Entry 14- Cultist Inclinations

 (Welcome Back)

            Parkik’s knife poked my back as we walked through the twisting tunnels. I closed my eyes and took a breath. Then as I opened them I saw the forces around us moving inward towards the pillar. We were headed to the epicenter of this cult. And Parkik was using me as a shield and diversion for whatever plan he had. The spell they were casting was mystic in origin but just like that warding spell it was inpersonal, cold, calculated. Something else was seeping into their magic. The iron pillars were fighting this new magic, I could see an order weaving its way into the chaotic fabric of the spell. If only I could help it.

            I closed my eyes letting Parkik guide me. We walked into the anti-chamber and the magic hit me, hard. I felt the air leave my lungs and something in me snap taught. It was that same feeling that I felt when the town warding broke. I felt a heavy blow to my spirit. The magical energies were crying out, trying to battle for the space. This decay was coming from one person, standing next to the iron pillar. So, I decided to make a move, against Parkik’s wishes and as a way to remove him from any implication.

            As Parkik was taking a step forward I tried to kick his feet out from under him but with his usual grace he swung my staff and knocked me to the floor. My salt satchel broke and scattered salt all over the floor. I managed to turn over and stared up at him. He looked worried as the other cultists stopped their chanting to look at me. The guy in the middle was still going at it. I tried getting up and the cultist leading me into the chamber grabbed my staff and pushed me down.

            “You’d best stay down for this young Tallyden.” He said.

            My Sight blurred and I lost track of the magic energies around me. They felt tight though. Like a balance was shifting from the orderly mystical way into something more…chaotic and disastrous. I felt my emotions becoming less controlled too. I grabbed my staff and yanked hard on the guy. He struck my hands hard and used the blunt end of my staff to hit my chest. He hit my solar plexus knocking the air out of my lungs. I laid on the ground gasping for breath. Parkik stood stoically behind him but I noticed a grip on his dagger.

            Okay. Thjs wasn’t working for me. I remembered how hard I thought about my next moves. The order went back to chanting as the leaders powers kept pushing on the Black Iron Pillar. Something about him was different. He was disfigured. His Flesh was greyer than it should have been, and it looked cracked. I felt the earth under him shudder and rumble away as I laid on the ground. The textures of the walls around us began warping.

            We were in the belly of the beast and I wasn’t sure how I wanted to stop this. I was on my back. Defenseless. Without staff or salt. I closed my eyes and prayed aloud.

            “Iron pillar of darkness. Child of the Night sky. Guardian of the People. Keeper of the dead and secrets. I ask you to take strength from me. Use it to protect yourself from this magic using the mystic arts.”

            As I opened my eyes, I looked around the room and no one was paying heed to me. Even the cultist with my staff over me seemed to relax a bit. So I used this moment to kick his feet out from under him. He buckled under my movement as I got to my own I grabbed my staff and swung for his face. A direct hit landed and he went out like a light. Parkik laughed and pulled his blades out. I looked him in the eyes and said, “Sorry.”

            “No sorry needed. I was just waiting for you to pull a rabbit out of your hat. It’s two against nine, without that guy. How do you wanna handle this?”

            “Cover my back. I’m going for the guy in the middle. No one has arrows. He has to concentrate and I’m sure I’m faster than all these old farts.”

            I broke out into a sprint. Dust from the floor kicking up from under my feet. It was a white chalk like material. A battle erupted around me to try and stop me but my one objective was to get to the guy in front of me. So, I focused and everything else blurred around me as entered the fray, none of the other cultists noticed in time to be able to stop me. The first one to move was downed by Parkik. Killed by dagger to the throat. I got to the cultist but felt a burn on my skin as I tried to hit into him. It caused me to recoil. I saw the pillar beginning to crack and saw a small glow coming from within it.

            I used my staff to strike the man. He fell down and the spell and magic around us stilled for a second. The cracks remained but began to repair. Began to stand between the man and the pillar. The man got up and dusted himself off. The battle between him and I began in earnest and a few of the cultists ran. Afraid.

            Parkik had taken out another, but he was still handling two, coming from two sides but that was all I could see before the man in front of me stood still with his hands behind his back.

            He said, “Surrender now. Or else I’ll crush you and your friend.”

