The King of Fire and Smokeby LaarsgaardChaptersThe Legend of The Crytsal EmpireImmortalityThe New Royal RegimentThe Legend of The Crytsal EmpireIn our great land of Equestria there are many tales. Some are of our greatest heroes like the bearers of the Elements who banished darkness time and time again. There are stories of our great princesses who had once fought tooth and nail at one another’s throats over the empire and eventually banishment of the younger only to return a thousand years later to be championed. But of all of the tales we have, out of all of those stories, I feel the greatest tales, the ones that are the truest, are the ones of our villains. The most prominent would obviously be Nightmare Moon who threatened to bury our land in night eternal. There was Queen Chrysalis and her horde of changelings that almost defeated us and sucked all of the love from us. Discord, a manic, insane creature that was a master at his craft, it was interesting to see one such as he at work. But in my mind there is one villain, one evil being who will always stick out as more dangerous, angrier and for more deadly to deal with than any of these other villains: Sombra. Archimedes stood some distance from his lord. The king stood on his balcony and looked out over the land his father had left him. Sombra brooded as he looked out over the vast fields and villages that was his kingdom. The kingdom was dying, withering on the vine as it failed to produce enough food year after year. The dead lay about in the streets. Mothers wept over their still born children. Disease had begun to spread throughout the homes of the last city of the great northern kingdom. It didn’t matter status or power the Red Fever, as the commoners called it, claimed any and all who knocked at its door. The old king had died two weeks ago today and it weighed heavily on the new dread lord. Archimedes stood his silent vigil waiting for the king to speak. His mind was heavy and Archimedes knew what thoughts weighed him down the most. “Archimedes.” The new king said softly. The chaplain stepped forward quietly. “Yes my lord?” he asked politely. Sombra turned from the balcony to look at the holy man. Archimedes was always unsure of what to think of the young king’s features ever since he had been a child. His hair was long and black as the dead night sky. His eyes were bright, neon green with red irises that glowed with intensity. Purple mist flowed out of his eyes and came to points just behind the king’s ears. The mist flowed and moved on its own as if they were living creatures. The king’s actual face was rather handsome with strong features. A strong jaw was complimented with a neatly trimmed goatee. The crown that had, up until recently, been his father’s was placed on his head. The crown was a beautiful work of art in its own right. It was made of platinum and inlaid with precious gems and mother of pearl. There was a massive singular horn that jutted from the front making the wearer appear rather intimidating. The king stepped from the balcony into his private chamber. Archimedes closed the massive drape behind him to block out the cold. The king was still dressed in his formal attire and his boots rang off of the cold stone floor. The fireplace had gone out hours ago as the king had stood and watched his dying home. The king walked over to the dead fireplace. He snapped his fingers and a fire came to life, lighting up the large room and adding some much needed warmth. Sombra place his hand on the mantle and laid his forehead on the cool stone. “My father had you working on something.” The king began. “Something more important than anything else you had ever worked on before.” He said. Archimedes nodded. “Yes lord. The project was an intense one and near completion. We were going to put it to use but you father…” Archimedes paused. Sombra looked at him, those green orbs boring into the chaplain. “Your father passed before it could was seen all the way through.” The holy man finished. “Tell me.” Sombra said. Archimedes nodded. “May I sit your grace?” he asked politely. Sombra motioned to one of the two oversized chairs placed in front of the fireplace. Archimedes slumped into one letting out an enormous sigh. “Your grace,” the chaplain began. Sombra looked at him. “I would suggest you sit for this.” Sombra sat on the edge of the open seat and made his fingers into a steeple. The king didn’t say anything he just stared at the holy man. Archimedes sat up a bit and clasped his hands. “The project your father had us working on is a rather interesting one and some would question the ethics of it.” Sombra raised an eyebrow. This was not exactly the best way to start a story. Archimedes continued on. “My lord,” he gestured at Sombra. “If you would remember back to when your mother had died, how distant and odd you father had behaved.” Sombra brought his fingers under his chin and leaned back in the overstuffed chair. His thoughts flashed back to when he was a child holding his father’s hand while he stood before his mother’s pyre. Sombra had never seen his father Damascus cry or show any emotion of any kind. The closest was the lack of command and anger he showed when talking to either his son or his wife. Sombra still remembered the heat from that fire as he watched his mother’s corpse burn before him. The old king had knelt down next to his son. “Remember son.” Damascus said. “There are only two people you can truly trust in this world.” Sombra nodded. The old king went on. “You can trust Archimedes, and you can trust yourself.” He said simply. Damascus stood again and took his son’s hand the only display of affection that he had ever truly shown to his son. Sombra leaned forward in his chair. “I remember,” Sombra turned his head to look into Archimedes’ eyes. “He said you were the only other person I could trust besides myself.” Archimedes nodded. “Your father had a lot of confidence in me and my abilities.” The old chaplain chuckled. “I’ll never know why though, I am just a simple man of god and science.” Sombra looked at the old chaplain. “If he had faith in you my friend, then I shall continue to trust his judgment.” The King stated. “Now please continue.” Archimedes nodded. “After your mother passed he became obsessed over a legend he heard of when he was a young man.” Sombra thought about his father. The old king had died at the age of a thousand. Not due to old age but an accident involving armory forge. The fire had been glorious. Sombra fingered the edge of the cloak that his father had left him. It was deep red fringed in white. The clasp was a series of armor plates the covered the back of the neck and came together at the throat. Sombra had to think of how long ago it would have been for his father to be considered a young man. “An enormous project off of just a hunch?” Sombra raised his eyebrow at Archimedes. Archimedes adjusted himself in the chair so as to lean on the arm of the chair. “More than a hunch, your grace, a legend.” Sombra was unimpressed. Archimedes went on. “Legends are such strange things for beings such as us. We tend to discredit them while secretly,” the old chaplain raised a finger. “Secretly we want there to be some truth to the story.” Archimedes looked into the fire. “You father was looking for truth when he set out on his journey.” “You mean the five years that he left he was out looking for this legend?” “Quite your grace, he found some interesting things on that journey.” “Tell me.” Commanded the king, Archimedes nodded. “The king had come across a legend when he was a young man, a little younger than you are now in fact. The story tells of an empire to the south of here where immortality had been achieved, where the people have cheated death for thousands of years.” Sombra nodded. “The Crystal Empire.” He said. “Yes,” Archimedes said, pointing his finger to strengthen his point. “The Crystal Empire.” “But those are all just stories.” Sombra said, readjusting himself in his seat. Archimedes shook his head. “It is far