Obliterator’s Peak
The Obliterators were not human. They were creatures of doom, the creation of the Emperors at the start of their rule. Human fragments had been cast into the Abyss of Shadows…
Warriors of Transcendence, Part 21
The Ocean was turbulent; waves crashed down mightily upon the rocks, leaving behind a white froth. From atop the towering Obliterator’s Peak, the water below was just a blur. Only a deep blue was visible to the naked eye. Down below by the sea, the sharp cliffs formed an impervious barrier, preventing access to the castle. On the opposite side, facing inland, thousands of Shadows guarded the structure. Shadows of Fire, Shadows of Illusion and Cloud Shadows encompassed the area, obscuring visibility and casting a pall upon the scene.
Obliterator’s Peak, situated atop a large stone castle, was the lone remnant of the once flourishing cities on the Southern Cliffs. During long- forgotten distant times, this structure had served as one of the castles of the King of the Ancient Progeny. The Emperors had been drawn to the site, not because of its beauty, but because of its defensive position, massive strength, and isolation from other areas. From this vantage point, they would be able to pursue their evil plans.
The ten highest ranking Obliterators gathered in the main hall on the ground floor for an urgent meeting, accompanied by Inviewers from all levels. Two warriors, white flames etched upon the corners of their garments, stood in statuesque silence beside a heavy, convex wooden door.
The ten expressionless Obliterators sat around a gray, exposed stone table. The atmosphere in the room was ominous. The few torches on the walls cast elongated shadows upon the floor. No one spoke.
The Obliterators were not human. They were creatures of doom, the creation of the Emperors at the start of their rule. Human fragments had been cast into the Abyss of Shadows: man’s desires and passions, his dreams and aspirations, as well as enslaved humans who worshiped the White Fire. The substance formed from these fragments was used to create the various Shadows in the dark Abyss. All, with no exception, were exemplary servants of the Emperors and obeyed all of their rules. However, once in a while, it happened that human desires and passions would combine to form skin and muscle. This cluster of wills, instead of morphing into Shadows, remained in the Abyss, restless and turbulent.
Upon completion of the City, The Emperors decided to analyze this curious material. Clusters of it were taken to the castle, and the Inviewers discovered that it was malleable; it could be formed in any way they wished. The Inviewers were intent on creating powerful humanoid creatures capable of entering a man’s brain, casting a shadow upon him, thereby capturing him to worship the fire. The Inviewers had been successful in creating the very first Obliterators in this way.
A strong Obliterator has the ability to connect to that element in humans which represents the shadow core, and to cause growth and development rapidly until the human is prepared to surrender his entire personality. At that moment, the Obliterator brands him with a surrogate personality, thereby compelling him to become a servant of the holy fire.
Errors and blunders occasionally occurred during Obliteration. Sometimes the Obliterator lacked precision while entering the spirit of their victim. Failing to locate the shadow core he might enter another element of the spirit. In this way, unwanted forces were inadvertently strengthened in the Obliterated man, such as free will or imagination. Aspirations or imagination which grew too large to be contained would cause a loss of sanity. Resistance of any kind was a protection against being branded with a surrogate personality. Those who were branded became devoid of inner essence. They were rendered empty and hollow, like broken vessels. The active fragments of spirit were like fire flickering through extinguished embers. These fragments were taken to the Southern Quarries.
Total Obliteration Failures were also possible. There were brains which were capable of blocking all means of thought invasion. The Descendants of the Emperors preferred not to speak of such cases. They believed this was just a temporary obstacle, to be resolved by the creation of a stronger and more efficient Obliterator, capable of deeper, more pervasive, invasions into the spirit of man. To this end, they relentlessly toiled in their quest to create such beings in the underground laboratories of Obliterator’s Peak.
Meanwhile, at the gathering, the present situation was still under discussion.
“Well,” one of the Obliterators finally uttered, “maybe we shall finally get a clear picture of what is transpiring.”
“Nothing justifies the many recent errors!” declared another, angrily.
