Realm of Monsters - Chapter 637: House Rotrusk Part 1

Chapter 637: House Rotrusk Part 1

  Stryg stood atop the shade wall overlooking the green hills of Dusk Valley and the Dire River flowing past. The docks had been almost fully rebuilt after the valley tribes had burned them down. And the roads leading into Hollow Shade were once more bustling with merchants and caravans coming and going.

  The city was slowly recovering, but where once the wall was pitch black with the bound souls of shades swirling within the magestone, now it was a semi-transparent crystal. The dragonbanes had destroyed the wall and broken the enchantments that had bound the shades. The segment of wall that had been blasted and melted from void flames had been replaced by the matte white stone forged by dragon magic.

  Manifestation magic, true chromatic white. Or so Holo had told him. It seemed absurdly useful, and Stryg found himself wishing he had the ability to manifest permanent matter whenever he wished. But having the full spectrum of chromatic magic quite literally was the opposite of true chromatic magic.

  In a way, Stryg thought it unfair that dragons could wield all ten true chromatic magics as easily as breathing, while mageborns had to struggle to learn mastery over their single chromatic color for years. Then again, dragons had no access to all the other chromatic spell-forms that a prime mage like Stryg possessed. So, perhaps there was some balance to it, after all.

  Or not. He was a godling who defied the natural order and possessed the full chromatic spectrum while still harboring absurd amounts of chaotic divine power. Who was he to judge what was fair? How many people had been sacrificed and trapped as shades in the very wall underneath his feet for centuries?

  “I know you don’t want me here, but could you at least stop staring daggers at me? The situation is already stressful enough as it is,” Loh said.

  “Oh, my apologies. I didn’t realize I was making your life more stressful. If this is all stressful to you, you could just leave,” Gale said, narrowing her scarlet eyes even more.

  Stryg held back a groan. He could only daydream about magical theory for so long before being dragged back to reality.

  “Actually, I can’t. Stryg wasn’t the only one who received a letter from House Rotrusk. My grandfather was Cornelius’ employer. As the new Lady of House Noir, it falls upon me to deal with this matter, especially because I was there when Cornelius made his last stand.”

  “You mean when Cornelius died because of you. It seems a lot of good people die because of you,” Gale sneered.

  Loh sighed. “It wasn’t like that, but I understand your hatred for me.”

  “You really do not. If you did, you’d leap off the wall and avail us of your honourless presence,” Gale said.

  “I’ve thought about it more times than you know,” Loh muttered in a quiet voice.

  “I would catch you if you did, my lady,” Lily said cheerfully. The Noir’s seneschal and Loh’s new right-hand had been quiet until now, simply standing back, hand crossed behind her back. But Stryg couldn’t help notice there was something off about the way she smiled at Gale.

  “It seems you always have someone covering for you, Loh,” Gale scoffed.

  “Gale, that’s enough, please.” Stryg gave her a tired look.

  Gale gritted her teeth. “My lord may have forgiven you, Loh, but I will never forgive you for abandoning my brother. For the sake of my ward and lord, I will not hunt you down and give you the miserable death you deserve. But make no mistake, my House will never forget what you have done.”

  Loh bowed deeply. “I understand. Though it is an impossible task, thank you for giving me a chance to try and make amends for my mistakes.”

  Gale frowned. “That’s not what I—”

  “Oh, look, the Rotrsuks have arrived,” Lily pointed to the entourage of wagons surrounding a green-golden carriage making their way down the hill.

  “Shall we go meet them?” Lily asked.

  Loh nodded, eager to leave, and headed for the pulley lift attached to the wall.

  “I’ll meet you down there,” Stryg said.

  Gale gave him a curious look. “My lord?”

  Stryg turned to face the city and looked down at the people meandering about like ants. He took a deep breath and stepped off the wall. The wind flushed past him as he plummeted to meet the ground. His feet hit the cobblestone like anvils and cracked the stones. He fell into a crouch from the sheer force. “Son of a bitch,” he hissed quietly at the pain.

  His drop had gathered the attention of the guards on patrol, along with the rest of the Noir and Veres retinue waiting at the bottom of the wall, who stared at him, uncertain if they should be rushing to help him.

  After a short while, Gale arrived and walked right up to him, a playful smirk on her lips. “Need a hand?”

  “Nope,” he grunted in a higher tone than usual.

  “You sure about that? The Rotrusks are almost at the gate.”

  “Totally. I’m fine.” He winced.

  “~We’re going to be late.~”

  “Yup, I’m on it.” Stryg forced himself to stand and heard his knees and ankles crack at the swift motion. “See, I am just f-fine.” He grimaced and took a few tentative steps. They were just as painful as he imagined, but he did his best to fake it.

  “Wanna tell me what that was about?” Gale asked, easily keeping up with him.

  “Melantha wants me to improve my healing whenever I can.”

  “And that includes jumping off the top of the largest wall in the realm?”

  “To be honest, I didn’t think it’d hurt this bad. Ever since my awakening the night of the siege, my body has been tougher than ever. Melantha’s training has only helped.”

  “Clearly not enough.”

  “I can walk, can’t I?”

  “And that’s good enough for you?”

  “Well, Lunae pushed me off a mountain cliff one time. I couldn’t even move. Compared to that, I’m doing great.”

