Volume 1 Chapter 4 a Choice against the Inevitability

Chapter 4 a Choice against the Inevitability

I

After the final rehearsal was finished, Starsha set out for home.

However, this Grey Factory was like a maze. There were countless corridors, rooms and halls inside it.

Starsha was pretty worn out and absent-minded because of those tiring rehearsals, therefore, she lost her way carelessly and ended up finding herself standing at the corner of an alien corridor where she had ever been.

There were some pictures decorating this corridor and she got a hunch that there were something wrong about these pictures. The pictures were bloody and all of them told about the war between humans and dwarves. All kinds of broken debris of organs, scarlet blood and flying interstitial fluid were drawn on the pictures. Starsha felt disgusting when looking at it.

However, it was not what the content of the pictures which made Starsha feel something wrong. It was something else. She took out her tuning fork began to strike it. The soundwave started to resonate with the environment around her.

She had sharp ears and soon, with the help of the soundwave she created, she discovered that one of the walls with pictures were hollow, which meant that there were some secret space inside it.

With this thought, Starsha pushed the pictures with force and to her surprise, this picture-door was opened. There was a small room behind it.

“What is this place?” Starsha walked inside the room and found herself at a murky mini-dungeon.

There was a cage made of some kind of metal, probably necrite or its alloy, and inside it sat a short strong humanoid. He had long beard and his skin was rough. There were strong muscles all over his body, and he looked just like the depiction of dwarves in textbooks. Starsha could sense pure despair on his face.

“Help me, please? I don’t want to be tortured and killed here,” pleaded the dwarf.

“Wow, are you a dwarf?!” asked Starsha, her eyes widened in surprise.

“Those mad scientists are going to make me suffer! please help me get out of here,” groaned the dwarf.

“Dwarves are violent and cunning, and there are only cruelty in their twisted heart,” breathed Starsha, repeating the words which Master Mortis had said.

Starsha didn’t like Master Mortis and the Grey Factory. Twenty years ago, the army of Normanian Kingdom invaded the land of them barbarians and forced them to give their homeland to the Grey Factory.

However, Master Mortis seemingly wasn’t a bad person. He gave barbarians job opportunities and treated them well. Therefore, Starsha somehow believed in Master Mortis’ description of dwarves that they were a cruel and cunning race.

“Hey, what are you talking about?!” inquired the dwarf, his voice trembling in fear.

“You’re violent and cunning. You’re just pretending that you’re innocent. I won’t get you out of your cage. You dwarves are good at cheating and you’re fond of killing humans, aren’t you?” answered Starsha, hesitating to save the dwarf.

“Forget it. You have been brainwashed too deeply. I know that you won’t help me,” sighed the dwarf.

“What do you mean by that I have been brainwashed?” questioned Starsha.

“It’s true that dwarves can be violent sometimes and we’re cunning, but we’re not inhumane monsters. I have killed a lot of humans, but none of them are innocent. You humans are polluting and breaking this earth. You need to be stopped,” exclaimed the Dwarf.

Starsha didn’t say anything but remained silent. She hesitated. Maybe the dwarf was right and she had been deeply brainwashed by Master Mortis.

“You humans are animals of hatred. Humans must hate something. If you humans don’t hate dwarves, you will hate each other. That’s what human nature might be. To us dwarves, nothing is more evil than humans, especially Master Mortis,” growled the Dwarf, his face distorted out of anger.

“You said that Master Mortis is evil, but have you gotten any evidences?” queried Starsha.

Though Starsha didn’t trust Master Mortis either, she had heard too much stories in which the protagonist was cheated and compelled by dwarves, so she had to be prudent while dealing with a dwarf.

“Evidences? My memories are the evidences. It’s a pity that I can’t show you my memories. However, I believe that your leader, Master Mortis, must have some sort of work log in his room. If you’re able to read his work log, you will know everything,” replied the dwarf, a seemingly cunning smile on his face.

“You’re right, maybe I have been brainwashed, but I don’t trust you and I won’t get you out of here before I see any evidences,” admitted Starsha, her arms crossed.

“I understand … but act quickly please …” sighed the dwarf again.

II

It was night now, and the silver lights of the moon were struggling to make their way through the cover of smog. They shone weakly on the trees, covering them with a transparent grey layer.

