Sword of Stars

Chapter Thirty Four. Clues.

Garek awoke and found himself in the white world once again. The brightness of the world made him squint and the strange light made him nauseous. Again, there was nothing.

He began walking, the strange sense of movement without movement set in. What was this place? Was it magic? At least it was better than being stuck back in Syndrome’s bed.

“Ah it’s you again.”

Garek spun to see the naked man with red hair.

“Oh, you,” Garek sighed.

“Hey, I remembered my name. It’s Rilik,” the man said with a wide smile and arms.

“Sure,” Garek gave the man his fakest smile.

“Don’t be like that. You seem down.” Rilik put his arm around Garek like a long-time friend.

Garek felt uncomfortable with the man being so close given his lack of clothing. It also made images of Syndrome flash before his eyes. He shrugged Rilik off and glared at him. “It’s Syndrome. She’s captured me. Currently I am in her tent in an unknown location. I don’t think I’m even on Tearith.”

“Oh.” Rilik’s expression turned dark. “Oh!” Realisation made his eyes wide and eyebrows high.

“So you knew her?” Garek asked.

“Oh yes.” Rilik began to pace. “She was famous for her sexual torture. Many men were driven insane after being in her captivity and after they were broken she would let them come back to us, as a warning and a threat. I’ve seen first-hand what she can do to a man and I don’t envy you my friend.”

Garek sighed. “That’s good to know.” He rubbed at his stubbly face. “Any ideas on how I can escape? Can she be defeated?”

Rilik shook his head. “Not without the sword. You must find it if you want to live.”

“But the sword is back in the desert. How can I get it if I’m not there anymore?”

“Ah, well, Syndrome was known for her illusionary techniques,” Rilik said as he rubbed at his head, trying to remember all the ancient information. “I’d say that you are still in the desert so the sword must be near.”

Garek perked up. “Really?”

Rilik put a hand on Garek’s shoulder. “I spent most of my life fighting the Beings of Chaos. I know them pretty well.”

“Right, so I need to find the sword and then somehow get close enough to use it. That’s the next dilemma…”

Rilik laughed. “Getting close to her isn’t going to be a problem. Chances are that she will come to you.”

Garek glared at the strange man. “For the moment I think I’ll stay here for as long as I can.”

Rilik nodded and looked off into the distance. “There’s not a lot to do here anyway.”

“What can you tell me of the other Beings of Chaos?” Garek asked. He thought he should get as much information as possible in case he ran into another one.

“Well,” Rilik laughed. “Where do I begin?”

“Bedlam.” Garek growled. “We ran into him before entering the endless sands.”

“And you survived that encounter?” Rilik was wide eyed with surprise. “Not many get the pleasure of escaping that monster.”

“What was with the scarring on his face? I thought that the Beings of Chaos could heal and change their form.”

“Bedlam is insane. He uses it as a form of intimidation, to get into the heads of his victims.”

Garek proceeded to tell Rilik of his escape and how Bedlam met his doom by the Sword of Prophecy. Rilik was impressed and informed Garek how no one had ever defeated Bedlam and that he should be proud of the feat. Garek wasn’t convinced and put it down to luck. He would’ve been done if Jon hadn’t escaped from his bonds.

“Now, Discordia,” Rilik continued, “is the warriors of the beings. She always wears a full suit of armour and carries a thin sword into battle. She never uses her powers if she can help it. She fought against all the greatest warriors of my time and defeated them all. It was the ultimate disgrace if she didn’t finish you off.”

“I wonder if she will go to Andrill and challenge General Neu to battle,” Garek wondered out loud.

“Then there is Maihym, the one who fancies himself as the leader of the Beings of Chaos, a step below Khaos,” Rilik explained. “His pride knows no bounds and he will never stop pursuing what he thinks is rightfully his. He commanded the legions of Shadowed Ones during our war.”

“Then I don’t doubt that he’s here, leading the assault on Andrill and Feldor.”

“Now, Anarkai likes to stay in the shadow, influencing people and causing disorder among the ranks. Whole cities have fallen to his will and eliminated the need for soldiers and resources.” Rilik paused and smiled. “I was the one that ran him through in the end. It was a glorious day indeed.”

“You killed one too? So there are only five Beings of Chaos alive?”

“Yes.”

“What about the final one?”

“Daulaz. This being hangs around the dead, feeding off the foul energy left behind. It can then use it to deal death in whatever manner it chooses. Plague, natural disaster, bodily failure, it doesn’t care.”

“It?” Garek frowned.

“It indeed.” Rilik grinned. “No one can really tell what it is under its long flowing robes and hood and I don’t think anyone wants to find out either.”

“How do you defeat something like that?”

“No idea. We never found a way.”

“Great,” Garek mumbled. “I can worry about them later, for now I need to figure out how to find the sword and kill our Lady Syn.”