Meanwhile, within the Inner Earth…
Dark serenity is an enigma designed to perplex mankind, to which none are spared from its ill effects when confronted with it. The conniving Mathias had set yet another one his daily meeting with his thrall William within the same temple as always, one that was almost exclusively used for their frequent 'discussions'. It was otherwise used solely for deep meditation sessions for the Critterman race.
The dark serenity would prove eerie for poor William, as the dreaded anticipation for confronting the man who was harder to read than text written in a foreign language was nearly unbearable at this point. Today, however, he'd do his best to achieve any inclination about his tainted markings; the black, staining tattoos that clogged his judgment and left him feeling increasingly perplexed as each day passed, stacking weight upon his fractured soul. He'd hope, as he sat there in the center of a dimly lit void, that the word games wouldn't be akin to pagans dancing around hellish fire. He knew from the years of experiencing these confrontations that he'd have to be equally careful with his words as Mathias always was, and twice as cunning, if not moreso. Above all else, he had to be stronger than ever before, to fortify his faltering will.
As though sitting in a void of uncertainty, a hellish purgatory where time didn't exist, and reality was truly an enigma, the massive thrall waited in agonizing anticipation for Mathias's arrival. He wasn't sure exactly how long it had been since he entered the massive structure, nor how many breaths he had made while he sat in utter silence. It was a habit he picked up long ago to try and judge how long he awaited Mathias to meet him here. It usually took around 120 breaths before he arrived, but he had lost count while chasing the thoughts in his mind to make sense of his abundant fears. The underground environment also took its toll on his internal clock, which drove many in his position mad. Plenty of humans accustomed to the surface were not spared from its ill effects, but thankfully, William was more used to it than most.
Eventually, as though not a separate entity from the seclusive madness, Mathias appeared seemingly out of nowhere, without a sound or a shimmer of light; stepping out of thin air before the seated thrall. William slowly brought his tired gaze up to meet his owners', which was dull yet focused. As he took his seat on the cold, sheen floor, William closed his eyes for a moment, praying to his God under his breath for things to go his way for a change. Mathias casually groaned as he took his seat, before letting out a single exhale, as he was now comfortable enough to begin the session. His voice resonated and filled the space of the chamber with a reverberating echo.
"It is good to see you again, dear William. I must say, the time spent between last night's session was full of productivity on my end. How have you been since we last spoke?"
William slowly opened his heavy eyelids like stones reliant on every ounce of his brute strength. He took a moment to breathe deeply before he grumbled his first words. His voice too echoed deeply and with noticeable bass, albeit considerably faint in comparison.
"You could say that. No day passes without arduous labor."
Mathias nodded genuinely. "Such is the state of mankind these days. It is hard to assume that we will ever be left with time to relax. It's hard work that keeps us going, alongside mortality that most of us are plagued with."
William didn't like how the latter of that statement was delivered from his toxic mouth, nor did he immediately understand due to the lack of context. "You say that as though there are those without such universal standards."
"Death is a purely human construct." Said Mathias with forethought, "The standards may be different for that small minority, but that doesn't mean there aren't alternative motivations to living life that is extended beyond the traditional norms."
For a moment, William thought he knew what Mathias was talking about. "You must be talking of your pagan Gods." He said with a spit.
Mathias's eyes twinkled as they stared restlessly into William's. "They are not without their humanity, nor are those who I actually refer to."
Something ominous was being referred to, lacking the same level of calculated choice of words William was used to. Something was already wrong, if not merely different, with this conversation compared to any other they've had prior. William felt a sudden chill that nearly splintered his bones down to the marrow.
"What is this? You sound like you have something to tell me. Something serious."
A subtle yet chronic grin slithered upon Mathias's cold face. "Let's just say that the ball has finally begun to roll, and it's collecting a noticeable amount of snow as it speeds down the mountainside. Perhaps no one else could understand what I have to vent, and I know how inconsequential it would be if I did so with you. So, here we are."
The icy anxiety melted from searing hot rage, as William's words failed to escape his lips, and his eyes widened noticeably, enough to make Mathias nearly burst out laughing.
"What's the matter? I thought you would be relieved to learn something, or anything at all, about what goes on where the sun truly shines."
"You… What are you planning? What have you done?"
Mathias sneered jovially. "Why, I'm merely following in the footsteps of my predecessor. I haven't an idea as to where he is or what he has done since he departed from where these 'Demons', as you call them, hail from. But if there's anyone who can at least pretend to know what he's created, and in turn, discovered, why, I don't think there would be any individual better at doing so than myself."
William's eyes narrowed, and his voice quivered with reluctant spite. "Your ego is unrivaled, that much is certain. You must be aiming for the downfall of mankind, from the insights of fallen angels. Such magic is not meant for mortal men, and you are no Saint in that department."
Mathias's tone turned serious. "Magic couldn't begin to rival what we have created. Call it what you will, but the old ways of seeing life and death are, at best, nothing short of primordial. Your religion, and all others, only provide a glimpse into what I've come to understand. Vague, limited, and equally disillusioning, they do nothing more than keep other societies barely functional compared to that of the Balderklan."
