Chapter Three- Episode 9-...into the after...

ejaredallen (60)in #story • 6 years ago

Into the After...

Hercule listened intently as Aphaliax told him story after story of himself as young boy at the camp and growing into a man. And, although Hercule loved hearing about his forgotten past, he still had many questions about his present that only Aphaliax could answer. Shifting where he sat on the rock floor of the cavern, Hercule attempted harder to appear interested the longer the dragon droned on things of the past. It came to a point where Hercule thought, “I get it. I was a kid. Let’s move on now.” Or, he thought he had thought it. In fact he had not just thought it, Hercule had accidentally said it aloud. The dragon paused mid story and laid the gaze of a massive green eye upon Hercule.

It was hard not to be squeamish in the presence of the beast. Hercule smiled awkwardly, looking for some escape from the position in which he’d so uncomfortably situated himself. He finally let out a sigh and was honest with the monstrosity.

“I’m sorry, Aphaliax. But I have lost 20 years of my life. And as wonderful as it is to hear the memories I lost, I still don’t know why or how they did this to me.” The urgency and angst in Hercule’s voice resonated with the dragon more than his words. Aphaliax was an ancient one and could taste the presence of a lie in the air around him. He knew people for who they were not who they pretended to be. Hercule was telling the truth, and Aphaliax understood the man’s soul. The massive creature dipped his head as if to nod, his eyes shuttering closed and then open again. In low and slow drawl, Aphaliax began the tale Hercule truly wanted to hear.

“Shortly after you arrived here, they saw you were different from the others. Even before they ever brought you here, the council saw something in you. James Savoor was one of the best trainers this camp had ever seen. It caught everyone off guard when he ran off with the 5 best and brightest prospects for the purpose of the council.” Aphaliax would’ve continued, but as he paused for a breath, Hercule spoke up.

“…wait, say that part again. The part about James.” Hercule’s eyes were set on the air in front of him as he froze. Aphaliax repeated the words he had just said, verbatim.

“James Savoor was one of the best trainers this camp had ever seen. It caught everyone off guard when he ran off with the 5 best and brightest prospects for the purpose of the council.” Again the beast paused, but not for breath this time. Hercule needed to speak, Aphaliax felt that in the man’s demeanor.

Hercule seemed truly lost in thought, but only a single thought rested in his thinking: James was here. Suddenly a flood of other thoughts came rushing into his brain like a landslide. Had James really stolen him and the other children? Were they born here? Was this an evil place or had James been wrong in taking them? What happened to the others? Why weren’t they kidnapped or rescued, or whatever he had been that night at the campfire in the wilderness.

“Tell me more.” Hercule said, still allowing thoughts to tumble over in his mind, replaying the same questions as if by repetition they would make sense and provide themselves with answers.

Aphaliax inhaled a breath so enormous, Hercule paused and considered the beast would breath a gulf of fire with the gale he had just inhaled, but the dragon seemed to settle into his resting place even more and so continued his tale.

“James Savoor saw the potential in you children long before the others of the council. He was a potion master and herbalist. Not in the wicked way some are, alchemists and the lot of scum.” Aphaliax nearly spat the words, (dragons hated alchemists for their destruction and perversion of good plants and weeds. Those of mankind that took which was pure and good and turned it to something perverse and destructive). “James used his knowledge to heal and spent his life in the study of a cure for the purge of this land; a vile torment of the Imperial’s design called Weeping Blood.”

Hercule paused him here, “and what is this Weeping Blood? Does it have anything to do with why James ran off with us?” Hercule referred to himself and the other four children, beginning to doubt the morality of his former guardian, though the man had been as a father to himself and the others.

