Cron readied his weary army for battle once more. The time of peace was far too short, but it had taught the kingdom to adjust how they farmed and cultivated food. A swath of the city was plowed under to keep crops within the kingdom's walls.
At the forefront of the preparations was the princess. When she wasn't helping to ready the kingdom for yet another assault, Mandra hid in the palace. Despite her beauty, no man dared try to claim her hand for fear of evoking the wrath of the vengeful Kraai.
Mandra swore she did not want to marry anyway…
It was at this point that the order of things became murky for the three investigators.
But Nickel's keen eye for detail and their collective intuition helped to place the events as chronologically as possible.
Rather than risk enemy infiltration Crestfall closed the front gate indefinitely. Soon small skirmishes occurred here and there, but they seemed to be remnants of the original force who had not found what they were looking for at home.
King Kraai was not among them. A year passed with only minor attacks. Lookouts were established to let the city know of approaching threats, and the few citizens allowed to leave never strayed too far outside the city walls.
Over time, the people began to relax.
Yet, King Cron remained diligent. His informant went silent, and the monarch of Crestfall could only assume that the man was dead either from the perilous journey or because his master had discovered his treachery.
Fifteen months after the last letter, the warning horn sounded throughout the city. The people rallied for another skirmish, but there was no army to meet them.
Instead, a massive beast lumbered toward the city at great speed. The creature leapt over the wall before a single arrow could attempt to pierce its hide.
Not that it would have done any good.
The noble creature continued forward until reaching the palace gates. Coming to a stop, the mighty four-legged beast bent down to let two figures slip from its back.
And what a mismatched pair they were!
One was strong and mighty, clad in black and towering high above the others in the courtyard. In his arms, he held a man who looked like death might claim him any moment. The scene had made those watching think that death itself had come to the palace doors. For a moment, no one dared move.
"I must speak with the king urgently!" the man in black announced when no one seemed eager to approach. "And a healer too, if you have one to spare!" He indicated the man in his arms.
Hesitantly, Cron came out to meet the pair unsure of what he would find. His eyes opened wide. The half-dead man was the missing correspondent! If he was with this mysterious, powerful figure...where was Kraai?
Running out of the palace, Mandra tended to the injured man with the help of a physician, while the powerful figure introduced himself as a sorcerer and a priest of the Beast God.
"There is no time. We must protect the city."
Cron had no choice but to trust the mysterious man. Reluctantly, the king allowed the sorcerer uninhibited access to the area below the palace.
It wasn't until Kraai's servant awoke that Cron and Mandra discovered he had lost the ability to speak.
That did not stop him from recounting his tale in written form.
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"Unwilling to head back home defeated, my Master took us even deeper into the mountains. The air around us alternated between the sweltering heat and terrible cold. It took many of the men's lives.
Our band of soldiers became so small that by the time we found the sanctuary only a few dozen were left.
Without his heart, the king did not seem to feel the temperature.
But I could.
I was barely clinging to life when I entered the half-buried temple of the Beast God. We were offered food and shelter by the priests there.
King Kraai refused to eat or drink until he had made his plea, much to his men's dissatisfaction. A few were so crazed with hunger that they considered mutiny then and there.
One look from my master put them all to shame. They stayed their swords and dropped to the ground dejectedly. I wanted to join them in their rest, but the king needed me to attend him, as usual.
So I followed him through the temple to the altar.
This time no sacrifice was needed. The High Priest was already awaiting us with a message.
It was a refusal.
My King was livid.
'I will not be denied by some crony. I will have my request heard!'
'Master,' I spoke through parched lips, 'Perhaps with some food and water we will know how to proce--"
My words died on my lips as the man I served took me by the throat with inhuman strength. I felt something in me break...and I fell silent.
The priest tapped his staff and the room suddenly filled with an oppressive force. I knew what was coming and so when my Master released me, I ran to find the only shelter I could. I hit behind the altar.
'You dare commit violence here?' the voice of the Beast God was more than I could bear. I pressed my face to the ground and covered my ears.
'At last, you are here,' the King had no fear. 'I need your help. You are the only one who can right what has been wronged.'
My king told of his perilous journey, and of his need to claim the beauty that was in Crestfall. He played upon every part of the Beast God's vanity.
Finally, he held out the ball and asked that the Beast God grant his carnal desires to hunt down those in Crestfall who had wronged him. His Majesty promised to spill all of their blood in the Beast God's name in return for the power to destroy his enemies.
When I finally got the courage to peek, I saw the Beast God receive the black ball.
There was no compassion in the god's face. 'Ariel may have granted your ancestress the ability to look human, but the monster within you has fully consumed your soul. I shall release you back to your natural form and use your heart to protect your enemies.'
I did not understand the words at first, but then the High Priest took the ball from his patron before seeking me out. The tall man in black took me firmly by the arm.
'Come with me if you want to live.'
I stood and looked over my shoulder one last time. The sight I saw will forever haunt me.
My master's human form ripped and tore from inside as the skin fell away to reveal something much more terrifying hiding within. His raven hair became feathers, covering the wound marring his back.
An otherworldly scream emanated from the former king's lips as he tried to chase after his heart.
But the Priest was faster. We climbed onto a creature and shot out of the temple. The building exploded behind us as my former master continued to grow and change.
It was then that I passed out. I have no knowledge of whether the king lived or died from the transformation nor any knowledge of what happened to the rest of the men in the mountains.
All I know is that Kraai is not the man he once was.
Although in hindsight, maybe he was never a man to begin with.
If he survived, he is a monster of the worst kind.
If he comes for revenge, we are all doomed.
------
The copy of the letter brought a sad smile to Noble's mouth.
King Kraai hadn't fought the Tyrant as the cave drawings had once led her to believe.
The ancient king was the Tyrant.