"You're a madman!" Exclaimed William in a hoarse tone. While not understanding exactly what he was referring to, he only assumed the worst to save himself from feeling optimistic hope. After all, nothing from any of their prior sessions had given William any confidence that proved Mathias was up to anything less than sinister.
"I am not grounded on ignorance, William." Sighed Mathias, "I am fortified by first hand experience with what you call 'divine'. Say what you must, since your God thrives on maintaining your ignorance for the sake of false devotion. Test your will against mine, and see what happens in consequence. Let me remind you; you are stuck here, and there is nothing you can do to hinder the avalanche of progress. Universal understandings must be pushed to their limits in order to solidify their truths and ways of operating."
William's voice became considerably fortified in tone. "You think I'm helpless? That I will just stand by as you create the downfall of humanity?"
"Prove me wrong, then. Do what you must to stop the inevitable. It will only prove me right, and in turn, the one who made it all possible, who aimed to prove it all wrong."
William suddenly felt a sense of strength that made the crust of his weariness flake off his entire being. He rose to his feet and grabbed Mathias by the neck, easily lifting him up off the ground. His grip was as solid as tempered iron, and his rage was hotter than a roaring furnace. As Mathias gripped William's forearm shakily and his legs dangled limp, his smile only grew as he struggled in vain against the brute strength of one of England's finest men. The grip around his neck made it increasingly hard to talk, but he did manage to say something despite the one sided display of strength.
"If you think killing me will stop things… heh… you're more ignorant than I assumed."
William was well prepared to set things right by snapping his frail neck, but something kept him from doing so right then and there, despite all the sincere hatred. It was this very hatred that he took awareness of, and he relished in this moment of superiority that he had not felt in such a long time. Not even beating other warriors and thralls in the arena could compare to this feeling. He had him, in his hands, wanting ever so badly to snuff out the embers before they grew into a wildfire. He felt that doing this, here and now, would truly be the best thing not only for his people, but for humanity as a whole. He had to do it. Who else would? Who else could?
As William contemplated, Mathias took advantage of the situation and suddenly slipped out of his grip, sliding through his fingers thanks to the Frequency Shifters that his Drive provided him. He'd then pull out a seax from his belt and jab it directly into William's side, causing him to bellow out from the sharp pain. He'd twist the blade and sunk it all the way in, the hilt flush with his skin, and as William went to retaliate, Mathias would maneuver seamlessly around the swing of his fist and pushed an open palm into the blade, still stuck in his side, and unleashed a potent blast of Lifeblood, sending the massive thrall far into the distance, causing him to roll several times over before he coughed up thick, dark red blood and crumbled to the ground.
William was more than caught off guard by this, and felt stupid for not seeing this coming. All that rage had blinded him from thinking in a calculated manner, and his distracting thoughts only made this situation more difficult for him to come out on top. He should have done it while he had the chance, but now, he knew such an opportunity would never come again.
Mathias cracked his neck by turning his head to either side as he looked over at the defeated thrall. "Don't worry, I intentionally missed any vitals that'd cause you any serious harm. I'm quite handy with a blade, you see. "
Said Mathias, as he casually approached him. William yanked the blade out while gritting his teeth, tossing it out and far away from him before he brought his hand to his side and continued coughing. The blast of Lifeblood knocked the wind out of him, as blood dribbled out through the wrappings covering his mouth. He found it considerably difficult to breathe. Due to these factors, he would teater on the brink of blacking out, before Mathias bent down in front of him and picked his chin up with an index finger so their eyes could meet once more.
"I can't risk losing you right now, William. Consider it yet another reminder of your place in our society. Like it or not, you're a part of our clan, and are still integral to my goals."
William weakly stared into Mathias's eyes, before he lowered his head reluctantly and looked at his blood soaked hand. He was trembling, shaking like a freezing pup, as he fell back onto his side and curled up, defeated and in more pain than he had felt in a long time. He was once again reminded of his position, and how fruitless it'd be to try and muscle his way to feel any sense of humanity.
"We'll postpone our daily meetings for now, William. I'll summon you when the time comes once again for us to meet."
As the perplexed William collected his bearings, Mathias stood up and dusted himself off, before walking away and inevitably vanishing from the now completely dark pyramid chamber. He put pressure on the wound and after endless time passed, the bleeding eventually stopped. Once he could breathe and move on his own, William forced himself to his feet and dragged himself to the exit, so he could return home to further tend to his wound and replace his wrappings. It seemed that the blade went through without striking any vitals and nearly exited through the other side of his body, so tending to it wouldn't be as unbearable as the humiliation he was suffering from. The markings oozed and made his wrappings damp, alongside the blood he coughed up, but he'd keep them on until he was isolated in his exclusive home.
"A-at least, for a moment, things felt right…"
He muttered, before exiting the chamber and onlookers watched from a distance. None were foolish enough to provide him any help, man or Critterman. William felt, for better or worse, that he had gained something from this confrontation. He couldn't exactly put it into tangible words quite yet, but for now, all he knew was that soon, things would be revealed about his role in Mathias's grand scheme.
Only time would tell.