Trials And Tribulations: Artuck

"Let's go get Christol. He'll want to be here for this." 

Himrol lowered the blade after he spoke, and rested it on the table. Flim began to cheer, and Cruu soon followed suit, and Meila joined in as well. Mitrax stood off to the side, anxiously reading his tome while igniting and extinguishing a candle he held.

As they were cheering, there came a knock on the door. A solid rap, made by someone with either a lot of confidence, or someone with a sense of urgency.

"Excuse me a moment, everyone," Himrol said as he moved to the door. Artuck watched as Himrol opened the door and gasped, his face turning white as a ghost's, and Himrol simply stood there, seemingly paralyzed in place.

After a long moment, Himrol took a step back in shock, and the person who knocked walked in, with the same confidence they knocked with.

"Hello, my son," came a familiar voice, digging deep into Artuck's soul like a snake's bite, and hurting more than that. Memories flew through Artuck's mind like a cascading waterfall, the voice being the catalyst for the floodgates to open. Artuck knew that voice. He would recognize it anywhere. And after all this time. It was Haldore.

"And I see you've recruited a new member! Meila, wasn't it? A natural born druid, despised by her own people for her gift. A Shame, really. I'm glad to see you've found a purpose for her, Artuck. Otherwise, I may have just come along and," Haldore motioned with his hand as he continued, "scooped her up. Showed her where her real power lies."

Artuck avoided Haldore's gaze as he spoke, and instead looked to Himrol, who was still paralyzed with fear, staring at Haldore, who seemed to pay him no mind. 

For the time being, at least.

"Where's Christol? My soon to be heir of my empire. Where is he?" 

Haldore looked around the room, as if mockingly searching for him, before pulling Meila to him with ease, and holding her by her neck, and placing a finger against her throat. Instantly, Meila began to whimper in fear, and her eyes were extremely wide, as if she were some helpless prey. She looked to Artuck as if asking for help, but Artuck could only look at her with the same face she gave him.

"I don't like to repeat myself. Where is that boy? His training is not yet complete. Or else your new friend here will be meeting Tjornne far sooner than she should."

At this point, Meila's face was starting to turn red, and it became increasingly obvious that she could not breathe. She tried to take in a breath, but instead, she sounded like a broken instrument. Sweat began to run down her face, and tears fell down her cheeks.

Himrol's paralysis seemed to wear off, as he blinked rapidly and his expression changed to pure anger. He took a step forward and balled his fists, as if preparing himself for the worst.

"Let her go, Haldore. I know why you are here. But before I let you even get close to Artuck, you will have to deal with me."

Haldore turned towards Himrol, and instantly dropped Meila, who fell to her knees and wheezed as she held her neck, trying to recover from the pain. Tears continued to stream down her face even as Haldore turned to Himrol. He then levitated a few feet off the ground and glared at Himrol, who simply returned the glare.

"Is that so? You'd rather sacrifice yourself than to allow Artuck to escape again? No more cowardice, no more hiding? You really have changed, Himrol. I had expected you to simply attempt to run away again, yet you choose to stand your ground."

"And I expected you to kill me the moment I said that. Yet here we are. You have changed, too, Haldore. You've gone soft."

Haldore chuckled at Himrol's response, clearly shocked by the irony.

"You think I've grown soft? I will show you how soft I have become."

With that, Haldore grabbed Himrol by the collar of his tunic and threw him through the front door, and Himrol went face first into the dirt, sliding about ten feet before coming to a stop. 

Haldore walked through the hole that was where the front door used to be, and crouched down next to the face down Himrol, and grabbing him by the hair on the back of his head, Haldore lifted Himrol to look at him.

"Soft? I hope you've realized your error."

Forcing Himrol to his feet, Haldore stood.

"Now get up. I want to see how your magic has been holding up."

Himrol slowly brushed the dirt off of his clothes as he regained his balance. His face seemed to be bleeding already, and there were scratches all over his face now, and dirt stains to match. His face had a look of pure hatred plastered to it, and Artuck became scared for a moment before remembering what Himrol had said to antagonize Haldore.

Artuck ran out the front door to assist Himrol, but was pushed back to the door by Haldore, who didn't even glance in Artuck's direction as he continued to speak.

"Stay there, Artuck. You know the honors. Respect a duel between wizards. Your death will come swiftly after Himrol's."