more than a story, your grace, the Crystal Empire if very much real.” Sombra’s eyes widened. “Then-“ Sombra trailed off, Archimedes nodded again. “They truly are immortal.” Sombra looked into the flames. This changed everything. “What was the experiment about?” the king asked. Archimedes turned to look into the flames. “The experiment was to see if we could achieve the same thing as the citizens of the Crystal Empire.” Sombra turned his head. Archimedes went on. “Your father brought home thousands of small crystals that had energy enough for a small star inside of them. We had a laboratory constructed beneath the dungeons which you know of. “We spent the next few years looking at the crystals and what we could do with them. Now we use the power the crystals have given us in almost everything, no one knows about it though.” Archimedes turned to Sombra. “Smelting, smithing, black powder usage and milling, all of it has some new magical properties that improve it in some little way because of the power we get from the crystals.” Archimedes leaned in close to Sombra. “That, however, was just one of our breakthroughs. The King wanted immortality; he wanted to be a god amongst men. Surprisingly, his first goal after his achievement of immortality was to empower his people.” Sombra raised an eyebrow at that. The old king was anything but a benevolent and caring ruler. Sombra remembered when he was around the ages of ten or eleven his father had him sit on of the many balconies that looked down on the lands below where the commoners lived. “They are cattle.” He said plainly. “You are the farmer. It is your job to make sure that they don’t get out of line and that they are fed and watered and in return they will give you milk and meat, but remember, they are still stupid cattle and you hold their lives in your hand.” Sombra had nodded. His father had been a brutally simple man. Sombra remembered the executions had taken place on the spot in his throne room. The bloodstain ten paces from the throne would never come out. Sombra looked at Archimedes. “Empower the people you say. Well you knew his mind best, why?” Archimedes stared into the flames. “His argument was that a god should only rule over kings.” Sombra nodded. That sounded like his father for sure. “What was the next step?” Sombra asked. Archimedes sucked through his teeth. “To resurrect your mother.” Sombra froze. His mother, what he could remember, had been a gentle woman and a loving mother. His best memory of her was in the garden when he had opened up his knee on a rock after he had tripped. She had come to him and closed the wound magically and kissed it. She had held him tightly and called him her favorite star. Sombra stared into the flames in his fireplace and remembered her pyre. The funeral had been a terrible day, even for his father. Archimedes sat in silence waiting for his king to speak. Sombra stirred. “Did you manage to give my father immortality?” Archimedes sighed. “No, that was what we were going to do before he died.” Sombra nodded. “Is the project still ready?” he asked. Archimedes looked at the king. “We abandoned the project after his grace passed.” Sombra stood and looked at the chaplain. “Archimedes, I command you to make me immortal.” Archimedes stood and bowed stiffly. “At one your grace.” He said as he backed out of the chamber, he knew better than to question a king. Sombra stood over the fireplace looking down into the fire and he smiled. The old king had been mad but not stupid. A god father, you would make a very poor god. Sombra thought to himself. The king turned from the fire place and walked back though the curtain out onto the balcony. Snow had begun to fall, light and beautiful in its white purity. Sombra caught a flake in levitation and pulled it closer. He held the flake in the air looking at it. It was too small to see any detail so he blew it up to massive proportions. The image it made was stunning, an unrepeatable pattern that hung before him. Sombra took in the beauty and smiled. Fire began to grow around him, burning higher and higher melting the snow around him as the air began to heat. The massive snowflake began to melt as it hung in the air. Sombra just smiled as the flames shot up and immediately died down. Of the snowflake, only steam floated away. Sombra looked down at the land. His smile grew wider as his flames began to spread. He could hear shrieks and screams as the flames began to eat up homes and peasants alike. The flames didn’t burn bright orange though. Sombra had never liked orange and yellow fire, Sombra liked black. The black flames moved swiftly through flesh and wood alike assuring that nothing was left standing. “Your herd father,” Sombra said. “It’s in need of a purge.” ImmortalitySombra sat on his throne looking menacing, before him stood the leader of his surviving subjects. The man was short and pudgy with a shiny bald spot. He was covered head to foot in black soot and his clothes were torn and burned. The man was incredibly unhappy and seeing his angry face made Sombra chuckle on the inside. “We ask for help your majesty.” The man demanded. Sombra smiled. “Of course loyal subjects we shall help you.” He said. The leader sighed visibly and his expression lessened. “Thank you your grace.” The leader said taking a knee and bowing his head respectfully. Sombra stood and stepped down from his throne. He held out his right hand to his headsman. The headsman carried the executioner’s blade at all times. The sword was handed over to the king. It was a beautiful thing really, long and cold looking and austere, no frilly decorations or adornments, Sombra knew that if he were to use a blade in battle he would use this one. The fat bald man looked up, fear on his face. “No, no, no, no, n-“his protests were cut short as the sword went through his neck. Sombra smiled, Damascus would be proud. The corpse spurted blood from the stump of a neck onto the floor. Sombra looked at the small group of survivors left. “How many are there left out of all of our lands?” he asked angrily. There was some chattering within the group and then another man stepped forward. This one was younger, also covered in soot but he at least looked like he could fight. “Several thousand escaped your grace. They are living outside your walls as we speak.” Sombra smiled and handed the massive sword back to the headsman and wiped the blood from his hands with the kerchief he received from a handmaid. “Well then, bring them in!” Sombra commanded. Everyone was a bit taken aback. The captain of the guard, Talon Jur stepped forward. “Excuse me your grace?” he asked confused. Sombra wheeled around and glared at everyone in the throne room. Somehow he managed to make them all feel insignificant. “We said bring in all of those peasants NOW!” he yelled. Smoke billowed from his hair and fire spat from his palms as he yelled. His glowing eyes spewing purple tendrils of smoke that danced even faster and more harshly as his choler rose. Jur didn’t hesitate to begin giving orders. Sombra moved to his throne and sat back down. Archimedes leaned down and whispered into his ear. “What is your plan your grace?” he asked curiously. Sombra wagged his finger at Archimedes. “Tut, tut old friend, have faith in your king.” Sombra fixed his deadly gaze upon the chaplain. “How are the preparations coming?” he asked in a low tone. “They are near completion again my lord, we can begin the procedure on the morrow if you so wish.” Archimedes answered. Sombra nodded his approval. “I do so whish.” Archimedes nodded and bowed. “If his grace would excuse me, I will go oversee things down below.” Sombra waved his hand dismissively and Archimedes bowed his way out of the back door. Jur moved forward and knelt before the king. “Your grace, I would like to ask what is to be done with the peasants?” the old knight asked. Sombra adjusted himself to sit even more upright. He placed both hands on the armrests and glared down at the captain. “We command that they be housed, fed and