Chapter X: The Dawn-bringers

As Geordan’s life was saved by an order of warriors known as the Dawn-bringers, the two of those warriors, Inga and Thorac faces the vampires who assaulted in the middle of the misty forest that surrounds the Fallkeith territory. The other one of the Dawn-bringers named Joss is with Geordan as he is the healer of the group, in-charged of keeping Geordan from harm. As for what reason why, Geordan was attacked by these vampires is still a mystery.

“Grrraaaghh! I’ll devour you!” yelled by the vampire as it dashes towards Thorac. As the vampire closes in on him, Thorac throws one of his silver hand-axe at the vampire but the vampire managed to dodge it easily, but as soon as the vampire returns its attention to Thorac.

“Aaaghh! It’s a bait!” said by the vampire as Thorac managed to get close to him in instant. He then cleaves the torso of the vampire due to his successful attempt of baiting him into an opening. The vampire backs away as it suffers a very lethal wound across its torso.

“Y-Y-You… You will pay for this, human!” said by the vampire as it holds its bleeding chest really trying hard to breath normally.

“Hmph… You vampires think no one can stand up against you, huh? Well, think again as we will purge your kind at every inch and corner of Gaedas!” said by Thorac as he delivers the killing blow to the stunned vampire.

Meanwhile, on the warrior Inga’s side, the spell-casting vampire launching a barrage of ice shards at her, keeping Inga at a distance defending and hacking the ice that’s being thrown at her.

“Kehahaha! Feel the chilling bite of death!” said by the vampire as it empowers its ice shard spell even more. The ice shards became colder as its engulfed with a very deadly breeze that can freeze anything that makes contact with it.

“Aye, you are really fond of this kind of magical tricks aren’t ya’?” sarcastically said by Inga as she keeps on blocking and slashing all the ice shards that vampire is unleashing at her. By that time, some part of Inga’s body is starting to be covered by ice, from her arms and hands to her feet up to her knees. The chilling sensation of the ice is making her slower and vulnerable, unable to defend properly.

“Guh! This is very infuriating!” said by Inga as she struggles from being covered in ice.

“Hehehe! You will make a fine piece of art after I freeze you to death!” said by vampire as it slowly approaches the immovable Inga while keeping the ice barrage.

“Tsk! So that’s how it’s going to be, heh!” said by Inga as she bears the cold and bracing for something.

“Hmph? Giving up now, woman? HAHAHA, then this will make it easier!” laughed by the vampire as it thought Inga is already giving up on breaking free. Suddenly, when vampire manages to get close to Inga for about 3 feet of her, light convenes at Inga as she musters some kind of an incantation.

“O blessed light, may you bring forth, Radiant Bulwark!” shouted by Inga as bursts of light that melts the accursed ice engulf her whole body ablaze with a cleansing flame.

“Urkk… Aaaaggghh!” screamed by the vampire as the flames of light burned its face and blinded its eyes. The unable to cast a spell and realizing the immediate danger, it fled clumsily like a black smoke and flew away to the wood’s entrance direction.

“What in the… Come back here you coward!” yelled by Inga as she pursues the black smoke of the vampire. She runs past Thorac as she is unaware, only focusing on the pursuing the vampire.

“Inga? Inga, wait!” said by Thorac as he notices his companion running past him. Inga then signals him to follow her to the woods’ entrance.

“Run, Thorac! Run! The remaining fiend is fleeing!” yelled by Inga as she hurries ahead of Thorac. As they follow the fleeing vampire, Geordan and Joss are just outside of the woods. The healer is still treating Geordan’s wounds and he is still struggling on breathing, sweating intensely and feeling numb all over.

“Agh… Urk, do you have any water?” said by Geordan as he felt thirsty. Jonas then quickly reached on to his pack and hands Geordan a pouch of drinking water.

“Here you go,” said by Jonas as he gives the drinking water. He continues to treat Geordan’s wound with a creation-school type of spell known as Restoring Hands.

“I hope the Crusaders Inga and Thorac would return soon. We must make haste at our fortress so that we can treat you properly there,” said by Joss as tries to make contact with Geordan.

“Fortress?” asked by Geordan to his healer.

“Yes, our base of operations near the outskirts of the city of Riftveil,” explained by Joss as he describes their plan onwards.

“For now, the worse scenario has past and we just need to---” said by Joss but was interrupted as a black smoke hover from the woods.

“By the Gods! Hurry we need to get out of here!” said by Joss as he realized what is that black smoke is. The smoke was that fleeing vampire that was being pursued by Inga earlier.

“Grrraaagghh! If we can’t bring you with us, I’ll just have to kill you right now, Radiant Oneeee!” said by hovering black smoke that echoes the voice of the vampire as it approaches Geordan with the intent to kill him.

