Steele Family/Easy/Death
Easy was walking along the coast of Wistir. For the first time in his life he was at a place that contained so much contradictions. On the one side there was the sea and the wind blowing over it. The alliance between Sigund and Brigith that terrorised Sigrid, Darka and Lodril by trying to disperse the coastal ashes of Darka, to invade the lands guarded by Lodril and to exstinguish the fires of Sigrid that humans used for various occasions. Easy also realised that Jordfan was watching it all from the sky, spreading his light on the eternal subtle battlefield. It was nearly invisible to most of the souls that were not enlighted. It was this fact that caused that so many followers abandoned their belief in the Volcano Gods, because they could not see their gods, they could not feel them. And Easy felt that it was his task to change that, his task because he was High Priest of Darka, the god of the living that should believe in the Volcano gods. He had to do something to decide the battle between good and evil so the good gods would win, and at the same time to convince the followers of the reality of the volcano gods. He had to play a decisive role, and he knew what to do...
Easy knew that there were two channels that lead from the volcano to the sea, one was north of the Bisquez stronghold, and the other one north of Siver. They lead to the bays of Alani and Bitana and were dug many decades ago, after people started to realise that the terrible suffering that followed an eruption of the volcano was evitable. With every eruption, many villages were burned by the lava and people were killed because they were chased by the lava stream. When Darka brought too much life and Sigrid couldn't follow, this was Lodril's way to bring balance upon life and death again.
However, now there were these channels that controlled Sigrid and lead her right to Sigund. Since they were dug, few to no villagers have been killed by volcano eruptions. Sigrid however iss unhappy for that, because of course she can now take less lives. She needs to blame someone, and who else is perfect for that than Sigund? Sigrid is boiling in fury, and Lodril is having problems to contain her. It needs just a little more before Lodril has to give in, before Sigrid can unleash herself and head to the battlefield. The battlefield that would soon take place near the channels, Easy thought while looking at the sea in Siebmar.
When he arrived in Siver, Easy went to the local drinking distributor and stepped right in. The shopkeeper was not there, but there was an attendant behind the desk that looked at him surprisedly. "You are High Priest Easy, right?" Easy nodded. "It's an honour to meet you, father!" Easy smiled briefly. "Is the shopkeeper home?" The attendant, Andrew was his name, shaked his head. "He's gone for a few days. Business in Rantire or something, opening a new shop in the town there. Can I help you?" Easy was quite restless. "Yes you can. I need a ton of Sigund fluid." Andrew looked at him questioningly. "Water, son, water. Pay more attention at school!" Andrew sighed. "I've never been to school, but I do remember know who you mean, Sigund is a goddess, right?" Easy moved his lips around. "Unfortunately, yes. So, once again, I need a ton of water." Andrew looked at him like Is that all? "And I need it to be delivered." Andrew thought for a moment. With the shopkeeper being in Rantire and him delivering a ton of water, who would take care of the shop? Of course! Stephen could take over the shop until he was back. He was a rather dumb attendant, but watching over the shop should still be able for him. "How long will the travel to the destination take?" Easy noticed the situation Andrew was in at the moment Stephen came in and tripped over a ton of wine. He took three coins out of his pocket and put them on the desk. "Sacred gold, my friend. If you can get a horsecart available, you can be back here in less than a day." Andrew nodded. Of course a cart, what else? Did he expect me to carry it? Easy put three more coins on the desk. "These six coins are for the water. If you are ready by sunrise, outside here, on a horsecart loaded with a ton of water, I'll give you two more coins. And when we arrive at our destination, I'll give you two more. Can we make a deal?" Andrew nodded heavily. He was making the deal of his life. Normally a ton of water costs two gold, and delivery 4 silver per day, and the delivery cost went straight to the deliverer. So Andrew only had to pay the show 2 gold for the water, all the rest was for him! So he was earning... he didn't know exactly how much, but he knew that is was very much! "Father, I will be ready at sunrise, with the cart and a water!" Easy smiled. "Good. I have to go now, I'll see you in the morning." With that, Easy walked outside.
Easy tried to stay unseen as much as possible. He didn't feel like meeting many people now, so he went to a silent restaurant and ate his dinner, and afterwards he went to an Inn to spend the night.
Early in the morning, Andrew was sitting ready on his cart with the ton of water loaded behind him. He was waiting for his client to arrive. Probably he has overslept. All old men do. After a while, the sun had already risen for more than half an hour, Easy still hadn't arrived. Andrew sighed, but remembered the coins that were waiting for him.
In a nearby alley, Easy held a boy. "Can you read, son?" Considering the fact the boy was dirty and seemed like his last bath was in his mother's womb, he could already figure the answer would be know, but to be sure, Easy asked. Then Easy gave the analphabetic boy a small note. "Around the corner, there's a drink shop. A young man is sitting on a cart in front of the door, looking around as if he's expecting someone." He gave the boy a few silver coins. "Bring this note to that man, that's all you need to do. And then buy yourself something to eat and new clothes." The boy smiled and walked away with the note that contained the following words: "Departure delayed. We leave at sunset tonight."
