The Chained Wolf | Chapter 1 - The Boy

Chapter I - The Boy



Derzell was advancing on the muddy road.
The cold autumn wind cut his cheeks and stroked his long curly hair. He was not shaken by the cold, nor did he suffer from it, in fact his armor, of considerable weight, covered him with its layers. On it, the element that stood out most to the eye was a large metal collar adorned with the sacred symbols of his chivalric order, which acted as a guard for the neck. the metal had a particular green hue similar to the one oxidised copper. Most prominent of all was the chained wolf, symbol of the order of Saint Luper.
The weight of the equipment did not prevent him, he had been prepared and trained, and after all, it was his squire and his horse who carried the real burden of his equipment.
His olive skin shone lightly in the moonlight, indicating the sweat that the long walk had caused him despite the cold. His brown eyes scanned the tree-lined street. His gaze, concentrated on looking for dangers among the trees, nevertheless allowed himself, at times, to fall on the mountain panorama. The Deer-valley was truly beautiful, especially on a night with such a bright moon.
-Brother Derzell. - Starion called him, behind him.
An elderly man, also in armor, also a knight of Santo Luper. His short white hair, as well as his thick beard, betrayed the otherwise indecipherable seniority.
-Yes, Starion? - Derzell replied.
-Don't you think it's time to rest?
-Brother, the moon guides us, and the village is not far away, we should be almost there.
Starion snorted, then nodded, -Okay Derzell, just remember that tomorrow when you come back you will feel the lack of sleep.
-If Valtur has endured the cross for my sins, I will endure the lack of sleep,- Derzell chuckled in response.

The valley began to descend into a hollow between the mountains. In the center of the basin, a small village made up of stone and wooden houses. Between some of them, some flames were still visible.
-There. - Derzell said, stopping his horse, his squire, Starion, and his respective companions.
Starion approached observing the hollow and sharpening his eyes, some houses had collapsed and every now and then, something seemed to move between the buildings.
-A portal? - Starion asked to confirm.
-Yes, that's what Brother Orion told me. Survivors have reported demons. - replied Derzell, who in turn paused for movement -Strange that the Inquisition did not intervene.
-The Inquisition is not everywhere brother. Besides, better for us, the less they stick their noses into our lands and the less the order has to answer. - Starion replied.
Derzell recalled the meeting they had with the master of the order. He had been clear on wanting whoever or whatever created the portal dead.
The two remained silent for a while as they watched the village from a distance.
-Sire. - A squire called - should we prepare a camp for the both of you and to let the beasts rest?
-Yes, but go back, I don't want anything to see the bonfire from over there. - replied Starion pointing at the village.
-Are you really that sleepy? - Derzell asked.
-Derzell, you don't intend to attack now, do you? We don't even know what beings we are dealing with! - replied Starion.
Derzell looked up at his brother, a mixture of perplexity and a grin marked his young face. -Why not?
-We don't even know where the portal is!
-Well, with all those who have not been able to escape even if the portal was closed they would have souls for at least a few days. - Derzell replied.
-One more reason to stop and think! - replied Starion.
Branches creaked, calling the attention of the two knights. Without hesitation, Derzell untied a woolen bag that he wore around his belt by extracting a vial containing an amber liquid. He removed the cork and drank the concoction, as did Starion.
His eyes burned for a few seconds but when he opened them again his vision had changed, every light source had now tripled making even the darkest of corners much lighter. A deer was watching them from the forest.
The deer stood there staring at them. Starion took a small crossbow and a dart from his quiver. The steel tip had a colour, similar to the one of their collar. With a quick and confident movement, he charged it and shot towards the beast.
The dart lodged exactly between the eyes of the beast who remained still with a single trickle of blood running down the edges of the wound.
The deer erupted in a fog of blood. Tentacles, made of rearranged muscles and tendons, and organs exploded in a fan of horrifying putridity, revealing a creature of guts and blood that stood still in front of them.
Suddenly, however, the tip of the dart began to shine and the creature's screech went from a scream capable of instilling fear to groans of pain and desperate breaths. Derzell and Starion knew what was happening.
Derzell grinned; the astonished face of those horrible creatures was for him a source of joy and hilarity that never tired him.
The creature began to lose pieces, the flesh construct no longer had anything that allowed it to stay together and challenge the laws that the God Valtur guaranteed to animate and living creatures. Pieces of broken flesh and bones collapsed to the ground in a wet red mound.
-I would say that it is time to attack! - Derzell said
-Derzell, they were following us, they already know that we are here, we have to protect the servants! - Starion replied.
An object fell to the ground near them, a semi-spherical object leaking fluid. It was the squire's head, his face still contorted in an expression of terror.
The two raised their heads to the sky.
A winged creature with immense ears and legs twisted to create two more arms with which it helped the other two lift the rest of the corpse, flew over the two warriors in a circle watching their every move while.
Starion prepared another dart but the creature was prepared, parrying it with the corpse that he let go to pounce on the shooter.
Derzell drew his sword and cut off the right wing of the creature which collapsed to the ground without sound, the other wing detached from the body while the four limbs took on the shape of spider legs.
Starion repeated the fast and confident movement he had used against the stag but the creature was faster and dodged the dart by running towards the corpse of the servant he had just abandoned a few hundred meters away, dodging each dart. Once he reached the corpse, he took it and, like a snake, swallowed it whole. Bone protuberances appeared from the creature's legs, and when Starion managed to fire one last shot, it ricocheted.
The creature's legs were very heavy and it lifted them with difficulty, making them fall very heavily to the ground, but they allowed it to protect himself from the attacks of the two warriors at the cost of its speed.
-It's hard to kill this bastard. - Derzell said.
-That's why there are two of us, brother! - Starion said, as he began to run to the left of the creature.
Derzell nodded and ran to the right.
The creature was confused and kept turning towards the two, Derzell, in turn prepared a small crossbow and threw half of his darts at Starion who caught them in the air. The two took to charging, shooting and then running. The creature struggled to resist the two. Derzell quickly ran out of darts, missing and seeing them bounce.
At this realization, the creature focused on Starion, much more accurate with the crossbow. This, however, led to an opening to Derzell who began to run against the creature. Drawing his sword. With a leap, he pounced on it, overcoming the armored legs and reaching the soft neck of the being with his sword.
Like a knife in butter, the sword made a clean cut.
The body collapsed under its weight and fell apart like the creature that had exploded from the deer, but the head was still alive. Derzell grabbed it by the wide ears and lifted it away from his face as it tried to bite him.
Starion approached Derzell.
Without vocal cords, the creature could not make any sound other than the chattering of teeth.
-Do you think there are others? - Derzell asked.
-If there is, it will have returned to the village to warn others, remember: these creatures are bestial, not stupid - Starion said.
-Who says there weren't just two? - Derzell asked.
-Better to prepare for the worst and discover that you have exaggerated than to remain unprepared and have to face a storm. - Starion said.
Derzell took one of the darts he had lent to Starion and stuck it in his head, which was still struggling to bite him. The dart lit up inside the head and the head began to lose pieces and, in some places, melt.
Derzell let go and then wiped his hands in his cloak.
-So? - He asked, turning to Starion.
-So, let's go back to what remains of the camp and take what we may need. - Starion said.

