The Drums Begin

Thazmug stared at the scroll even as he sat, drinking the ice cold water. It gnawed at him, and the parchment pulsed, like it was alive. The ink glistened like it had been written that morning, and his head pounded.

"Is it enchanted?" He ventured to ask, though his voice cracked.

The scribe shook his head. "Only by fear. Fear of what it holds."

"What does it hold?" Thazmug asked, wiping his forehead. He felt like he was sitting next to a forge.

"The records. Of our mistakes." The scribe said quietly, his face forlorn.

Thazmug looked down at the heading of this next part. The Drums Begin.

Extract from the Testimony of General Sandstone, Imperial Guard, taken in Ironhand 4834

Questioner: "General, even now the Imperial Guard refer to the sound of drums in the sand. Can you tell me a bit about this?"

Sandstone: "Aye, I still hear it when I close my eyes on quiet nights. It was like... like hearing your own heartbeat, [Name Redacted By Order of the 86th Eternal Emperor]. Rhythmic, unceasing."

Questioner: "I spoke with a Colonel previously, he talked about a veritable sandstorm of emotions."

Sandstone: "I know what he's talking about aye. Only the thick of battle calmed it. The drums, it was like you wanted to fight. Like you needed to fight or you'd die. When Neptis first put on that mask, we didn't know what happened, not at first. It was alarming, but there was still a war. The Western Clans weren't going to defeat themselves, though in a way, I guess they did."

Questioner: "General, to be frankquite honest I'm not sure I don't believe these casualty reports from thesethe first battles."

Sandstone: "Of course you don't you daft bastard! You weren't there. Men fought until their hearts exploded from the stress of it all. When I had to stop Jozbrik from killing an officer who surrendered I knew something was wrong. The zone of silence is what ended up saving us."

Thazmug almost refused to believe his eyes, and glanced up at the Scribe.

"Their hearts exploded?" He asked, his voice a shaky whisper.

"That's what the reports say, Your Majesty." He replied quietly. "It was... well it was certainly something."

Thazmug for the first time became slightly suspicious of the Head Scribe. But the scroll before him was a more pressing concern. The other accounts painted the same grim story. Blood lust and outright insanity in the normally disciplined Imperial Army and House Troops. Summary executions and civilian deaths being treated with indifference, as if the goal was to keep the war going for the sake of it.

"This isn't war." Thazmug whispered as he read an account of an entire city slaughtered down to the last.

"You're starting to understand then." The Scribe said, nodding gravely.

Thazmug looked up again. His head was pounding, like the drums were there with him. He shook his head and just like that they were gone again. He outright gasped when he got to the accounts of the plants and actually dropped the scroll. Picking it up again, he refocused his eyes.

Extract from the Testimony of Colonel Jazbrik, Imperial Guard, taken in Ironhand 4834

Questioner: "Thank you for joining me today, Colonel. General Sandstone said you'd be able to shed some light on the so called Neptian Plants."

Jazbrik: "Oh he did, did he? Fine. He's been stuck with you lots for weeks, I can take over for this. It started not long after the 10th Army disappeared. We'd encounter spots of desert while marching, the sand soaked... no that's not the right word. Even drenched isn't right. It's like the sand itself was blood, you know? The bubbling and the smell was bad enough on its own, but the plants..."

Questioner: "Take your time Colonel, I know this is difficult."

Jazbrik: "It ate him whole, dammit! It came up out of the ground and ate him whole! For the sake of every God, stay away from the thrice damned blood sands!"

Questioner: "That's the plan, Colonel. Most of the State of Khaz Mora is still quarantined until we can verify safety of the dunes. Please, continue."

Jazbrik: "What more is there to say? They look like cacti or desert shrubs until you get too close. Then they lash out, like even the plants are gripped in the madness of the Commander. That monster we woke up in Neptis, [Name Redacted By Order of the 86th Eternal Emperor]? We deserved everything we got.

Listen to me, make sure it's all written down. The blood sands thump. If you're close enough to hear it, it's probably too late. Run you daft bastard, before those damn plants get you!"

Questioner: "We're recording everything, Colonel. Your testimony will be recorded verbatim for this project. The Conservators will wish you speak to you regarding the samples of the Neptian Plants you found."

Extract from the Testimony of High Magistra Dustralin, Imperial Court, taken in Ironhand 4840

Questioner: "Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer these questions, High Magistra."

Dustralin: "Oh please it was nothing. You want to know about the plants, right? They're,They are, for lack of a better term, vampiric. They consume blood, and the more they feed the stronger they get. We did some tests and the results were... unpleasant."

Questioner: "Please elaborate, Miss Dustralin. Our descendants will need to know."

Dustralin: "[Sentence Redacted By Order of the 86th Eternal Emperor]. Fine. They start to take on human shapes. They start wailing, screaming like they're being tortured. Enough blood? They start walking around, and if they find a weapon they'll start swinging it like they're a veteran of a dozen wars. Damn near indestructible too, we had to seal a decommissioned mine under a hundred tons of rock and powerful seals to contain it. It's probably still down there.

Oh? Still hiding your name?"

[Five Minutes of Conversation Redacted By Order of the 86th Eternal Emperor]

Questioner: "In any case, the CadianAzkhotan Mines are to remain sealed, perhaps for all eternity."

 

Thazmug went white as a sheet. The CadianAzkhotan Mines! They're right outside the Capital walls, and there's a possibly indestructible monster still prowling the collapsed passages? What if the seals failed?

"Scribe, about the CadianAzkhotan Mines..." Thazmug began.

"So you read Dustralin's testimony." The Scribe said, his voice grave. "Admittedly, the seals haven't been checked in a very long time."

"I-I want them checked and reinforced as soon as we leave." Thazmug said, suddenly finding his voice.

The Head Scribe simply nodded. Perhaps Thazmug has what it takes, he thought to himself.

"Take a break, Your Majesty. You don't need to rush this."

Thazmug nodded, and leaned back in the chair. These testimonies had him wheeling. What other secrets did the Empire have buried in the sands? What horrors lurked beneath his feet even now?

Thazmug looked again to the shadows of the room, as if expecting Neptis to step out and start badgering him with questions. Only cold silence greeted him, deep as they were.