The Soul Engine Ch. 32 (Original Fantasy) (Patreon)

A/N: The truth comes out.

-x-X-x-

Mikael hated having to be the one to do this. Truly he did. Especially because he could tell how much Avina cared for the seemingly jovial old man seated across from her. She had even started calling him Uncle, albeit under his instruction. It was clear that the two went way back. Unfortunately, Mikael couldn’t stay quiet. Not any longer.

It was one thing learning that Avina was royalty. The long-lost Princess Reyalis, who apparently wasn’t supposed to BE long-lost. Everyone was supposed to think Avina was dead, she’d been confident of that fact. No one should have known she survived the night her entire family was assassinated. Was Mikael upset about the secret keeping? Perhaps a little. But he understood why Avina hadn’t wanted to talk about it. Why she might have wanted to leave it all in the past.

That was going to be impossible though, it would seem. Because the man sitting across from Avina was dead set on bringing her back into the fold. If it were just that, Mikael might not have minded. Foss Sangrey certainly seemed like a good man on the surface. Avina had had nothing but nice things to say about him.

But… more and more, things just weren’t adding up. To start with, there was the whole conversation they’d had on the balcony about the Regent-Lord’s army that Avina had conveniently forgotten once she found out who said army belonged to.

Still, Avina clearly had blinders on where the Regent-Lord was concerned due to their history and the influence he’d clearly had on her early life. Mikael had no such blinders. And while Foss and Avina had been talking all this time, Mikael had been listening… and watching.

On the face of it, the Regent-Lord’s willingness to only bring two soldiers spoke well of him. After all, there were four of them and he only had two guards. Except… except there was definitely something wrong with his soldiers. Something Mikael couldn’t shake. It had taken him a while to figure it out, but eventually he’d picked up on what he was missing. Or rather… what THEY were missing.

The guards that Foss Sangrey brought with him into the Lord’s Tower hadn’t moved a muscle since the man had sat down. Not even to breath. They’d stood absolutely still, like a pair of statues, their faces hidden behind concealing helmets so that Mikael couldn’t even see their eyes. On top of that, there was Mikael’s new sensory ability. It might have seemed like the least of his new magic. Barely a foot note compared to what else he could do with the talent he’d gained from absorbing Zadicus’ soul.

But right now, it was incredibly crucial in discerning a plain and simple truth… the two men standing behind Foss Sangrey had no souls.

Mikael’s accusation hangs in the air as Avina goes paler than she already is at his words. The Regent-Lord, meanwhile, pauses for only a moment before letting out a little chuckle.

“Hah! What an interesting thing to say. How could you possibly know one way or the other who has a soul or not, my boy?”

Gritting his teeth, Mikael grips down harder on his sword’s handle, though he doesn’t draw it. Yet.

“After I consumed the soul of Zadicus Quinn, I also gained his magical talent. Along with that came a growing ability to see souls.”

The bearded man takes this in for a moment, blinking at Mikael’s blunt honesty. Then, he’s all smiles again.

“Well now, that’s fascinating. Truly fascinating. Still, you said growing, did you not? It seems to me that such a… new ability would be a bit finicky. Perhaps the armor of my soldiers is merely blocking your sight, hm? That said, what a magnificent creation, Princess. Even if he’s a little rough still, he’s a fantastic prototype. You should be proud of yourself!”

Mikael clenches his jaw at the brush off. If it were just the soul sight, maybe he’d even back down. But that wasn’t the only thing that didn’t add up. However, before he can speak, Avina’s voice suddenly cuts through the stillness of the moment, her tone quiet but her words crystal clear all the same.

“… How did you know about the Soul Engine, Regent-Lord? How did you know what it was called? The only one who even knew what I called it before I succeeded with Mikael… was Zadicus Quinn.”

And there it was. A feeling of relief goes through Mikael as he realizes that Avina is finally starting to see through Foss Sangrey’s lies. However, that relief is quickly stamped out by apprehension as the situation in the room grows… undeniably tense.

With a low sigh, the kindly old grandfather from before sits back on the couch… and melts away. Suddenly, it’s the Regent-Lord of Ocreatha that they’re all looking at, as though Avina dropping the ‘Uncle’ and using his title has… invoked his true self somehow. Foss at least doesn’t bother trying to tell Avina that she’s mistaken as well. Instead, he just shakes his head, looking at her with a tinge of disappointment.