The village was made up of a dozen stone and wooden buildings located on a central road that opened into a square in front of the church. The most prominent building, it towered over the others thanks to the bell tower at least thirty meters high placed on the left side of the building, with another two meters added by the "Call to Salvation" which acted as its tip.
Derzell made the sign of blessing, spreading his arms towards the symbol and following with a slight bow and so did Starion. They could not fail to know that symbol of the Valturian religion. Since they were children, they had been educated to recognize and respect it. It represented a believer who welcomes in his arms the salvation offered from the heavens which was often simplified by the sacred letter V also for the connection to the divinity Valtur. Moreover, in that situation, the salvation of the heavens was the force that led them to act.
The two advanced in the middle of the street talking in low voices.
-I don't see any corpses. - Starion said worriedly.
Do you think they were enough to consume them all? - Derzell asked.
-No, we would already be dead. At least twenty families with at least five people each lived here. At least that's what the survivors estimated - He paused for a few seconds, breathing and sniffing the air as if looking for a certain smell. -Whatever happened here was stopped before we arrived.
-An unsanctioned magic user? - Derzell asked.
-Possible.
A door slammed violently into a collapsed building. Derzell looked at Starion. The two stopped.
Derzell placed on the ground a rope bag full of terracotta jars capped with wax from which a five-centimeter rope emerged.
Starion picked up an object in the shape of an iron bracket with one hand and a flint with the other.
Derzell put down the jars in front of Starion. With a shot as precise and efficient as that with his portable crossbow, he lit flames on each string.
When the fire reached half of the rope, Derzell began to throw them on the houses. When the jars broke against the walls, the liquid inside caught fire causing small explosions that ignited the buildings in patches and caused those still intact to slowly catch fire.
Suddenly, when a jar broke a window and set fire to the inside of a building, a wall collapsed towards the street, pushed by an immense shapeless mass.
Corpses fused with each other created the body of another demon, the two knights could count at least fifteen corpses distinguished between men and women, both adults and child. Some groaned, others screamed in pain and terror. A gigantic eye emerged from the mass. And he stared at the two.
Derzell did not wait and threw the last jar that exploded over the demon's body, but it closed in on itself, protecting the eye and making the tallest and most unfortunate bodies suffer.
The two threw themselves again at the sides of the creature who tried to capture them with the many hands of the unfortunate bodies, but all the bodies found was the cold steel of the blades of the two knights.

