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"We're going now," Avso said.
They were in Kraz's underground room, its walls hewn from the earth. The rough texture of the sandstone, with subtle variations in color from ochre to a deeper burnt umber, absorbed sound. The air was cool and musty.
"We're not prepared. We were expecting to have warriors," Skamtos said.
"The warriors can't come without my father; we must save him."
"Avso, your father's dead. I hate to tell you. But he is," Skamtos said.
"He's not!" Avso paced around the room. His body trembled in absolute rage; the world before him seemed painted blood red. The Emperor needed to die. It would happen today.
Bwaza was in the corner of the room, sitting silently and staring with dead eyes at the confrontation. He had hugged Avso and barely let go until they reached Kraz's house.
"Why would the Emperor spare him?"
"Because—because he has to. He will! I know it."
"You're being hasty for no reason—"
"Who cares? Regardless, we have to kill the Emperor by the end of today. Let's kill him now while my father still has the chance of being alive. There's no point in waiting."
"We need our other troops before we march in. Otherwise, we'll die likely."
"Like I said, we're not going to get the soldiers if my father isn't there to to tell them where to meet. What will we do—walk up to the warrior camp and ask people if they want to join us?"
"I agree with Avso," Uk said. "There's no point in waiting. Either way, we're not getting our soldiers. We're prepared now. Let's just go."
Kraz pondered. "I agree, too. Skamtos?"
Skamtos gritted his teeth. "What if the soldiers still show up?"
"The chances are low. We should attack now while we're ready."
Skamtos shook his head. "Fine. We'll attack now."
"So, what's our plan?" Uk said. "Are we still ambushing at the Guha Labyrinth?"
"There's no need to," Kraz said. "There's no need to bring soldiers there anymore, so we don't need the labyrinth underneath. And there's no longer any dampening effect. We could do it anywhere now."
"I have a place," Avso said.
"Where?"
"It's in the Emperor's temple, deep underground. It has a dampening Otu presence. The Emperor brought me there once. You should be able to hide there. I don't know why, but it does. It's also close to where I'll be, so it'll work."
"But how are we meant to get there?"
"I'll talk to the Emperor briefly to advise him before his ritual completes. I'll tell the Emperor where to go, and I will meet him there. Then I'll bring you guys in and position you where you need to be. Hide so that the Emperor doesn't notice you. The Otu dampening should do this."
Kraz nodded. "That will work. Then you'll bring in the Emperor, Skamtos will activate the Amulet, and we'll all attack simultaneously."
"Then it's a plan. Let's do it."
Avso walked through the endless labyrinth alone. The passage twisted and turned, an endless maze carved from the heart of the earth itself. Shadows clung to the walls, deepened by the sporadic flicker of torches that cast an uncertain light, revealing glimpses of the path ahead. The air, cool and damp, whispered against Avso's skin, carrying with it the scent of moss and the undisturbed dust that lay thick upon the ground. The silence was profound, broken only by the distant echo of Avso's own footsteps, a solitary sound in the vast emptiness. The stone seemed to breathe as if alive.
Luckily, he remembered exactly where to go. He had just positioned Uk, Kraz, and Skamtos where they needed to be.
When he had first seen the Emperor, his heart jolted, and he wanted to attack him. He fought down his rage and spoke as calmly as possible, but there was still a noticeable tremor of rage.
This man had killed his family. It didn't matter to Avso that they had never loved him. They were his family. Maybe one day, they would have grown to love Avso. The Emperor had taken that from him.
Avso closed his eyes as he walked through the hallways. He took a deep breath and stabilized himself. This would all be over soon. The Emperor would die, and his father would be back with him. His father would be proud. He would congratulate Avso on killing the Emperor.
Avso approached the door the Emperor stood behind. He could feel the Emperor's presence bearing down on him.
He opened the door.
The Emperor sat on the floor; he smiled warmly when he saw Avso. "Blessed one, there you are. Thank you for gracing me with your presence. It is always an honor."
Avso nodded. He could barely contain his hatred for the monster in front of him.
"I came to congratulate you on completing the ritual and to impart some wisdom to you."
The Emperor leaned forward. "I would love to hear it, blessed one. I will cherish your wisdom forever."
Avso nodded shakily. "Come with me. I cannot tell you here."
The Emperor nodded and swiftly stood up. "I will follow you."
Avso walked out of the room toward where the ambush would happen. The Emperor walked beside him.
Avso didn't want to talk. He knew he should just stay quiet and wait. But he needed to know. "Why did you kill my family?" Avso's voice cracked.
The Emperor looked down on him. He sniffed. "They were traitors. Your father was planning to assassinate me in the name of Ilan. A brave warrior came to me telling of his plan. Naturally, I had his family killed."
"W-where's my father? Where is he?"
"What do you mean?"
"Where is my father?" Avso's voice trembled with rage. He wanted nothing more than to kill the Emperor.
The Emperor blinked. "Blessed one, are you OK? Did I do something wrong? I did not mean to anger you—"
"WHERE IS MY FATHER?" Avso screamed it with all the rage in his soul.
