The Order of the Skull

Chapters 24-27

Chapter 24: Christopher

I think awkward was perhaps the best way to describe how I felt as I stood up from behind the parted shrubs and approached Violet and her two council members. The human and the chameleon looked at each other as I approached. Violet just gave one of her classic cynical smiles.

"Kind of you to join us Christopher," she said as I stood still several feet away from the three of them. "Well don't be shy, you might as well learn about what the Order of the Skull is all about."

As I approached the edge of the pool I asked bluntly, "What are you summoning?"

Violet chuckled, "So you've been here a while I see. Impressive."

I repeated my question again, "What are you summoning?"

"Christopher, come here." Violet said to me and grabbed me by the arm, dragging me to the edge of the pool. "You've noticed dragons and magic and whatnot returning have you not?" I nodded and Violet continued, "It's perhaps signs of dark magic on the rise." I nodded and Violet repeated more confidently this time, "It's the return of dark magic. Ever since the elven kingdom was destroyed, there hasn't been enough light magic to stop it from returning."

"Wait a second," I interrupted her, "don't you wield dark magic?" I paused for a second and thought about my own powers, "Don't I wield dark magic?"

"You confuse affinities, with forces." Violet responded to me, "While the way you and I channel our magic comes from the darker realm, we bend that magic to our will." Violet paused for a second and took a long breath before continuing, "Forces refer to the raw magic surrounding us. Traditionally, the elves consolidated light magic in order to keep dark magic at bay, but now that they're gone, the dark magic has been building up for years and is soon to unleash its forces upon us. That's why the Order of the Skull is here, to push these dark forces back into oblivion, at least temporarily. Due to the nature of dark magic, having an affinity for raw dark magic, like you and I, can help us understand these forces in our struggle."

"Alright," I nodded. I would have to take Violet's word in terms of magic, I had little to no idea about its nature. "What about the Longevity you keep mentioning?"

"An ancient elven religious organization." She replied matter-of-factly. "We've scoured tombs, temples, and anything related to the organization in hope of acquiring a group of what are called steps."

Steps, I remembered Cynthia had found something called a step in some sort of tomb north of the orc kingdom. I opened my mouth to mention something about Cynthia and the steps, but thought it best not to. Violet still hadn't explained why they were occupying Evanuan. "What are steps?" It was a genuine question. Despite what Cynthia, Darkeen, and I found, I still had no idea what purpose they served.

Violet seemed to show a look of excitement on her face as she explained, "They're supposedly ancient elven blessings of light magic that can... interfere with dark magic."

If Violet was telling the truth, I felt obligated to inform her about Cynthia and the step she carried. I opened my mouth but then decided against it, I didn't want to put Cynthia's life at risk considering she was an elf and the Order of the Skull seemed very accepting of all chammelons. Violet asked me excitedly, "What is it Christopher? Do you know something about the steps?" I held my tongue nervously and Violet continued, "Why don't you tell us what you know?"

I shook my head, "Only if you explain to me how the Order of the Skull ended up in a city that was supposed to be destroyed by the Chammelons."

Violet laughed softly, "You must trust me more Christopher. We are here to do good. A few years previously, we discovered that the majority of the city center was left untouched. Sensing the rising forces of dark magic, we made some... negotiations... with the Chammelon forces and they agreed to hand control of Evanuan to the Order of the Skull until we had dealt with the dark forces on the rise. Since then the Chammelon forces retreated back north and we haven't heard anything from them." The story seemed sound to me, and Violet didn't have any reason to lie to me. Besides, Violet herself was an elf, or at least something similar. She had no reason to want to kill Cynthia, right? Violet called my name and my attention snapped back to her. "The steps," she demanded, "What do you know about them?"