clothed as best as they can. In a week’s time the men will be judged on their fighting potential. The women will be given positions within the palace as maids and servants, the male children will be given over to your care and you shall oversee their training, the girls will also be given assignments within the grounds as servants and maids. So we command.” Sombra ordered, his voice echoing off of the stone walls. Jur nodded. “So I obey.” He answered ceremoniously. The captain stood and began issuing orders again. Sombra smiled. Tomorrow a new god would walk the earth. The laboratory was an odd place and Sombra did not like it. It was filled with chemicals and odd magicks he could smell the sterilized stink of cadavers and test subjects. It was a jumble of tables and beakers with corpses lying on slabs of rock where their lives had ended. The corners were filled with shadows and empty cobwebs where candelabras had never been lit. Sombra had heard of such a place below but had never dared ask his father about his secret project. Sombra inspected the corpses. He recognized a few of the faces of thieves and lawbreakers dissected. “What happened here?” Sombra asked. Archimedes poked his head up from the massive tome he was reading. “Ah, those men were to be punished so we used the crystals you see here,” the chaplain held up a pale blue crystal that shone with power. “To see just how much torment we could put them through before their sentence was carried out.” Archimedes chuckled darkly. Sombra raised an eyebrow. “I never knew you were one to take pleasure from killing something.” Archimedes waved dismissively at the king. “Not normally your grace, but three of those men were rapists and I feel what the crystal managed to do to them was rather fitting as a punishment than to wind up as a quick bloodstain on the floor of the throne room like all the others.” Archimedes smiled and stuck his nose back into his book. Sombra looked down at the corpses again and moved on. After some deliberation Archimedes pulled himself from his notes. “Ah, here we are.” He said a small smile on his face. He patted the table in the middle of the vast room. “Here your grace.” Sombra laid himself down. “Have you managed to do this with a test subject?” Sombra asked, starting to have second thoughts. Archimedes held up a finger and turned around. There was the sound of rummaging and then Archimedes turned back with a cage with a large white rat in it. “We preformed the same experiment on this rat.” Sombra was unimpressed. “And?” he asked impatiently. “We preformed it about one hundred fifty years ago, your grace.” “Oh.” Said Sombra, now a bit less worried about the implications of this action. Archimedes began hooking up odd devices to crystals and placing crystals into odd looking containers that had mirrors and what looked to be funnels. He approached Sombra and placed a copper crown around the king’s brow, fastening it in the front of his head. Sombra didn’t move he just watched as Archimedes hooked up wire to wire. Men dressed in hooded robes began to march in and formed a ring around the walls of the laboratory. Archimedes came to the side of the slab and placed his hand on Sombra’s ankle reassuringly. “Your grace now is the time to back out if you have any fear.” the chaplain said. Sombra snarled. “Do it.” He commanded. Archimedes nodded and began to chant. The men began to chant with him. As the words were spoken the crystals around the room began to glow with an ethereal energy. Sombra felt power flow through his head and into his body as the chanting grew louder and faster. Wind began swirl about quickly, whisking away notes and knocking over beakers filled with the gods know what in them as the power flowed and filled the king to the breaking point. Sombra began to scream as the power flooded into him. He felt his soul shatter and rebuild itself into something new, something far more powerful. He was thrown from his body, his soul hurled into the void. He could see eternal darkness, and fire. Fire burned all around him, not normal fire, it was his black fire, the same flames that had burned down his kingdom in preparation for his plans. The heat was intense and painful, burning his soul. Sombra looked down and watched his flesh bubble and slough away. His bones underneath were burned black. He wiggled his fingers watching the bone move about, it was unnerving. Still he flew on through the void the fire tearing into him, the pain becoming more and more. Sombra looked out into the darkness and saw lights beginning to appear. They were distant, like stars, but bright as the sun, each shining on into the eternity of the void. He sped on and approached one of the small stars. He reached his skeletal hand out and picked up the star. The light began to fade and turn to black in his hand. The star went out entirely and crumbled to dust. Sombra watched the dust fall through his fingers and swirl about him and begin to latch onto his now fleshless body. As the dust accumulated the pain dulled slightly but persisted. Sombra was thrust through the vast emptiness to the next star and the same thing happened. Soon the stars began making their way too him, fading as they came to the king as dust to build his body. Sombra looked down at the flesh of his soul. It was black, black as the darkest night and all light was consumed by his passing like a black hole he sailed through the void of souls and sucked all the light out of the world around him. The fire around him burned higher with every star that went out and absorbed by the king but he could feel no heat anymore, only power and strength. Off in the distance he could make out two massive stars standing defiantly. Sombra came to rest before the larger of the two. He reached out his hands and tried to grasp the star the star struck out at him taking some of his flesh with it. Sombra tried to absorb the massive star but it continued to strike out at him. Sombra turned from the star and tried to run but the star began to reach out for him. Sombra reached deep down into his newfound strength and sent a torrent of flame at the star. The massive star recoiled in pain and began to flee from the fire. Sombra amassed a massive amount of flame into a huge comet and hurled it at the fleeing star, he missed and the star disappeared. Sombra felt something grip him again and throw him through the void again. He looked to where he was going and saw a massive light he was hurtling for. He closed his eyes and prayed to wake up. Sombra soared through the light and came through. The king opened his eyes. He was on the slab in the laboratory except there was no light and he felt a chill throughout his body. He sat up and looked around but there was no light. He reached up and removed the crown on his head. Sombra held up his hand and let a tiny flame come to life. As light shone Sombra saw the devastation of the room. The tables and slabs were scorched most of the wooden objects missing considerable portions. All the glass had melted and pooled about the floor most of the puddles still glowing a merry orange color. The corpses were burned away entirely leaving only scorched bone behind. Sombra looked and saw the cage that had held the immortal rat and saw nothing left of the rat, only melted slag. The robed men all lay dead on the ground, their flesh burnt away. Sombra went to each in turn inspecting them. Then his eyes fell on Archimedes. Sombra fell to his knees and rolled his friend over. The old chaplain had lost a portion of his face to the flame but he still breathed. Sombra threw the holy man over his shoulder and weaved his way through the burned destruction of the lab.Just as well, the king thought, I was going to have those men executed anyway. The New Royal RegimentThe week had passed and now was the time for the true tests to begin. He sat on an improvised throne that was set on a raised stage on one side of the parade grounds. The king was resplendent he had worn his finest garments for this day and the