~Chapter 25- The Commander~

Ein looked out at the city from his quarters within the Kingsguard barracks. The rain from the day prior had left the city feeling humid and had slowed down their search for the Dolor family. But he hoped today they'd be able to find them. Prince Norton had to be avenged.

The royal family had been grieving the passing of the Prince; all of them were in despair. Though the King had not been bothered by much of anything in recent years, the loss of his son finally struck true. Whedon was distraught over his death. Ein was as well, but he wouldn't dare show it. Not in front of his soldiers.

Once the criminals were caught, they planned to hold a funeral for the young man taken before his time.

As Ein readied himself to resume the search, Captain Aingr entered his quarters, limping strangely. He looked as if he hadn't gotten any rest.

"Commander, I'd like to speak with you."

"Go right ahead."

"Not here. May I speak to you near the horse stables?" Aingr requested.

Ein raised an eyebrow... He knew something. "Very well."

The two walked through the Kingsguard to the stables. All the while, Aingr was limping slightly and kept grabbing at his side. He was hurt, but Ein couldn't tell from what. Horses neighed at the two as they entered the stables.

"Alright, what's this about?" Ein asked, his arms folded.

"I need you to remain calm," Aingr began.

"I'm always calm."

Aingr nodded and looked to the back of the stables, "You two can come out now."

Ein watched as two individuals stepped from behind one of the horses with their hands raised in surrender. Lumb and Deporah Dolor. The Commander simply stared at the two.

"You better hope no one else comes in here. What's going on?"

Deporah stepped forward, "This will be hard to believe, but the King and the Hall of the Dead are behind the disappearances that have happened in the city."

"That's what you believe? Is that why you killed the Prince?" Ein asked calmly.

"I didn't kill him! It was those monks!" Deporah pleaded, "There's a dungeon between the Hall of the Dead and the Castle. It's where they've kept the missing people. Where Norton was killed."

Ein simply stared at the young woman. She seemed genuine, but there were some talented liars in this world. The Commander looked at Aingr, "Have you seen these dungeons?"

"No, but Deporah can lead us to them. I believe we should bring a squad of Kingsguard soldiers there so that we can keep the monks at bay while we uncover the dungeon. After you've seen them, we'll want to get the Royal Family, aside from the King, out of the city as soon as possible. Once the public hears about the dungeons, they won't be safe."

Ein raised an eyebrow, "You seem to trust her even though you haven't seen these dungeons."

"They're taking a risk by coming here. They wouldn't have agreed to this if they weren't being honest."

Ein looked at Deporah and Lumb once again. He could see the desperation there. Aingr seemed to trust them, he would too. And if they were wrong, they'd be punished for their crimes.

A hundred soldiers marched through the city of Mortel en masse. At the front of the assembly were Ein and Aingr, followed closely by an in-custody Deporah and Lumb. Citizens stood aside as they passed through, and many pointed and stared when they saw Lumb and Deporah.

Ein glanced back at the two. Lumb was getting anxious, but the young Deporah was marching with a determined gait.

They approached the Hall of the Dead. Ein ordered about half of their group to remain outside to guard the entrance, and the rest filed into the underground cemetery one by one.

Ein and the others entered to find some startled monks near the entrance. They found Felli at the front, who had bandages wrapped around his handless right arm.

Felli and several monks stood in the path of Ein and the others.

"Commander, what is happening?" Felli glared at Lumb and Deporah, "Why are they here?"

"We're conducting an investigation, and we ask that you cooperate for now," Ein replied simply.

Felli recoiled at the answer, "Commander, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Ein placed a hand on Felli's shoulder and gently moved him aside, "And I ask that you stand aside."

Ein gestured to Deporah, "Lead the way for us."

Deporah didn't hesitate, taking her place at the front and marching through the Hall of the Dead's many paths. Ein remained very close to her and he noticed Felli walking in file with them.

At first, Deporah's wanderings seemed aimless until they went down paths that reached a lower level not often traveled. Ein examined the monks they passed by. Some were simply curious about what they were doing there.... Others looked terrified at their presence.

They reached a portion of the Hall of the Dead that was much more dimly lit. Deporah's steps started to slow, and she looked closely at the walls they were passing. She suddenly stopped, went back the way they came, and stopped again at another wall.

