The room was dim, not dark. honestly the man bound to the chair would have preferred outright darkness over the level of light he was currently being forced to suffer through. It had been nearly two weeks since anyone came in; no food, no water, no questions, only silence and the cursed dim lighting. He knew where this was going, the next time he saw anyone they would be the last people he saw.
Almost as if they could read his mind the door swung open. A finely dressed woman walked in, she had raven black hair and violet eyes. She wore the silks of a noblewoman but the look on her face was dark. Darker than anything the man had seen before.
"Didn't think they'd send me such a beautiful executioner." The man said
A single muffled laugh was all that came in reply, it was a cold hollow sound that filled the man with dread. The noblewoman moved around him in slow deliberate circles. She was trying to keep his focus split.
The man's hair stood on end as she left his vision and moved behind him, "I'm not here to kill you Master Riggs." Came her voice cold as the steel of a blade.
They found him, they learned his name but how? He kept quiet trying not to display the fear he felt.
"That's right, you see my eyes do very good work. We knew your name long before we even asked you the first question. Do you remember the first question we asked you Aidan."
"Who I worked for."
A blow to his back sent the chair Aidan sat in tumbling forward faster than he could imagine the woman was in front of him catching the chair with her gloved hands.
"Who do you work for." She repeated
"I can't tell you, even if I kne-" she jerked the chair
"Do I look like I'm in the mood to play games Aidan?"
Aidan gulped hard, forcing the little spit he had down his parched throat. "No."
"Then the next words out of your mouth better be the name of who sent you to creep around the champion's quarters or things will get a lot less pleasant."
"Please, I-" Aidan was cut off as the chair was thrown back. The back legs finally meeting the ground where they sat.
Silently the woman removed one of her gloves, as they moved down from the elbow they revealed not skin but a black shaping of an arm. The not skin reflected the little light that filled the room with a soft glint, like obsidian. She stepped forward, her black hand flexing and curling slowly. She paused in front of him examining her obsidian limb.
In a quick practiced maneuver the noblewoman shot her hand out and it wrapped around his throat. The instant her hand made contact with his flesh a searing cold filled his body and he let loose a terrifying scream. Tearing at the already dry skin of his throat. As the cold receded from within him he noticed it had replaced every sense of feeling he had. A gloved hand smashed into his cheek as feeling came back and pain flooded his brain. The blow was so hard it sent him backwards.
With a loud crash his back slammed into the ground, in a flash she was over him, her gloved hand pulling him up. As her free hand slammed into his stomach.
"Give me a fucking name." She growled her gloved hand grabbing his face roughly forcing him to meet her eyes.
"Count Quaid." Aidan Wheazed.
" "
Two Weeks had passed since Count Maris had his duel, he had since been exiled from Denerae. Two days ago, Aeris had departed from the city to meet Kinaas Everwai in Chancia. Percy remained behind, he had decided to do a bit of studying while he had free time.
It was at this very moment two day after the departure of Aeris that Percival Argent found himself bored, he had no duels to watch, no pressing concerns, not even an impending party to plan for. His days were completely his, and he despised it. Him and Phenius had kept up the morning training without Aeris, but that didn't take up very much time. Then Phenius was off to complete his duties. Of which he apparently had many.
Percy sat in the market square watching the merchants come and go, giving himself a sudden longing for his home. He decided once his tea was done that he'd make his way to Slate Quarter to visit with his father.
Scanning the bustling sea of face, Percy caught sight of a familiar face. He stood from his chair and raised his hand,
"Phenius!" He called
The short man stopped in his tracks, head whipping around eyes wide. He spotted Percy and relief flooded his face as he rushed towards him through the crowd.
"Master Percival, what a relief." He said voice quivering a bit
"Is there a problem?" Percy said reading the man like an open book
"Indeed, Count Quaid had me running around all day. I forgot to find you earlier. Lady Selaise, the Lord's left hand, has asked for you by name. When you didn't show up earlier she tracked me down to find out why." He shivered.
