Doom on the Brain

Doom on the Brain is the third chapter of Beyond the Veil by Enodoc.
==Doom on the Brain==
"That concludes today's court session," declared Harold. "All stand for the departure of the King of Albion." There was just one item remaining on the royal schedule: Meet with a representative of the Auroran temple. The King exited the Throne Room and went in search of Hobson. As he entered the War Room, he heard a shuffling from behind the Treasury door. The door opened, and someone's rump appeared, emerging backwards out of the stairway.
"See you later, my golden beauties."
The King cleared his throat.
The person shot out of the door and span around. "Oh, Your Majesty, you gave me such a start," puffed Hobson. "I wasn't expecting you to be finished so soon."
"Sorry about that," chuckled the King. "But it is the middle of the afternoon."
Hobson glanced at the clock. "Oh, so it is. I expect you'll be wanting some information regarding the Aurorans, then." Before the King could answer, Hobson was in full flow. "I received a message from Priestess Mara of the Temple saying she had an urgent message for you. Why she did not send the urgent message in her first message, I do not know. She also said she could not wait until you next happened to be passing by, so instead will be coming here to tell you what the message is."
The King was known to deviate frequently from his actual objective. In the previous year he was supposed to meet a wealthy citizen in Millfields to receive a donation to the Kingdom's funds, but got distracted by a new bridge and ended up founding a whole new community in the Driftwood islands. By the time he reached the citizen in Millfields, her donation had been stolen by a thief from Silverpines.
"Why she did not just come here in the first place, instead of sending a messenger, I also do not know," continued Hobson.
At that moment, Harold appeared from the hallway. "A visitor from Aurora is here to see you, Sire."
"Thanks, Harold. Show her in please," said the King.
Around the door stepped an exquisite young woman. She was dressed in a slightly plainer version of the standard Temple robes, fastened just tightly enough to highlight her slender curves. Her iconic hat was tucked under one arm, allowing her wavy, black hair to reach almost down to her slim waist. She gazed nervously around the room. One thing was certain: this was not Priestess Mara.
The King, whose mouth had fallen open, quickly remembered himself. "Ah, welcome," he said, with a smile. "You must be here on behalf of the Auroran temple."
The woman seemed to feel more at ease as she made her way across the room. "Yes, Your Majesty," she said. "My name is Melisi, apprentice to Priestess Mara."
Hobson was still gawping in the middle of the room behind her, so Harold strode purposefully across the room, stood beside him, and elbowed him in the ribs.
"Thank you, Harold. That will be all," said the King.
Harold bowed himself out.
"What brings you here today?" asked the King.
"I come seeking your assistance, Sire," answered Melisi. "I don't know whether you are familiar with the one we call the Prophetic Hermit, who resides in the Veiled Path?"
"Yes, we've met. I believe I delivered him a brain..."
"One of his followers came into the city recently and started describing how the Hermit had foreseen something about a lost city. If you've met him then you'll know it can be difficult to understand him at the best of times, and when a message is relayed by his followers it can get drastically distorted."
Hobson sidled over as she spoke. "I sense another adventure is about to present itself, Your Majesty," he said.
"Priestess Mara would like for you to meet with the Hermit and hear his 'prophecy' - for want of a better word - first hand." The King listened intently; he found the Auroran cadence quite alluring.
"If there is any substance to his message, she believes you best placed to take any appropriate action."
"Hobson, cancel my appointments for the near future," said the King excitedly.
"Of course, Your Majesty," sighed Hobson.
"Erm..." said Melisi, hesitantly, "...may I accompany you, Sire?"
The King was taken aback. People did not usually volunteer their companionship on a quest.
"Priestess Mara wishes for me to gain more experience in the field for when I go on expeditions," she explained.
"Of course!" exclaimed the King. "The more the merrier. Are you coming, Hobson?"
"Oh no, not this time, thank you, Your Majesty," he said, hurriedly. "Ravenscar was quite enough adventure for me for a while."
"Sam! Ready to go?"
Ruff! said Sam, who had been lying in the corner of the room.
* * *
It took them most of the night to reach the port of the City of Aurora, having set off from Bowerstone in the early evening.
"We arrive at a magical time, Sire," said Melisi. "Look there."
The King looked to where she pointed, and was greeted with an amazing sight. The sun had just started to rise over the temple, and bathed the city in a warm, golden glow.
"Look at that, Sam. Isn't it amazing?"
Sam trotted over and gazed quizzically at the quiet market square. He sat and scratched his ear, then bounded away towards the city gate. He barked expectantly, and pointed up the hill.
"He's telling us we should move on," explained the King.
"I can tell the two of you have a strong bond," said Melisi.
The party made their way up the hill towards the great city gate, housed within an ancient statue.
"Do you know the origin of this statue?" asked the King.
"I'm afraid not, Sire. There are many ancient relics and artefacts from past civilisations scattered around Aurora. The 'Goddess', as she has come to be known, is one of the less common icons."
They passed through the gate and into Shifting Sands.
"The way ahead is more hazardous," warned the King, as they descended the worn steps towards the canyon.
"Well well, a young lady. Make yourself useful and get me a cup of TEA!"
"Blasted things!" frowned Melisi, drawing a pistol. "I wish they'd just shut up!"
She shot the gnome square in the face.
The King was astonished. "Are you sure you need more experience?"
