V1 C10 - The Shadow Tombs Above Cliff's Edge

After travelling south for nine days, David and Rebecca were almost at Cliff’s Edge, the village closest to the Shadow Tombs.

It lay less than a hundred metres from the steep stone steps up to the fabled ruin and was roughly fifty miles away from the city of Black Port.

The journey had been a silent and uncomfortable one for both David and Rebecca.

Rebecca was too terrified of him to say anything, whereas David didn’t know what to say to ease her nerves and try to connect with her.

If he looked at her, she looked away.

If he moved, she flinched.

I’d hoped she and Eva would’ve tried to be a little friendly to me after I said they could call me Allaric, but I guess not. It’s not my real name, but it’s my name in this world.

It was only then that David realised why they didn’t try talking to him.

They had only seen the worst of him - the ruthless and cruel tyrant.

No wonder she hasn’t tried to talk to me!

When they’d slept out in the wilderness, Rebecca had asked to sleep alone outside, but David made her stay in the carriage. Then, he teleported back to his bedroom to sleep, sending a few Machai back through to protect and monitor Rebecca.

When he woke in the morning, he’d teleport back, send the Machai home, and then they’d resume their journey.

David had considered letting Rebecca return with him, but he didn’t want to make that offer just yet.

If Rebecca still has any intention to betray me, then I’d rather she tried to defy me early on in our ‘partnership’. I don’t want to hurt her, but my family’s safety comes first.

Much to his relief, Rebecca hadn’t shown even the smallest signs of rebellion, nor had she tried to escape.

That was how their journey had been for nine days until the Raven spotted the village in the distance.

“Disguise me.”

The Raven muttered a few quiet words and, an instant later, David’s appearance changed into that of Anthony Kelsey, a sight which made Rebecca’s skin crawl.

It was the first time in their journey that she’d looked at him.

“It must be a convincing illusion to make you react like that.” He frowned. “Even my voice changed?”

“Yes, your majesty. This spell will keep your noble self hidden for the next four hours.”

“...I see.”

If I have that much time, then I could get us a room at an inn and then go exploring for a while. I can actually take a break from being the Demon Emperor!

“How often would you be able to cast this spell, Raven?”

“Only once a day on other people, your majesty.”

“…I see.”

Damn - that’s annoying. He grunted and looked at Rebecca. When isn’t it stressful being the Demon Emperor?

After building up her courage, Rebecca, for the first time in their long journey, asked David a single question.

“…Your majesty, what happened to my parents?”

David broke his gaze from her and stared out of the window.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the complicated, and pained, expression on Rebecca’s face.

Her tormentors were dead.

***

When Mímir told David about Cliff’s Edge, and how close it lay to the Shadow Tombs, David imagined a fortress town with hundreds of soldiers and a heavy atmosphere.

However, the village was anything but that.

It was a normal, peaceful village bustling with life, even with hundreds of adventurers and members of the Holy Legion stationed there.

The Holy Legionnaires were all wearing steel plate armour, carrying large metal shields and spears, and they all had swords strapped to their waists. Every single soldier David saw was wearing almost the exact same suit of armour, aside from the family crests on their shields and some of the soldier’s helmets had angelic wings above the ears, denoting them as either knights or officers.

No one seems even slightly worried about the undead at their doorstep.

The Raven stopped the carriage outside the large inn, opened the doors and the two Kelseys stepped out.

“Driver, stay with the carriage,” David ordered, handing Rebecca her suitcase. “Let’s go.”

“…At once, my lord,” Rebecca muttered.

I really hope people believe that I’m her dad, otherwise we might have some trouble.

He opened the door for Rebecca and followed her in.

As they entered the spacious, yet homely tavern, they were approached by a man with short blonde hair, a roughly trimmed beard with green eyes dressed in patched clothing.

“Welcome travellers, the name’s Nate. How can I help you lovely people?”

Wow, he’s very friendly.

“My name is Anthony and this is my daughter, Rebecca,” David said, smiling politely. Rebecca did a small curtsy behind him. “We were hoping to get a room here tonight, if you have any available.”

“We have plenty of rooms, sir. Just the two of you?” David nodded. Then, Nate quietly asked, “No guards, my lord?”

David’s eyes widened a little, but then he reassuringly smiled at Nate. “I’ve long since learnt that it’s best to keep guards hidden in case someone was to try something, friend.” David then nodded to a random person behind Nate. “We’ll be just fine.”

