Chapter 439: Chapter 436: Legacy of Holo’s Shade Part 1

Chapter 436: Legacy of Holo’s Shade Part 1

 

  Elzri stared at the petite vampiress suspiciously, “Who are you?”

  “Yes, I suppose we should re-introduce ourselves. Ahem,” she coughed lightly. “Nice to meet you, young man. I am a family friend, you may call me Holo— Holo the Tall.”

  Elzri narrowed his eyes at the name.

  Ismene glanced at him questioningly, wondering if she should intervene. Elzri subtly shook his head.

  George glanced around the dinner table, “I’m sorry, who are you? Am I supposed to know you? The name rings a bell, I think, but um—”

  “You’re Holo the Tall!?” Loh burst into laughter. “You can’t be Holo. Right?” She glanced at Unalla for confirmation, but the young drow was staring at Loh, horrified, as if she had just insulted the king of the Jade Realm to his face.

  Loh’s laughter died on her lips and she swallowed nervously. “Y-You’re not Holo, right…?” 

  Loh knew the captain of the troupe was odd, the fact that she had appeared as a vampiress instead of her usual human appearance was proof enough of that, but being Holo? Holo the Tall was a mysterious mage from a thousand years ago, the master of Noir I, creator of the azure flame, a bonafide legend. The Captain couldn't possibly be—

  “Her hair may be different, but the blonde adolescent vampire sitting at the end of the table is indeed Holo,” Una spoke up, putting an end to the question.

  “I see…” Elzri ran his hand across his chin. “The knowledge of the Orange spells of the azure flame has been passed down my family line from lord to heir ever since its inception. Ever since my sister claimed that she had learned the magic from Holo, I suspected it was possible that you survived after all these years… I just never imagined it was you, Holly.” He blinked at the name and scoffed, “Or should I say Holo?”

  The vampiress sipped her wine, “Holo will do just fine.”

  “Wait, if you really are Holo…” Loh’s eyes widened in a panic. She had flirted with the Captain countless times, hitting on her every night they traveled together in the troupe. Loh stiffly turned her neck and peeked at the fabled mage of legends. Holo looked at her and winked. Loh blushed, mortified.

  Elzri noticed the interaction and raised his eyebrow. He had worn a similar expression like Loh when he had danced with Holly all those years ago. “Do you enjoy flustering my family, or do you tease anyone you come across?”

  Holo smirked, “I admit it is fun seeing you rigid Noirs squirm a bit. You should have seen Noir III. Now that man was like a rock, you couldn’t get him to smile even if you stretched his cheeks.”

  “Hm.” Elzri leaned back in his chair and looked her up and down. “So this is the myth herself, Holo the Tall.”

  “Oh, did I disappoint you?” Holo said with playful dejection.

  “No, I just thought you’d be taller.”

  She sipped her wine and smiled. “Who says I’m not?”

  “I have so many questions,” Loh blurted out.

  “On that, we agree,” Elzri nodded. “Why are you here, vampire? Were you the one who whisked my sister away all those years ago?”

  Ismene looked at Holo sharply at Elzri’s words. Blue mana instinctively began to flow through her hands while strands of her grey hair began to rise with an electric current.

  “Calm yourself, children. You’ll have your answers soon, but right now we have more pressing matters.” Holo downed the rest of her drink and jumped to her feet with a light step. She gave the head cook Lorenz her glass and patted him on the shoulder, “Thanks for the drink.”

  “Y-You’re welcome,” Lorenz blushed.

  Holo stopped at the doorway and glanced back at the table, “Shall we take a walk?”

  Una and her daughter Unalla immediately stood up and silently strode up next to her. Ismene had stayed quiet during the conversation, simply observing, but she refused to let the mysterious figure leave without questioning her. Loh shared a look with her grandfather and realized they both shared a similar sentiment.

  Elzri sighed, “Where are you leading us?”

  “To the answers you so desperately seek.” Holo shrugged, “Or at least some of them.”

  George glanced at Dolores and smiled sympathetically. His wife was already in a drunken stupor, her head on the table, and her mouth slightly apart.

  “Clearly, this seems important, but I’m afraid I’ll have to stay back,” George said.

  Loh noticed her mother’s condition. “Why am I not surprised?” she muttered in a mixture of disgust and resentment.

  Holo slapped her across the back of her head.

  “Ow!” Loh jumped in surprise.

  “Your mother is suffering more than any of you. Show some compassion,” Holo said in a calm icy voice. She turned to George and nodded, “Keep little Dolores safe for us.”

  “Ah, of course,” he smiled. “I will.”

  “Very good.” Holo spun around and walked out the door.

  Una and Unalla fell in behind her. Ismene, Loh, and Elzri reluctantly followed.