armor plates about his neck were polished to a high sheen that reflected the king’s face back up to him. The face, however, was filled with malice. The first man stepped up. Sombra noticed it was the same man that had spoken after he had executed the fat man. He looked to be about thirty with graying hair. He was slight and appeared to be sickly. Sombra could already tell he was headed for the chopping block. Captain Jur stepped forward with a scroll in his hand. He unrolled the scroll and read aloud. “By order of his majesty, King Sombra, you are hereby ordered to the court any of you who are man or boy. Those under the age of fifteen will be taken in by the captain of the guard to oversee your well being and training until you should reach the age of fifteen where you will be sent to train as an adult in the new royal guard regiment.” The captain coughed and continued reading. “Those who are over fifteen and are found to be fighting fit will immediately be issued armor and weapons and trained to fight as a member of the King’s new royal guard regiment. Those who fail inspection shall be terminated as there is no longer any use for you in the kingdom.” Jur closed the scroll staring at the line of peasants who were stunned silent. “First up.” The captain commanded. The first man in line stepped up and held his head high. Jur stepped up and looked the man over like inspecting a piece of beef. The inspection was rather degrading as the captain inspected the man as if he were a slave starting with his head and face and combing over his whole body to include his genitals. After his inspection was over he sent the man to the physician to be inspected for disease. If the man was found to be clean he would definitely be given a position in the regiment and sent off to begin his training. After a half hour of this Sombra grew bored. He stood and left his throne to descend onto the parade ground. Jur didn’t stop his inspections as Sombra stepped up next to him and watched. Jur called up the next one. It was a boy about the age of sixteen but looked to be nine or ten his face was covered in dirt and his limbs were tiny and appeared to be made of bone. His ribs were visible through the massive holes torn in his clothes. His face was covered in scars and he walked with a slight limp, even if he somehow managed to pass Jur’s inspection this child would not last long. The child wouldn’t be able to hold a dagger let alone a sword as he was starved to the point of death. Sombra looked to Jur. “I thought I ordered you to feed all of these people.” Sombra hissed through his teeth. Jur’s eyes flared a bit in fear. It would have gone unnoticed by any other person but not the king. the king had learned to read people from his father who had been the greatest of them all at reading people. “You grace,” Jur began. Sombra cut the captain off with a wave his anger rising. Sparks danced about his fingers and smoke began to pour from his hair. “Feed them captain.” Sombra looked down at the boy. “You are spared for now until you get some food into you.” The child bowed and kept his gaze low. Sombra looked up at his captain and the captain flinched visibly. “If I see another one of these men malnourished you will be next on the chopping block!” Sombra said. Jur nodded and bowed his head respectfully. Sombra moved through the halls on his way to the infirmary. Servants and maids bowed and moved out of his way as he passed. He felt good, like his head was clear for the first time in a long while. Sombra rounded a corner and crashed into a maid who was holding a tray full of dirty dishes. She fell to the ground and the dishes went flying, smashing into walls and the ground sending broken chunks of china everywhere. Sombra looked down upon the maid. She was on the verge of tears and she tried to clean up the mess she had made. She still hadn’t noticed whom she had run into. Sombra squatted down and placed his hand under her chin. She met his gaze and a squeak of fear escaped her mouth. “Don’t worry about cleaning this.” He said quietly. “W-what?” she asked frozen with terror. Sombra smiled warmly. “You won’t have to worry about dishes ever again.” He said simply. He turned to another servant who had stuck himself to the wall, fearing to move lest he anger his lord. “You,” Sombra pointed at the maid. “Clean up her mess and take her to the dungeons.” The servant nodded his head and reached down to grab the maid by her arm. She began sobbing out loud as she was dragged away. Sombra snorted as she was taken from his sight. The King walked into the infirmary and was greeted warmly by the healer. “Ah your grace, so lovely to see you this fine day.” She said. She was a rather shapely woman with large breasts and a nice swing to her hips and she was younger than most. Sombra felt something stir inside him, some kind of longing, primal in form. The healer seemed to stroll casually from bed to bed while laying her hands on the wounded and the sick. She was a wielder of powerful magick the king could not deny and he found that to be rather enticing. A thought passed his mind that hadn’t in some time. Sombra nodded with a straight face and went to see Archimedes. The old chaplain was sitting up in his bed with a book. The curtain was pulled back so he could see out the window. The day was cold and gray as often was the way of the north. Sombra looked out and felt some disgust for his home. Archimedes put his book down and looked out the window as he approached. “I didn’t take time earlier to view your handiwork. How many do you think perished?” he asked nonchalantly. Sombra knew deep down the holy man was upset with the fire. Sombra stared out of the window as well. “Enough to make those who remain stronger.” The king replied. “Hmph,” Archimedes looked at Sombra and took off his reading glasses. “Now you sound like your father.” Sombra smiled defensively. “Would the old king be proud?” Sombra asked. Archimedes rubbed his temples. “I don’t know honestly.” Archimedes rubbed the side of his face that had been burned away. It was growing back well, almost visibly. Sombra sat in a chair near the bed. Archimedes looked out the window. “What happened while I was under?” Sombra asked. Archimedes sighed. “Fire, your grace, fire.” Archimedes turned his head. “Flames poured out of you in a torrent like I had never seen before. It was brutal to endure but this was the worse I suffered.” Archimedes brushed his burn. “This will heal, those men though,” the old chaplain sighed again. “It was as if their very souls had been sucked out of their bodies. As the flames touched them, they withered into husks, the fire didn’t actually burn them.” He looked to Sombra. “I should really be asking what happened to you while you were under, what did you see my lord?” Sombra leaned back in his chair and breathed out slowly. His explanation took him several minutes to convey. Archimedes didn’t interrupt, only rubbed his chin in thought. Sombra finished. “Those stars, your grace, those were souls of mortals.” Archimedes said simply. “Except the massive ones, those are beings of obvious power.” Sombra nodded in understanding. “What happens if I meet those beings?” Sombra asked. Archimedes laughed aloud. “You run!” he said exasperatedly. “Beings such as those are not to be trifled with in the slightest.” This time it was Sombra’s turn to rub his chin in thought. “Not unless I become as powerful as they are.” He said. Archimedes raised an eyebrow. “My lord, you cannot be serious.” Sombra smiled wickedly. “Oh but I am.” Archimedes sighed and rubbed his temples again. “Alright, I can already tell where this is going. Where do we start?” Sombra shook his head. “We already have.” Sombra replied still smiling. Archimedes looked out the window. “How long?” “Only until the new regiment is ready.” “That will take some time.” “Let it, we’ve enough supplies that will last us years to come.”Archimedes sighed. “Your grace,” Sombra looked at his chaplain and long time confidant. “This is one hell of an undertaking you do realize that right?” Sombra just smiled.