The creature then began to use his arms to walk on the ground throwing himself against the collapsed walls and Starion grazed him fortunately. The mass stopped, opening up again to observe the knights and then closed again to charge them. Once again, the two managed to graze the loading mass and found the church behind them.
Starion tried to catch his crossbow but the mass was incredibly fast and forced him to launch himself abandoning his crossbow, which was overwhelmed and destroyed. The mass continued its course by colliding with the bell tower and breaking through one of the walls. Several cracks originated from the breakthrough hole and within a short time, the tower collapsed on itself raising a gigantic cloud of dust.
Derzell helped Starion to his feet. Without waiting, they drew their swords and ran towards the rubble. The moans of pain and the cries led the two who began to dig under the rubble. Many of the corpses were finally dead but some damaged were still suffering. The exposed eye had been impaled by the tip and could not close again as the shape of it blocked the closure. The being was clearly too weak to transform and Derzell only had to take a blade the same green hue of the darts and placed it on his eye to melt it and kill the entire mass.
Starion gave thanks with a quick prayer to the sacred symbol and then helped his battle brother out of the putrid mass of flesh, bodily fluids, and corpses.
The two sat down for a moment watching the village burn.
-We only have the church left to control. - said Starion.
-You know, maybe we really should have rested. - Derzell jokingly replied.
Starion grinned and then patted his friend on the back as he helped him get up and enter the church.

The two repeated the sign of the Blessing, this time with a much more formal bow in front of the immense statue of Valtur that posed on the other side of the church welcomed by a golden "Call to Salvation".
Other corpses had been piled up on the walls of the church and where the bell tower was accessed, they now lay under other debris.
-Well, now we know where they have taken the rest, blasphemous creatures. -Derzell exclaimed in horror
-Valtur will not abandon us within these walls, Brother Derzell. - Starion reassured him - Don't let your guard down though, I'm afraid it's not over yet.
-Still, - started Derzell - Where's the portal?
The two scanned their surroundings for movement and signs.
-Gothic style. - commented Starion.
-Excuse me? - Derzell asked
-The architectural style of the church. It is Gothic. He repeated.
-So what?
-And so this church is new, or at least it has been recently rebuilt.
-And what do you know about architecture?
-I am descended from a family in the North of the Holy Empire, here in Centralia this style has only recently arrived.
-Do you think this is the time to appreciate the architecture of a church? - Derzell asked in annoyed amazement.
-Yes - replied Starion pointing at the wall where the bell tower had collapsed. A layer of limestone sat on an ancient brick wall whose detachment had been hidden by decorations and plaster now removed by structural collapse - This church will certainly have catacombs unlike other more modern structures that tend to have a chamber for the church's treasures.
The two advanced a little further.
There were no traces of other demons but he had noticed small footprints of bare feet which, soiled by the blood of the corpses, had left traces on the stone floor towards the altar.
The two arrived at the altar, the holy wine cabinet had been opened wide open and a hidden compartment had been broken into. A staircase descended under the church, first Derzell and then Starion slipped in, descending through that narrow passage.
When they set foot, they realized that they had reached the catacombs.
-If there is anything left, it will surely be down here. - Starion observed - Follow me, these catacombs can be labyrinthine.

They walked for a long time; many skeletons had been moved and disturbed. The narrow streets were full of alternative roads but fortunately, the bloody footprints continued preventing the two from getting lost and leading them to a large mortuary.
A human figure circled around what looked like a child. The effects of the potion had begun to wane, but another improved sense of the two was hearing.
-Come on eat, you have to regain strength baby! - said the woman in a forced mouth, similar to that of an animal imitating a person.
-No, no, I don't want to! - replied the child.
-Show me how good you are! - The woman said trying to imitate a voice of encouragement.
-I saw what you did, you lied to me, I won't do it again! - replied the child crying.
The woman got angry, hissing and lifting the child by the throat.
Starion did not wait any longer and took aim with the crossbow that he had given himself from Derzell, but when the bolt was fired another demonic creature similar to the flying one launched itself parrying it with its body. The creature died like the others.
The woman threw the child to the ground and threw herself at the two. She exploded in a way akin to the deer creature, morfing into what could be described as a snake woman made of entrails.
However, forced to attack in a corridor she could not avoid the encounter with the blade of Derzell's sword as well as the blade with which he had given the final blow to the mass of corpses.

