Two Worlds: Clash of the Guardians (Completed)

XXII - The Desert Goblins - Part II

Vadiraj

October 9, in the year of 8845, Reminis Calendar (RC) 

Vadiraj strode to his bedroom, hand clutching the letter from Illidad, angry. When he arrived at his room, he saw the book, Sun Tzu, The Art of War, was still lying sprawled on the floor. He intentionally left it there so that Netto would eat it, but it seemed that even his favourite hellhound wasn't interested in it. He tsked and walked past it, only to find himself reversing. Crouching down, he picked it up. As eerie as the book might look, there must be a reason why the ghost gave it to him. 

Sitting in his chair, he laid his legs on his desk and flipped the book. Again, his eye lids fell, reading the wordy pages, but he struggled to open them. Be vigilant, Vadiraj, he scolded himself. Skipping the huge chunks of paragraphs, he focused only on short quotes. One caught his eyes: If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. This Sun Tzu was quite insightful. He nodded to himself and read on. All warfare is based on deception. Deception... 

The word rang in his mind. Dominic had been deceiving him for years, taking advantage on his trust and ignorance. The man he had been calling as best friend betrayed him. Illidad was the master that Dominic had been communicating with all this while, he was sure of it. Dominic leans on me because he wants to breed monsters, for Illidad. Furious, he shut the book tight. He promised himself he'd make sure those that hurt him pay the price. But before he made any moves, he needed to understand his enemy.

He stored the book carefully in his drawer and unrolled Illidad's letter.

"Vadiraj, I am a decent man so I'll be frank with you. Reminis is a land of bounty resources and promises. Yet, it has been left unruled. I can see through you and know that you'll make a great and esteem ruler, so I'd like to make a deal with you. I've conquered ten realms and if you could demonstrate an open-door relationship with me, I'm willing to share half of my realms with you. I need your confirmation and invitation to enter Reminis, so I'll be waiting for your reply."

An open-door relationship? Vadiraj spat. That was a hypocrite term for sharing the realm! He wouldn't allow it. Mad, he shred the letter to pieces. Now he had to fight two wars at the same time. He wasn't worry about Elli's group; they were small. He could flick them away like fingers to mosquitoes. What he feared were Illidad's armies. Illidad bred demons and wouldn't be easy to confront. Closing his eyes, he called for Fat Bob and Kaizord, the ones he could trust now. They arrived at his study together.

"Kaizord, do you bring the list?" asked Vadiraj.

Kaizord bowed and handed a scroll of parchment over to Vadiraj. He studied it. He had created five hundred Vampists now, and he had faith in a few hundreds of them. He had eighty hellhounds too too. But he couldn't choose all of them. Dominic would notice it; so he hand-picked fifty Vampists and ten hellhounds. He didn't choose monsters. He didn't trust monsters. He could've killed Dominic and all problems would be solved, but he was born to battle. His heart itched. He looked forward to welcoming the challenges both Dominic and Illidad had for him. 

Satisfied with his choice, Vadiraj said, "Kaizord, from today onwards, I name you my First General. I need you to store these fifty Vampists and ten hellhounds in my personal cellar. Cast a charm on them to make them invisible. I am the only one with the key and I'm giving you a duplicate set."

Kaizord dropped to his knees, eyes blazed with tears. "My lord, that's a huge task. I thank you for trusting me." Vadiraj raised his hands and Kaizord stood up, wiping his tears. This was the first time he saw that red-haired mutated Vampists cry. That bloke. His lips struggled to grin but he controlled them.

Vadiraj steeled his face and turned to Fat Bod. "Bobby, making them invisible isn't enough. I want you to look for the Clandestine Triad. They will know what I need. Remember, what we talk now is only for the designated ears, and I trust you both to hold up to what we've promised."

Kaizord and Fat Bob gave Vadiraj a ninety degree kow-towed, before vanishing from the room. After commanding, Vadiraj heaved a deep sigh and relaxed into his chair. He would deal with Elli's group then Illidad's. He would deceive Dominic. He would appear weak and show his infatuation towards Elli more in front of Dominic. But he couldn't stop fantasizing. If he won both wars, Elli would look at him with appraisal and admiration. He would be able to change her perspectives towards him.

Rubbing his goatee, he thought of the ghost. He seemed to see what was coming. Who is he? Perhaps he could will his mind to meet up with him. He eased himself to sleep and heard a voice calling out to him. His soul wandered to a town with fancy buildings, almost romantic and feminine-liked, with pink heart-shaped lamp posts. This was the Town of Romantica, five leagues northwards from the wholesale market. One day, when the wars were over,  he would bring Elli here. She would love it.

Vadiraj walked on the glossy cobblestone path and saw the ghost; his back facing him. Vadiraj approached him and asked, "How do you know about Illidad?"

"I know many things. You shouldn't fight two wars together. Imagine a lion trying to grab two lambs at the same time. It'll lose both, and its prizes will be snatched by another predator."

"I. Will. Win." Vadiraj hooked his amber eyes on the ghost. "Both."

The ghost shrugged his shoulders. "As you wish, Lord Vadiraj."

Shielded by the hook, Vadiraj couldn't see the ghost's expression, but he knew he was smirking. The ghost didn't trust he would succeed. He would prove to him.

Leering still, the ghost walked two steps, his strides wide, and then his face returned to face Vadiraj. "Why would you battle the woman you love?"

Vadiraj pondered. This ghost always pelted him with questions he wasn't ready to answer. "I-er-I-eh-hem, that's the only way to tame her. Through war, I can show her my wits and strengths."

"Have you forgotten what I've told you? That to tame her, you need to do it in a slow and passionate way, like brewing a pot of fine tea."

"I have a strong mind, ghost, of course I remember. But I believe a war is the fastest and the most passionate way. Plus I don't like tea. I prefer blood, faster to boil, faster to heat."

"If that's what you think, Lord Vadiraj." The ghost walked away. This time, he didn't look back.

Vadiraj followed behind him and asked, "Why should we meet here?" 

As he spoke, cupids flew above him. Golden mist swirled around him as they surrounded him, and petite ladies swarm towards him, arms holding baskets of red roses. Unease and a touch of guilt speared up his veins. Cupids were the Gods of Romance. His men had just killed the chief cupid, Gwendary. He hoped she would forgive him and bless him on the relationship between him and Elli.

The ghost picked one rose and tipped a lady. "I promised the woman I loved to meet up here. That night, the stars shone so bright, as if all good things would fall on earth. I wanted to ask for her hands. But as the guardian of the king, I had to fulfil my duty. That was when I lost her. It had been ten years."

Ten years... The period of time struck Vadiraj. He looked aghast at the ghost.

The lips of the ghost curled up, smirking. He didn't say a word. Stretching out the red rose to Vadiraj, he said, "Give this to the woman you love. She loves roses."