“Ah, Princess. Always too clever by half, my girl. Yes… you’ve sussed me out. Zadicus Quinn was my agent.”

The tension in the room skyrockets. Nobody on their side has a good reaction to that, but at the same time… it’s hard to draw steel on an old man that’s just sitting there. Foss Sangrey looks supremely unconcerned that he’s just revealed himself to be the one pulling the strings of someone all four of them considered their greatest enemy. Instead, he laces his hands together in front of him and smiles softly.

“I’m afraid I gave him too much leeway with you, my dear. My sincerest apologies for that. Obviously, I knew you were alive for quite some time… from almost the very moment you fled the Capital all those years ago, in fact. I had my men watching you, making sure you didn’t get into too much trouble. And when you settled in Alether… well, Quinn seemed like the best option to keep a close eye on you and act as an intermediary so that I could fund your research without you knowing where the money came from.”

Foss shrugs and lets out another sigh.

“In hindsight, I should have curtailed his ambitions. He clearly wasn’t ready to be Lord of Alether if he could not only lose you but also his head in the span of two weeks. The boy was too ambitious by half… he lost sight of his purpose.”

“… His purpose. Watching over me? To what end?”

When Avina finally speaks, she sounds subdued. Quiet. But also desperate for answers. Foss’ smile grows as he tilts his head in her direction.

“I think you know what end, Princess. Your Family… all of you were Trueborn Necromancers.”

Avina flinches at that, even as Mikael furrows his brow. Trueborn Necromancers? What did that mean? What was the difference between that and a regular Necromancer?

“Your father, my dearest friend, taught me everything I know. I think it’s safe to say that I’m the most accomplished Trained Necromancer not just in Ocreatha, but on the entire continent. Alas, that means nothing in the face of Trueborn Talent. Your father could not teach me everything he knew. He could not give me the True Necromancy that he and your family are capable of. A magic said to be capable of… immortality.”

At that, Foss’ eyes slide over to Mikael. They don’t look nearly as jolly or jovial anymore. His rosy cheeks are nowhere to be seen. If anything, Mikael would say that the Regent-Lord’s gaze was almost… sunken in nature.

“With the death of your family, you became the only True Necromancer left in Ocreatha, Princess. Perhaps in the entirety of Vaclatora. You became the only source of further learning, no matter how unwitting. Your research, your experiments… you’ve helped me more than you know. You’ve-!”

“I don’t care about any of that. My family. Did you have them killed?”

When Avina suddenly cuts in, Mikael tenses up. His eyes widen at her point blank question, however. Somehow, he hadn’t even thought of that. But… Foss doesn’t even try to deny it. He nods his head, almost looking like he regretted it. As it turns out, he did.

“Yes, I’m afraid. In my shortsightedness all those years ago, I had them slaughtered. I’d hoped that by studying their corpses… your corpses, I suppose, that I could glean some information. Of course, that’s how I found out you were alive in the first place. Whatever poor girl was in your bed that night was unrecognizable once my men got done with her, but there was no touch of True Necromancy to her. Not like I knew lay within you.”

A shiver runs down Mikael’s spine at how… casually Foss talks about the little girl who Avina traded places with on the night of her family’s murder. He’d thought Zadicus Quinn was an evil bastard. And to be fair, he was. But his was a petty, short-sighted, vainglorious sort of evil. This man? This man was a far more terrible kind of monster, wasn’t he?

Avina trembles on the couch, raw emotion causing her to shake. It’s clear that the Regent-Lord sees this, but he continues on anyways.

“I truly am sorry for what I did to your parents and siblings, Princess.”

Choking, Avina glares at the man she’d called Uncle mere minutes ago.

“You’re… sorry?”

Nodding, Foss’ aged face is lined with regret.

“Indeed. After all, it did not yield the results that I wanted. And now, all these years later, I feel the bite of age more and more. Unfortunately, watching your work from afar has not produced the results I was hoping for. Zadicus Quinn clearly wasn’t keeping nearly a close enough eye on you. The bodies he provided me should have borne fruit ages ago if you were able to install your Soul Engine in this one successfully, but every single one could be considered a failure compared to him.”