A moment later, the rest of the group exited the house, helping Meila. Flim helped support Meila, one of her arms draped over Flim's shoulder. Cruu had given her his canteen of water, and Mitrax stood nearby, seemingly trying to absorb all of this information.

As they approached, Mitrax was the first to speak, shaking his head in disbelief all the while.

"We can't catch a break, can we? It seems as though wherever we go, these guys are right behind."

Artuck nodded.

That is strange. Is Haldore just toying with us? Wouldn't be the first time, that's for certain.

As Artuck turned back toward the fight happening in front of him, he saw that they now stood in the road, and that Haldore was levitating a good twenty feet off of the ground. Himrol stood on the ground about ten paces away, and was clutching his arm in pain, and huffing and puffing.

The buildings around them were engulfed in flames, and were rapidly spreading to every other building around them. As Artuck continued to watch, he saw that the corners of Willspore also began to go up in flames. Screams out in the distance could be heard, and Artuck immediately thought of the worst: the entire population of the town is being burnt alive.

No. No. No! Shit shit shit shit, this is bad. This city was supposed to be our resting place, somewhere we could call home. Himrol was supposed to teach us! To guide us! And these people! What have they done wrong? They don't deserve to die like this. They didn't do anything, just mere victims of circumstance.

"Give up, Himrol! These long years of your defiance will finally come to an end!"

As Artuck watched the scene unfold, he watched Himrol begin to sign with the arm he was using to clutch his injury.

Do not… stop… run… as far… as you can… from… here.

With that, Himrol turned to look at Artuck and smiled a weak smile, blood slowly dripping from the corners of his mouth. With that, Artuck turned to leave.

"Let's go! If we stay here, we will die!"

"So are we just leaving Himrol to his death then?" Mitrax asked questioning Atuck's logic, still observing the battle. Before Artuck could answer, Meila pushed Flim away, balled her fists, and turned to Artuck.

"You might respect the honors of a duel, but I will not simply stand by and watch that asshole murder the guardian of this city!"

Meila sprinted away from the group towards the ongoing battle, and all Artuck could get out of his mouth was a simple shout.

"Wait!"

As Meila ran towards the battle, Artuck saw Haldore prepare a powerful spell of his, but instead of aiming it at Himrol, he instead aimed it at Meila. 

Images began to flash through Artuck's mind, and Totto's death passed through Artuck's mind.

"Wait!" 

Artuck shouted again, capturing Himrol's attention, whose eyes suddenly widened as he saw the danger.

"Meila! Get out of here! You'll only-" 

Himrol shouted, before he saw Meila slow down and eventually come to a stop, as if she had been frozen in time.

Cruu sprinted towards the now frozen Meila, and he grabbed her rigid frame, and holding her above his head, ran frantically back to the rest of the group, doing his best to avoid anything that may come his way. However, as Cruu ran, an ankle of his gave way, and the frozen figure of Meila came crashing to the stone road, shattering her being into a thousand miniscule pieces.

"No!" 

Artuck screamed, as he lunged towards the remains of Meila. As Cruu cradled his injured leg, Artuck could see the pain and guilt behind his eyes, as he fought back tears. Artuck could almost hear his thoughts.

It's all Cruu's fault. Why? Why is Cruu like this? The one time Cruu tries to be courageous and strong, Cruu ends up hurting someone. No, Cruu killed her. And there's nothing beyond that. Cruu is now guilty for the death of not only evil, but now Cruu is guilty for the death of good.

As Artuck arrived at the scene, he began scooping her pieces up into her arms, and he began to bawl. Not even a moment later, Mitrax and Flim were behind him, Flim trying his best to cheer up Artuck while Mitrax prepared a ritual, murmuring to himself.

"There's gotta be a way. There has to be a way. Fihlrur's gotta know something. Fuck! Can't anything go right?"

Mitrax's mumbles became louder and louder inside Artuck's mind until Artuck began to see his brother Totto pacing in the Great Hall in front of him.

"Fuck! We've barely just started this journey, and already we've lost one? How much more will we lose?"

Totto turned towards Artuck, his stocky build betraying his usual confidence.

"What will it take?"