The Emperor recoiled, his body slamming against the wall as if repelled by force. His eyes were wide and frightened. "He is in my chambers. I am sorry, blessed one. Forgive me. I didn't mean to anger you. His body is in my chambers."
Avso stopped walking. "What do you mean 'his body'?"
"He—He is dead, blessed one. We killed him."
Avso's legs almost fell out from underneath him. "No, you didn't. You didn't kill him."
"Was I not meant to kill him? I am sorry, blessed one. I will ask you next time. I did not know you—"
"He's alive. Tell me he's alive!" Avso's voice snapped in two, and tears ran down his cheeks.
"He—he is alive," the Emperor said stiffly. "It is not true. He is dead. But if you want me to say he's alive. I will tell you that."
Avso kept walking down the hallway. He wanted to get away from the Emperor. He just needed to get to the room so the Emperor could die once and for all.
The Emperor followed. "Blessed one, I am sorry if I angered you. I did not realize you would be angry."
There was silence. "Why did you take him?" Avso whispered. "Why didn't you kill him at the house?"
"We had to torture him, blessed one. You were the one who told us to torture the non-believers, so we did—"
"I didn't say that."
"But … You agreed. So we tortured your father. We needed to know who was working against Murok."
"Who did he say?"
"He told us twelve names. They were the people he convinced to work with him against Murok. Uk Kinzuzzuh, Igdup Vluykzi, Itoleb Chauhi, Egra Vlen, Kraz Dufmaik, Bonev Swavna, Pwulo Umudtic, Gokoan Ikku, Pwosa Otodtac, Numed Omu, Skamtos Wascofi, and Ab Deutdari."
Avso waited for his name to come, but it didn't. "Who else?"
"No one, blessed one. That is all."
Why wasn't Avso on the list? Why would his father spare him? Did he spare him?
"I asked your father about why he laid with your true mother. He confirmed my answer from Murok."
"What did he say?"
"Murok said that I could tell anyone after Frauza died. But REASON for cheating."
Avso's response.
They got to the room, and Avso's nerves were horrible. He felt as if his insides would explode. He stepped in.
Within the heart of the earth stood a small chamber, a stark, open space embraced by the natural rock. Torches lined the walls, casting a warm, flickering glow. A slender cut within the wall hid a world of darkness. Beyond the crack, vague silhouettes of an army of sculptures, fashioned from mud, stood in silent vigil. No one was in sight. The Emperor must have sensed the Otu dampening. "Why are we here, blessed one?"
He stepped into the room. Avso closed the door.
A green light flashed throughout the room. A wave of light washed over the Emperor, and suddenly, Otu was whisked out of his body. The Amulet had worked.
The Emperor growled in sudden anger. But two massive, incredibly thick stone walls jutted out from the ground on either side of him. They slammed together, crushing the Emperor.
Uk stepped out from behind the slit in the wall hesitantly. "Did we kill—?"
The rock walls exploded in dust. And out stepped the Emperor.
"What is this?" he screamed.
The Emperor saw Uk. He immediately reached out his hand and yanked it back.
Uk dodged out of the way. Usually, he would have been ripped apart, but because of the Otu dampening and the Amulet's power, he had just enough time to avoid being shredded alive.
Skamtos sprinted behind the Emperor. He threw Avso a spear, which he quickly caught.
The Emperor swung at Skamtos; he dodged just in time and punched the Emperor across the head. The Emperor's head barely moved, but his cheek busted open in a spray of blood.
The Emperor yanked into the air, aiming for Skamtos. Skamtos dodged.
Avso ran at the Emperor with his spear. He stabbed forward, and the Emperor dodged.
The Emperor slapped at Avso with his hand. But with the Uk's speed enhancement, Avso dodged out of the way.
Uk threw an axe at the Emperor, and when the Emperor dodged the Axe, Avso stabbed forward again. The Emperor twisted his body to dodge.
An army of stone golems spawned around the Emperor, each sprinting at him. Skamtos ran with the Golems and again pounded his hand against the Emperor's head.
The Emperor's head snapped back from the incredible force, and blood flowed from his nose. He grabbed Skamtos by the arm and squeezed, but Skamtos suddenly punched the Emperor's wrist. The emperor's wrist broke with a sharp snap.
The Emperor roared in rage. But then the Golems were on him.
With a sweeping kick of his leg—so fast that Avso could barely see—he destroyed a row of golems.
Before the Emperor landed, Avso stabbed forward with his spear again. The Emperor danced backward. But one of the Golems grabbed at him, holding him in place.
Avso stabbed forward again, incredibly quickly.
The Emperor threw a stone golem straight at Avso. Avso barely dodged the hurling Golem. It crashed into a distant wall and exploded in a shower of rocks.
Uk sliced at the Emperor. But the Emperor dodged the attacks, grabbed the Golem that was pinning him down, and threw it at Uk.
Suddenly, rocks trickled up the Emperor's body, encasing him in solid rock. The rock tomb around his body thickened more and more until he looked like nothing more than an anomaly of geology.