“It has everything to do with that.” Aphaliax began. Seeming more aggravated with Hercule after each interruption. He grunted as he began again. “In the days when dragons were not simply myth and fairytale, but did roam the lands of Kodia freely, the Imperials came into the country and began subduing the common folk under their brutality. We dragons don’t meddle in the affairs of humans, but against such cruelty as this it was hard to stay our talons and fire as we watched the Imperials torment this country.
It wasn’t long when, under enormous pressure and brutality, a leader arose among the people and led a rebellion against the Imperials. His name was never recorded in history by his own request. And for the blood and pain the following years cost the people of Kodaia, history has sought to forget the revolt ever occurred.” Aphaliax took another breath and continued, his voice catching something of an age-old nostalgia and pain.
“It was Dearth, of the Fire of the Inu’el, who was the first of my people to join the revolt. For the second time in history, dragons and man fought together. Dearth wreaked fantastic havoc upon the Imperials, destroying fortifications and cities. Wiping out entire armies with a 1,000 year old fire. For a moment it looked as if the tide would turn for the revolt. Yet somewhere in the dark parts of the Imperial capitol city of Jong Kabur, a mastermind of weapons devised a machine with power enough to bring down the mightiest of foes. A Strafe, it was called. The machine spat out a dart so long and so hard, with such speed that it could penetrate the hardest material known to mankind.”

“Dragon’s hide.” Hercule said knowingly. A woeful look overtook Aphaliax as he recalled his kinsman.

“Dearth was slain over the field of Vala. The brutal Imperials then did the unthinkable. They took the blood of a dragon and concocted a vile disease which the common folk began to call Weeping Blood.” Aphaliax would’ve continued, but Hercule cut in as he remembered something.

“Weeping Blood is a virus which dwells in the blood stream and stores within it a persons most haunting memories. When one man kills another, if he touches the blood of the man, the virus attaches itself to a new host and the memories are transferred. The memories then haunt the new host, mingling with his own, driving him eventually to madness…” Hercule droned off as he reentered his ponderings.

“That is right. And from the dragon blood this scourge was created and placed into the blood of mercenaries and Imperials. Every revolter was soon effected and driven to insanity. The Imperials subdued the nation and, to prevent another uprising, mandated that every citizen have the cursed Weeping Blood virus injected into their bodies. Since that day, the Imperial Dynasty has ruled with an iron fist, unchallenged and every child born in this country has been infected with the virus… all but five.” Aphaliax paused to take a breath and allow what he had just said to sink in.
“James was developing a cure for Weeping Blood for the pure and unpolluted bloodstreams of five unique and incredible special children. Unable to continue to perform his research and testing here in the camp he ran, taking the five children with him as he continued to study and research, developing his cure for the wretched disease. You and your four fellows were the key to all of this, and that is only the beginning of your troubles.” Aphaliax shifted on his scaly stomach and paused for such a long moment, Hercule was sure he’d fallen asleep.

“Yes, yes. Then what? What happened next!” Hercule nearly yelled, bursting with renewed anticipation as he was finally receiving the answers his mind so desperately needed. Aphaliax groaned and cranes his neck, stretching. Hercule did imagine a dragon’s long neck must get awfully cramped holding up its large head all of the time. But there was not time for that! There was a story to be told and answers to be found.

Aphaliax shook himself and with him, the entire cave, sending a scaly echo through the corridors and caverns of the pit.

“As I was saying, it was merely the beginning of your troubles. For not only were you five children the keys to James Savoor’s research, you were the keys to his success. For only five children with pure bloodstreams could carry such a cure within their bodies. For antibody to repel a parasitical virus, it must be a similar parasite, one that latches onto the virus and devours it. Such was the cure James set out to create. But where do you store such an important piece of research, one that can save a country?” Aphaliax would have answered his own question, but Hercule did it for him.

“In our bodies.” Hercule held his arm before him and stared at the blood coursing through the veins. Within him lived the cure to save an entire people.

Thanks for reading episode 9!

Guys it's been real and were still in Chapter 3. Really? Feels like we've been at this for months. You've been great fam, and we're nowhere close to finished! Upvote, share, comment, all that jazz! You're epic:)