Legacy [Closed]

[Augustus Nacht]

The road was filled with the hoof beats of the great black stallion. It's rider held a hard gaze as he ushered the warhorse on, his green hair becoming ever more tangled in itself as the air caught and blew it back. For five years had Augustus Nacht searched. For five years had Augustus Nacht failed. The Fire Emblem ever alluded his grasp. That great treasure of Bern that had also been part of his lord Hargus' incredible magic. Where was it?

If Ilia had it, they'd have announced it years ago as part of their claim of dominion. If Etruria had it, they wouldn't be bothering with the Bernese Rebel cause. Lycia and Sacae just flat out couldn't have it at all.

SO WHERE THE HELL WAS IT!?

Nacht was convinced that it was in Bern still. It was here somewhere, possibly in the grasp of someone that didn't even know the amazing tool they held in their hand! It was downright infuriating really. For five years he'd kept up this search, but all he'd ever gotten were dead end leads.

"DAMNIT!" Nacht barked out with anger, snapping the horse's reigns once more to get him to go even faster. This subject always did manage to get him riled up with ease. Five years worth of frustration was like that. For the time being though, he'd been turning his attention toward the concerns of the Rebellion. Perhaps that was one of his best bets for now. Perhaps one of those trying to lead the cause was one that possessed the Emblem? Wait no. If they did, then there would be another obvious announcement of it!

WHERE THE HELL WAS THE FIRE EMBLEM!?

[Augustus Nacht]

The thunder boomed. The rain poured. And Nacht cursed his luck. He'd noticed some dark clouds on the horizon... What, a few hours ago now? Mentally the Druid sighed, if only he knew some trick to work on the weather. He knew a miscellanea of hexes designed for all sorts of little things. One to cure colds, one to relax a seasick man, hell even one to help plants grow faster. But something big like the weather? That was out of his jurisdiction. For now, the squishing mud and how it flew everywhere as Midnight trotted on was something that Nacht would just have to deal with.

However, he was starting to near his destination at least. The lightning that lit up the darkness of the storm also illuminated a place of grand memories for Augustus Nacht. The ruins of the... Ruinz. Quite an irony there perhaps. He'd enjoyed his time with the Ruinz Bandits. They sowed much terror across Elibe and their king, Hargus, had come so very close to success. If only it hadn't been for those warriors he'd witnessed in the final battle. All those damned Sacaens, that Dragon, and more. Nacht pulled on the reins, slowing Midnight until he stopped nearby the ruins.

He started to remember once again, the day when everything went to pot. The day that Hargus fell and so did the Ruinz with him. Five years had Nacht spent after that day, searching for greater power and running from pursuers both Bernese and Ilian. They hounded him for years until finally they'd given up. First were the Bernese, three years ago. The Ilians, well they'd only given up a year ago. And then he joined the Rebels. Talk about keeping your old enemies close.

The thunder boomed again, drawing the green haired out of his thoughts. A hand rose and wiped some of the wet hair out of his face, moving it back with the rest of his tangled mess. He carefully dismounted from Midnight, bringing the horse inside of the ruins with him. It was dark to say the least, but that could be fixed easily enough. He looked around for a torch holder whenever the bursts of lighting allowed. After acquiring one, he drew a bit of flint and steel out of a saddlebag, utilizing it to light up the torch.

[Augustus Nacht]

The flames caught and the torch he'd plucked from the holster started to burn. Tying down Midnight's reins to a secure spot nearby, Nacht left his horse with a plan in mind. Where better to start looking for the Emblem than it's last location? True, it would definitely be gone by now, but there had to be at least some clue as to who could have taken it. Even if it was just a small hint and they didn't have it anymore, it was something. And that was far more than what Augustus Nacht had right now.

His footsteps echoed in the silent corridors of the old rundown keep.  Occasionally he'd hear the chitter of mice, even the calls of wild beasts in the nearby woods. The thunder boomed yet still and the rain pittered and pattered on the ceiling overhead, the open windows emphasizing the splish splash of the rain coming down. As he looked around, there was a bit more to see than just the usual interior. No, there was dust and spiderwebs.  How exciting...