Artuck wanted to reach out and hold Totto, but found himself unable to move. Instead, Artuck looked down at his hands, the shards still there. A peace suddenly ran through him, and he found himself ready once again, to face his father. He then closed his eyes and spoke, his words calm, yet wavering with evidence of the tears he just cried.

"It'll take hope, Mitrax. And a lot of luck. So stay hopeful, and remain faithful. In me, in yourself, in the team, but most importantly, in our purpose."

Artuck opened his eyes, and standing there instead of Totto was Mitrax, his dragonborn features hunched in his state of panic. And as sudden as it had started, the raging battlefield returned. Mitrax nodded and sat down in his ritual circle.

Having had set up his ritual, Mitrax closed his eyes, and as Artuck looked to him, he watched his panicked expression change to one of calm. 

Artuck then looked down at his hands, but the shards were gone. He looked up to see Cruu, eyes wider than the full moon, staring off into space just behind him. Cruu's bewilderment was evident as he spoke.

"H-how did you do that, Artuck? Meila, sh-she's okay. And whole again."

Artuck whipped around to see Meila standing just behind him, looking herself over. The same look he had just seen on Cruu's face was now plastered onto his.

Cruu's right. How did I do that? I don't seem to remember having ever learned a spell of that power. When I- we face our father last time, I had barely gotten the hang of the healing spells. How did I manage to cast a perfect resurrection?

"Yep, everything's here," Meila said happily after looking herself over.

"So how'd you do it, Artuck?" she asked.

Artuck simply shrugged in disbelief.

"I-I have no idea," was all he managed to get out.

"I hope you all haven't forgotten about little old me now," Haldore boomed, snapping Artuck out of his moment of awestruck confusion.

Haldore was now standing on the ground, holding a much more bloodied Himrol, by palming his head. Himrol was looking much worse, as he was now missing a leg and an eye, to which Haldore was holding the missing eye in his other hand, toying with it as if it were a children's toy.

"Dear me, I seem to have interrupted something. Did someone learn a new spell today? Ho ho, how convenient! Right after I kill Himrol, I'll make certain that you can never revive him. Or should I leave him be, just for you to rip him out of the afterlife with his family after you finally learn to master that spell? Choices, choices. Ah, I know! I have an eye here," Haldore displayed the eyeball to the group before continuing.

"I'll toss this up in the air and catch it. If it lands iris side up, I'll kill him, and let you leave. If it lands iris side down, I'll kill you instead, and let him bleed out on the street, like I should have done so many years ago."

With that, Haldore tossed the eye into the air, and Artuck could swear Haldore cast a slowing spell on it, as it took a long moment in the air before returning to his palm. The whole time, however, no one said a word. No one breathed. The only sounds that filled the air were the sounds of the crackling fire of WIllspore, and the occasional scream of another one of its inhabitants meeting an unfortunate end.

As the eye landed, Haldore smiled.

"And the result is… well, I'll let you find out." With that, Haldore bent Himrol's neck into an unnatural angle, and Artuck watched the light leave his eyes, his expression going cold, and Haldore simply pushed the body away, his face writhed with disgust. He then threw away the eye, Artuck too focused on Himrol's body to see where it went.

Haldore wiped his hand on his cloak, as if that would clean it, and he looked at the group again, a look of pity crossing his face.

"Well, guess I'll see you guys in… about five month's time."

Haldore gave a small finger wave as he smiled a devilish smile and vanished, leaving them to the wreckage of the city, and Himrol's cold body.

Artuck instantly ran over to him, and checked for a pulse, as Himrol had taught him so many years ago. Finding none, Artuck attempted to defibrillate him using another spell he had been taught, but to no avail. Losing faith, Artuck began to cry again, the tears streaming down his face cold as ice.

Artuck picked up Himrol's lifeless form and held it in his arms, hoping for a change, like how it had worked for Meila. But there was nothing. Nothing but the sound of his own cries, blended into the cries of everyone else in the town, as they watched their loved ones die as Artuck had. Once again, images of his brothers' deaths flashed through Artuck's mind, Percel's stab wound, the knife pointing out of his back. Totto's cries, fallen silent. Then Marll's act of bravery, though his screams' echoes fill Artuck's dreams.

No, no. Not again. This can't be happening. Not again. I've lost everyone else. I can't do this alone. I just can't. I… I'm just not… strong enough.