There was no wind tonight, only some mild breeze was travelling through the trees. The night in the forest was extremely silent today as if everything were sleeping deeply in their dreams, preparing for what was going to happen tomorrow.

The siblings were walking quietly in the forest, the magical map of Aislina in Floria’s hands.

Soon, they arrived at the ruined village of elves.

Time seemed to have stopped flowing there. 5 years ago, they visited this place for the first time and nothing had really changed since that as if the time had been frozen in this seemingly eternal village.

No one knew how long had it been since the village was built. Elves were an ancient race and an elf could live for several centuries. The history of humans was nothing but a trifle to them, which, however, had destroyed everything they had quietly.

The trees were shaking slightly in the breeze. With dancing moonlight, they were making mourning sounds as if they were singing the laments for the remnant spirits of the ancient elves who were weeping for the upcoming end of their race.

Floria and Yanni arrived in front of the door of Aislina’s house. Yanni knocked the door and the door opened, behind which stood Aislina, a weak smile on her face.

It had been five years since they first met Aislina. Five years ago, Aislina was just little girl, but now she had really grown up. Her cerulean hair was flying in the breeze and her sapphire eyes looked like the mysterious depths beneath the oceans where everything would be drawn into.

“Hi, Aislina,” greeted the siblings.

“Hello, friends,” Aislina greeted back.

Yanni made a step forward. He was nervous and his whole body was sweating for he knew that he is a sinner to this forest because of the Cube of Necrus he helped the factory forge.

“Tomorrow is the day, Aislina. Tomorrow the Cube of Necrus will function. I know you will hate me. After all, after Master Mortis attains the power of the cube, Dream Forest will wither even faster,” muttered Yanni.

“I won’t hate you, Yanni. It’s your choice. Both you and I know deep in heart that the invention of this cube is inevitable. With or without you, Mortis would find a smith to forge it,” Aislina smiled softly.

“Thank you, Aislina, but I know I have to do something about it. I can’t stand by and watch the wilderness die,” murmured Yanni, lowering his head.

“Then do something, Yanni. Follow your heart and choose the right path,” encouraged Aislina.

“But I haven’t figured everything out yet. All those stuff are happening too fast,” sighed Yanni.

“No matter what choice you make tomorrow, I will always be your friend. I cannot blame for the inevitability, right?” Aislina reassured him.

“I know, Aislina,” whispered Yanni.

“How was the hunting recently, Floria?” asked Aislina.

“Not good. The number of wild animal keeps decreasing. The Farseer even persuades us to stop hunting to protect the balance of the eco-system. We’re not the ones who caused this, but we have to take the responsibility. What an unfair world …” answered Floria.

While they’re talking, they heard some knockings at the door.

“Who is knocking at the door?” queried Floria.

“No, I don’t know. It’s strange since only we three know this place,” replied Aislina. She seemed as confused as the siblings.

“I’ll open the door,” proposed Yanni, raising his courage.

He walked towards the door, his heart beating. He had no idea what thing was waiting outside the door. They were in the Dream Forest, where even the weirdest thing could possibly happen.

With his hands trembling, Yanni opened the door slowly and carefully. To his surprise, waiting outside the door was Starsha Deane the bard!

“Wow, Starsha!? How did you get here?” exclaimed Yanni in extreme surprise.

“I got here by following you two. By the way, what is this place? Everything looks wonderful here!” commented Starsha.

Then she saw Aislina. She was looking at Starsha confusedly and Starsha was looking confused at her as well.

“Wow, who are you!? You’re so beautiful! Look at your hair. Did you dye it blue, or is it the original colour of your hair?” inquired Starsha, her eyes wide in surprise.

“Umm, it’s the original colour” responded Aislina, her face reddened.

“Who are you actually? A secret friend of Floria and Yanni, cool! Why do you live in the forest alone? Are you a human or some kind of mythological creature? Well, I have read a lot of fairy tales about fantasy creatures in the forest and I believe that some of them may be real,” Starsha asked a bunch of question with a curious look on her face.

“I am not a human and I am an elf,” answered Aislina, blinking shyly.

“An elf! That’s hellishly cool! The fairy tales are real! I shall write a song about it! Are there other elves living with you? This village seems empty and ruined,” questioned Starsha.

