The Heir: United Once More
#1 of The Heir
Eradus reached forward to the large red-silk curtains; his hand trembling slightly from the anxiety. A bead of sweat welled up at the top of his golden-brown hair, rolled over his smooth face, before dripping off his rounded chin. He felt the soft silk gently brush against his fingertips, "Just a glance won't hurt, right?"
"Dunwell," A gruff, and undoubtably reptile, voice barked out at him. He whipped around in a salute across his chest, lifted his chin, and looked off into space at attention.
"For fuck's sake, it's me! Delius!"
Eradus dropped his hand from his chest, and his eyes became alert again. "Delius?" Sure enough, his eyes caught the familiar, but faint, scar across his snake-like face. "What the hell are you doing here-- the Second Legion was out on patrol in the North, wasn't it?"
"When I heard that you -- of all the people in the Twentieth Legion -- were chosen to re-tell the tale of my people's misdoings, well, I just had to come out and see it." He grinned, "Still got stage fright?"
"Yeah, I was just about to --"
"Ten thousand or so, give or take," The reptile's grin turned devilish, "Oh, and Amadeus is sitting right in the front row with all of the Second watching you. Just so you know."
"The Second...?" Eradus paused as his temper started to boil, "Why would he tell me--" His mouth fell open as it dawned on him. "You- you brought the Second. Did you make Commander?"
"Yeah, just got issued the Armor patch and got nice bonus to blow at the whorehouse."
Eradus extended his hand, "Congratulations, can't think of anyone better to lead than you."
Delius walked up to him, extended his hand and shook. "You shit-head," He growled as he turned the handshake into a bear-hug.
"Screw you," Eradus laughed as he struggled, "We're not kids anymore!"
"Still feels like I am holding a kid in my--" Delius yelped as he felt a powerful tug at the base of his tail and his grip weakened enough for Eradus to shove him away.
"I see you-- you've matured a lot." Eradus panted slightly from all the effort.
"You've gotten stronger. Bet you wish you knew to do that last time?" He smiled slyly.
"Last time? Gonna go there, huh?" He shook his head, "After everyone saw how easily you pinned me, Training became hell for me till I finished."
"Yeah, and you're still alive after a few battles and they aren't. Just like you're gonna be alive after this show. Or I'll revive you and kill you myself."
Eradus noticed the emphasis on alive and was going to ask about it when Delius motioned, "Better get out there, killer." He started to walk away towards the audience entrance around the stage.
"Delius?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for the pep-talk."
"I'm a Commander-- it's sorta my job, right? And it's 'Sir' when we're in public." His disappeared behind the curtain.
Eradus emerged cautiously from behind the red curtains; his face grew pale as he saw the number of people that had come to see the re-telling. The Amphitheater was filled to the brim, some even stood just out of range of the dozen or so torches that flickered in in the night air. He tried to focus, but his mouth grew dry and his stomach started to churn.
He was failing.
His eyes hopelessly scanned the crowd and his fright grew worse as he realized they were all now staring at him intently as he was crowned with the Circlet of Mira and given the Haelon's Bronze Sword blessed by the High Priest.
"Long ago..." He could barely whisper the words as the muscles around his lips felt numb. His eye caught something on the far right, and darted over to see Delius. He was watching intently like all the others, but was gently nodding as if he was coaxing him to talk.
To see his lifelong friend supporting him calmed him greatly and he pushed down the fear, "Long ago, when the world was not yet formed, and the Gods were bickering among each other." He raised the bronze sword in the air, "Rikye, the Mother of all the Gods, grew sick and weary of the constant feuds but knew not how to save them."
"As her soul sank into deep despair, she pleaded for her family to stop their constant warring. When they refused, her soul soon gave out, and she plunged a dagger into her heart." He shoved the sword between his armpit, and behind him it was coated by a hand from the curtain with pig's blood. The hand gently tugged upon the sword when it was covered.
Eradus dropped the sword upon the ground where it splattered blood upon his armor much to the delight of the audience. "Haelon, was in uttered despair, when he found her soulless body..." His eyes looked up to Delius as he knelled to mimic Haelon finding her, "Because it was her love, her absolute love, that balanced the War in his heart."
Delius realized that he was staring at him, and his marshy green scales started to shift to a reddish hue.
"Sorry Delius, but I need something to concentrate on..." His words fell tender in tone, "Because he loved her so much, he could not bear to see her like this and set her adrift in the void where no god cold find her. This was the greatest love he could give her. To be in a place of peace."
He took off the Circlet. "Yet her spirit...." A Kan'a's paw pushed through the Curtain, his red robes flawlessly masking it's presence. "grew powerful once more in the void," The Paw quickly rolled through several Arcane Gestures causing the Circlet to rise.
"Here in the void, she was unaware of the conflict that had forced her hand, and so she called herself, Mira, and when she spoke, the void listened. From her words alone, Illium was born with it's plants and animals."
"All the Gods watched on in jealousy, and one by one, they entered the void to follow and, an---" His eyes shot upwards as he saw the sky brilliantly illuminate. The violent explosion threw him to the ground, and his ears rung loudly as he heard muffled screams.
"Hey."
"Hey!" He heard as he gave a dazed glance up from the ground. "On your feet, Legionnaire!" He heard Delius's voice as he was hoisted up by his arm.
Eradus's eyes looked around confused as he saw all the mangled bodies. "It-- it killed them!" He uttered breathlessly.
"Get it," He felt a hard slap across his face. "The fuck," and another, "together!" Then he was roughly yanked up nose to snout with Delius. "Understand me?!"
"Yes..." Eradus shook his head violent, "Yes, Sir!"
"You, you," He pointed quickly to two recovered Legionnaires. "Get the word out now-- Lt. Straphen, figured out what the fuck just hit us." One of the Hum'a behind the stage bumped into him, and he pushed her out of his way. "Rest of you! Crowd control now!"
"Eradus, with me." He took off to the City Streets with Eradus quickly in tow.