Sirens
Harbinger
sat down on his throne and waited. He had left Agony in charge of Logan’s
torture. She would take care of it. After all, it was in her name to cause
suffering. He settled into his seat and called for Plague. The creature
appeared before him within the span of five seconds. “You summoned me, my
master?” Harbinger laughed. “I did, in fact. I want to know more about this
Logan character.” Plague nodded. “He is a wandering scholar. He ran an
orphanage in Argondos for about a decade with his now deceased wife. Since
then, he adopted the title ‘Gobehyz’.”
Harbinger
nodded. “What of this orphanage? I wish to know more. Tell me.” Plague nodded
again and took a deep breath. Harbinger cringed at the awful sound. “When Logan
was ten, he lost both parents to the war. After the fighting ceased, Logan left
the service and founded an orphanage with his wife, named Clarisse. The two of
them worked for eight and a half years before war came again. Logan lost his
wife to a fire, which also claimed the orphanage. He was then arrested for war crimes.
He spent one year in prison, then was released as a Gobehyz.” This satisfied
the Siren.
“Tell me
about his time in the military.” Harbinger was taking a mental note about
Logan, hoping for some weakness he could exploit. Plague began his report. “Logan
signed up as an alchemist in the army. His skill with magic soon had him
transferred to the front lines as a mage. He quickly became the leader of the
magic division. He was the one who developed a barrier spell that is capable of
stopping physical attacks. His magic reserves are unknown, and it is entirely
possible that he can resist nullification from other magics. The Iltazian equivalent
of his final rank was Gran Magus. This is not a perfect match, but assume that
only a mage of Gran Magus caliber can go head to head with Gobehyz Logan.”
“How many
lives has he taken?”
“Enough, my
master. I would wager his kill count rivals yours.” Harbinger closed his eyes.
If Logan was indeed a powerful mage, it was entirely possible that he would
resist any attempts at torture. “Wait…” Harbinger jumped to his feet and
reached for his sword. “You said he could resist nullification!” Harbinger
heard a loud crash from the portion of the base that led to the prison. Plague
let out a string of archaic curses and ran forward at inhuman speed. As
Harbinger stepped into the hallway, he saw Guile running towards him. “Master,
Logan has escaped! He is on his way to the courtyard. If he makes it out of the
front gate, we may never be able to find him again.” Harbinger ran towards the
courtyard. The winding paths of the underground were complicated and
interwoven. It was easy to get lost. However, Harbinger was guided by some
unseen force towards the courtyard. He was racing against time. In the
distance, he heard walls shattering as a powerful force ripped through them.
Logan was beating them.
“Guile! Get
ahead of him and stop him. I want his head!”
“Sir, he
has the winged demon with him.”
“Kill them
both if you have to. It’s a sacrifice we must make.” The voice whispered.
Harbinger repeated those words to Guile. The voice continued. “Gobehyz must not
escape. He will need to rest for a while in the courtyard when he gets there.
Go. Kill. End his life. That is an order.” Harbinger was angry at the voices
orders. It had no power over him, not anymore. Until the owner of the voice
appeared before him, Siren Harbinger – previously Aeon Calvin – would follow
his own path. Guile expended most of his magic reserves to warp to the
courtyard. Blink had its limits, and one of them was the location had to be
within sight. Otherwise, it would severely cripple the mage for some time.
Harbinger had hopped the Guile would recover in time.
The leader
arrived to find his targets surrounded by most of the Siren grunts. A few
generals had arrived. Guile and Plague stood barring Logan’s exit, whilst Agony
and Sorrow flanked him from the left side. Pain and Doom were still organizing
the grunts into a semblance of an army. The voice in Harbinger’s head screamed
out. “Everyone hold your ground, now!” The Sirens obeyed without Harbinger
needing to speak. A powerful force caused intense pain in Calvin’s head. The
Siren Harbinger was now being controlled by the voice. His body surrendered to
the powerful force. Fear filled Calvin’s mind for the first time since his
nightmares.
The voice
had taken over his body. “Tell me, Logan…why did you become a Gobehyz?”
“Wasn’t my
choice…shade.” Logan was at a loss for words. “So…the mark is still used as a
punishment. I’m surprised you survived. Join us, Gobehyz. Your skills would be
put to good use.” Logan smiled wearily. “As much as I’d love to join, I have
something that absolutely must be done before I can join. I hope you
understand.” Harbinger felt his head nod. “Very well. I’ll let you leave only
if you can best one of our greatest, Agony.” The Siren stepped forward and drew
a thin sword. “She is skilled with the estoc. If you can best her, then you may
leave.” Logan grit his teeth. “Come now, Harbinger. Surely this girl isn’t a
threat to me.”
Calvin felt
the voice’s power weaken on him. It was busy contemplating its next move.
Calvin pulled free and gave the orders. “I agree. She isn’t nearly enough.
Plague.” The Siren appeared by his side. “Kill.” The Siren ran forward with a
vicious ferocity. Logan smiled as the mark on his face began to glow. The voice
wrestled control from Calvin just in time to cry out. “Plague, stop! It’s a
trap!” Before the Siren could respond, Logan had thrown a couple dozen amber
needles at the warrior. Logan moved Eryn out of the way before dodging himself.
As Plague turned, Logan snapped his fingers. Each one of the amber needles had
been a barrier. The barriers expanded, pushing flesh and bone out of the way.
Plague’s body twisted horribly before the barriers burst, turning the best
Siren into a pile of bloody chunks. Harbinger let out a pained growl. “And you
called him the monster. Fine then, Gobehyz. You may leave. Stand down, men.”
Logan released his magic and helped the girl to her feet.
“She isn’t
long for this world, Logan. Especially if you plan to do what I think you are
going to do.” Logan didn’t bother turning, he just kept walking. “Harbinger…I
know that. And I plan to continue with my plan. So, don’t stop me. After all,”
Logan turned with a crazed smile, “Lighting the forge is mutually beneficial.”
Harbinger watched as the man left the courtyard. “It is fine, Sirens: he may
have escaped us, but he will not escape Syl alive. The others are not under our
authority. They will end him.” Calvin was given his body back, and the unknown
force returned to being a disembodied voice.
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