Return of the Fallen Volume 8 Chapter 6
The doors to the great hall, after everyone left, slammed shut with a bang.
The only person left was Brian. The video feed between him and Garn had yet to cease and Brian continued to tap the table in thought.
*Tap tap tap tap tap.*
Garn knew he was upset and just asked him straight up instead of prolonging his grievances.
“Now that we’re alone, you want to know why I was adamant about changing locations or more specifically, why I choose your land over others. Correct?”
The tapping stopped before Brian sighed inwardly.
“I can guess what your objective is, after all, neither you nor I am a fool.”
Brian pulled up a large holographic map and displayed it between him and Garn. He selected the path he thought the Miasma would most likely choose with a few key points added in.
“The Azirian’s will of course head in this direction but they have to stay under the protection of the Miasma. If they don’t, then we can clean them up fairly easily. Knowing this, you wish to draw the Miasma towards a certain path that will eventually lead it to the Patar desert…my desert. Knowing what we do of the dark Miasma, it consumes energy and life to sustain itself. By eventually leading it to my desert, where there is very little life, let me guess, you think it will weaken once it arrives there. You think my kingdom will be its final resting place. This is what you think will happen, am I right?”
Garn nodded, a small smirk on his face.
“It’s not what I think will happen, it in fact will. Once the Miasma is drawn to your desert, it will begin to lose its strength. As it weakens it becomes slower. At a certain point, it will not be able to move as it wishes. I don’t know what controls this dark mist but even if it’s separated or divided it’s affected overall. With a part of the Miasma weak in the south, then the part that Glacious faces will weaken as well. It may give him the opportunity to finish the Miasma once and for all.”
Brian could see some flaws in this idea.
“You are assuming too much. You don’t know for sure what this Miasma is fully capable of nor do we know its true purpose or goal, yet you think you can simply lead it by the nose like some kind of hungry mutt. Tell me, just how in the world do you think you’re gonna draw it this way?”
The map floating in front of Brian suddenly changed and several markers appeared on a few key spots on the map. Brian took a close look and quickly realized what they were. His entire body shook as he roared in both anger and shock.
“You Bastard! These spots, these are several of my cities! You plan on leading it around by offering up my citizens as meals to this dark Miasma! ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE!?!?!?”
To this shout, Garn’s expression didn’t change for even a moment. Instead, he simply shook his head.
“Brian, you said it yourself, neither of us is a fool. You understand what these words truly mean. These cities, the millions of people in them… they are a sacrifice. A sacrifice not for you or me but for all of humanity. I have thought about it again and again and again. In the end, this is the only way. Their deaths…will not be in vain.”
“NO!”
Brian slammed his fists on the table.
“Not my people! Not my cities! I can’t, I won’t allow such a thing to pass. Garn, do you even hear yourself? Do you even comprehend what you’re saying? You want to lead the Miasma to innocent people purposefully. You want them to be drained of all life and turned into mountains of bodies, just for something that isn’t even guaranteed to work. You are both blind and mad! I will not do this. The moment Bozek returns, the mountain will be moved again and we will go somewhere more strategic, somewhere that actually makes sense.”
Brian stood up and was about to walk out of the hall when dozens of inscriptions suddenly lit up along the floor. The gravity of the room changed and increased to three times what it normally was, causing Brian to freeze in place.
He felt his entire body being pushed down and it became difficult to breathe or move. He could just barely see Garn out of the corner of his eye but still, he managed to see Garn’s eyes glowing.
(Is this bastard actually controlling the gravity in this room, all the way from where he is, how?)
The holographic image moved until it appeared in front of Brian.
“Brian, you may be a king but to me, you are a servant, a puppet, and nothing more. Have you already forgotten who runs things around here? NOW KNEEL!”
Brian tried to resist at first but the glow in Garn’s eyes grew and with it so too did the gravity in this room. Brian could feel his bones start to creak and he was forced to his knees and then to his stomach, causing him to hit his head hard on the ground. A cut appeared on his head and he started to bleed.
“Brian, have you already forgotten your place to this degree that I have to use the stick on you. Your people, your cities. No no no, I showed you before when I made you and Bozek frame King Tobern and made him appear as if he was an Azirian pretending to be the king. How easy was that, yet you dare forget your place. Once this war is over, you will be stepping down and freely giving your lands to me. Not just you but every king and queen that still thinks they will keep anything, afterward, it will all belong to me. I can do this with peace or I can do this with violence, either way, it will all be mine in the end. So when you complain and protest about something that doesn’t belong to you, it really irks me. To replace you at this point will be rather annoying but I guess if you are not willing to play your part, you have no further use for me.”
Garn slowly raised his hand, a scepter appearing in his grasp. The moment Brian saw that he knew what it meant. DEATH!
“FORGIVE ME!!!”
Brian shouted this at the top of his lungs. He held nothing back and if the doors to this room were not silent proof, for sure the entire castle would have heard it.
Garn observed Brian for a moment before asking.
“And what is it I should be forgiving?”
As Brian struggled to breathe and blood poured into one of his eyes, he again mustered everything in him and shouted.
“MY IMPERMANENCE! I AM NO KING BUT A MERE SERVANT YET I DARED QUESTION AND DEFY YOU! I AM WRONG! PLEASE…FORGIVE ME!”
A smirk appeared on Garn’s face. He said nothing but continued to watch as the crushing pressure from the gravity drained the remainder of air from Brian’s lungs. Just as Brian was on the verge of passing out from all of this, Garn finally reset the gravity in the room.
*Cough cough hack cough Huff huff huff*
Brian hacked and wheezed as his lungs took in the fresh air. He choked hard before vomiting out the contents from his stomach. His head pounded even harder and his mind and vision were dizzy. After nearly suffocating, his heart now pounded and beat like a war drum and felt like it would explode out of his chest. Just from being under the influence of heightened gravity, the after-effects felt as if he would die from it.
Garn’s calm and cold voice rang out next to his ear.
“You will lead the Miasma exactly as I say. You will do this without complaint or you will die just like king Tobern. I will then find someone else to take your place, someone more agreeable so your death will have been for nothing. My meaning is as plain as day so there is no confusion on your part. Do you understand your role now or no?”
Brian still gasping desperately for air nodded with whatever strength he could.
“Your servant understands. I will fulfill my role.”
Garn smiled once more.
“Good, now get it done!”
Garn waved a hand and the holographic video cut off and vanished. Brian laid on the ground for several minutes just trying to catch his breath. After a while, he finally had enough energy to barely make it to his feet.
Grabbing a chair in madness, he picked it up and was about to smash it against a wall before he swiftly regained his calm. Setting it down, he took a seat, and with blood still dripping into his eye, he calmly began to tap the table in thought.
(Garn, you old bastard. How will you meet your end?)
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