goal without help. I didn’t know where I should start. That wasn’t the case of course once I thought about it a little more. There were things that I couldn’t control, like the monsters, the Behemoths, and the tense peace between these nations. I could, however, control myself. I was weak for a multitude of reasons, my lack of knowledge about this place being the most obvious. But I was also no good at fighting in serious situations. Hopefully with the help of Captain Eric, Martin, and the others I could fix that. I was never good at studying, but I have never needed knowledge more in my life then right now. Talking with Vincent may help me with some of that, but I can’t be bothering him all the time. Willihem seemed to know a great deal as well, from what little I have heard, maybe he could instruct me about the magic here.

I tossed and turned thinking about all the things I needed to do and learn before I could even think of leaving. After about an hour I was finally able to drift off into a restless sleep. Just before my eyes closed I realized I never asked Vincent to take away my guest status.