The Legend of The Crytsal EmpireIn our great land of Equestria there are many tales. Some are of our greatest heroes like the bearers of the Elements who banished darkness time and time again. There are stories of our great princesses who had once fought tooth and nail at one another’s throats over the empire and eventually banishment of the younger only to return a thousand years later to be championed. But of all of the tales we have, out of all of those stories, I feel the greatest tales, the ones that are the truest, are the ones of our villains. The most prominent would obviously be Nightmare Moon who threatened to bury our land in night eternal. There was Queen Chrysalis and her horde of changelings that almost defeated us and sucked all of the love from us. Discord, a manic, insane creature that was a master at his craft, it was interesting to see one such as he at work. But in my mind there is one villain, one evil being who will always stick out as more dangerous, angrier and for more deadly to deal with than any of these other villains: Sombra. Archimedes stood some distance from his lord. The king stood on his balcony and looked out over the land his father had left him. Sombra brooded as he looked out over the vast fields and villages that was his kingdom. The kingdom was dying, withering on the vine as it failed to produce enough food year after year. The dead lay about in the streets. Mothers wept over their still born children. Disease had begun to spread throughout the homes of the last city of the great northern kingdom. It didn’t matter status or power the Red Fever, as the commoners called it, claimed any and all who knocked at its door. The old king had died two weeks ago today and it weighed heavily on the new dread lord. Archimedes stood his silent vigil waiting for the king to speak. His mind was heavy and Archimedes knew what thoughts weighed him down the most. “Archimedes.” The new king said softly. The chaplain stepped forward quietly. “Yes my lord?” he asked politely. Sombra turned from the balcony to look at the holy man. Archimedes was always unsure of what to think of the young king’s features ever since he had been a child. His hair was long and black as the dead night sky. His eyes were bright, neon green with red irises that glowed with intensity. Purple mist flowed out of his eyes and came to points just behind the king’s ears. The mist flowed and moved on its own as if they were living creatures. The king’s actual face was rather handsome with strong features. A strong jaw was complimented with a neatly trimmed goatee. The crown that had, up until recently, been his father’s was placed on his head. The crown was a beautiful work of art in its own right. It was made of platinum and inlaid with precious gems and mother of pearl. There was a massive singular horn that jutted from the front making the wearer appear rather intimidating. The king stepped from the balcony into his private chamber. Archimedes closed the massive drape behind him to block out the cold. The king was still dressed in his formal attire and his boots rang off of the cold stone floor. The fireplace had gone out hours ago as the king had stood and watched his dying home. The king walked over to the dead fireplace. He snapped his fingers and a fire came to life, lighting up the large room and adding some much needed warmth. Sombra place his hand on the mantle and laid his forehead on the cool stone. “My father had you working on something.” The king began. “Something more important than anything else you had ever worked on before.” He said. Archimedes nodded. “Yes lord. The project was an intense one and near completion. We were going to put it to use but you father…” Archimedes paused. Sombra looked at him, those green orbs boring into the chaplain. “Your father passed before it could was seen all the way through.” The holy man finished. “Tell me.” Sombra said. Archimedes nodded. “May I sit your grace?” he asked politely. Sombra motioned to one of the two oversized chairs placed in front of the fireplace. Archimedes slumped into one letting out an enormous sigh. “Your grace,” the chaplain began. Sombra looked at him. “I would suggest you sit for this.” Sombra sat on the edge of the open seat and made his fingers into a steeple. The king didn’t say anything he just stared at the holy man. Archimedes sat up a bit and clasped his hands. “The project your father had us working on is a rather interesting one and some would question the ethics of it.” Sombra raised an eyebrow. This was not exactly the best way to start a story. Archimedes continued on. “My lord,” he gestured at Sombra. “If you would remember back to when your mother had died, how distant and odd you father had behaved.” Sombra brought his fingers under his chin and leaned back in the overstuffed chair. His thoughts flashed back to when he was a child holding his father’s hand while he stood before his mother’s pyre. Sombra had never seen his father Damascus cry or show any emotion of any kind. The closest was the lack of command and anger he showed when talking to either his son or his wife. Sombra still remembered the heat from that fire as he watched his mother’s corpse burn before him. The old king had knelt down next to his son. “Remember son.” Damascus said. “There are only two people you can truly trust in this world.” Sombra nodded. The old king went on. “You can trust Archimedes, and you can trust yourself.” He said simply. Damascus stood again and took his son’s hand the only display of affection that he had ever truly shown to his son. Sombra leaned forward in his chair. “I remember,” Sombra turned his head to look into Archimedes’ eyes. “He said you were the only other person I could trust besides myself.” Archimedes nodded. “Your father had a lot of confidence in me and my abilities.” The old chaplain chuckled. “I’ll never know why though, I am just a simple man of god and science.” Sombra looked at the old chaplain. “If he had faith in you my friend, then I shall continue to trust his judgment.” The King stated. “Now please continue.” Archimedes nodded. “After your mother passed he became obsessed over a legend he heard of when he was a young man.” Sombra thought about his father. The old king had died at the age of a thousand. Not due to old age but an accident involving armory forge. The fire had been glorious. Sombra fingered the edge of the cloak that his father had left him. It was deep red fringed in white. The clasp was a series of armor plates the covered the back of the neck and came together at the throat. Sombra had to think of how long ago it would have been for his father to be considered a young man. “An enormous project off of just a hunch?” Sombra raised his eyebrow at Archimedes. Archimedes adjusted himself in the chair so as to lean on the arm of the chair. “More than a hunch, your grace, a legend.” Sombra was unimpressed. Archimedes went on. “Legends are such strange things for beings such as us. We tend to discredit them while secretly,” the old chaplain raised a finger. “Secretly we want there to be some truth to the story.” Archimedes looked into the fire. “You father was looking for truth when he set out on his journey.” “You mean the five years that he left he was out looking for this legend?” “Quite your grace, he found some interesting things on that journey.” “Tell me.” Commanded the king, Archimedes nodded. “The king had come across a legend when he was a young man, a little younger than you are now in fact. The story tells of an empire to the south of here where immortality had been achieved, where the people have cheated death for thousands of years.” Sombra nodded. “The Crystal Empire.” He said. “Yes,” Archimedes said, pointing his finger to strengthen his point. “The Crystal Empire.” “But those are all just stories.” Sombra said, readjusting himself in his seat. Archimedes shook his head. “It is far more than a story, your grace, the Crystal Empire if very