Chapter 19: Old Friends

-10 MONTHS REMAIN-

It took a moment for the realization to set in. They had unknowingly run into someone’s house. Everything had just happened so fast that they didn’t have time to really think. They were in a town full of mindless zombies where every house had been abandoned except for this one. And now they stood a few feet away from a total stranger, one who seemed way too calm for the situation at hand.

“General Roseingrave!” Ulric said, startled. He dropped to his knee as a sign of respect. Seeing this, Miryam curtsied to show the same respect. Aurora stood straight with her arms crossed.

“Please, Ulric. There’s no need for formalities here. You may call me Noah.”

“Yes, Noah… Sir.” Ulric awkwardly stood back up.

“Noah? Noah!” Aurora pieced together something that sparked a deep-seated rage within her. “I have half a mind to rip you-“ Ulric covered her mouth before she could continue. Noah gave them a curious look.

“Don’t mind her, sir. She has familial ties with the military.”

“Ah. I see.” Noah smiled. He uncaringly turned another page in his book. “You still haven’t introduced them, Ulric my boy.”

“Right.” Ulric cleared his throat. “The young girl is Miryam. And my polite, respectful, and most importantly quiet friend here is Aurora.” He punctuated every adjective for Aurora. To make his point extra clear he gave her a look that only grew more intense as he spoke. Aurora got the message and took a step back, throwing her arms up as if to surrender.

“Splendid! Well, ladies, as you may have guessed my name is Noah Roseingrave; Ulric’s former general.” He had a very chipper attitude. Aurora felt that was more unsettling than whatever was happening outside. Everything about this man just felt off. This was supposed to be the man that ruined her father’s life. Yet he was so cheerful that Aurora had a hard time believing they were the same person. She studied the man trying to figure something, anything, out about him. But she had nothing. She couldn’t even pin down his age.

“Former?” Ulric asked.

“Yes, Ulric, former. Abandoning your post will do that.” Ulric flushed and stumbled back slightly. Noah giggled at his panic. “It’s alright Ulric, I’m sure you had your reasons. Besides, if I court martial’d every criminal under my command I wouldn’t have much of an army now would I?” Ulric let out a sigh of relief, but he didn’t feel much better. “I’m just happy you decided to move on and find a girl to take care of you.” He gestured towards him and Aurora. Ulric’s face turned bright red. The man got flustered easily but Aurora had never seen him like this.

“No no! It’s not like that! We’re just friends!”

“Yeah I’m not the romantic type, but even so Ulric isn’t the kind of person I’d date.” Noah chuckled again.

“Sigh. I was holding out hope that you weren’t a lost cause, Ulric.” He smiled playfully. “What brings you around here anyhow?” He flipped to another page.

“We were just in the area when we came across this town.” Ulric didn’t know how to explain his quest or the events leading up to it. Frankly he didn’t want Noah to know. “Which that begs the question on why are you here? Shouldn’t you be out commanding the army?”

“I live here, silly.” He responded nonchalantly. He didn’t look up at Ulric or the rest of the party; he just continued to read his book. Aurora was starting to get curious on what it was. “I got promoted and I’m on leave until I get my official reassignment. It’s part of the reason why I’m not in charge of you anymore. They say I might get to lead a few steel suns. Which reminds me, abandoning your post isn’t the only crime you’ve committed, Ulric. You and your friends have found yourself in a bit of trouble.” Ulric froze. The room grew tense. Noah eyed the party and they eyed him. Nobody spoke. Nobody moved. Nobody dared to do anything. Eventually Noah let out a snort. “I’m just kidding, Ulric! Gods you take everything too seriously.” Ulric again let out a sigh of relief. “Do you and your friends want some tea?”

“I’m sorry.” Miryam finally spoke up. “Are we going to ignore the obvious?”

“What do you mean, dear?” Noah asked, still smiling.

“Outside! The zombies! Why are they here? What happened to this town? Why aren’t they coming inside? Why do you not seem to care?” Her outburst sent a shiver down Ulric’s spine. Not so much her directly, although he hadn’t seen her get that upset before. No, he was more nervous about how Noah might react.