“No, there are no other elves. I am the last elf in this world. My race will go extinct after I die,” sighed Aislina.

“Extinct …” breathed Starsha. The smile on her face disappeared when hearing the word “extinct”. Master Mortis had said this word too. He wanted to make the dwarves extinct.

“By the way, I was going to tell you two something important before I found you two sneaking into this Dream Forest,” purred Starsha.

“What did you want to tell us?” inquired Floria.

“I find a secret room of Master Mortis. There’s a dwarf inside that secret room and I’m sure he is hiding something from the public and us,” explained Starsha, “I want to find his secrets. But I can’t do it alone because it can be extremely dangerous, thus I need help.

The moon kept rising and it was nearly midnight now. Everything was becoming dark and the forest was also blackened by the darkness. Suddenly heavy wind began to sweep through the forest, shaken by which, even the tallest and strongest trees were trembling with their leaves screaming.

A storm was coming. Murkiness was gathering in the Grey Factory. Inside the furnace workshop, the Cube of Necrus was trembling too. The hearth fire had been turned completely blue right now. It was neither the blue of the sky or the blue of the sea… It was the blue of obscenity.

A storm was coming. It would be a disaster which would change the whole world. The balance between Life and civilization would be broken and wickedness would rule this world, at the centre of which the Cube of Necrus would power everything evil up, all of which in its domination …

III

When they left Dream Forest, it had been midnight.

The pale moon was hanging high upon the starless night sky. And the Camp of Wildshadow Tribe was drowned deeply in silence. Everyone was sleeping. Maybe they were travelling in sweet dreams, or maybe they were now haunted by dreadful nightmares.

However, Floria, Starsha and Yanni were not sleeping. They were on a quest against the Grey Factory. Aislina didn’t come with them because she wasn’t a guest in the Grey Factory. Taking her along with them would make them look suspicious. However, she would wait for them outside the factory.

For sure they knew that their parents were going to worry about them, but they had no choice. They had to do it, especially Yanni, for whom it was a chance for his redemption. Although he only made a small contribution to constructing the cube, he still felt guilty.

“Wait!” just as they were about to set out for the Grey Factory, someone called on them.

It was the Farseer. She was the mother of Starsha. She was dressed in clothes made from animal skin and wearing a red painted mask.

“Hi, mom,” greeted Starsha embarrassedly.

“Where are you going at such late night, kids?” questioned the Farseer.

“We’re going to the Grey Factory,” answered Starsha. She didn’t lie because her mother could always see the truth. It was quite easy for her mother of wisdom to judge if someone was lying.

“You’re going to do something against Master Mortis, right?” asked the Farseer.

“Yes, we are,” admitted Starsha, her head lowered.

“Master Mortis is a dangerous man to cross. Although all people in our tribes are excellent archers or warriors, we still lost the fight against Normanian Kingdom two years ago because the army of the kingdom was enhanced by the necrology of the Grey Factory. Therefore, be careful please. May the force of Life be with you, my daughter,” warned the Farseer.

Even though she was wearing a mask, Starsha could still see her worried expression.

“We will be careful, mom. You don’t need to worry about us,” promised Starsha.

“And Yanni, I always persuaded you to stop working for the Grey Factory, but I have to admit that the whole tribe could have probably starved to death if you really took my advice and left the factory. Anyway, you have walked back to the righteous path now. Therefore, may the force of Life be with you too,” encouraged the Farseer.

Then the three adventurers set out, marching towards the Grey Factory while the Farseer stayed put, her eyes on her daughter’s retreating figure. Even in such a murky night, the Grey Factory was still brightly lit, as the production line in the Grey Factory lasted for 24 hours a day.

In contrast to the factory which looked like a huge black monster, the adventurers looked extremely small.

“Wow, it’s so cool! Hellishly cool!” exclaimed Starsha feverishly.

“What did you mean?” asked Floria.

“Look, we’re on an adventure. And it’s not a normal quest, but an epic one. We’re like ancient heroes forming a team to fight against the evil,” explained Starsha.

“Yeah, but to be honest, we’re not real heroes. We’re just a bunch of kids,” smiled Yanni.

“No, only you’re a kid. You’re only 17, but Floria and I are adults now. So we’re not a bunch of kids. We’re a bunch of … uh … to be precise two adults and their sidekick kid,” grinned Starsha.