"Alright then"
The trip back up from the market square was a brief walk the stairs to the Lord's keep were lined with fruit bearing trees meant to be picked respectfully by any who wished to partake.
Phenius led Percy to the room he was meant to be meeting Lady Selaise in, and he stopped.
"She told me to just lead you here and not to go in. Probably secret business seeing as she's the Madam of Eyes." He knocked on the door, bowed briefly to Percy and set about his way.
Moments later the door opened, Lady Selaise was the one to answer it. Her raven dark hair tied into a neat but simple bun. She stepped aside to reveal two other women and a tall thin man.
"Percival Argent, the champion's right hand."
"Argent?" Said a short stout woman with a black Crescent moon painted on her forehead. "Are the two of you related?"
"In a sense, my lady." Percy said, stepping in "my father adopted him when we were both very little."
"Interesting." Interrupted the third woman in the room. She was tall and gaunt, with pale skin. her head bore no hair, and Her bird-like nose was adorned with a small gemstone on the right side connected to a chain that ended at the corner of her right eye.
"Percival, this is the small council. It is made up of me, the spymaster of Denerae. Syla head Lunaris of the city, Crynn the head of the merchants guild who is not present, Grey the head scholar of the Academy, and Esmee head of the courtesan guild."
"A pleasure to meet all of you," Percy said with a bow "please call me Percy."
"Very well Percy, the reason I have called you here is because there have been a few concerns about the Lord's life and there aren't many people we can trust." Esmee said leaning back in her seat.
"Yes we would like to offer you a position in the small council." Lady Selaise said
"I would gladly accept."
"Excellent, Now to the real business" Grey spoke for the first time. His voice like the rustling of old paper.
" "
Two Days in to a four day trip and not a thing had happened. The stretch of land between Denerae and Chancia was nothing but grasslands. It had been a dreadfully dry spring so the grass was mostly dead and the ground dry. Aeris sat staring out the tiny porthole on the side of the carriage.
"Would you care to finish your story about the Siege of Maplewood, Captain?" Aeris said, turning his eyes from the dull view.
"Surely, where did we last leave off?"
"I believe you had just locked Swords with the Red Sergeant."
"Ah yes," a tired look filled the Captain's eyes. "The red Sergeant was a brute of a man, he wielded a mace the size of my whole head, and swung it like it was light as a feather. He had single handedly wiped out more than half of my fellow soldiers. I had no hope of actually defeating him but I was determined to make his life harder before I went down. He swung for my midsection with the force of a battering ram. Which I barely dodged with a clumsy backstop. When he lifted it up for an overhead swing I took my opportunity and lunged with my short spear. He didn't have any armor on his neck where I was aiming and the spear tore clean through him. Unfortunately he fell forward and I was pinned under him."
"A truly magnificent story Captain." Aeris said respectfully
"Aye, any stories of your own?" He said
"Not particularly, I fear you witnessed my greatest story."
Heath's eyes never left the road. Constantly scanning as the days went by, and when they stopped to make camp he was even more vigilant. Still Aeris managed to make conversation with him relatively easy.
"The captain undersells his part in the siege, he was a force to be reckoned with, still is." Lord Selaise said with a smirk
Their smooth ride came to a sudden jarring stop, the coach's voice could be heard shouting and then a brief thud resounded off the front of the carriage.
"Stay here, both of you." Heath said, gripping the Hilt of his sword.
He stepped out of the carriage and was immediately assaulted by a barrage of crystal shards. He either dodged or blocked each one because he remained untouched. Aeris looked at the lord as worry painted his face.
"I'm gonna go check on the coach, give me your necklace." Aeris said
"Why would you need my necklace."
"I'm assuming this is just basic highway robbery, but in the off chance these men were sent to kill you they won't come searching if they think you're already out there."
Hesitantly Lord Selaise unhooked the gold framed diamond necklace, and handed it to Aeris. He took it gently and placed it around his neck. He cupped his hands over his mouth and whispered a few words then weaved both hands in an intricate pattern. In seconds Lord Ganus Selaise was looking at a mirror image of himself.