As Artuck's thoughts became louder, a hand rested upon Artuck's shoulder that snapped him out of it. As Artuck turned to look at who it was, Flim stood there, a weak smile upon his face. 

Flim sat down next to Artuck,removing his hand in the process.

"I know what it's like to lose the ones you love. I lost my parents when I was younger. I pretty much had to raise Christol all on my own. Hell, I don't even know if Christol is actually out there, or alive, and to be honest, it's been eating me up since he was taken. I've been kinda distracted from everything as a result.

"But that's not the point I'm trying to make. The point I'm making is that living in the past can still hurt you now, in the present. By learning from it, and growing from it, you can be a better person. A stronger person. A person who can inspire us all to take up arms against even the most impossible of opponents. 

"You did that. In that moment of strength, you showed us that you were willing to put your past behind you. I know you are capable of so much more than this, Artuck. As you clearly demonstrated by bringing Meila back from what we thought was certain death. 

"Where are you, Artuck? That man who believed in all of us, from the very start. That man who had hope. That man who inspired. That man who showed us that despite our shortcomings, especially in my case, that we are something. That we are special. Where is he?"

Artuck looked around to see Meila smiling weakly at him, Cruu wiping tears from his eyes while smiling, and Mitrax scrambling to pick up his materials to join the rest of the group. Artuck chuckled weakly at the sight, before becoming somber again.

"And remember, Artuck, it's okay to cry. It's okay to feel. It's okay, Artuck. Take the time you need. It's never easy to try to make a change like the one you want. Especially in a moment like this one."

Artuck nodded, gently resting Himrol's body on the ground before standing, Flim helping him to his feet. Then Artuck took Flim into a hug. He held him like he would have held his own brothers, squeezing him with such delight it caught Flim by surprise. 

As Artuck stood there, holding Flim, he began to weep into Flim's shoulder. It started as a small stream but soon turned into him bawling into Flim's tunic, the shoulder becoming increasingly wet. Artuck balled his fists as he held Flim in that hug, twisting Flim's tunic in his hands. Artuck could hear Flim crying as well as Flim held him.

A moment later, Artuck felt a set of hands upon him, and as he opened his blurry eyes, he saw Meila's form holding him also. A moment later, Cruu joined in the hug, and a reluctant Mitrax joined as well. A moment of eternity passed, a long quiet full of the sounds of the crackling fire, and the occasional sniff.

Truly, I am blessed to have such friends.

"In times like these, my Nonna used to talk all gentle-like, and she'd talk about the wind." Meila's words broke the long moment of silence.

"She'd say that as a tree shakes in strong winds, it may never forget how close it came to falling, but it grows stronger roots for the next storm. I never quite understood it growing up, but I think now, after having watched you, I get it. It's a beautiful saying, wouldn't you agree, Artuck?"

Artuck nodded timidly, his face still buried in Flim's shoulder. The group began to let go of one another, and as Artuck let go of Flim, he gave Artuck a soft smile, his green eyes clearly puffy from having cried with Artuck. 

"She sounds like a wise woman, Meila. I would have loved to learn from her."

Meila smiled a small smile and looked at the ground.

"She was. And I know she would have loved you, Artuck. Always a motherly woman, she loved caring for people. She had a soft spot for the broken. She would say that all hearts deserve to be full, no matter their story."

Artuck smiled as he heard Meila's words, and he looked back at the group, a new passion in his eyes.

"Well, before we go, does anyone happen to have an extra cloth?"

Artuck asked, sheepishly.

Meila snapped her fingers, and reached into her bag before pulling out a large sheet of cloth..

"I would use this for a blanket, but I assume it's to wrap his body with?" Meila inquired.

Artuck nodded as he took the sheet from her, and he thanked her.

"Help me out here, Flim. I would like to, at the very least, put this raging fire to good use."

Flim smiled, and helped Artuck wrap the body. When they finished, Artuck tossed the wrapped body over his shoulder and walked towards Himrol's home, which hadn't yet been consumed by the flames.

He walked inside, and laid Himrol's body on his bed, and took one last look at his old mentor and friend before leaving the house, closing the door behind him.

Artuck rejoined the group, and watched as the fire spread to the building, instantly igniting it, and in a matter of minutes, the house was gone. Reduced to a pile of ashes and memories. 

Just like the past.

"Time to start looking forward. Now let's go get Christol."