He'd already scavenged through a couple of the rooms now and there wasn't exactly much to find. A lot of the old rooms were destroyed or otherwise drained dry by looters. It wasn't a big surprise. Vultures would be vultures, no matter their stripes. They could claim military or vagabond. Peasant or noble, it didn't matter. What was true was that they'd plucked and sequestered just like the bandits they'd claimed to hate and despise.

How miserable.

Nacht spit on the ground, sickened by the thoughts of those damned vultures. It seemed like today just wanted him to get mad. Of course, given where he was and what had happened before, it wasn't exactly a surprise. All kinds of malevolence stirred and wanted to lick at his thoughts, influencing and edging him further onward. To focus on finding the Emblem. To use it to claim vengeance upon the vultures among many more. Perhaps first he'd start with the ones that had taken down Hargus.

No.

"Think smart, Nacht..." He muttered to himself briefly. No. He couldn't start with them, he'd need to consolidate his power and army first. And even then, he had this nagging feeling that there was more involved than just the Fire Emblem. If ever it had such an ability, then why wouldn't it have been used sooner by one of Bern's rulers to claim dominion over all Elibe? A curious situation. Very curious indeed. He started digging through his memories of old again. It had to have been something else, something Elder...

Nacht's eyes shot open. He knew what he needed.

[Augustus Nacht]

The sounds of clattering and destruction filled the silence that used to pervade the old hideout of the Ruinz Bandits. Nacht threw around old crates and tables, clearing out the trash of rooms as he looked for any signs of his new goal. It had to be hidden here still. There wouldn't be anyone else that knew of what Nacht now pursued.

He made sure of that as part of his runs five years ago.

Augustus Nacht was the only one that knew of The Tome. And he had to find it now, even the Fire Emblem could come second to the importance of what the Druid was looking for. The manual of such eldritch power that held such power that Hargus had even executed his best Shaman in order to keep the magical formula knowledge to himself alone. And The Tome held it. All Nacht needed to do was get his hands on that book.

...

It felt like hours had passed. Nacht groaned as he entered through the doorway of the large room where many of the rituals had been conducted. He'd been privy to the knowledge, but had decided not to check this room just yet. It'd be a bit too obvious if The Tome had been hidden here. He gazed around the room still though. There was still some bloodstains from long ago. Faint chalk lines from magical circles also peeked through the dust cloud of time. Among the cluttered mess of books and papers was some interesting notes to be certain. Theories on the applications of high scale Anima magic to control weather (rather ironic, Nacht found), as well as one notion on how Light might even be able to bring back the dead proper. Ultimately tossing the theories aside, Nacht gave a heavy sigh and took his leave of the room. He'd even checked the walls for a secret compartment, but nothing.

...

A while longer and Nacht came to the only shut door in the entire hideout of old for the Ruinz. He paused as he stood there, listening carefully. It seemed that the rain finally stopped. Whether it'd open up again or not, Nacht didn't particularly care, but at least he was relatively dry right now. The Druid stepped up to the door before starting to turn the handle. And it didn't budge.

He looked down at the handle, but there was no lock whatsoever.

"A barrier...?" He placed a hand on the door, concentrating hard. There was a nagging feeling as he did so and after a moment, a surge flared up within his senses. A familiar surge of Elder Magic. Nacht placed another hand on the door, taking a deep breathe before turning his full concentration to the magic of the door, working carefully to deconstruct the barrier that had been placed. Time passed as he worked, slowly but steadily. The barrier would eventually fall and Nacht withdrew from the door.

He turned the handle once more and the door slid open. Time had left a layer of dust in this room as well, but compared to the rest of their old hideout, the room was practically in pristine condition. Nacht looked around, taking it in. He started to recognize this room, it was where Hargus had made his office. The desk was still covered in old documents and six orbs. The bookshelf was still filled to the brim as well. The Druid shut the door behind him and placed the torch in a nearby holder after lighting up another in the room. The torchlight wasn't grand, but it'd due for his purposes.

Nacht sat at the chair of the desk, going through the documents and stacking them aside. He looked through the bookshelf, pulling down one book after another, one tied together stack of papers after the other. Each he'd started to set aside. There were some interesting things here, but as a whole they were not what Nacht sought. Yet... It had to be here. It was the only room anywhere near secure enough to hide The Tome.