much real.” Sombra’s eyes widened. “Then-“ Sombra trailed off, Archimedes nodded again. “They truly are immortal.” Sombra looked into the flames. This changed everything. “What was the experiment about?” the king asked. Archimedes turned to look into the flames. “The experiment was to see if we could achieve the same thing as the citizens of the Crystal Empire.” Sombra turned his head. Archimedes went on. “Your father brought home thousands of small crystals that had energy enough for a small star inside of them. We had a laboratory constructed beneath the dungeons which you know of. “We spent the next few years looking at the crystals and what we could do with them. Now we use the power the crystals have given us in almost everything, no one knows about it though.” Archimedes turned to Sombra. “Smelting, smithing, black powder usage and milling, all of it has some new magical properties that improve it in some little way because of the power we get from the crystals.” Archimedes leaned in close to Sombra. “That, however, was just one of our breakthroughs. The King wanted immortality; he wanted to be a god amongst men. Surprisingly, his first goal after his achievement of immortality was to empower his people.” Sombra raised an eyebrow at that. The old king was anything but a benevolent and caring ruler. Sombra remembered when he was around the ages of ten or eleven his father had him sit on of the many balconies that looked down on the lands below where the commoners lived. “They are cattle.” He said plainly. “You are the farmer. It is your job to make sure that they don’t get out of line and that they are fed and watered and in return they will give you milk and meat, but remember, they are still stupid cattle and you hold their lives in your hand.” Sombra had nodded. His father had been a brutally simple man. Sombra remembered the executions had taken place on the spot in his throne room. The bloodstain ten paces from the throne would never come out. Sombra looked at Archimedes. “Empower the people you say. Well you knew his mind best, why?” Archimedes stared into the flames. “His argument was that a god should only rule over kings.” Sombra nodded. That sounded like his father for sure. “What was the next step?” Sombra asked. Archimedes sucked through his teeth. “To resurrect your mother.” Sombra froze. His mother, what he could remember, had been a gentle woman and a loving mother. His best memory of her was in the garden when he had opened up his knee on a rock after he had tripped. She had come to him and closed the wound magically and kissed it. She had held him tightly and called him her favorite star. Sombra stared into the flames in his fireplace and remembered her pyre. The funeral had been a terrible day, even for his father. Archimedes sat in silence waiting for his king to speak. Sombra stirred. “Did you manage to give my father immortality?” Archimedes sighed. “No, that was what we were going to do before he died.” Sombra nodded. “Is the project still ready?” he asked. Archimedes looked at the king. “We abandoned the project after his grace passed.” Sombra stood and looked at the chaplain. “Archimedes, I command you to make me immortal.” Archimedes stood and bowed stiffly. “At one your grace.” He said as he backed out of the chamber, he knew better than to question a king. Sombra stood over the fireplace looking down into the fire and he smiled. The old king had been mad but not stupid. A god father, you would make a very poor god. Sombra thought to himself. The king turned from the fire place and walked back though the curtain out onto the balcony. Snow had begun to fall, light and beautiful in its white purity. Sombra caught a flake in levitation and pulled it closer. He held the flake in the air looking at it. It was too small to see any detail so he blew it up to massive proportions. The image it made was stunning, an unrepeatable pattern that hung before him. Sombra took in the beauty and smiled. Fire began to grow around him, burning higher and higher melting the snow around him as the air began to heat. The massive snowflake began to melt as it hung in the air. Sombra just smiled as the flames shot up and immediately died down. Of the snowflake, only steam floated away. Sombra looked down at the land. His smile grew wider as his flames began to spread. He could hear shrieks and screams as the flames began to eat up homes and peasants alike. The flames didn’t burn bright orange though. Sombra had never liked orange and yellow fire, Sombra liked black. The black flames moved swiftly through flesh and wood alike assuring that nothing was left standing. “Your herd father,” Sombra said. “It’s in need of a purge.”
ImmortalitySombra sat on his throne looking menacing, before him stood the leader of his surviving subjects. The man was short and pudgy with a shiny bald spot. He was covered head to foot in black soot and his clothes were torn and burned. The man was incredibly unhappy and seeing his angry face made Sombra chuckle on the inside. “We ask for help your majesty.” The man demanded. Sombra smiled. “Of course loyal subjects we shall help you.” He said. The leader sighed visibly and his expression lessened. “Thank you your grace.” The leader said taking a knee and bowing his head respectfully. Sombra stood and stepped down from his throne. He held out his right hand to his headsman. The headsman carried the executioner’s blade at all times. The sword was handed over to the king. It was a beautiful thing really, long and cold looking and austere, no frilly decorations or adornments, Sombra knew that if he were to use a blade in battle he would use this one. The fat bald man looked up, fear on his face. “No, no, no, no, n-“his protests were cut short as the sword went through his neck. Sombra smiled, Damascus would be proud. The corpse spurted blood from the stump of a neck onto the floor. Sombra looked at the small group of survivors left. “How many are there left out of all of our lands?” he asked angrily. There was some chattering within the group and then another man stepped forward. This one was younger, also covered in soot but he at least looked like he could fight. “Several thousand escaped your grace. They are living outside your walls as we speak.” Sombra smiled and handed the massive sword back to the headsman and wiped the blood from his hands with the kerchief he received from a handmaid. “Well then, bring them in!” Sombra commanded. Everyone was a bit taken aback. The captain of the guard, Talon Jur stepped forward. “Excuse me your grace?” he asked confused. Sombra wheeled around and glared at everyone in the throne room. Somehow he managed to make them all feel insignificant. “We said bring in all of those peasants NOW!” he yelled. Smoke billowed from his hair and fire spat from his palms as he yelled. His glowing eyes spewing purple tendrils of smoke that danced even faster and more harshly as his choler rose. Jur didn’t hesitate to begin giving orders. Sombra moved to his throne and sat back down. Archimedes leaned down and whispered into his ear. “What is your plan your grace?” he asked curiously. Sombra wagged his finger at Archimedes. “Tut, tut old friend, have faith in your king.” Sombra fixed his deadly gaze upon the chaplain. “How are the preparations coming?” he asked in a low tone. “They are near completion again my lord, we can begin the procedure on the morrow if you so wish.” Archimedes answered. Sombra nodded his approval. “I do so whish.” Archimedes nodded and bowed. “If his grace would excuse me, I will go oversee things down below.” Sombra waved his hand dismissively and Archimedes bowed his way out of the back door. Jur moved forward and knelt before the king. “Your grace, I would like to ask what is to be done with the peasants?” the old knight asked. Sombra adjusted himself to sit even more upright. He placed both hands on the armrests and glared down at the captain. “We command that they be housed, fed and clothed as best as they can. In a week’s time the men