Four Horsemen: Chapter 1 Part 1 of 2

Chapter 1:

Petor screamed into the darkness, regaining the ability to speak, his screams guttering out as the pain faded from his body.

He choked back his tears of relief.

“I’m going to fucking kill them all,” A woman growled. Okay well I’m really not alone.

Petor’s head snapped up. Three others stood around a campfire, beyond the flame’s light, fog twisted and danced, no stars lay in the sky, no trees or horizon could be seen in the distance.

The woman who’d spoken wore the loose fitting gear of a sailor, her hair a shock of red pulled back into a ponytail under a wide brimmed hat. “Fucking leeches.” She balled up her fists, on a sword at her hip and one of several weapons across her body.

She released the one on her chest, eyes darting to the others. “Who the hell are you and where the hell are we?”

“I think I died,” The other man said, he wore full plate armor, his eyes, mouth and runes on his armor glowed like magma. Petor squinted, seeing through the armor. Not wearing, he is the armor.

“I have to agree,” The last woman, her black hair pulled into a braid that hung down the front of her shoulder, wearing the robes of a scholar, though Petor’s senses warned him from her. He trembled, remembering the pain, burning up from the inside.

“Yeah I died.” The bravado of giving Yasseen was a hollow thing in his gut.

“Well I shouldn’t be dead,” The sailor woman said. “I’m Mya Asmani, and I still don’t have your names?”

“Valter,” The armor said.

“Petor-“ champion in training no more. He cut off his usual address bitterly.

“Desari, Haker,” She muttered her last name, watching the others for their reaction.

“This must be the celestial plane,” Petor looked around. Makes sense that I wouldn’t be claimed now. Though Yasseen was not the kind of goddess to let such a thing as him turning his back on her stand.

“Celestial plane?” Valter asked.

Petor studied the armor, looking into the glowing eyes.

“To every world there are at least three planes, the mortal plane and the underplane where things are born and live, these two are nearly always at war with one another. Then there is the celestial plane, a creation by the beliefs, mana and essence devotion of those in the under or material planes,” Petor said.

“It’s the place where the holy lands lay, from them birth the various gods and goddesses. The people from the under plane and mortal plane, are selected by gods by their deeds and pay entry into their realms with their very essence,” Mya grimaced. “Bunch of fickle assholes that put rules ahead of everything else, even decency.”

Petor might’ve defended the gods in days past, before he’d seen behind the veil, gods and goddesses playing mortals as if pieces upon a board.

“There are also the elemental planes and various sub-planes,” Desari said off-hand, her eyes questing through the fog till they narrowed, going stock still.

Petor followed her gaze, a red line cut through the darkness, spreading down and around, creating an archway.

Petor sent his gaze into his medallion. Nothing happened. He didn’t picture everything in his storage space and he couldn’t interact with it. He went through the actions again but no spear, or helm nor armor appeared.

“The hell?” Valter muttered. “I can’t pull on my soul bound gear.” He glanced to Mya who looked around for something while Desari lowered her hand.

Twin mounts pierced the red-lined inky darkness, they were larger than most horses, armored hides of midnight black and stone grey with yellow eyes of captured lightning. The snorted heat as they plodded forward, dragging free a carriage, lamps at the four corners illuminated the gold painted and black wood carriage. Crates covered the roof and back of the carriage. Warm light spilled through the windows of the carriage.

The portal closed as the carriage came to a halt, the door opened, stairs unfolding to the ground.

A humanoid stepped onto the stairs, pointed ears sticking out of either side of his top hat. A monocole highlighted his yellow eyes, identical to his mounts. It was attached by golden chain to the left breast of his doublet. It was a fine thing of golden stitched patterns, a cloak hung over his back, red lined and as dark as the wood of his carriage.

Black pants and boots filled out the man’s wardrobe, a fine blade hung from his hip.

“Friends!” He laughed, spreading his arms as he stepped down from the carriage, the light of the carriage back-lighting him and his impish smile.

“I heard that you four were dead, ah it has been a rather large pain to find you and gather you here!”

“Who the hell are you?” Mya asked.

He took off his hat in a swinging bow, his other hand countering behind him. “Interplanar trader Limos at your service.”

He rose up, his yellow eyes dancing in glee as he affixed his hat back upon his head. “It is truly an honour to meet you all.”

“What do you want and what’s going on?”

“Mya Asmani, even I have heard of the stories of the deals that you brokered. Truly a woman merchant after my own heart.” He let out a content sigh, resting a gloved hand upon his breast. “I’m looking to start up a new entrepreneurial endeavor. Adventuring.” He slowly waved his hand with the word.

“You want to take up adventuring?” Petor frowned at the beasts. Anyone that could tame them should be fine to deal with most adventuring missions.