"Oh," she said, meekly. "Lucky shot. I've been practicing with this for hours." She indicated the pistol. "Gnomes are like my targets. They don't move much. Quite unlike what I expect we'll find out here."
The King was looking at the gun. It was very ornate, with golden lattice and blue marmoreal inlays into unpolished steel. He recognised it instantly as a Desert Fury.
"Yes..." he said, hesitantly. "Like I said, more hazardous."
Melisi appeared to be much more comfortable now she was back on her home ground. They talked as they made their way through the canyons, and before long they had arrived at the end of the Veiled Path. Here however, her confidence evaporated, and she shrank back as they emerged from the canyons into the sunlight of the wide gorge.
"Are you alright?" asked the King.
"My apologies, Your Majesty. I have never ventured beyond the Shifting Sands, and I sense a strange darkness in the air."
"Yes, that concerns me as well. The Crawler may be defeated, but it seems the darkness lingers on without it. I have encountered it here before."
"But where does it come from?" Her eyes were wide, and her gaze darted around the crags, as if the shadows within them would suddenly come to life. This, of course, was an entirely reasonable assumption.
"There are a number of ancient ruin entrances in the walls of this gorge," explained the King. "I wouldn't be surprised if some of them connected through to the Shadelight dungeon." He noticed that she was still hesitant. "But that is not why we are here!" he enthused. "Now let's go find the hermit."
They continued onwards through the gorge. Ahead lay the foot of a grand staircase, extending away from them and out of sight around a bend. A number of strange, metallic bird-like statues lined the sides of the steps.
"Do you see those strange statues?" queried Melisi.
"Stay back!" ordered the King.
Sam growled. A line of black goop oozed out of the cracks in the steps and seeped into the statues. Suddenly their eye sockets began to glow, and they started to move towards the King, Melisi and Sam.
The King drew his sword and quickly put himself between the Auroran and the approaching enemies. Melisi was frozen to the spot. In one swift movement, the King decapitated one minion and dismembered another. The explosions brought Melisi to her senses, but only partly. She started shooting wildly in front of her, and the King had to dodge out of the way.
"Focus!" he shouted. "Imagine your practice targets. Don't let the darkness take your senses from you!"
He sheathed his sword and drew his rifle, edging backwards, and working Melisi back as well. A minion rushed forwards, its blade-like arms spinning around it. The King shot it in the foot, causing it to unbalance. He then proceeded to shoot its head off. Melisi emptied a round of bullets into the nearest minion. It staggered, and the King managed to impale it with his sword.
The ground was littered with the shells of the former minions. The King looked around, and indicated further up the steps. "Go check it out, boy."
Melisi stood at the bottom. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty. I should have been more prepared."
"It's not your fault."
"Oh, but Priestess Mara has spoken many times of the forms the darkness can take. I should have suspected it when I first saw them."
"If you have never encountered the minions before, then you can never be fully prepared. Now you know more for next time."
She managed a small smile. "Thank you, Sire. I knew accompanying you would prove a valuable venture."
They heard barking from ahead.
"That's Sam. Sounds like the rest of the way is clear."
At the top of the steps stood a great door, firmly closed. In its shadow, a small camp had been set up. The occupant of the largest tent stood up as they approached. He was outfitted in luxurious Auroran finery and wore a fan-like headpiece attached to a mask shaped like a fox.
"Ah, Your Majesty," he enthused, "I foresaw your arrival. And I also saw you coming."
The King and Melisi exchanged glances.
"No need to tell me why you're here!" continued the Hermit, "You have a package for me, I believe?"
"Actually, no..." answered the King. He could see the jar containing his previous delivery propped up on a barrel in the back of the Hermit's tent. "That was last time."
The Hermit's face fell.
"We came to ask you about the lost city." Melisi prompted, hopefully.
"Lost city?" The Hermit turned back to his tent. "I'm afraid I don't know what..." His voice trailed off as his gaze focused on the brain in the jar. "What do you mean 'Of course I do'?"
"But I didn't say anything else..." muttered Melisi, confused.
"Oh, you 'told me about it before,' did you?"
Melisi was bewildered. She looked imploringly at the King.
"I think he's talking to the brain," he said, quietly. "He did that when I was here before."
Melisi blinked, then nodded uncertainly.
Suddenly the Hermit span around, his eyes wild and sparkling. "But of course! How could I forget?!" He raised his arms in the air.
"I have seen it with my own eyes! In my dreams!" cried the Hermit, "The Veiled Path, the Shifting Sands, flooded! The Lost City arises, and yet sinks! Only Telysian holds the answer!"
The Hermit breathed heavily, then keeled over in a crumpled heap.
One of his disciples hurried over. "He'll be alright later," said the young man. "Conversing with the brains takes it out of him."
A small selection of disciples collected up the unconscious Hermit and carried him back into his tent.
"Do you have any idea what he was talking about?" asked the King.
"Alas, no Sire," answered the disciple. "As you know, the land is largely arid and void of rainfall, and out here we are miles from the sea. There can be no logical reason for any flooding to occur in the desert. I also have not heard of a lost city, and Telysian means nothing to me."
"Sire, perhaps we ought to return to the city and inform Priestess Mara of the prophecy," suggested Melisi.
"Yes indeed," said the King. He turned to the Hermit's young follower. "Thank you for your help. Please relay my apologies to your leader when he wakes up. I did not anticipate this happening."
"Not to worry, Your Majesty. He said himself he would be taking a nap this morning - now we know why."