Wait… what? There’s a sudden sinking feeling in Mikael’s gut as Foss gestures to his guards. Wordlessly, they reach up and remove their helmets… revealing what Mikael already anticipated. They’re undead. Their eyes are milky white, their skin is ashen grey, and they do not breathe. Blood does not flow through their veins. They’re basically incredibly well-made zombies in equally well-made armor. From the look of things, they don’t have a single pair of braincells to rub together between them either.

“After all, this one… he’s the final Hero that Zadicus Quinn summoned to this world, is he not? After the boy… misplaced the body, I told him to cease using the Summoning Ritual until the Knight of the Rose either gave up and moved on or could be dealt with. But it seems he didn’t actually misplace the body, did he? No… you appropriated it.”

Thayla steps forward then. Whether it’s the mention of her presence or the horrifying realization slowly dawning on them all, the female knight can remain quiet no longer.

“You mean to say… those two were Summoned Heroes as well?”

Looking over at her, Foss smiles a seemingly jovial smile. Except this one doesn’t reach his eyes.

“Oh? Oh yes, Dame Dawnguard. They all are.”

They all are. Mikael’s blood pounds in his ears at those three words. They all are. That entire army outside of Alether… no, not outside anymore. Inside the city. Keeping the peace. Each and every last one of them is… like him? Summoned by Zadicus. Used in the arena to line his pockets… and then sent on to Foss Sangrey to be raised as undead by the Necromancer.

No wonder the army had managed to make it to Alether so rapidly. It probably was kept fairly close by to be fair, but also… undead didn’t need to eat, drink, or sleep. They could march indefinitely. Fight indefinitely too.

“You’re a monster.”

Avina’s whispered words provoke a laugh from Foss. The older man shakes his head.

“My dear Princess… you were just singing my praises a few minutes ago. Nothing has changed. I am still all that stands between the corruption inherent in the Council of Lords and this Kingdom’s citizenry. So what if the peace I will bring to Ocreatha comes on the back of some otherworlders? They had their chance to survive in Quinn’s arenas. Not a single one did. Not even this one, as I understand it.”

Mikael bristles at that, having been on the receiving end of that ‘chance’ personally. Thrown into a sand pit with his mind torn in two, wearing nothing but a pair of pants and with his wrists and ankles shackled together. What a fucking joke.

SHIIIIIING!

The sound of a blade being drawn suddenly sounds through the room. For a second, Mikael thinks he’s the one who did it, purely on instinct. But no… it’s Thayla and the Knight of the Rose is pointing said blade at Foss Sangrey.

“Foss Sangrey, you have committed crimes too numerous to count and too unimaginable to ever be forgiven! Submit yourself to my custody so that I might return you to the Citadel to stand trial for your heinous actions!”

Perking up from where she’d been watching all of this, Bula hefts up her battle axe.

“Oooh! Fight time?”

Mikael grunts and draws his sword as well, already well aware that the mad man in front of them isn’t going to just surrender without a fight. In fact, as Mikael draws his blade, the undead soldiers behind Foss both draw theirs as well. And at the same time… the Regent-Lord rises, a chuckle on his lips as inky black darkness begins to waft off of him, rising from his body and the floor around his feet.

“Adorable, really. But I should be the one saying that to all of you. If the Princess advocates for it, perhaps your lives can be spared. Well, except for the Hero. I do apologize, Princess, but I’m afraid that he will have to be put down and dissected. That working Soul Engine… just imagine how replicating it might increase the strength of my forces. And from the look of things, it might just hold the secrets to immortality as well.”

There’s a pause at that as everyone waits for everyone else to make the first move. But in the end, the first move comes from the only person who’s remained seated.

“… I refuse.”

Suddenly, Foss lets out a surprised grunt, his body buckling briefly. Only the inky blackness keeps him upright. Meanwhile, his two undead guards both collapse to the floor, pinned there in an instant. Mikael’s eyes widen as he realizes what it is… Avina is still wearing Zadicus Quinn’s ring. The defenses of the Lord’s Tower are HERS to command.

Rising to her feet at long last, Avina’s eyes blaze with fury.