Kraz stood to the side, his arms clenched in front of him. He was squeezing together his arms as if to crush the emperor with the wall surrounding him.
"Why—Isn't—It—Working?" Kraz said.
The stone encasing cracked in two. The Emperor's hands reached out of the gap and pried the earth's tomb apart with all his might.
The tomb crumbled away, and he stepped out. He had bloody cuts all along his body, and he was panting. He must have used much Otu to protect himself from dying. The combined dampening effect of the area and the amulet sapping away his Otu significantly affected the Emperor.
Skamtos rushed forward again. He punched at the Emperor rapidly. The Emperor dodged each one. But then Uk ran behind him and sliced with his axe. The axe dug into the Emperor's back, causing blood to trickle down. The axe wasn't deep, but it was stuck in.
The Emperor kicked behind him while simultaneously dodging all of Skamtos' attacks.
Uk, trying to pry his axe out of the Emperor's back, couldn't dodge the kick and flew back. His body crashed into the wall. Suddenly, Avso felt sluggish and weak. Uk's Otu had unlinked.
Avso ran forward, and more Earth golems morphed out of the ground and ran with him.
Without Uk's link, Skmato's attacks were slower. Now, the Emperor could attack back also.
Avso ran behind the Emperor and stabbed forward. The Emperor dodged. Avso stabbed again.
The golems attacked, too. The emperor kicked at them, exploding them in showers of rocks.
Suddenly, Avso's body strengthened and speeded. He felt his link with Uk reconnect.
Avso stabbed as fast as he could. His spear dug straight into the Emperor's neck.
The Emperor stumbled over and twisted out of the way. Avso's blade hadn't been too deep, but the Emperor's neck gushed blood.
The Emperor jumped away. He flew through the air and landed a hundred feet away—near the slit in the wall.
The Emperor was panting, blood running down his body.
"Why? Why Murok-blessed? Why do you attack me?"
Avso didn't answer.
The Emperor's hand went to the wound on his neck, stopping the blood flow. He stared at Avso. It was a confused stare. It wasn't evil.
Skamtos went and stood by Avso's side, as did Kraz, with an army of Golems behind him. Uk stepped up to them, too, with a limp in his walk.
The Emperor's eyes were pleading for an answer—completely desperate. His eyes twisted something in Avso's heart.
"Why? Tell me why, at least."
"Because you're evil," Avso said, out of breath. "You must die."
The Emperor had tears in his eyes. He looked down at the dirt at his feet.
Uk stepped forward. "Let's kill him."
The Emperor dropped to his knees, blood running down his body, and started crying. He bowed before them, his entire body trembling.
"I'm sorry!" He trembled.
They walked forward. Avso's feet felt heavy.
"Kill me," the Emperor whispered. It was a plea. "Forgive me, Murok. You have placed your trust in the wrong Emperor. I was not wise enough. So kill me ..."
They kept walking. Avso stopped.
"Let me die. I have sinned. Kill me, Murok. I have sinned against you."
Uk raised his axe next to the Emperor's head.
"Stop," Avso said.
Uk hesitated and looked to Avso. "What?"
"Don't—Don't." It took all of Avso's willpower to say the words. He looked at the trembling figure on the ground and wished nothing more than for him to be dead. But it wasn't the answer.
Uk looked dumbfounded. "What are you talking about?"
"Don't kill him."
"What do you mean, don't kill him? He just killed your father—"
"I know! I know he killed my father! But he doesn't need to die."
Avso walked up to the Emperor. He leaned down before him. The Emperor was whispering to himself.
"Emperor Amud," Avso said, his voice trembling with restrained anger, "listen to me."
The Emperor looked up, his eyes wet and red. "Blessed one ... Kill me for my sins ..."
"Listen to me. I'll let you live on one occasion only. You must give up the throne. You will not kill anyone unless the new Emperor tells you. You will never torture anyone again. Do you hear me?"
The Emperor trembled. "Why? Why show me mercy? I have sinned."
"What are you doing, Avso?" Uk grit out.
Kraz raised his hand to stop Uk. He had a gentle smile on his face. "Let him," he said, looking to Avso. "Continue, Murok-blessed."
Uk stepped back.
"You will give your Emperorship to Kraz."
Kraz's eyes widened.
"Do you understand, Amud?"
The Emperor nodded meekly, tears running down his cheeks and dripping to the dirt below—turning it to holy mud.
"Why do you show mercy?"
Avso clenched his fists. "Because it's the right thing to do ..." He walked away from the scene.
Uk had his axe up to the Emperor's neck. He didn't move it; it was there only as a warning. Uk looked at Avso with bewildered, almost-amazed eyes. Kraz smiled at him proudly. Skamtos stormed away.
Avso stared at the ground and cried. He hated that he had spared the Emperor. He hated that he'd shown mercy. He hated that he'd chosen to do the right thing.
He wanted to kill the Emperor. He tried to bring his father back. But his father would never come back. He was dead.
But Avso realized something: He didn't need his father. He had himself, and he had Uk, Kraz, and Skamtos.