"This is it!" Deporah said. She began to run her hands along the wall, exerting a consistent amount of pressure. Then a piece of the wall pressed in as she pressed down on it. A whirring came from the wall.

Ein's stoic expression fell away; he expected nothing to come of all this, but he began to believe something was hidden there. He glanced at Felli, who futilely tried to remain calm but now had a horrified look on his face.

Deporah pressed her hand on another portion of the wall. More mechanical noises came from it. She pressed forward, and the wall swiveled vertically, revealing a path behind it.

"Commander... Are you really going to allow these criminals to defile these halls? Even after killing several of my brothers?" Felli pitifully remarked.

But Ein did not listen. He stepped past Deporah and through the path into an unseen portion of the Hall of the Dead. He walked the path before being met with a terrible stench. He'd been in enough battles to know it was the stench of death itself.

Ein came to an open area that couldn't be mistaken for anything but a dungeon. Along the walls were many tools, knives, daggers, scalpels, and leather straps. There were barrels of a sloshy liquid often used as slop for criminals in prison. The room was kept hot by a furnace burning away.

There were several vertical harnesses where a man and woman were strapped by their arms, legs, and heads. Their skin was bare, and there were countless deep cuts on their bodies. Near the furnace was a body with even more cuts strewn about it. It looked as if they were going to toss the body into the furnace.

The others were just as startled by the sight. Lumb nearly vomited onto the red sand beneath them.

"Free them." Ein commanded.

"Y-Yes sir..." Aingr replied. He motioned to several others, and they went to the vertical harnesses, but they were locked in. Every time they touched the victims, even slightly, they cried out in terrible agony.

"Who did this to you?" Ein asked softly to the bound woman.

She nearly cried when she spoke, "Those monks... and the King!"

Ein gripped the hilt of his sword. Without hesitation, he drew it from its scabbard and stomped towards Felli. The bald monk backed up against the wall.

"Com-Commander! I can explain!" Felli whimpered with his hands up in surrender.

Without another word, Ein thrusted his sword directly into Fellli's throat, piercing it and striking the wall behind him. He held the blade there as Felli writhed and twitched before finally going limp. He withdrew his sword and allowed his worthless body to fall into the red sand.

"Don't let a single one of these monks escape! Each of them will be held on trial!" Ein shouted, his voice reverberating through the halls, "Find a key and free these people. Escort the victims out of here. Make sure they're taken care of!"

"Yes, sir!" Each soldier responded, quickly scattering through the Hall of the Dead.

"Deporah!" Ein shouted, startling the young woman, "You said this dungeon leads into the castle. Show me!"

"Y-Yes, of course," Deporah complied. She led him up a dark staircase at the other end of the dungeon. The top of the stairs appeared to be a dead end. But after Deporah pressed against the wall at two specific points, she opened the way. Ein stepped out into the Castle's basement. His heart was beating more swiftly with each discovery.

Ein dropped his sword, defeated, "This is my fault..."

Aingr shook his head, "What're you talking about?"

"I've tried to be loyal to the King. I've turned a blind eye to so many things. If I had been a better man... I could've stopped Whedon before he did this."

"Commander... I don't think this was Whedon's doing."

"But they said the King did this-"

Lumb stepped forward, "It's Denile. The Hall of the Dead can perform a ritual that allows someone to become a spirit and possess someone else."

Ein sat on the stairs and ran his hands through his grey hair. He could hardly handle more information. "Possession?"

"We can explain." Aingr began.

Ein was bombarded with news of unbelievable things. Stories of possession, rituals, and life after death. It wasn't until he explained what happened to the King that he understood. Before Denile's death, a ritual was performed that allowed his spirit to pass into Whedon.

Ever since, Whedon seemed like a changed man. One who no longer cared about being a benevolent king, but only cared for himself.

"This is Denile's doing. But Whedon... I think he's innocent. He's just the vessel his father is possessing," Aingr summarized, "If Denile is in danger, he may try to jump into another's body to escape. We can't allow him to do that. But I don't know how to stop him without killing Whedon."

Ein closed his eyes, knitted his hands together, and breathed out heavily. After a moment of deliberation, he opened his eyes and said, "I'll make things right."