Chapter 20: Companion

Charon’s eyes widened before he squinted, noticing the features and remembering who they belonged to. "Emerius?" His roommate frowned, looking down at the blood dripping off his robes with disgust, but it felt different to Charon. Not that Emerius couldn’t stand the blood itself, but only the fact that it dirtied his clothes. "Where are we?" Charon glanced from the swords to the corpses, noticing how savage the cuts were. Guts and organs were scattered about. One of the dogs was evenly bisected down the middle. "The River Acheron, it’s a realm for undead souls." Emerius casually nodded, flinging his swords to get them a little cleaner. "I remember you mentioning it before." The man approached, his blades still unsheathed and held threateningly. "So why don’t you do me a favor and explain what the hell is going on?" Gone was the usual smile Emerius had; in its place was a firmness Charon had never seen before. The look in his eyes was not kindness, but purpose. Emerius was willing to kill Charon if he thought he was an enemy. Charon backpeddled, raising his hands defensively. "I don’t know! You aren’t even supposed to be here, the ritual was supposed to take me!" His words were erratic, but Emerius responded only with calm calculation. "You used an unsanctioned ritual in your room. When I heard it, I came to investigate, and now I’m sucked to some alternate realm." He stopped moving, staring at Charon with intensity. "Who are you working for? The Church of Space? The Mind Mages? Or, perhaps, you’ve found yourself sympathetic to the Elves?" Charon continued moving away, looking around frantically for some kind of escape. The groups Emerius mentioned meant nothing to him, apart from the Elves, which only served to confuse him more. Despite this, a part of his mind was calm, a little excited, even, to have a challenge. ’Legacy is built on challenges, not on stagnation.’ "None of those! The High Priest gave me a book, and inside it was a ritual that told me I could enter the River Acheron. I used it thinking I could come here and then leave, but now I’m stuck!" If the words had any effect on Emerius, he didn’t show it, instead raising his blades ever so slightly. "If this is true, show me the book. It should prove your innocence." Happy to provide the evidence, even if it revealed one of his secrets, Charon jerked the vine around his back and hoisted the book over his shoulder, carefully extending it out. "Here, take it. The ritual was on the third page." Sheathing one of his swords, Emerius took the book and gave it a quick glance before looking back at Charon. He then took a step back, followed by another, and another, until he built some distance. Only then did he open it to the third page, studying the ritual for a few seconds before his eyes widened in shock. "Where did you find this?" Releasing a tense sigh of relief, Charon responded. "The High Priest gave it to me, like I told you. He came to me after I had received my element, asked me a riddle, and left me that tome." A strange look passed Emerius’ eyes, but it vanished quickly. With slow movements, he flipped his second sword and inserted it into the sheath at his belt, extending the book back to Charon. "So you believe me?" Emerius scoffed, shaking his head and looking at the jungle surrounding them. "I don’t have a choice. I can’t read the language, and your story is the only thing close to plausibility around here. The High Priest likes doing these things, messing with the scales." Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, Charon grabbed the book and put it back in his makeshift sling, giving Emerius a sheepish smile. "Why can’t you read the language anyway? It’s the normal tongue." The corner of his roommate’s mouth tipped down, but it straightened quickly. "The book is soul-bound. Only you and people bonded to you can read it. Only ancient books do that, and that’s one of the only reasons I can trust you." Charon’s eyebrows raised. "Why does it make you trust me?" Emerius walked by him, looking up at a tall tree a few miles away. "Because no organization would give such a valuable book to someone as weak as you appear, and if you actually are strong enough to warrant such a relic, I’m a dead man anyway." For reasons unknown, that made Charon chuckle. With the danger gone, he allowed himself to relax. The adrenaline left his system, replaced with a strange discomfort in his back. It slowly grew before ballooning into a raging fire of agony. Groaning with the sudden pain, he hunched over and weakly grabbed at his back. The wounds he sustained fighting the dogs felt worse than ever. Emerius, having turned to face Charon, moved closer with trepidation. "Are you injured?" A nod was the only response he received. The man guided Charon to the ground, lifting his robe and inspecting the cuts. "These aren’t looking good at all. We need to wrap them before they get infected. My father says it can kill you as fast as any predator." Unable to focus through the pain, Charon barely noticed as something cool pressed against his back before moving to the cuts. The pressure made them hurt far more, his whole body shaking as his nervous system flared in protest. Minutes passed before he settled down, the pain receding and being replaced with a dull ache. Through it all, Emerius stood over him, moving with purpose as he bandaged the wounds with a mixture of plants and cloth he tore from his own robe. "Good, you managed to stay conscious. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to carry you." His words were more emotional than before, a sign he was returning to his former self. It wasn’t a complete shift, but it was a step in the right direction. ’Progress is progress. If Emerius will trust me again, or at least treat me normally, then he can help me find a way out of here.’ Although he doubted Emerius would see it the same way. Charon was glad that he wasn’t alone anymore. Surviving the River Acheron would be far easier with a skilled swordsman aiding him, not to mention the magic knowledge he has. ’Until enough time passes and he gets pissed off that we are missing school.’ That made the goal simple: escape before dawn. That gave Charon about eight hours to discover an exit. "We need to reach the champion before more dogs come. I can handle a few at a time, but a larger pack will kill us both." Emerius spoke quickly, pushing some more cloth scraps into his pocket and drawing one of his swords. With his free hand, he pulled Charon to his feet, giving him a once-over before nodding and beginning to half-walk, half-run through the tall grass. "What’s a champion?" Without stopping, Emerius pointed above the canopy to a colossal tree in the distance. It reached high into the clouds, with bark the color of ebony and leaves as black as coal. Twisting branches extended from its trunk, so huge they looked large despite being miles away. It was so disturbing, Charon couldn’t help but be sarcastic. ’Of course we are going to the evil tree, why wouldn’t we? It’s not like this is a realm for the most powerful souls to walk the universe.’ The thought made him smile, even as his body ached. Silence reigned as the two walked. Only the sounds of the jungle kept them company, sounds that Emerius seemed to be paying a lot of attention to. Finally breaking the silence after what felt like hours, Emerius held up a fist, stopping them both in their tracks. Turning around, he motioned Charon closer and whispered in his ear. "Do you hear that?" Confused, Charon tried to hone in on what Emerius was referencing. Running water, chirping birds, and a howling wind were all he heard. Emerius saw his companion’s confused look and gave him an exasperated look. "Listen to the water." Taking the advice, Charon closed his eyes and ignored every sound but the water. It was loud, thundering in a current somewhere to their left. It crashed and roared, like it was... "A waterfall!" Emerius clamped a hand around his mouth, muffling any further outbursts. "Quiet! Listen more, there’s something more." Scrunching his forehead, Charon nodded and removed the hand, refocusing his efforts. Sure enough, he heard another sound, faintly echoing in the same direction as the water. It came in intervals spaced only a second apart, a staccato rhythm. With each iteration, Charon felt he recognized it more and more, until it finally clicked. "Is that... steel?" Emerius nodded, his expression grave. "That’s steel striking steel." Charon smiled widely, not noticing the fear on Emerius’ face. ’That could mean more people! They might know how to get out of here!’