“Radiant One?!” in the thoughts of Joss as he realized what the vampire said about Geordan. He then attempts to stop the enraged vampire charging towards Geordan by shielding him with his own body. As Geordan saw the image of the vampire who is about to strike him and Joss rushing at his front to stop the vampire, a glimpse of light appeared at Geordan’s peripheral vision as it takes form of silhouette of a woman, just like the one that appeared in the Lady’s Lake who seems to be stalking him at that time without him knowing.

“What is going on? What is that light? Am I… dead?” thoughts running on Geordan’s mind. As he reaches out with his right-hand, he grabs hold of his sword beside him.

Suddenly, he stood up like he was in a trance, everything around him was frozen like he is the only being on this world who can move. He enters some kind of a state of focus, an extreme mental concentration that makes his all of his senses unnaturally sharp and as he soon realizes what he needs to do, he grabs hold of his sword two-handedly. When the vampire materializes back to his original form, Joss is there who is about to be pierced by the vampire’s claw but in an instant, Geordan appears in front Joss.

“H-H-How?!” the vampire’s last word as Geordan’s sword pierces through its chest all the way to its back.

“SHHTAAB!” as the sword pierced through the vampire’s heart. Geordan drives the sword deep into the vampire as its cries out of agony.

“Krrreeaaaggghh!” screamed by the vampire until it turns to dust leaving only Geordan who remained standing but afterwards, collapsed face first on to the ground. The other two Dawn-bringers, Thorac and Inga came as they behold the sight of how Geordan struck the vampire turning it to dust. Thorac and Inga looked at each other as they can’t believe the feat Geordan has done.

“By the good Lords above! Did he just do that!?” said by Inga as she was mesmerized to what Geordan did to the vampire. On the other hand, Thorac is in deep thought as to what manner of power was at work there but eventually, he approached Joss who is also pretty much dumbfounded to what just happened to his patient earlier.

“Hmph… He’s unconscious but still breathing, let us return to Daystone Keep to properly treat him there,” said by Thorac who remained unfazed or somewhat unfazed about the unbelievable act done by Geordan. Joss and Inga are still overwhelmed about that but as Thorac suggested they carry Geordan and hurry along to their destination.

“I still can’t believe a mere human being could be that skilled, being to move and react with such reflexes and killing a vampire without using a silver-forged weapon? How odd and astounding at the same time!” said by Inga as she carries Geordan by his right arm.

“….. I think I know why… Maybe it’s because, he is the one…” said by Joss as he carries Geordan by his left arm.

“What do you mean, Joss?” asked by the intrigued Thorac who is leading the group.

“A while ago, when the vampire was upon us. It mentioned something that if they can’t secure him back at their side, they will just have to eliminate him for being the… Radiant One,” said by Joss as the other two Dawn-bringers became silent as they realized the importance of the man they rescued.

As the Dawn-bringers led by Thorac, travelled back to their fortress whom they called Daystone Keep, the known headquarters of the elusive order of warriors known as the Dawn-bringers. They are independent organization who swears no allegiance to any faction such as the Empire. But they were given a special authority as the vanguard of any unnatural threat or crisis. Such known crisis was during the Great War where they are founded by a war-maiden named Aurora or Aura of the Beginning who was known to have been blessed by the God of Creation Himself as the embodiment of all the living and the protector of those who threatens His creations. The threat they fought was the creatures of the darkness like the vampires and demons who are led by some supreme beings, those who want to overthrow the God of Creation and take over the world He created. They are called the Dark Lords, the manifestations of all evil and negative aspect of mankind such as wrath, greed, lust, sloth, gluttony, envy and pride. During the chaos caused by the Great War, many individuals was forced to rely on these dark forces that caused an unending conflict between the mortal-kind and the Dawn-bringers were the ones who eradicated them among those dark times.

After the Great War, most of the Dawn-bringers were scattered around Gaedas to watch over and be the vanguards of another coming threat among the creatures of darkness, but unfortunately, as for the current era, they are just but a fragment of what they are before and became a forgotten order due to the threat being “diminished” at these times. They’re only purpose now is being a faction member of the Imperial court as his Imperial majesty’s “bodyguard” and act as some kind of a “decoration” inside the palace reducing them to their noble worth.  

After a day of travelling, they finally made their way at Daylight Valley on the outskirts of Riftveil. They put Geordan at the keep’s infirmary and was comatose for about a week. Joss and Thorac are the ones who often visit Geordan in his bed and even on occasion, the leader of their order in the keep himself visits him, until the following week of visit by the leader, Geordan finally regain consciousness.

“At last, you are awake, my friend.” Said by the man who is known to be the leader of the Dawn-bringer in Daystone Keep.

“W-Where am I? Who are you?” asked by the newly awoke Geordan to the man. The who seems to be middle-aged. He has a dark-brown hair, styled like typical military man (*crew cut) and a scar on his face running down to his left eye with a chestnut for his eye color and has rugged-look on him.

“You, my friend is in the infirmary of Daystone Keep. As for me, I am Sentinel Amos Lex, the head of the Dawn-bringers here at Daystone Keep,” said by the man known as Amos Lex, the leader of the Dawn-bringers….