            “Never,” I responded.

            Then I did a low swing at the mans legs as I felt his chaotic energies well up. Before he could cast a spell he went down. I heard a loud crunch when he fell onto his back. I held my staff out and said, “Do you wanna surrender?”

            “Y-Yes. You win. Stand Down men!” his voice rumbled the walls caves.

            I made him stand up and shoved him into the space between the pillar and walls. Away from either so he couldn’t touch the earth without Parkik or I to see. Parkik cleaned his blades on their robes. I kept my staff at the ready and I notice the leader lower his head in defeat. Parkik takes away their weapons to prevent any suicides. As I watch them, I hear the Iron Pillar behind me whisper, as the cracks begin to heal. It is a deep whisper without any real words. Then a soft thud but I don’t look.

            “Heritick, what is your magic?” I ask.

            “Magic from the true god of this land. A god based in chaos and change! I control earthen decay. I have been chosen as a vessel of his will! He is rising, past your pillars, permiating your entire Mystic culture. Can’t you feel the chaos?”

            The magic of the cave was different. I must admit. I looked around and saw the crumbled chunk of iron pillar behind me. I picked it up and it was smaller than expected. A shard about the size of my hand. I put it in my pocket and looked at the cultist.

            “You’ve harmed a pillar. One of the most hanass of crimes here in the flooded lands. May the iron gods show you mercy in your afterlife.”

            I held my hand out to Parkik, who handed me a blade. Then I walked up to the guy and stabbed him before he could fight. He went down slowly and his body crumbled. The other two members were brought back to the village with us. We had found the chamber and stopped the Order of Sina. Parkik and I watched the two that night in the cave. Taking turns camping and resting. The magic in the cave was strange. The earth around the man crumbled and cracked, but didn’t spread. He seemed to control the elements in a disastrous way. I went out and found some herbs. I pocketed a few but made some into a potion, and others into a tea. The potion was then fed, forcibly to the prisoners to knock them out for the night. Then I had tea with Parkik in the cave. We relaxed that evening but a conversation did stand out to me.

            The campfire was bright. I was staring at the iron shard from the pillar. I had a piece of the indestructible gods with me. The magic in the piece was older than anything I’ve touched. Ancient. But Parkik broke me out of my thoughts when he said.

            “Tally, why didn’t you trust me?”

            “What do you mean?” I asked.

            “When I had my knife to your back? When the cultist was leading us, you attacked me.”

            “I-I was thinking about keeping you safe if I got caught and killed. If I attacked you then you’d be safe from implementation. I was going to attack them.”

            “True but I had a plan. And it involved getting you back your staff without any hero antics. You know you’re not alone anymore.” He said.

            “I have to protect you Parkik.” I took a breath. “I promised your father, on iron, that I would protect you.”

            “I’m an adult. I can take care of myself Tallyden. Also no offence but you tend to fight from your back.”

“Yeah. I’m still learning.”
“You’ve gotten better.”

            He thought I didn’t trust him. My heart broke a little for Parkik. He was the first outsider I trusted with the same level as Ithella and Racha. The community of steadfast was important and I ingratiated myself to them but there was still pushback. They didn’t see a reason to have three mystics especially with Ithella being as young as she was. But my nature dictated I needed to be taught by her. I then thought about the magic that the cultists used and sighed. I slept that night with the iron pillar piece under my pillow.

            And I dreamed.

            Standing atop the black Iron Pillar. I looked around me at the Havens. Plains as far as the eye could see. I felt like I was over the clouds. Parkik was behind me breathing softly, like he was asleep. I looked around at the listless paturelands. Large brown creatures that I’d never seen before roamed, they had tusks, and were covered in fur. They fascinated me, until in the distance I saw a bright light explode. Then another getting closer. Then another. Then another. Until the world around me was nothing but the white void and the dark pillar underfoot. The pillar began cracking, with a golden light pooling out of it. Then everything just went white. And that was the end of the dream.

 

I promise I won’t interrupt for long. But Tallyden is having some weird dreams. For those new…welcome, Zeronius here. God of planning and thought. Tally is a wonderous boy and he doesn’t even know what he can do yet. Such a shame. I’ve seen a bit of the plan for him and you all are in for a treat!