“Right. Them.” Noah closed his book for the first time. Aurora tried to catch a glimpse of the cover, but Noah was covering it with his hand. “To be honest my dear, it’s a matter I only feel comfortable discussing with Ulric. But long story short, they know not to come in here. Not unless I say so.” The answer didn’t exactly make Miryam feel better. Sensing the importance of such a conversation, Aurora made her move.

“Mind if we help ourselves to some tea?” Aurora said. She shuffled behind Miryam and grabbed her shoulders. “Ulric can stay here and you two can catch up.” She forced a smile and it became apparent again just how bad her acting was.

“What a wonderful idea!” Noah exclaimed. “Kitchen is just down the hall.” He waved his hand.

“We won’t be long.” Aurora said with a slight bow. “Come on Miryam.” Despite her initial protest, Aurora forced Miryam to come with her. That just left Ulric alone with Noah. He smiled fondly at the knight. Aurora ignored the kitchen and went straight to exploring the rest of the house.

“Miss Vale, what are we doing?” Miryam asked nervously.

“Snooping, obviously.” Aurora answered bluntly. Miryam tried to formulate a response, some question of what or why, but the words got caught in her throat. “Look, this guy is obviously hiding somewhere. It seems he’s comfortable enough with Ulric to share it with him directly. But in case he doesn’t I want to find answers on my own.” Miryam groaned but she didn’t protest further. She helped Aurora sift through Noah’s possessions. His house was filled with oddities. Every inch of it seemed to feature some form of taxidermy. Preserved specimens in either mounts or jars littered the house. Aurora soon stumbled upon a bookshelf. To her it was like a gold mine. Dozens of books on various topics, some magical and some scientific. Alchemy, anatomy, bio electricity, necromancy. Every book covered at least one of these topics. Aurora flipped through the alchemy books, but it was all rudimentary stuff. Things she already knew. She took a strange pleasure in knowing she was smarter than him in that regard. Miryam came across some religious texts. She skimmed them, seeing if she knew any of the myths told. Unfortunately, it was all unfamiliar to her. She hadn’t even heard mentions of religious beliefs like these. The great cleanse. The god killer. The destroyer of the divine. The exterminator. The rat. The two of them kept searching. Meanwhile Ulric unwillingly listened to Noah.

“I’m one step closer you know.” He started. “To achieving my dream.” Ulric looked at him puzzled. “They listen to my commands. They don’t ever disobey. And they’re ruthlessly efficient. My perfect little soldiers. All it took was a little sacrifice.”

“What are you-“ He cut Ulric off.

“Did you ever wonder why you never saw any enemy bodies? Did you ever wonder why you never saw the bodies of your comrades? Sure, you watched them die, some by your own hand, but did you ever see them after the fact?” Ulric paused. What was happening? Why was he being so direct? Ulric’s heart raced. He tightened his grip on a weapon that wasn’t there. “Any funeral we had the body was either already buried or we had a closed casket. And the enemy troops? Well, I’m sure you never saw them bury their dead. Why do you think that is?” His posture was different. He wasn’t casual anymore. He was cold. Cold as he usually was. Ulric tried to forget that look in his eyes. That look wasn’t human. It was something else. Something sinister.

“Miss Vale, I think I found something.” Miryam called out. Aurora soon joined her down the hall, carrying some of the books from Noah’s shelves. The two of them stood in front of a partially cracked open door. Inside it was dark, but they could both see a set of stairs that led downwards. A basement. A faint smell wafted from below. Something putrid. Miryam covered her nose as Aurora cracked the door open more. Along with the smell they also noticed a soft humming. A female voice coming from the darkness. Aurora and Miryam gave each other a look before descending the steps together.

“Bodies don’t just disappear, Ulric, as much as we’d like them to.” Noah continued. “No. No, they sit and they rot. They become useless. Great, honorable men reduced to dust. We can change that, Ulric. We don’t need to keep ourselves bound to senseless traditions. Our obsessions. We can push humanity further, surpass our enemies, and take what is rightfully ours.” He began to laugh to himself. Ulric found himself backing away.

“You’re using a lot of we talk for someone who knows my stance on these things. I opposed your beliefs then, what makes you think I won’t oppose them now?” Ulric managed to maintain an air of confidence in his voice. Noah almost couldn’t tell he was shaking. Almost.

“Because Ulric, you’re already one of my greatest creations. You’re already a puppet on my string.”