will be judged on their fighting potential. The women will be given positions within the palace as maids and servants, the male children will be given over to your care and you shall oversee their training, the girls will also be given assignments within the grounds as servants and maids. So we command.” Sombra ordered, his voice echoing off of the stone walls. Jur nodded. “So I obey.” He answered ceremoniously. The captain stood and began issuing orders again. Sombra smiled. Tomorrow a new god would walk the earth. The laboratory was an odd place and Sombra did not like it. It was filled with chemicals and odd magicks he could smell the sterilized stink of cadavers and test subjects. It was a jumble of tables and beakers with corpses lying on slabs of rock where their lives had ended. The corners were filled with shadows and empty cobwebs where candelabras had never been lit. Sombra had heard of such a place below but had never dared ask his father about his secret project. Sombra inspected the corpses. He recognized a few of the faces of thieves and lawbreakers dissected. “What happened here?” Sombra asked. Archimedes poked his head up from the massive tome he was reading. “Ah, those men were to be punished so we used the crystals you see here,” the chaplain held up a pale blue crystal that shone with power. “To see just how much torment we could put them through before their sentence was carried out.” Archimedes chuckled darkly. Sombra raised an eyebrow. “I never knew you were one to take pleasure from killing something.” Archimedes waved dismissively at the king. “Not normally your grace, but three of those men were rapists and I feel what the crystal managed to do to them was rather fitting as a punishment than to wind up as a quick bloodstain on the floor of the throne room like all the others.” Archimedes smiled and stuck his nose back into his book. Sombra looked down at the corpses again and moved on. After some deliberation Archimedes pulled himself from his notes. “Ah, here we are.” He said a small smile on his face. He patted the table in the middle of the vast room. “Here your grace.” Sombra laid himself down. “Have you managed to do this with a test subject?” Sombra asked, starting to have second thoughts. Archimedes held up a finger and turned around. There was the sound of rummaging and then Archimedes turned back with a cage with a large white rat in it. “We preformed the same experiment on this rat.” Sombra was unimpressed. “And?” he asked impatiently. “We preformed it about one hundred fifty years ago, your grace.” “Oh.” Said Sombra, now a bit less worried about the implications of this action. Archimedes began hooking up odd devices to crystals and placing crystals into odd looking containers that had mirrors and what looked to be funnels. He approached Sombra and placed a copper crown around the king’s brow, fastening it in the front of his head. Sombra didn’t move he just watched as Archimedes hooked up wire to wire. Men dressed in hooded robes began to march in and formed a ring around the walls of the laboratory. Archimedes came to the side of the slab and placed his hand on Sombra’s ankle reassuringly. “Your grace now is the time to back out if you have any fear.” the chaplain said. Sombra snarled. “Do it.” He commanded. Archimedes nodded and began to chant. The men began to chant with him. As the words were spoken the crystals around the room began to glow with an ethereal energy. Sombra felt power flow through his head and into his body as the chanting grew louder and faster. Wind began swirl about quickly, whisking away notes and knocking over beakers filled with the gods know what in them as the power flowed and filled the king to the breaking point. Sombra began to scream as the power flooded into him. He felt his soul shatter and rebuild itself into something new, something far more powerful. He was thrown from his body, his soul hurled into the void. He could see eternal darkness, and fire. Fire burned all around him, not normal fire, it was his black fire, the same flames that had burned down his kingdom in preparation for his plans. The heat was intense and painful, burning his soul. Sombra looked down and watched his flesh bubble and slough away. His bones underneath were burned black. He wiggled his fingers watching the bone move about, it was unnerving. Still he flew on through the void the fire tearing into him, the pain becoming more and more. Sombra looked out into the darkness and saw lights beginning to appear. They were distant, like stars, but bright as the sun, each shining on into the eternity of the void. He sped on and approached one of the small stars. He reached his skeletal hand out and picked up the star. The light began to fade and turn to black in his hand. The star went out entirely and crumbled to dust. Sombra watched the dust fall through his fingers and swirl about him and begin to latch onto his now fleshless body. As the dust accumulated the pain dulled slightly but persisted. Sombra was thrust through the vast emptiness to the next star and the same thing happened. Soon the stars began making their way too him, fading as they came to the king as dust to build his body. Sombra looked down at the flesh of his soul. It was black, black as the darkest night and all light was consumed by his passing like a black hole he sailed through the void of souls and sucked all the light out of the world around him. The fire around him burned higher with every star that went out and absorbed by the king but he could feel no heat anymore, only power and strength. Off in the distance he could make out two massive stars standing defiantly. Sombra came to rest before the larger of the two. He reached out his hands and tried to grasp the star the star struck out at him taking some of his flesh with it. Sombra tried to absorb the massive star but it continued to strike out at him. Sombra turned from the star and tried to run but the star began to reach out for him. Sombra reached deep down into his newfound strength and sent a torrent of flame at the star. The massive star recoiled in pain and began to flee from the fire. Sombra amassed a massive amount of flame into a huge comet and hurled it at the fleeing star, he missed and the star disappeared. Sombra felt something grip him again and throw him through the void again. He looked to where he was going and saw a massive light he was hurtling for. He closed his eyes and prayed to wake up. Sombra soared through the light and came through. The king opened his eyes. He was on the slab in the laboratory except there was no light and he felt a chill throughout his body. He sat up and looked around but there was no light. He reached up and removed the crown on his head. Sombra held up his hand and let a tiny flame come to life. As light shone Sombra saw the devastation of the room. The tables and slabs were scorched most of the wooden objects missing considerable portions. All the glass had melted and pooled about the floor most of the puddles still glowing a merry orange color. The corpses were burned away entirely leaving only scorched bone behind. Sombra looked and saw the cage that had held the immortal rat and saw nothing left of the rat, only melted slag. The robed men all lay dead on the ground, their flesh burnt away. Sombra went to each in turn inspecting them. Then his eyes fell on Archimedes. Sombra fell to his knees and rolled his friend over. The old chaplain had lost a portion of his face to the flame but he still breathed. Sombra threw the holy man over his shoulder and weaved his way through the burned destruction of the lab.Just as well, the king thought, I was going to have those men executed anyway.