 

~~~

 

  The small group walked through the evening streets of the Villa District in silence. Loh had tried asking a question once or twice but Holo hadn’t responded. Though the sun was still setting and the sky was bathed orange, undead sentinels were already roaming the streets. The undead guards ignored them entirely until they stepped into the Bourge District. A few sentinels neared them and some merchants living in the area, waiting to see their nameplates. Holo waived them away with a snap of her fingers, much to the others’ surprise; only Unalla and Una seemed unperturbed.

  Larger groups of sentinels patrolled the Trade District and a few marched towards them, their maces’ chains clinking on the ground as they shuffled through the empty streets. Like the others, Holo dismissed them without a word or show of a nameplate, and continued on her way.

  The Commoner District had fewer sentinels yet their behavior was far more aggressive. Every sentinel that spotted them made a beeline to their group and Holo sent each undead away without breaking her stride.

  “How did you do that? Control the sentinels?” Loh asked, not expecting an answer, though hoping for one.

  Holo dismissed the last sentinels in sight before answering. “I helped design the original Black spell for the creation of the sentinels. They were meant to be the city’s internal guard and army. Unfortunately, the city’s present-day Black mages only seem to use them to gather fresh corpses for their experiments.” She sighed, “Just one more matter I need to resolve.”

  “If you wish, I will pay a visit to the necromancy garrison, my lady,” Una offered. 

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  “Yes, I think that would do quite nicely.”

  Una bowed her head, “I will see it done, my lady.”

  Elzri glanced around the shabby houses and the towering ebon wall growing taller in the sky as they neared the gates. Soon they’d be out of the Commoner District and into the city’s narrow bulwark region. “Where are you taking us? The gates are already closed for the evening.”

  “Worry not, we are almost there,” Holo assured him and led them to the south gate where a dozen soldiers were standing guard next to their garrison and the portcullis.

  “Now what?” Elzri asked suspiciously.

  “We wait,” Holo said, unperturbed.

  Una glanced at the words engraved on the magestone above the portcullis and read them aloud, “Protection of Death…”

  Elzri looked at her in surprise, “You can read it?”

  Una nodded, “I learned much under Lady Holo’s tutelage.”

  “So what’s it mean?” Loh asked, curious.

  “The walls keep the people within the city alive, saving them from death,” Ismene replied thoughtfully.

  “Or perhaps it means the shades bring death to any who would dare invade our city,” Elzri answered.

  “Or perhaps you’re both wrong,” Holo answered, though she refused to elaborate.

  A large drow covered in rippling muscles and steel armor marched out of the garrison and straight towards Holo. He stopped in front of her and bowed his head. “My lady,” he said in a gruff voice. “Lord Rowan and his people are still inspecting the wall’s defenses. Shall I fetch him for you?”

  “If you can, Fergus. I’ll be waiting at the top with my companions,” Holo said.

  “Of course, my lady.”

  “Fergus,” Elzri muttered. “Are you perhaps Lord Fergus Stonehand?”

  “That I am. And you are— Ah…” he bowed his head, albeit not as low as he had to Holo. “Lord Noir, welcome to the southern gate.”

  “...Thank you,” Elzri said.

  Holo had already left them behind and walked up the stairs of scaffolding attached to the inner side of the wall. Elzri left Fergus behind and followed the others up. Unlike the rest, Ismene picked up her cane and formed a small funnel of water below her legs that carried her up.

  Holo waited for them at the top of the 60-pace wall. The parapet was about ten paces wide, ample space for all of them to stand.

  “The Southern Bulwark Commander, the man in charge of all our city’s southern defenses… You have more connections than I realized, Holo,” Elzri noted.

  “It’d be odd if I didn’t, don’t you think? This is and always has been my city.”

  “Holo’s Shade, huh?” Elzri muttered.

  “Why did you bring us up here? We’ve all stood atop the wall before,” Ismene asked impatiently.

  “Yes, you’re all mages, the few who’ve had the privilege to see what many do not. And yet none of you have really been looking,” Holo said.

  The sun’s last rays dipped below the horizon and the black magestone wall underneath them swirled with something darker. Shades emerged from the stone and swam through the air as if floating through an unseen river that wrapped around the city. Thousands of shades flew through the air, close enough to touch, yet they all stayed on the outside of the wall.

  “The might of the shade horde, glorious and terrifying all at once, is it not?” Holo muttered.

  “Why did you really bring us up here? To see the shades?” Elzri asked carefully.

  “Everything but.” Holo pointed to the horizon, “Out there lies a god who wants nothing more than to destroy this wall and the city within.”

  Elzri’s expression grew wary, “A god?”

  Holo stretched out her arms to the sides, “The Monster in the Dark that has plagued your family since its founder. The god of the deep earth, the patron of none, the caretaker of secrets, the Mystery himself, Caligo.”

  Loh felt her legs go weak. “W-Wait. You’re saying that monster that killed my men and almost killed my friends and I, was Caligo!?”

  “Shit…” Ismene cursed under her breath.

  Una and Unalla’s expressions turned grim, though neither disputed Holo’s claim.

  Loh laughed mirthlessly, “You’re saying that Caligo murdered my brother and consumed his soul…?”

  Loh had dreamed of killing that Monster ever since the blood moon. Now… How could she kill a god?

  “Are you certain? It’s been over 900 years since Noir I broke his deal with that Monster.” Elzri spoke in a tight calm voice, though his grey eyes were filled with anger.

  Holo nodded, “Make no mistake, Caligo has always been and always will be your family’s bane. I warned Noir I to never get involved with him, but he did not listen. Everything that has happened since… you’re all just ants standing in a cruel god’s path. I am sorry.”

  Elzri let out a deep sigh. “So, he still wants to destroy my family, even now?”

  “Not just your family,” Holo looked behind her to the city that sprawled below and the Ebon Tower that stood tall at the center of the city. “It’s time you learn the truth of this place, the terrible legacy the Ebon Lords and I left behind.”

 

 

 

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