Easy didn't want too much attention drawn to his cause. There were too many people on the street. This was something Easy had to do alone, he didn't want people getting involved in it. Therefore he decided to wait until sunset, when there would be less people on the streets. He didn't want nobles to come after him and try to stop him.
Half an hour after the sun had set, Easy went back to the shop and saw Andrew sitting on the cart. He looked annoyed when he saw Easy arriving. "Great client you are, you just let me wait all morning." Easy gave him a coin and climbed on the cart. "Be quiet and drive. To the west, onto the Mnt.Sinclair volcano." Andrew was excited. "Whew, I've never been there! What are we going to do there?" As the cart departed, Easy mumbled "You will bring me there and then return here, and what I will do there is my business." Andrew looked sad. If he will be grumpy for the rest of the journey then he can pay me more. As the cart turned around the corner, a man nearby the shop headed to the Duchal estate to report the Queen of Darka about the mysterious occasion he had witnessed short ago. A High Priest leaving on a cart to the Volcano with a ton of water was not usual.
As the cart advanced, it approached the channel that lead from Mnt.Sinclair to the Bitana bay. Andrew noticed that Easy was looking at it all the time they drove aside it. "What's that for?" Because he got no reaction from Easy, Andrew decided to leave it to that and to drive on in silence.
Early in the morning, the cart arrived in Mnt.Sinclair, near the bottom of the volcano. "Now, here we are," Andrew said, "where do you want the ton to be delivered?" Easy sighed. "We're not there yet." Andrew looked at him. "How... but you said to the Volcano?" Easy nodded. "To the volcano indeed. But the volcano is..." Easy pointed at a small path between the bushes that lead onto the volcano all the way to the top "...there." Andrew's eyes widened. "You want that ton to be brought... to the volcano?" Easy smiled. "That's what I said, didn't I?" Andrew started heavily shaking his head. "No no... no, I'm not going there! That's way too dangerous!" He jumped off the cart. "I'm not going there, that was not planned. You go there alone, keep the cart if you want, and the horses, keep your gold, I'm not going there!" Andrew ran away to the town to find a way to get back home soon.
The priest looked at the path he had now turned towards and took a deep breath. "This is it. Now I must go do what I came for." He took the ropes of the horses and lead them onto the path that zigzagged onto the mountain. The path was long, but Easy had time. He had all the time of his life...
Near the end of the road to the top it became more and more steeper. Easy could feel that it was becoming harder for the horses to pull the cart to the top. It also became warmer and warmer as they approached the opening. Suddenly Easy saw thick smoke coming out of the volcano. "Sigrid is awake... Now she will show her powers to the world, and the world will notice them!"
A few yards from the top of the volcano, the horses pranced, scared of the heat and the smoke, and the toxic fumes comic out of the volcano. Easy quickly untied them and theyran back to the town. They should not be involved, Easy thought. He jumped off the cart and started pulling it himself. He had expected that it would be heavier to carry, but it wasn't too heavy.
Lodril likes order. The top of the volcano was flat, so basically Easy could go in circles on top of the volcano around the opening. Without getting too close, Easy looked into the volcano. Deep below him, the yellow plasmatic fluid was boiling, reaching temperatures of several thousands degrees. He also saw a few meters below him the openings to the channels. A few meters left of him was the opening of the channel to Bisquez. That is where Easy pulled the cart to, right above that hole. He stood above it with his face towards the heat and his back towards the first temple of his faith somewhere behind him.
"Great Sigrid, it is time! I will now sacrifice a part of Sigund to you! Vanquish it, and along with it the rest of her! Show the world your power, and destroy everything on your path to her!" Easy slowly pashed the cart with the ton of water into the volcano, and it immediately exploded. In no time the effect was visible. "Great Lodril, please let go of her, she must turn her anger to Sigund or she will turn it to humankind! Show the world the power of the volcano gods!"
The volcano erupted. Immense amounts of lava came out of the volcano, and most of them went to the holes of the channels. No eruption in this volcano has ever been heavier. The rocks above the holes collapsed, and Easy fell in the volcano, but he was already long dead by then. The lava mostly ran down in the channels, but it was too much and the channels soon overflew. Close forests started burning, but around the channels and these forests there was nothing, as safety precautions. The lava went straight towards the sea, and there the lava steamed and exploded upon touching the sea, and lots of smoke rose. It was nearly impossible that this was not seen from hundreds of miles away. The world has witnessed this huge eruption. Easy's death was not useless. The volcano gods were seen.
After the eruption, volcano guards from Mnt.Sinclair went to the top of the volcano, and right before it, they saw the cape that could only be Easy's. They could only conclude that Easy was dead. Soon the news spread that Easy had thrown himself into the Volcano in a mad whim.