The New Royal RegimentThe week had passed and now was the time for the true tests to begin. He sat on an improvised throne that was set on a raised stage on one side of the parade grounds. The king was resplendent he had worn his finest garments for this day and the armor plates about his neck were polished to a high sheen that reflected the king’s face back up to him. The face, however, was filled with malice. The first man stepped up. Sombra noticed it was the same man that had spoken after he had executed the fat man. He looked to be about thirty with graying hair. He was slight and appeared to be sickly. Sombra could already tell he was headed for the chopping block. Captain Jur stepped forward with a scroll in his hand. He unrolled the scroll and read aloud. “By order of his majesty, King Sombra, you are hereby ordered to the court any of you who are man or boy. Those under the age of fifteen will be taken in by the captain of the guard to oversee your well being and training until you should reach the age of fifteen where you will be sent to train as an adult in the new royal guard regiment.” The captain coughed and continued reading. “Those who are over fifteen and are found to be fighting fit will immediately be issued armor and weapons and trained to fight as a member of the King’s new royal guard regiment. Those who fail inspection shall be terminated as there is no longer any use for you in the kingdom.” Jur closed the scroll staring at the line of peasants who were stunned silent. “First up.” The captain commanded. The first man in line stepped up and held his head high. Jur stepped up and looked the man over like inspecting a piece of beef. The inspection was rather degrading as the captain inspected the man as if he were a slave starting with his head and face and combing over his whole body to include his genitals. After his inspection was over he sent the man to the physician to be inspected for disease. If the man was found to be clean he would definitely be given a position in the regiment and sent off to begin his training. After a half hour of this Sombra grew bored. He stood and left his throne to descend onto the parade ground. Jur didn’t stop his inspections as Sombra stepped up next to him and watched. Jur called up the next one. It was a boy about the age of sixteen but looked to be nine or ten his face was covered in dirt and his limbs were tiny and appeared to be made of bone. His ribs were visible through the massive holes torn in his clothes. His face was covered in scars and he walked with a slight limp, even if he somehow managed to pass Jur’s inspection this child would not last long. The child wouldn’t be able to hold a dagger let alone a sword as he was starved to the point of death. Sombra looked to Jur. “I thought I ordered you to feed all of these people.” Sombra hissed through his teeth. Jur’s eyes flared a bit in fear. It would have gone unnoticed by any other person but not the king. the king had learned to read people from his father who had been the greatest of them all at reading people. “You grace,” Jur began. Sombra cut the captain off with a wave his anger rising. Sparks danced about his fingers and smoke began to pour from his hair. “Feed them captain.” Sombra looked down at the boy. “You are spared for now until you get some food into you.” The child bowed and kept his gaze low. Sombra looked up at his captain and the captain flinched visibly. “If I see another one of these men malnourished you will be next on the chopping block!” Sombra said. Jur nodded and bowed his head respectfully. Sombra moved through the halls on his way to the infirmary. Servants and maids bowed and moved out of his way as he passed. He felt good, like his head was clear for the first time in a long while. Sombra rounded a corner and crashed into a maid who was holding a tray full of dirty dishes. She fell to the ground and the dishes went flying, smashing into walls and the ground sending broken chunks of china everywhere. Sombra looked down upon the maid. She was on the verge of tears and she tried to clean up the mess she had made. She still hadn’t noticed whom she had run into. Sombra squatted down and placed his hand under her chin. She met his gaze and a squeak of fear escaped her mouth. “Don’t worry about cleaning this.” He said quietly. “W-what?” she asked frozen with terror. Sombra smiled warmly. “You won’t have to worry about dishes ever again.” He said simply. He turned to another servant who had stuck himself to the wall, fearing to move lest he anger his lord. “You,” Sombra pointed at the maid. “Clean up her mess and take her to the dungeons.” The servant nodded his head and reached down to grab the maid by her arm. She began sobbing out loud as she was dragged away. Sombra snorted as she was taken from his sight. The King walked into the infirmary and was greeted warmly by the healer. “Ah your grace, so lovely to see you this fine day.” She said. She was a rather shapely woman with large breasts and a nice swing to her hips and she was younger than most. Sombra felt something stir inside him, some kind of longing, primal in form. The healer seemed to stroll casually from bed to bed while laying her hands on the wounded and the sick. She was a wielder of powerful magick the king could not deny and he found that to be rather enticing. A thought passed his mind that hadn’t in some time. Sombra nodded with a straight face and went to see Archimedes. The old chaplain was sitting up in his bed with a book. The curtain was pulled back so he could see out the window. The day was cold and gray as often was the way of the north. Sombra looked out and felt some disgust for his home. Archimedes put his book down and looked out the window as he approached. “I didn’t take time earlier to view your handiwork. How many do you think perished?” he asked nonchalantly. Sombra knew deep down the holy man was upset with the fire. Sombra stared out of the window as well. “Enough to make those who remain stronger.” The king replied. “Hmph,” Archimedes looked at Sombra and took off his reading glasses. “Now you sound like your father.” Sombra smiled defensively. “Would the old king be proud?” Sombra asked. Archimedes rubbed his temples. “I don’t know honestly.” Archimedes rubbed the side of his face that had been burned away. It was growing back well, almost visibly. Sombra sat in a chair near the bed. Archimedes looked out the window. “What happened while I was under?” Sombra asked. Archimedes sighed. “Fire, your grace, fire.” Archimedes turned his head. “Flames poured out of you in a torrent like I had never seen before. It was brutal to endure but this was the worse I suffered.” Archimedes brushed his burn. “This will heal, those men though,” the old chaplain sighed again. “It was as if their very souls had been sucked out of their bodies. As the flames touched them, they withered into husks, the fire didn’t actually burn them.” He looked to Sombra. “I should really be asking what happened to you while you were under, what did you see my lord?” Sombra leaned back in his chair and breathed out slowly. His explanation took him several minutes to convey. Archimedes didn’t interrupt, only rubbed his chin in thought. Sombra finished. “Those stars, your grace, those were souls of mortals.” Archimedes said simply. “Except the massive ones, those are beings of obvious power.” Sombra nodded in understanding. “What happens if I meet those beings?” Sombra asked. Archimedes laughed aloud. “You run!” he said exasperatedly. “Beings such as those are not to be trifled with in the slightest.” This time it was Sombra’s turn to rub his chin in thought. “Not unless I become as powerful as they are.” He said. Archimedes raised an eyebrow. “My lord, you cannot be serious.” Sombra smiled wickedly. “Oh but I am.” Archimedes sighed and rubbed his temples again. “Alright, I can already tell where this is going. Where do we start?” Sombra shook his head. “We already have.” Sombra replied still smiling. Archimedes looked out the window. “How long?” “Only until the new regiment is ready.” “That will take some time.” “Let it, we’ve enough supplies that will last us years to come.”Archimedes sighed. “Your grace,” Sombra looked at his chaplain and long time confidant. “This is one hell of an undertaking you do realize that right?” Sombra just smiled.
