October 18
Write about a hideout.
Even though it had been years, and he had only arrived by foot once, he remembered where the campus would be. He did not know what to expect. Was there a lot of damage from the battle that had taken place there? Had one of the militias sent men back to raze it to the ground?
As he approached the outer wall, he walked slowly. Reason told him that the evil inside had long since been eradicated, but he couldn’t help but imagine it differently. The years since he had lived here had given his mind plenty of time to morph the place into a roiling mass of demonic forces. Those forces would be watching his approach. They would be waiting to snatch him from the sand and pull him into themselves.
He forced himself to walk through the west entrance and stopped. No shadows shifted, no hands reached for him. Of course not; it was empty. There weren’t even any bodies, thanks to the knights and crusaders who buried the dead after the battle. He knew there would be a cemetery somewhere nearby, where the unidentified or simply unknown members of the guild had been laid to rest. The rest were taken back to be given proper burials by loved ones.
As Remiel walked among the silent buildings, he thought about that fight. How he had wanted to help. So many deaths were unnecessary; if he had only joined the fighters, he could have ended the battle quickly. But he couldn’t. They could not know who he was.
He walked through the junior member part of campus, pausing briefly outside the door of the room he had shared with Acronis. What had happened to Acronis during the battle? Perhaps his brother had managed to survive the horrendous curse Rusalki had bestowed on her subordinates. He could still be alive somewhere. Or he could have died long before the battle. For all Remiel knew, Acronis had been killed upon returning to Rais with news that Rusalki had died at the hands of Natos, who had then been unavoidably killed by Acronis.
Remiel moved on, entering the main part of Class of Morano’s base. Whatever had drawn him here in the first place now compelled him to enter the large structure that housed the leader’s office. He found himself rubbing his neck absently. The last time he had been there was when the rest of that mark had been burned into his skin. Such a long time ago.
He entered Rais Morano’s office. Well, at least it was his office the last time Remiel was here. It seemed smaller than he remembered. He looked around and was a little surprised by the mess he saw. He had heard the account-Rusalki had holed up here to perform her dark magic until Alexander stopped her. He had drawn her out of this room, though, and she disappeared without returning to it.
There was no indication of what Rusalki would have done here though. For what she had been doing, she must have had a lot of power crystals, and Remiel couldn’t guess what else, with her. There was nothing here but some old furniture, most of it in disarray. Maybe the knights and crusaders had taken the valuable or dangerous items when they had returned to bury the dead.
His eyes fell onto the desk, and he could see Rais sitting there, looking through his folder. Remiel strode quickly across the room and pulled out drawers in the desk. Empty. He looked around for any sort of cabinet or drawer that might hold paperwork. They were all empty too. Rais must have had hundreds of files in this office. If they kept records from very far into the past, possibly thousands.
Remiel left the room and checked all of the other rooms on that floor. He found no papers. What could have happened to them all? Someone had to have cleaned this place out. It could have been the knight guild…or someone who did not want the membership of Class of Morano to fall into the wrong hands.
Even though it had been years, and he had only arrived by foot once, he remembered where the campus would be. He did not know what to expect. Was there a lot of damage from the battle that had taken place there? Had one of the militias sent men back to raze it to the ground?
As he approached the outer wall, he walked slowly. Reason told him that the evil inside had long since been eradicated, but he couldn’t help but imagine it differently. The years since he had lived here had given his mind plenty of time to morph the place into a roiling mass of demonic forces. Those forces would be watching his approach. They would be waiting to snatch him from the sand and pull him into themselves.
He forced himself to walk through the west entrance and stopped. No shadows shifted, no hands reached for him. Of course not; it was empty. There weren’t even any bodies, thanks to the knights and crusaders who buried the dead after the battle. He knew there would be a cemetery somewhere nearby, where the unidentified or simply unknown members of the guild had been laid to rest. The rest were taken back to be given proper burials by loved ones.
As Remiel walked among the silent buildings, he thought about that fight. How he had wanted to help. So many deaths were unnecessary; if he had only joined the fighters, he could have ended the battle quickly. But he couldn’t. They could not know who he was.
He walked through the junior member part of campus, pausing briefly outside the door of the room he had shared with Acronis. What had happened to Acronis during the battle? Perhaps his brother had managed to survive the horrendous curse Rusalki had bestowed on her subordinates. He could still be alive somewhere. Or he could have died long before the battle. For all Remiel knew, Acronis had been killed upon returning to Rais with news that Rusalki had died at the hands of Natos, who had then been unavoidably killed by Acronis.
Remiel moved on, entering the main part of Class of Morano’s base. Whatever had drawn him here in the first place now compelled him to enter the large structure that housed the leader’s office. He found himself rubbing his neck absently. The last time he had been there was when the rest of that mark had been burned into his skin. Such a long time ago.
He entered Rais Morano’s office. Well, at least it was his office the last time Remiel was here. It seemed smaller than he remembered. He looked around and was a little surprised by the mess he saw. He had heard the account-Rusalki had holed up here to perform her dark magic until Alexander stopped her. He had drawn her out of this room, though, and she disappeared without returning to it.
There was no indication of what Rusalki would have done here though. For what she had been doing, she must have had a lot of power crystals, and Remiel couldn’t guess what else, with her. There was nothing here but some old furniture, most of it in disarray. Maybe the knights and crusaders had taken the valuable or dangerous items when they had returned to bury the dead.
His eyes fell onto the desk, and he could see Rais sitting there, looking through his folder. Remiel strode quickly across the room and pulled out drawers in the desk. Empty. He looked around for any sort of cabinet or drawer that might hold paperwork. They were all empty too. Rais must have had hundreds of files in this office. If they kept records from very far into the past, possibly thousands.
Remiel left the room and checked all of the other rooms on that floor. He found no papers. What could have happened to them all? Someone had to have cleaned this place out. It could have been the knight guild…or someone who did not want the membership of Class of Morano to fall into the wrong hands.