Augustus Nacht groaned in frustration. Not one of these tomes were what he sought. He tore open the drawers of the desk, going through them with not much of care. Each one had some nicknack or bauble, but never what he sought. Nacht was ready to just flip the whole desk over. But instead, he had another idea. Nacht looked back at the bookshelf and got up from his seat. Instead of flipping the desk, perhaps he needed to flip the bookcase. The Druid wasn't exceptionally strong, but he was stronger than the average mage at least, part of the bonus from his occasional exercise and the youthful vitality of Nosferatu. The bookcase slid with an irritating grinding sound, but eventually Nacht had it out of the way proper.

He felt at the wall, running his hands along it carefully before he felt a loose brick, wide enough to store even a full sized book! Nacht quickly moved back to the desk, grabbing at an old dagger that was there for a letter opener. He started to poke it into the crack, using it as leverage to start removing the brick. It took time and patience, but eventually he managed to work the brick even looser and with a final pull, the brick came out entirely. Within was a carved out hole and sitting there was indeed a book.

"Please... Let this be it..." Nacht muttered to himself, a desperate hope to have succeeded. He reached in and pulled it out. The cover was black as night and a series of runes covered the book from front to back and ran along the spine. Nacht began to grin. He opened the book. And he read.

"Ha... Hahaha... HAHAHAHAHA!" Augustus Nacht broke into a mad laugh. His face contorted in a twisted sort of grin that was only possible for a true madman. The Druid's eyes gleamed with malevolence.

He found The Tome.

Nacht began to walk out of the Ruinz Hideout. He was practically giddy. Power... Such divine power and it was all his. Now, the Druid only needed one more thing. One more thing and he would be the new ruler of all Elibe.

The Fire Emblem.

[Hargus]

It had seemed that one of the loyal servants of the Ruinz Bandits had returned home, it was none other than Augustus Nacht. Breaking the magical barrier on Hargus' office and ransacking it had awoken his spirit. As Nacht walked into the throne room the air had suddenly began to feel as if it was chilled, there was an almost see through appreciation sitting on the throne that Hargus sat upon many years ago. "Ah, Augustus. It is nice to see you once again. I sense you found my spell book. You know what happens when somebody steals my property." The ghost rose from the throne and walked over towards the man, even though Hargus appeared to be wearing his armor none of his foot steps made a sound. "That could be forgiven if you do me one small favor. Read the spells from the book and revive me." His time in this world had ran out, his final words had began to fade away as the ghost's image slowly dissipated.

[Augustus Nacht]

Augustus Nacht carried the tome in one arm as he began to walk out of the ruins. He'd entered the central chamber once more, though he also paused in his steps. The air felt unnaturally cold, almost as if-

"Ah, Augustus. It is nice to see you once again."

Nacht spun to look towards the source of the voice. It... It couldn't be...

"I sense you found my spell book. You know what happens when somebody steals my property."

The ghost of the Bandit King, Hargus, sat upon his throne. He rose as he finished speaking, walking towards Nacht. Even as a ghost, he was as imposing as he was in life, decked in his full armor and standing taller and wider than Nacht, bulging with muscle. And just as in life, Augustus was forced to look up as Hargus stood before him.

"L-Lord... Hargus..." Nacht's voice was weak, completely astonished by the presence of the man he once served. He stopped speaking though as the ghost of Hargus spoke once more.

"That could be forgiven if you do me one small favor. Read the spells from the book and revive me." The ghost faded and the words began to go with him, but in Nacht's mind they rang loud and clear. Revive him.

"Y-Yes, Lord Hargus!" Nacht responded as the ghost faded away. He stood there for a moment, trying to comprehend what just happened. He looked down at The Tome he possessed and he resolved something then and there as he turned to Midnight, as he prepared to ride away.

Hargus would live again.