Nate glanced over his shoulder, saw a heavily armoured adventurer that David was looking at, then grinned. “Understood, sir. A room for two. Single beds or-?”

“Two singles.” David planted twenty Rhams on the table. “I take it that won’t be a problem?”

“Of course not, sir. Mellissa!” Nate beckoned over a woman with flowing ginger hair. “Would you please take these bags up to room six, dear?”

Dear?

Mellissa smiled and nodded. “Will do. A pleasure to meet you, dear guests. I’m Mellissa, this idiot’s wife.”

“Hey now, not in front of the guests,” Nate jokingly chided making Mellissa giggle. “How many bags do you have, sir?”

“Just the one. Rebecca.” Rebecca nodded timidly and handed her suitcase to Mellissa. “Feel free to get settled into the room, Rebecca. I’ll be up in a while.”

Rebecca didn’t respond as Mellissa escorted her upstairs. Once the women were gone, Nate asked, “Is she really your daughter, sir?”

“She is. And that’s a rather bold thing to ask someone you know is a noble.”

Nate chuckled, leant in close and said, “You’d be surprised, sir, just how many noblemen like to pop down here on ‘business’ with their mistresses. We got so many of them my wife and I turned our biggest bedroom into one befitting of such regal gentlemen.”

David laughed with Nate. “I see. Well, I can assure you that I won’t need that. We both wanted to get away from home for a while, so we decided to come and take a small vacation down here at Black Port.”

“Were you worried about those murders in Stonefall, sir?”

“…Yes. Our estate is in the city and, bless her heart, Rebecca got scared that something like that might happen to us. So, in order to help her relax, I organised this trip south. It’s a terrifying prospect to imagine, isn’t it?”

“That it is, sir, but still no reports of anything like that happening to travellers yet. May Themis keep it that way.”

“Indeed. I take it nothing like that’s happened down this way?”

“No, sir. Cliff’s Edge hasn’t had a murder in years. Last time was a jealous lover who pushed a man off the rocks and into the sea. Horrible thing, but no one’s dared since.”

“I’m guessing that’s because of the number of soldiers and adventurers that are always in the village.”

Nate nodded proudly. “Some people hate it, but I love that they’re here. Nice to be able to go to sleep every night knowing there’s a small army just outside your door ready to protect you.”

David smiled sadly at the man as his wife came downstairs and re-joined them. “…I imagine it must be.”

***

After continuing his conversation with Nate and Mellissa for another half an hour, David checked up on Rebecca in their bedroom; then, he went out into the village to explore.

It was the first chance David had truly had to unwind and relax since becoming the Demon Emperor, and he wasn’t going to waste it.

Here, in a village where no one knew his name, David could be himself.

He could enjoy himself and he could be free of the stress of acting as the Demon Emperor.

With the money he’d taken from the Kelseys, David bought food and little trinkets for himself, then he went window shopping and spent time with the friendlier locals. He even played a short game of a sport that resembled football with a group of children who invited him to play.

When was the last time I felt like this? David slowly brought his feet to a stop as time crawled to a halt in his mind. I shouldn’t think like that. Forget everything you’ve seen and done today. In a few weeks, this will all be gone.

Remember, they aren’t people.

They’re NPCs…that’s all.

David’s eyes wandered from face to face.

Every single one seemed to be full of joy.

His mind drifted back to his pleasant chat with Nate and Mellissa.

David forced his eyes closed.

That’s all.

***

Just like their journey, David and Rebecca sat in a silence that was only broken by the quiet sounds of them eating.

Nate was happy to bring their meals to their room which David was grateful for.

Once they were done, Rebecca placed the plates outside whilst David secured the room. He drew the curtains closed, dragged a wardrobe in front of them and then finally placed a chest of draws in front of the door.

It’s not much a barrier, but it’d slow down an intruder and make enough noise to wake us up. It also makes it harder for Rebecca to sneak out if she tried to. We have an ensuite toilet, so she can’t use that as an excuse either.

Even with the Raven on the roof, David didn’t take any chances when it came to his safety.

He was hundreds of miles from his castle, his generals and his soldiers. He might have been confident in his own strength, but he didn’t know how strong the adventurers and soldiers in the village were.

While it was highly unlikely that Rebecca would betray David, he didn’t know if Rebecca deemed her life and those of her servants as necessary sacrifices to save Black Port.

“Lady Rebecca, before you retire, I wish to go over the plan once more before the morning.”

Rebecca weakly nodded at him.