“Oh no dear man, that is so boring. No, no I am need of others to go on adventures for me. I am a purveyor of many fine items, but alas supply is always a problem, people more keen to break rather than make,” He let out a suffering sigh and swirling hand wave. “I have need of people that can get jobs done. Rescue items from a hidden wizards tower . Or can protect an item from one place to another, maybe save a few people that would be indebted to myself.” He made a gesture of what may be may be, even as his eyes shone.

“You wish for us to be your band?” Desari asked.

“Yes,” Limos smiled widely. “And I your interplanar merchant, purveyor of fine goods and services.”

“I’ve done enough fighting for a lifetime, I’m tired,” Valter said.

“You could change the fates of villages, of cities, to right wrongs as you all see it,” Limos swept them all with his eyes, returning to Valter. “I can sweep your soul from the celestial realm, I can do the same with your family so that they might have a peaceful afterlife in a realm that you will join if you are to die.”

“My family is dead,” Valter ground out.

“And so are you,” Limos raised his arms and looked at the dark mists around them. “Yet here we are. Though, not all are dead are they? And your boy knows not of the threat that grows within the Veldian Kingdom. Those Sacrophytes are not the kind to give up their power easily.”

Vatler’s eyes sharpened.

“So the stories were real? When one dies they are judged by the gods and allowed entry into their lands,” Desari asked.

“Something like that, as with most things, once you see it for real it is rarely as magnificent as your mind can make it up.” Limos’ eyes never looked away from Valter. “Would you like to know the fate of your family?”

The armor shifted, even without an expression Petor could read the man’s tension.

“Yes.”

“Your wife and daughter reached Akadia.” The armor’s shoulders dropped. “Though its ruler is being re-assembled and he’s. Not. Too. Happy. With You.” Each word punctuated with a wag of his finger.

“He’s dead, shattered.”

Limos’ smile spread, sickly sweet. “We both know that what might be broken may live. No?” He looked pointedly at his armor.

He turned, almost a dancing pirouette, taking in all of their visages. “Oh to change worlds,” He waggled his fingers like an artisan limbering their hands to hold a new tool. “To kill gods.” His face turned to a smirk and a tone deeper. “To make them.”

He waved his hand dismissing his words casually.

“But we get ahead of ourselves.” He held out his left hand as if weighing something. “Time is with us,” He held out his right mirroring the left. “and against us here in limbo. The place where souls are reformed, where they transition to the halls of the gods and goddesses. Similar to your chests Mya.”

She peered into the darkness. Limos slapped his hands together, holding them there, as his eyes skipped to each of them.

“There are several gods on your world that might accept them. Though they are waiting for you to show up. Once you appear then they will barter for your essence, your devotion and in return they will accept your family. Sound familiar?”

“And you offer a better deal? You too offer to change the fate of my family,” Valter growled.

To escape the judgement of Yasseen. He’d served his life towards causes, for the kingdom, for the goddess. Such once-rousing words were dead and dry upon his tongue.

Petor screwed up his nose at the thought.

“Yes I do, but at least I am telling you directly and while I wish to trade with you I will not make you bound to my will, much too old fashioned and barbaric to me,” Limos grimaced and waggled his fingers as if finding something displeasing upon them.

“Why us?” Mya asked.

Limos’ mouth spread to reveal his too-sharp teeth.

“The law of give and take my dead. Supply and Demand, mutual benefit!” He bent his left leg behind his right in a half-seat and opened his hands, head tilting to the side and rose again, walking around them all, forcing them to follow him with their eyes.

“Each of you betrayed, each of you with vengeance in your bones!” He pumped his fist in declaration. “Each of you with a fire in your guts and skills to use it. A man who wants to save his family and kill the god that turned him to a weapon of war and wishes to do the same to his son.”

Valter’s armor creaked with his tightening fists. Limos’ gaze snapped to Desari. “A woman that turned on her own nation for the love of one closer to her heart. That very nation now lost and hidden by the interjection of god’s leaning on their vassals.”

Her eyes thinned, Petor’s hair’s standing on edge, feeling the tang that came right before a fight to the death.

“Traders betrayed by the very people they freed, by the gods that grew jealous. Their dead unable to rest.”

Mya’s eyes flashed white, turning almost skeletal, her clothes in tatters, her hat with holes as if cut by blades and pierced by arrows, so fast that Petor swore he’d only blinked.

“A man that wished to be paladin. A man that saw the true face of the gods.” Limos walked behind a tree.

“One-“ And appeared behind Petor, making him nearly jump out of his skin. “That has so many paths ahead of him. Vengeance against a god that laid waste to his own home, to countless others to rally her believers to her banner.” Limos tapped his fingers on Petor’s shoulder and appeared across from the group.

“On the one, released to the gods that will set upon your souls with endless lifetimes of pain, tearing your mana from you as soon as you gather any, nothing but mana batteries for their aims.” His grin spread. “The second, you descend into the realms once more, but as my band.” Limos’ smile took on a gleeful edge.

Mya opened her mouth and closed it.

He had them and he knew it.