  “Maybe you should just stick to the pulley lift next time.”

~~~

  Stryg stood next to Loh, while Gale and Lily waited behind them, as the Rotrusk caravan fanned out and the green carriage rolled up. Golden accents decorated the caravan, a symbol of wealth, or so Gale had informed Stryg. To him, it seemed lacking compared to the sheer amount of gold that Freya’s family put on their carriages.

  “Are they really that wealthy?” Stryg whispered.

  “The Rotrusks are very well off, one of the wealthiest of the dwarven Houses, but their true power lies in their large armies and their several enclaves of mages. They are known for producing plenty of talented mageborns throughout the centuries,” Lily rattled off the information with ease.

  “They are not to be angered, that’s all you need to know. Relations with Frost Rim are bad enough,” said Gale.

  “Duly noted,” Stryg nodded subtly.

  The dwarven guards lined up on both sides of the carriage, then the door opened, and a familiar face appeared. Cordelia, a true black mage who had participated in the Undergrowth Tourney, walked out. She had fought against Freya, and had the upper hand, but in the end, she was defeated. 

  The sunlight glimmered off Cordelia’s glasses, hiding her eyes. She stepped to the side with an unreadable expression. Then a man, who looked very similar to Cornelius, groomed beard and all, stomped out and leaped off the last steps. He looked around the plaza, eyeing everyone from Hollow Shade’s side with suspicion, almost as if daring them to make a move.

  Finally, a woman in a deep green jacket walked out. The collar was lined with fur, and the sides reached up to her temple, no doubt meant for enduring the cold of the northern mountains. Her hair was done up in an elaborate array of braids, each one covered in multiple golden beads. Her makeup was immaculate, save for the dark smears at the edge of her reddened eyes. 

  “Lady Amalia of the Great House of Rotrusk, accompanied by her brother, Godfrey, and daughter, Cordelia,” announced a servant with a flourish.

  Lily stepped forward and curtsied to Amalia, then turned and gestured to Stryg and Loh. “Lord Aspirant Stryg of the Great House of Veres and Lady Elohnoir of the Great House of Noir, accompanied by Gale of the Great House of Gale.”

  Loh curtsied in her black dress and smiled politely. “Lady Amalia, it is an honor to welcome you to our City of Shades.”

  Amalia stared at her with tired eyes, but said nothing. Loh glanced back at Stryg, expectantly. Stryg cleared his throat and nodded, “Lady Amalia, by ancient rights, I welcome you into our grove. You may drink from our rivers and feast from our hunt. And for as long as you stay, may the moon’s light shine brightly on you and your kin. And when the time comes for you to leave our grove, may the stars guide you safely back home.”

  Godfrey frowned. “Grove? Are you addled, boy?”

  Stryg hesitated; had he made a mistake reciting the ancient guest rights? He should have kept things simple like Loh.

  “Ignore my uncle. He is grumpy from the long ride.” Cordelia offered Stryg her hand. “Thanks for the welcome.”

  Stryg clasped her forearm and nodded. Cordelia glanced at the exchange, surprised for a moment, before she slowly grasped his forearm in return.

  Godfrey scoffed. “You call that a handshake? Did my little brother teach you nothing?” 

  “Cornelius was an effective teacher of Green. Although he wasn’t always the most attentive. He much preferred to drink tea,” Stryg replied honestly.

  Amalia seemed despondent, but Godfrey and Cordelia shared a look. “Yeah, that sounds like my uncle.”

  “Cornelius was a good dwarf and an excellent master of Green,” Godfrey answered defensively.

  “Also a womanizer,” Cordelia muttered.

  “Cordelia.” It was only a single word, spoken without any emotion, but Amalia’s voice silenced her daughter. Cordelia stepped away and hid behind her mother, head bowed, arms clasped behind her back.

  A pang of sympathy crossed Godfrey’s face, then he looked back at Stryg, and all empathy was gone, replaced with stern judgment. “This is how you do a handshake.” He snatched Stryg’s hand in an iron clasp and squeezed tight.

  Stryg stared curiously at the clasp, his own hand limp. He had shaken hands a few times before, but this seemed somewhat aggressive. What exactly was he supposed to be doing?

  “Is that all you’ve got, Ebon Aspirant?” Godfrey taunted and gripped even tighter.

  Stryg gave Gale a pleading look. “He expects you to squeeze as hard as you can,” Gale said quietly. Then her eyes went wide, “Wait, don’t—”

  Stryg squeezed the dwarf’s hand. The bones in Godfrey’s hand crumbled with a sickening crunch, and his fingers bent in all the wrong ways.

  “AUAGHHHH!” Godfrey screamed and fell to his knees.

  Stryg let go and looked at Gale accusingly as several servants rushed over to Godfrey’s aid.

  Lily tried her best not to laugh, though her shoulders still shook ever so slightly. She was enjoying every second of Godfrey’s pain.

  “Don’t laugh,” Loh hissed quietly. 

  “Forgive me, it’s just, Lady Gale doesn’t seem to truly grasp Stryg’s nature,” Lily whispered with a small smirk.

  “What does that mean?” Loh whispered.

  “Titans don’t fully mature for centuries. Stryg is an infant. He has no impulse control,” Lily chuckled quietly. “And you’ve all just placed the very delicate relations between Frost Rim and Hollow Shade in the hands of said baby.”

  “Uncle, stay still. Our healers can’t help you if you keep moving,” Cordelia said anxiously.

  “He broke my bloody hand!” Godfrey screamed and shook from side to side as a few of the servants tried to hold him down.

  Stryg hid his hand underneath Blossom’s petals, as if the cloak might obscure the incident. Gale rubbed her temples and squeezed her eyes shut.

  Amalia ignored the spectacle, walked up to Loh, and looked up at the tall, lithe drow. “Lady Noir. You were with my brother during his last battle?”

  “I was,” Loh admitted.

  “Walk with me.” Amalia didn’t wait for an answer and left the retinues behind.

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