“Before dawn breaks, we’ll head to the Shadow Tombs and arrive there before first light. If things go as planned, our task should be completed by noon; then, we’ll return to the carriage, travel for an hour or so and then teleport back to the castle. I shouldn’t need to remind you of this, but do not try to interfere with my plans.”

“…I understand, your majesty.”

Please don’t show me such a sad expression, Rebecca.

He clicked his tongue and turned away from her.

“As long as you understand. Get some rest. The Raven will wake us when it’s time to go.”

Rebecca nodded, went into the bathroom to change into her evening wear and then climbed under her covers. Just before she blew out the candle by her bed, she whispered, “Goodnight” so softly that David barely heard it.

***

For weeks, Rebecca’s mind had been overwhelmed by doubts, so many in fact that she had headaches every single day.

Even when she had been left alone all day in their room, Rebecca’s mind hadn’t settled.

What am I doing?

Do you really have to order the destruction of a city?

Why do you have to kill so many innocent people?

Why is it that you only showed mercy to us and no one else?

Why won’t you show mercy to the people of Black Port?

Why didn’t you try to find another way of testing the Empire’s strength?

Couldn’t you just attack a fortress instead?

Wasn’t it enough to fight my family’s guards to test your strength?

What is it that drives you to do this?

Why are you doing this?

Ever since that first night, Rebecca had wanted to ask that question above all else after Mania spoke so passionately about the Demon Emperor’s plans.

His own people called him the Dark Lord and they were ruthless, cruel, mechanical and heartless.

They would torture and kill people without batting an eye.

What they’d done the night Castle Kelsey fell.

What Mania was doing in Stonefall.

What the Demon Emperor planned to do to Cliff’s Edge and Black Port.

She’d forced her vomit down every single time.

It wasn’t the brutality itself that disgusted Rebecca so much; it was the fact that their actions reminded her of her parents.

It reminded her of the horrific bodies of the discarded servants, of the vicious torture her parents forced her to watch to teach her a listen, and of the suffocating oppression she felt inside her own home.

It’s almost like they’re still alive. Rebecca winced and curled into a ball beneath her covers.

The only thing that’s changed are the victims.

***

When David was sure Rebecca was asleep, he turned over to look at her.

She looked more fragile than usual.

David felt his heart twist.

He could hear her uneasy breathing and saw the way her body quivered with fear.

It was a reaction he expected and deserved, but David had genuinely hoped that at least Rebecca or a servant wouldn’t treat him like a monster.

But everyone did.

He recalled how frightened Eva was in every council meeting and the way some servants would prostrate themselves as he walked by, fearing the consequences if they didn’t.

…It was too much to hope for one friend among the humans at the castle.

***

Two hours before dawn broke, David, Rebecca and the Raven ventured out and made their way up the steep stone steps toward the Shadow Tombs.

When they finally arrived at the entrance, the sun had started to rise and a few beams of sunlight illuminated the necropolis before them.

It was just as gigantic and intimidating as he’d imagined, right down to the way the thick fog in the air made his skin crawl. The gravestones and tombs outside of the main structure were withered and old, and there were bones scattered everywhere.

Among the field of bones were corpses, some appeared very old given how much they’d rotted, whereas others seemed to be fresher, maybe only a day or two old.

Rebecca covered her mouth and shut her eyes, but it was too late and she threw up behind them. The Raven remained as calm as ever; David, however, was struggling to stop himself from doing what Rebecca had.

This is the reality of what I’m doing, David closed his mouth as tightly as he could and started doing breathing exercises to calm his body down. If I can’t stomach a scene like this, then how the hell am I going to be able to give the order to destroy Black Port?

“…Let’s go.”

The Raven nodded, took Rebecca’s hand and the three of them slowly walked towards the main castle. David locked his gaze on a broken part of the wall near the main gate, and kept walking. Rebecca’s eyes were still closed, leaving only the Raven to keep an eye out for threats.

David could sense that there were a handful of skeletons and zombies stirring in the fields around them, but they were no concern to him.

He knew that he was more than enough to handle the undead.

“Your majesty, shall we deal with the undead here?”

“There’s no need,” David stopped in front of the gates to the castle, turned around and raised a hand towards the field of bones. “They will handle the other undead.”

A black and purple magic circle formed before David’s palm from which mana started to pour. It slithered across the ground and wrapped itself around every bone and corpse. Skeletons and zombies rose up from the ground with a purple aura around them.