“The situation is such,” began a third in a formal tone of voice, capturing everyone’s attention, “the stone was found on Green Isle and brought to the Towered City. The owner of the stone, Tzalaii, is still alive. He did not lose his life, as was first believed. The stone was in his possession when our warriors captured him on the Island. The affair is not yet settled…Warriors of the Stellar Level reached a dead end. They were confronted by two Warriors of Transcendence.”
Whispers were heard amongst the listeners.
The speaker silenced them and continued: “A girl from one of the villages was found with them, but she managed to escape. Despite our control over the stone, we must face the possibility that our secret has been revealed to those remaining on the island. We must prevent them from sharing their knowledge with others”.
“Why is it so difficult?” An Inviewer asked abruptly “Don’t we have enough forces to surround the island and eradicate this minor threat?”
“Don’t be so sure the disturbance is minor,” answered the speaker. “There was a delay in the transfer of information and it is possible that the two have already left the island”.
“Another immense failing, in addition to that of the rock,” he continued, “is Mahn.”
“The infamous!” shouted another Inviewer, mockingly.
“We have no doubt that his loyalty to the Tower is weakening steadily. We have no definite proof, but it is possible that Mahn has accessed information shards regarding our secrets, including the identity of the wall’s building material.”
“We shall follow him,” said another Inviewer, “and he shall be executed if necessary.”
“Yes…” answered the speaker with discomfort, “but that is the small problem.”
He was silent for a moment, took a deep breath and added: “Even if the secret of the stone becomes known among men and creates an uprising, the system will not be seriously jolted. Our task now is to prevent Warriors of Transcendence from discovering the true nature of the wall. If the secret is in the hands of that man, it could cause the destruction of the external wall.”
“And possibly the end of more than that… “someone muttered.
A murmur was heard in the hall, and then finally one of the Obliterators dared to ask: “Who said that the Master of Transcendence can threaten our wall?”
“Khivia,” said the Obliterator, sharply.
All the participants responded with awe and respect to this authoritative approach.
“In addition to all this,” the Obliterator continued, “there is disturbing information about the Tunnels of Time. Although formed in the distant past, they are still in use. The Transparent Ones and their accomplices are preparing for battle there.”
All fell silent at this news. The Obliterators felt their stature diminishing as their confidence and security was threatened. They knew very well that their true enemies were neither the lowly villagers nor the Storm Dancers from the Northern Forests. The sole force threatening them and the millions of slaves in the Towered City was the Master of Transcendence, messenger of the Transcendor from the Land of the Ancient Progeny.
After a long tense silence one of the Obliterators spoke, “The soldiers of the Towered City must not yet be taken out into the region. The City dwellers are convinced that they are living in a safe and secure place devoid of all dangers. It would not be wise to expose them to the true nature of their tenuous situation at this time. This could cause great embarrassment amongst the City’s inhabitants, and sow weakness in the hearts of the warriors. Despite this, I feel that the time has come to make wider use of the Shadows of Light.”
Realizing that he was not inspiring confidence, he added: “although their forces are few, only with their help shall we be able to execute a significant mission aimed at misleading the Transparent Ones, thereby extracting them from the Tunnels of Time.”
“If they are indeed there…” said another Obliterator.
“Of course they are!” a third Obliterator joined in. “Be careful not to underestimate the value of the information regarding the Tunnels of Time. You must remember- He who unearthed them was none other than the King of the Ancient Progeny himself. Without a map, we have no concept of the extent of the tunnels or their methods of operation.”
An aggravating silence once again settled in the hall. Two warriors from the Lead Level left their station by the door and approached the table. They listened to the conversation intently and an idea was formed in their minds. At the sight of the white flames on the corners of their garments, those present at the table remained silent and focused, listening. But the radical idea presented by the two warriors soon led to a raucous outbreak.
“If you will, honorable Obliterators”, said one of the warriors, in a polite voice, ” may I suggest you head for the battlefield? Your special talents may improve the situation drastically.”
The Obliterators preferred to affect events from a distance, and to make use of the Shadows for the ground battle. The idea of abandoning the peak to participate in a battle in the fields was a cause for alarm. Nevertheless, once this idea was brought to light by the Inviewers of the white flames, the Obliterators actually considered it and thought it might find favor with the Emperors.
To be continued.
***
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