[Augustus Nacht]

*Set after City of Black*

Recently, Augustus Nacht had decided to make use of the old place. He'd brought in another couple of bookshelves to fill the spacious office, filled with books on all manners of subjects. Mostly Elder Magic, history, and other such subjects. He flipped through the pages of The Tome once more, reading carefully of what he'd need to do to prepare the resurrection ritual. The details on just how much power required was vague, but as a whole it seemed that stronger souls required more and more power. To revive Hargus, Nacht was certain this number would be high indeed. The Druid placed a strip of red cloth inside of The Tome, marking his place and then shut it.

He walked off to the old ritual room, now cleaned up as well. He'd swept and mopped up, the broom and mop still sitting in a corner, a bucket beside them as well. Nacht walked over to a table, covered in notes and diagrams. He gently sat The Tome upon it, looking at the diagram and then before him on the floor. He'd already drawn a fresh circle in chalk once more, a deceased form lying in the middle of it. He'd found that the spell didn't exactly require a corpse for the person to be resurrected, but a town drunkard no one would miss was quite convenient in acquiring another soul and a test subject.

The green-haired murderer went about walking around the circle, making sure that everything involving magical formula was in order. After making sure that everything was to his satisfaction, Nacht picked up The Tome once more, flipping it open to the page he'd marked with the ribbon. After removing and setting it upon the table, the Ruinz Shaman of old turned to the magical circle. He lifted a hand, the other balancing and holding up The Tome in it's grasp. He spoke words of power that echoed through the room, growing in volume as he went on. The circle glowed with a nearly blinding level of light, but Nacht narrowed his eyes and continued on, chanting as the spell began to take hold. He could feel the souls he'd obtained starting to lessen, his body feeling the effects of his reservoir beginning to lower.

And all at once it was over.

The light grew dim, Nacht's chanting halted. And the body started to rise. The man groaned as he did so, questioning of where he was. He remembered getting plastered and falling over drunk in some alley, but... The drunkard caught sight of the green-haired man. "W-What's going on?"

Nacht looked the man over. "How do you feel?"

"H-Huh? Well... Pretty confused, but... I haven't felt this good in years actually. What did you...?" He looked questionably at Nacht.

"Oh, just a neat little trick. But you don't need to know that." He flicked a hand forward, muttering another word of power as shadowy tendrils formed and stabbed through the unfortunate victim, ending his life once more. Nacht chuckled briefly with amusement. The revival spell certainly did work, but...

He turned to his notes on the table, placing the ribbon in The Tome once more and setting it back down. He picked up an inkpen out of it's well, starting to write. He'd obtained about... 60 souls, all told with that little Orange Demon's help. And now... Nacht paused, taking a moment to 'measure' himself. Compared to the feeling of before, it was like he felt about... half? Yes, about half full.

He wrote down that one normal person was about 30 souls, feeling the number was close. He then wrote down Hargus' name and a question mark beside it. The Bandit King was a lot stronger than a normal man, that was obvious enough. To revive Hargus, it'd take even more souls as well.

"Double...? No. Perhaps triple..." He trailed off, continuing to write his notes. Yes, he really did need to find a fast way to garner more souls.

[Augustus Nacht]

Nacht looked over the maps he'd stolen, marking locations. Locations of other Bandits that had survived the Bandit War, ones that he could bring back into the fold of Hargus' revival. Georg, that former Paladin of Bern, would be easy to convince. Even Saleena, that harpy of a Sage could be convinced. Those two together would form a good united front to round up some sacrifices for his needs.

He also began to mark locations of the Rebels, not happy with their slow progress. It was only skirmishes, never full battles. How we was he supposed to reap the benefits of helping them if they were moving so damn slow and being so bloody useless!? Nacht took a moment to steady his breathing. Anger could wait. Right now, he needed to plan.

"I'll have a word with Saleena first. Have her start gathering her people here for when I come back. Georg... Yes, he's further south, so I'll go directly to him. He's built up a larger powerbase, I can count on his people to get the job done right. Unlike those Rebels..." Nacht muttered the last sentence under his breath.

Everything was coming together now. Nothing could stop his progress at this point. Nothing could stop the return of Hargus. The green haired Druid chuckled lowly. Oh what a glorious day that would be. Now though, he needed to see to it that his plans would go properly into motion.

Nacht turned and took his leave of the ruined fortress, replacing his seal on the magical lab before he did so.

[END THREAD]