"Keep your head down," Aeris said in the Lord's voice.
In stunned silence the true lord nodded. Aeris stepped out of the carriage confidently,
"Gentlemen!" He called out loudly
Heath was blocking the crystal sword of a tall broad man in rags. Both men looked towards Aeris, Heath's eyes went wide.
"My lord get back in the carriage!" He called out
Heath shoved the crystal sword away and swiped his sword across the man's chest. Then planted a kick in his sternum. A presence behind Aeris informed him of a sneak attack he whipped around wand out and blasted a bolt of golden light into the wannabe assassin's chest. He slumped backwards silently.
Aeris, wearing the skin of Lord Selaise, stalked onto the battlefield. He saw two dead men each missing at least one limb. Heath was locked in melee combat with the one wielding a crystal sword and one more stood a modest distance away from the scene. He had a long staff and was focused intently on Heath. A green crystal shot through the air towards heath but turned to dust inches away from hitting him. Heath and the staff wielder looked at Aeris. Who had his hand extended and a ripple of ripple of light blue energy surrounded it. Aeris dropped his hand and pointed the tip of his wand at the staff wielder.
"A staff?" He said with a smirk, "how primitive." He swung his hand to the right a bolt of golden energy jumping from the tip and soaring towards the staff wielder.
The bandit twirled his staff and slammed the butt into the ground a green barrier formed seconds before the bolt of energy hit him. The barrier took the brunt of the strike but the bolt exploded through the barrier knocking the staff wielder to the ground.
A sound like shattering glass reverberated through the field. Aeris looked to Heath seconds before he drove the tip of his sword into the man's throat. A silence filled the field for a brief moment before the staff wielder regained his footing. Instead of driving the attack though he turned and ran. A man to Heath's left jumped up and swung his fist through the air a small flaming orb flew towards Aeris, and to the right two more men stood.
Aeris thrust his hand out and caught the ball of fire holding it out as the flames snuffed out and was replaced by ice. Crushing it in his hand Aeris whipped his wand through the air twice swinging it right and then left. Two bolts of energy leapt through the air one hit the caster the other wrapped around Heath as a bolt of violet energy armed towards him.
The man who launched the fireball at Aeris lay dead a steaming hole replacing his right eye. The two who ambushed Heath looked at the false Lord.
"Stand down and I promise you will not die." Aeris called out
"I think I'd rather take my chances, old man." One of the bandits said. He was holding a shorter staff than the other staff wielder but also had thick leather armor on.
"Fuck that," the other said tossing his wand onto the ground and kneeling with his hands up.
The staff wielder slammed the tip onto the ground causing a wave of energy to shoot towards Heath. In a rebound he swung the butt towards Aeris and a bolt of energy arced towards him. Heath rolled to the side dodging the wave and rushing the staff wielder. Aeris held his wand out and it absorbed the bolt in seconds. Heath made it within striking distance of the man, but he was ready and a blast of violet took him off his feet. The man began to float but a spike of gold flew through the air, Aeris had swung his wand in a downward arc and was following up with two more swings. The spike met the man driving into his side as he lifted his staff to attack Heath.
The other two bolts drove the man back but dealt little damage, Heath recovered driving his foot into the bandit's chest knocking him back. He crashed to the ground and Heath kicked the staff from his hand before slamming a foot onto the man's chest, and with a swift swing of his blade he took the man's head off.
Silence remained as both Aeris and Heath waited for more attackers, when they were satisfied there wouldn't be anymore Heath turned to the false lord.
"My lord, what are you doing?" Heath asked confused
Aeris snapped his fingers and the illusion faded. "I knew I couldn't keep people out of the carriage so I figured I'd just become their target."
Heath's eyes went wide, "you did magic, real magic not wand or staff magic."
"I did." Aeris said taking the necklace off
"They don't teach that here."