The two panted as they looked at another mass of putrescent corpses and then laid their attention on the chamber. In addition to mold, some blue crystals and several burn marks could be seen on one of the walls. In one, corner some amber-colored bones shining with a dim yellow light.
-They had prepared for a long time. - commented Derzell.
-Yes, but they decided to be greedy and not transfer the bones in the corpses keeping them all for themselves. - replied Starion.
The child remained inert on the ground after losing consciousness from the blow. Around him, pieces of meat had been placed in different bowls, it was clear that the demons were feeding him with what they thought was palatable.
The two knights looked at the child. Incredibly, apart from the marks left by the interaction they had witnessed, he had never been touched.
Derzell looked at Starion, could it really be that an infant had created a portal powerful enough long enough for five demons to pass through?
-Brother Starion. - called Derzell.
-Yes, Derzell, it seems impossible but yes, I think so. - Starion replied as if he could read his mind.
-But how? - Derzell asked incredulously.
-I don't know. - replied Starion.
-We should... follow the orders. - Derzell said.
Starion finished his deliberation, horrified by Derzell's proposal, looked at him in shock.
-We have orders, Starion. - Derzell tried to justify himself.
-He's an infant, brother!
-I know but the master of the order...
-Father Lucius certainly did not expect this! - said Starion furiously, he took the infant in his arms who was still staring into the void, clearly frightened, - We will take him to the monastery, Father Lucius will understand. - He declared as he began to walk.
Worried but uncertain about contradicting his friend, Derzell followed him.

Once they left the church, dawn had finally harriveed, the fire in the village had ceased, leaving only several piles of smoking rubble among which the wind howled.
-Come on Derzell, it will take two days before we reach the monastery. - Starion said.
-Starion, are you sure, it's a good idea? - Derzell asked.
-It will be the sages who will decide about him. - said Starion.
A sound of hooves forced the two knights to turn around. Eight horsemen sat on their horses dressed in red with silver breastplates decorated with gold and adorned with sacred images. Prominent was the "Call to salvation" accompanied by a scale and an eye.
Derzell would have recognized that symbol everywhere, the Inquisition.
Shortly afterwards another group of knights appeared, the Bishop of Brenum accompanied by the Master of the order of Saint Luper. Father Lucius.
The Bishop was a hairless and broad man. Much of his body was wrinkled and covered in age spots. His sleepy brown eyes stared wearily at the scene. He wore the red tunic inlaid with gold typical of bishops over which he wore armor.
Father Lucius, on the other hand, had white, thick and long hair and beard while he had a stoic gaze accentuated by his eyes as gray as the sky before the snow. He wore the same armour and collar as them, but a black cloak depicting the chained white wolf surmounted by a "Call to Salvation" covered the armour.
The two knights knelt in their presence. The Knights of the Inquisition dismounted and formed two columns, of four men each, on either side of the Master of the Order and the Bishop.
Then a third figure joined, the Master Inquisitor who quickly moved to the Bishop's side. His armour, less heavy than that worn by the brothers of the order of Santo Luper and adorned with a red and yellow cloak, was similar to that of the other inquisitors who accompanied him. He took off his helmet revealing a young face, brown eyes, dark curly hair and a goatee.
Lucius motioned to the two knights to rise.
-Requiem, brothers, Requiem. - The Bishop pronounced - You have done a lot last night for Holy Mother Church, we are grateful to you.
Derzell smiled and looked at his brother who instead had a dark and stoic face. Starion was focused on Lucius, the two looked straight into each other's eyes. Derzell was incredulous when the Master of the order, seeing the little one, lowered his gaze.
-I also see that you have found something that belongs to us! - said the Master Inquisitor pointing to the child.
-Your Grace, it was the knights of the order of Santo Luper who eliminated the infestation; this survivor is under our jurisdiction! - Starion exclaimed harshly.
-Normally, I would agree, noble knight, but we have already agreed with your Master of the Order on what to do. The child, must be handed over to the Inquisition. - said the Bishop.
Starion watched the trio for a few seconds and then turned to Lucius - is this true, Father?
Derzell looked at Starion confused and terrified, was he really questioning the Bishop's words?
The Master of Order looked up again - Yes, it is so.
-Well. - Starion concluded, placing the boy to the inquisitors with a slight bow.
The Master Inquisitor hastened to fetch the boy and bring him to him.
-Very good! Holy Mother Church, will not forget what you have done today, gentlemen. May Valtur bless you. - The Bishop concluded with a quick sign of the Blessing.
The Inquisitors mounted their horses again, and the inquisitorial party left the way they had come, leaving Lucius alone.
-Come on children, a long road awaits us. Some of your confreres are waiting for you. - said the Master of the order who rode to what should have been the camp of Derzell and Starion.
Starion said nothing and began to walk; Derzell remained still for a moment, confused about what had happened. Then he began to walk in turn, returning to where he had come from.