“Destroy them.”

David’s undead immediately descended upon the others, destroying all other monsters at the Shadow Tombs.

“I am, once again, in awe of your power, your majesty.”

“Your flattery is unnecessary. My powers are not public knowledge and will remain as such, I assume?”

“Of course, your majesty!”

“Lady Rebecca?”

With a slight jump, Rebecca timidly opened her eyes and looked up at the Demon Emperor staring down at her.

“…I won’t say a word.”

“Good. Then, let us proceed.”

David threw a powerful kick at the gates, blowing them off their hinges with ease.

He could’ve easily opened the doors or just walked through the holes in the walls, but David wanted to remind Rebecca and the Raven of his strength.

After what happened in Stonefall, some at the Dread Keep need another reminder not to defy me.

David scowled and bit his lip. I can’t let them put me or my family in any more danger than they already have.

His companions timidly followed David into the tombs to the deepest part of the castle, its crypts, where lines of unopened coffins lay. They had been sealed with magic runes and, based on the scratch and scorch marks around the room, many had failed to open them.

“Are these the undead we are after, your majesty?”

“Perhaps.” David raised his hand up again and conjured the magic circle he had used earlier. “If Nate’s theory is right, then there are some mages here that we could revive as liches to raise an undead army for us. Then, there would be no need for any one of us to do the process ourselves.”

David’s mana poured across the room and attacked the magic seals, breaking them easily before slithering inside.

Then, the coffins began to shake.

Cracks appeared in the stone before the coffins eventually exploded into tiny pieces, revealing the skeletons dressed in torn clothes holding rotting, wooden magical staves inside. One by one, the freshly raised liches clambered onto their feet, then dropped onto one knee before David and lowered their heads to him.

“We serve the Dark Lord!” They said in unison, their sickly, creepy voices echoing throughout the chamber.

“As expected of your majesty! I have never seen someone raise twenty liches at once before.”

That’s hardly a surprise when you aren’t even a year old, Raven.

“You there,” David said, pointing at the lich he sensed to be the strongest. “You will be the lich king of this castle and command the others in my stead whenever I’m not here. Understood?”

The lich with a long, black beard with spiderwebs in it, looked up and bowed to David. “I graciously accept, my liege.”

“Excellent. Then, hear my words and follow my orders to the letter. You have one month to raise an undead horde of at least thirty thousand strong and then march on the trade city of Black Port. You are to slaughter everyone inside the walls, raise them as undead, occupy the city, then terrorise the areas within five miles of Black Port.

“You are not, I repeat not, to go further than five miles from Black Port until further notice. Then, once that area is under your control, you will take a few hundred undead back here with fifteen other liches and then continue raising undead. You will not leave the Shadow Tombs again until I order you to do otherwise. Is that understood?”

“Yes, Dark Lord!”

“Then, why are you still kneeling here?”

The liches bowed once more, then quickly departed for the main chamber to begin their preparations for David’s army.

Soon, we’ll see just how strong the Holy Empire really is.

***

I wasn’t able to stop him.

Right before her eyes, the person who had freed her and her servants from her parents, was ordering the slaughter of thousands without batting an eye.

She knew, deep down, that there was nothing that she could possibly say or do that would make the Demon Emperor change his mind, but that didn’t ease the pain grasping her heart.

Why don’t I have the courage to say anything again?

Rebecca had a small hope when the Demon Emperor had taken over her home that maybe he wouldn’t be as cruel as her parents had been and that Castle Kelsey might become a slightly safer place for her and the servants.

At the cost of her freedom and in order to protect the servants, Rebecca had to bear witness to the crimes that the Demon Emperor would commit and she wouldn’t be able to stop them.

She could’ve tried telling someone about him and his plans, or maybe have a servant leak the information in Stonefall, but she knew it wouldn’t be of any use.

Rebecca was too scared to even try to stop him.

She might have been freed from her parents, but she wasn’t free from the chains that bound her.

I might not be able to save these people, but there must be something I can do to try and save some people from the Demon Emperor. Even if I had no choice in the matter, I am a co-conspirator of the Demon Emperor and a member of his council.

If I have to walk down this path, then the least I can do is try to save as many people as I can and, to do that, I need to change. If he was willing to spare us, then perhaps he would be willing to spare other people.

Rebecca steeled herself and firmly looked upon the back of the Demon Emperor.

I will break free from these chains and do everything I can do to save as many people as possible by your side, Lord Allaric.