Cursed Yoshi

 

Chapter 90 = The Conspiracy

 

Disclaimer: All characters here are of my own invention, but the original idea of Yoshies, Birdos, etcetera, are copyright of Nintendo, and I make no money from writing this.

 

26^th of Eira, CD 2159; Location Unknown

“An interesting question.” Eirsir mused. He had seemed rather nonchalant when Darkmark had summoned a meeting, walking outside of the cottage to do so first.

“Are you going to answer it?”

“I may as well. No sense in not doing so. I presume you remember what I told you previously about Chyrus? It is really, in essence, little more than a massive experiment, something that answers the questions I have… but I have become attached to it, in the same way that people become attached to their pets. Even if I find answers to all my questions, I will not discard or destroy this world I have created…”

Darkmark remained silent, and Eirsir carried on. “A few questions arose that required me to actively interact with the creatures on my creation… I used to do this in the old days, to talk to the Yoshies on Chyrus, but I stopped after the humans showed up. Only a few times did I appear in flesh, and the last was the one you asked me about. I thought that in order to understand the way people thought, I would have to meet with them on occasion… Vizorvy suggested to me that I try to feel fleshly pleasures in order to aid my understanding, and so I did, in the process bringing about Sévar. It was good fortune that it happened just before Klashkna came about… so I suppose I have Karshina to thank for that…”

Another pause endured. “And it did help. It helped my understanding, answered some questions… not all of them, of course, but still…”

“I see.”

“Anything else you wish to ask?”

Darkmark thought for a moment. “The other gods… where do they get their power?”

“I gave it to them.” Eirsir replied calmly. “I used to control it all… Hope, Luck, Time, Power, Wisdom, Love, Life, Death… but, I suppose you could say that I delegated it. I gave them parts of my power, though I still have a little bit of control over them. Except for Death, and all of the powers given to the Dark Gods by Klashkna… and the powers I have yet to give to Sévar. He will be the God of Strength and Determination.”

“But if you keep a little…”

“Nothing serious. The only effect that any of it has is that I can share Miyala’s visions of the future. But those little pieces are fading with the breaking of my sword, though they will come back when it is reforged…”

“What’s my role in all of this?”

Eirsir smiled. “You know I can’t tell you that. Knowledge of one’s own future leads only to a feeling of hopelessness, unless you are aware of the fact that the future does change, as I’m sure you are… regardless, I can only tell you so much. You’re really only the beginning of the end, I suppose you could say. You will indeed be a saviour, and become a legend, but your ultimate purpose is more important to us than that, as the grandfather of Sévar in his next incarnation.”

“I see.” Darkmark said quietly. He didn’t particularly like the knowledge that it was practically fated to be his duty to have children in order to help fulfil a legend…

“I only have one comment of my own.” Eirsir murmured. “Those vampires… Manny and Valina… there has never before been a pairing of vampires in the history of Chyrus, not even within the underworld. Normally they fight each other for territory, for blood, but those two have a special connection, both brought to undeath by the same person, they share the same type of Volzia, and they are both free from the control of the one who injected them…”

Darkmark raised one of his artificial eyebrows. “Is it even possible for them to… pair?”

“I don’t know.” Eirsir said, with a smirk. “That’s the beauty of it. Not even I know, but I will discover it within good time. It should be insightful. And if they have children, if they can have children, even moreso. It intrigues me so much, such an unheard-of event coming to pass out of the blue…”

Darkmark said nothing, waiting as his consciousness faded out.

 

27^th of Eira, CD 2159; Human Kingdom Capital City of Telkyte

The Lieutenant finally flopped onto his bed in the Dragon Slayer barracks within the main castle complex. He’d ridden his horses into the ground just outside the main walls, but by his good fortune a trader came by only a few minutes later and took him the rest of the way.

Unfortunately for him, his arrival did not go unnoticed, and he barely had five minutes’ sleep before a guard from the castle arrived with an escort and dragged him off, literally at first until he woke up fully. He barely had the strength of mind to snatch his sword from where he had dropped it, clutching to it as he was taken away.

He didn’t want to see the king. When people who failed in their duty met with the king, they rarely walked back out of the room. Sometimes they never came back out through the main door, instead leaving a back way under a sheet or in a long wooden box. And even if they did leave alive, they no longer had a career in the kingdom’s court. When he was led to the large double doors to the king’s chamber, the weight in his chest almost made him fall asleep on his feet.

The throne room was very elegant, with stained glass behind the lavish throne itself. Three doors behind the throne led to various rooms unknown to most, though one of them had to be the king’s chamber. Guards and advisors stood near the throne upon which the king was seated, the young prince close by, watching attentively.

The captain of the city guard came forward first. “Where’s the rest of your group, Lieutenant Richardson?”

“Dead.” The Lieutenant answered wearily. He wasn’t in the state of mind to lie about anything.

“How? You’re supposed to be elites!”

“Vampires.” He replied, dropping the sword he’d grabbed on his way out of his room. It was his only proof. The blade slipped from the scabbard, showing the Volzia-encrusted edge.

There was some murmuring amongst the guards, and the Captain came forward to take a look, examining the blade. “Looks like blood, but it’s darker.” He observed. “I’ll take this, thank you very much…”

He walked away and handed it to a soldier with instructions to take it somewhere else, and the soldier ran off. Silence held for a moment before one of the King’s advisors began talking.

“You expect us to believe this story? Vampires are the stuff of legends!”

“Not true.” Another advisor said. “There’s one in Sansata Castle. He pays us a small tribute, and we let him stay there.”

 The Lieutenant brightened up. Maybe there was some hope for him? “But these were Vampire Yoshies…”

More murmuring. “And you couldn’t defeat them?” The guard captain said, rejoining the conversation, such as it was.

“My men’s weapons were ineffective. I believe my silver blade had something to do with why only I could hurt them.”

“I see. I’ll make silver coatings standard for any further groups in that region. Anything else?”

“A city in the region reported an attack by Winged Yoshies on a supply convoy carrying primarily food, medicines, and several thousand coins’ worth of gold.”

Voices filled the air. “This is an outrage.” The head military advisor said. “I’ve been saying for years we need to press our campaign harder!”

“As good a plan as it was, to eliminate the sub-races first, it’s not so good in execution…”

“It was a flawed operation from the beginning…”

“Should’ve gotten them all while we had the chance…”

“How are we supposed to scale that mountain?”

“I blame our tacticians…”

“SILENCE!” The king roared, speaking for the first time since the Lieutenant had arrived. Everyone complied, perfectly happy to keep their heads on their shoulders.

“I think everyone here will agree that it’s time for us to take control.” The king said, two advisors nearby whispering to him. “By all rights, their land should be ours! What kind of kingdom doesn’t have possession of all the lands under its rule? We must take it!”

The military advisor concurred. “Our army is large enough, or at least will be soon. We need more land, and they do not deserve to have theirs! We are a powerful nation, and they are lesser creatures!”

The king nodded, turning his attention to the Lieutenant. “You will have a chance to redeem yourself. You are hereby the acting Captain of the Dragon Slayers, and you have a special assignment. Do it and you’ll keep that position. Fail, and we’ll keep your head on a pike outside the gates.”

The new Captain couldn’t refuse. “Yes, my liege.”

Grinning, the Captain of the Guard spoke up. “I have a brilliant idea. We will give them one warning, a show of our power. And we will ask them to surrender. If not…”

He pounded a fist into his other hand. “We will crush them into the dirt where they belong.”

 

To be continued…