“Mikael is MINE, you bastard! I won’t let you touch him! I’ll kill you before I let you lay a hand on him! In fact, for what you did to my family, I’LL KILL YOU RIGHT FUCKING-!”

Only because he’s looking for it is Mikael able to react in time. Traveling along the floor as Avina speaks are unnaturally dark, thick shadows. And they’re heading right for his Soul Mechanic. With a shout, Mikael leaps forward and lashes out with his own magic almost on instinct. A teal whip of power slices through the shadows, cutting them in twain and making them shriek and hiss as they pull back at the damage.

In response, the Regent-Lord stops playing games. Instantly, he straightens up… and his undead guards rise from the floor like the defenses of the Lord’s Tower suddenly mean nothing to them. Avina’s eyes widen and she tries to throw out her hand again… but it has no effect. Then, there’s a sizzling sound and Avina cries out, forced to tear the Lord’s Ring from her finger.

“My dear, dear girl… it was so simple, convincing the commoners that I was but a puppet, forced to do the corrupt Council of Lords’ bidding. But to have convinced you as well… it speaks to the gaps in your education. I was named Regent-Lord, Princess. That title bears quite a bit of weight… and comes with its own sort of power. For instance, the bestowal of a Lord’s Ring can only be done by my hand… and by that same token, the right to take BACK a Lord’s Ring also falls under my purview. Now please… stop this ridiculous rebellion. It’s time to return home, Princess.”

“N-NEVER!”

Avina’s denial makes Foss’ smile drop into a dark scowl.

“So be it.”

Both of his hands come up and black shadows go surging forward. Not subtle and careful across the floor this time, but a massive wall that encompasses the entire room. With a hoarse shout, Mikael calls upon the power of the Soul Engine and forms a bulwark of teal soul energy between them and the old Necromancer. Then, he looks to the others.

“We need to go. NOW.”

It only takes Avina and Thayla a second to realize the gravity of the situation and nod in agreement. Bula isn’t so inclined.

“What?! And run from the fight?!”

But Mikael just shakes his head.

“Bula, think! It’s not just these three. The barrier is down. There’s thousands and thousands of undead converging on this tower right this moment! Undead who are all well-armed and well-armored. Undead who I can’t absorb anything from, even if I DO manage to kill them!”

The half-orc’s eyes narrow in understanding. Her original plan, to have Mikael just slaughter his way through the army, getting stronger as he went… it was even less viable now than ever before. Foss Sangrey had brought his greatest counter… a whole bunch of fighters that Mikael might be able to re-kill but couldn’t actually get any power off of. They were effectively outnumbered ten thousand to one with no ace in the hole to turn the tide.

“Tch. Fine!”

He’s glad she’s on board, because a moment later Foss Sangrey’s shadowy, necromantic magic redoubles in strength and it takes all of Mikael’s power to keep holding him back. Fortunately, perhaps the only bit of fortune they had right now, they’d chosen the side of the room with the doors on it. Even as the Regent Lord’s magic pushes and pushes, Mikael lets himself be pushed back, his girls all behind him, getting the doors open.

And then… they run. Of course, the barrier around the Lord’s Tower is actually turned inward by the time they make it to the ground floor… which is probably why the Regent-Lord doesn’t think he needs to chase after them, since as far as he’s concerned, they’re trapped in the tower with him. But he doesn’t seem to know about Zadicus’ secret escape tunnel, because there’s no one, alive or undead, waiting for them down in the sewers as they flee the Lord’s Tower in the same way they entered it a week before.

From there, there’s really only one choice though. Foss Sangrey is not Zadicus Quinn. His army of Undead Heroes certainly aren’t the incompetent City Guard that the late Lord employed either. Hiding out in the city isn’t an option. Hiding out anywhere in Ocreatha isn’t really an option.

In the end, they keep running. They keep fleeing. All the way across the border into the Empire of Zuveria.

-x-X-x-

A/N: Well. That escalated quickly.

I hope people enjoyed this reveal. If it's not obvious, Foss Sangrey is the Big Bad of this story. Has been all along, really, seeing as he was also pulling Zadicus' strings. Now our intrepid foursome are on the run for him. Hmm, what will happen next?

Leave a Like if you enjoyed please, and be sure to let me know what you think!