"No luck," a young knight stood at attention giving his report.
I stood silent like death in the middle of the wreckage strewn throughout the offered room where Nyxis stayed waiting for my return. Glass shards from the elegant vases mated with the once bright crimson roses now stomped on without a second glance like trash readied to be burnt. The canopy which hung over the large bed sagged from the rafters with fresh wounds tearing the silken cloth. The dresser crumbled even more with each footstep taken moving the discarded clothes I had bought Nyxis after the meeting. Tonight was supposed to be our long sought date night where the two of us forget what is happening in the world and focus on each other.
Thirteen's voice boomed behind me, "Find the Vaniel Princess along with her guard and bring them to me!"
[(Vaniel…the sole proprietors of most misfortune now turned their gaze to what I cared for most.)]
My eyes never left the broken blade that Nyxis wielded and the two bodies of the pixies that possessed it. Blood poured from where the blade was shattered as if all the blood it drunk throughout the years had finally been set free. Their little frames sat peacefully in the center of the crimson pool with dots of blood drenching the white of their skin. Kneeling down, I carefully scooped each of their tiny bodies so that they wouldn't be sullied by the mingled blood of the three assailants that met their end. A saddened anger burned deep within my chest as the surrounding world became clouded in shadow.
The red-haired Hixlin, Rola, would often come from Sylla when Nyxis and her sister slept to keep me company at night when the terrors that plagued my dreams put an end to my slumber. She was shy at first and hid behind things whenever she noticed my gaze but eventually became a great listener to my needless ranting. She'd often just sit on my shoulder eating the crumb of cheese and just listen to me like Nyxis often did. A secret bond was forged between the two of us over the course of a few years. She was even the one that helped choose the ring for Nyxis and spent hours helping rehearse the long awaited proposal.
A grasp of air startled me a little as Rola and her sister began to groggily stir, easing my anger a little but not much. Both gazed up into my eyes as they stretched like they just awoken from a long slumber then to each other. For a moment, they smiled when they turned to me once more with concerned eyes as their existence was known. I smiled gently at them, allowing them to regain their composure and wits about themselves. Answers were needed but such an ordeal needed time to consider especially when coming back from the brink of death.
[(They need time to rest. Besides, I noticed a faint trace of mana coming from one of the other corpses. Either way, I will know who was responsible and find the location of Nyxis.)]
"Rola," I muttered the red haired Hixlin's name, "take time to heal within my shadow. When the time is right, I want to know what happened."
Smiling, Rola nodded her head as she held her sister close as both their figures descended within the black void which expanded from their hidden shadows. I watched the corpse leaning against the windowsill take an almost unnoticeable breath within its lungs before returning to its motionless state hoping to wait out our presence. As the tops of the Hixlin disappeared, I moved like a phantom stalking over to the unwary masked figure with full intent to acquire the answers needed one way or another. I crouched before the figure and stared with tilted eyes waiting for it to breathe once more. My cold gaze pierced through the small gap the black scarf surrounding its lower face and the stray strands of blonde hair.
The figure didn't budge when a misericorde was thrusted through its left shoulder pinning it to the wall yet pained eyes glared back. I continued to twist the blade in each direction making the pain spread evenly throughout the limb and tested the tolerance that could be withstood before crying out for it to stop. Footsteps behind me sounded closer as voices telling me to stop fell on deaf ears as I sensed Isho and Isabella blocking the path of stray hands hoping to pull my hand free from the hilt. Blue eyes shimmered with tears as fingers curled inward impaling the palm and allowing a stream of crimson flow free. Little by little the will to fight became broken until a stray fist was struck upon my cheek trying desperately to stop the pain.
Spitting blood to the side, "Tell me where Nyxis was taken?"
"As if I'd tell you," the masked figure chuckled only to scream in pain once more.
"Isabella," pulling the blade free, "can you look into her recent memories with this?"
I turned holding the blood stained black blade out to the little vampiress who stared at the amount of blood freshly acquired from the body. "Fragments and pieces. As you know, full on memories are best viewed when coming from the body itself and not some meager plate. Just like your memories did when I feasted from your arm."
[(True yet I remember you saying you had the ability to gather a little more than novice new bloods. I wonder if you're trying to have a snack before making the woman a thrall.)]
Sighing, I turned to the three knights clad in full armor as they made their way to give their report to Thirteen. I knew they couldn't find the Vaniel princess nor the smallest hint to her whereabouts just from the sorrowful look in their eyes at failing their Lord's command. Deep down, I already knew the princess would disappear to the point of placing a mark upon her shadow yet I didn't in hopes to save as much mana possible for what had been planned with most of the ships. My eyes fell to the ground and focused on the ring given to Nyxis as a symbol of our marriage hidden underneath a pile of broken wood. Kicking the pile to the side, I knelt down and plucked it as my Uncle made it through the doorway.
"Einor," his troubled yell seemed to be somehow slowed in time, "look out!"
[(I AM IN NO MOOD FOR GAMES!!)]
Clutching the ring in my fist, I spun to the side dodging a hidden blade aimed for my heart and struck out hard against the woman's cheek. The blade she held clattered on the floor along with her body that fell hard like a falling tree. Her dazed eyes looked into mine then down at the blade as if it were the only way to have a chance to flee before leaping for it. I stood my ground as she held the weapon in front of her daring me to act as she made her way to the far corner where a glass door led to an open balcony. She smiled a bloodied grin as she continued backwards to the doorway.
That smile changed when the sound of the floorboards creaked behind her catching her attention and mine. Standing in the doorway was the same raven masked figure I saw before disappearing through the obsidian portal with the rest of its flock. A leather overcoat hung gently around its shoulders as the coat tails barely touched the ground. The coat was buttoned at the top over its right shoulder allowing a fine gap to reveal a matching hide jerkin worn over a pale blue silken shirt. Matching blue pants were worn underneath straps of leather armor around its shins that seemed lost within the pair of leather boots decorated with dueling birds on either side.
"I knew the–" the woman's speech was cut short with the sound of her body joining the other corpses.
My eyes examined the thin crimson blade that was no wider than that of Lovic yet strong enough to slice through bone along with piercing through gaps between plates of armor. It reminded me of how Poena, meaning penance in Dökkálfar tongue and the new name given to the weapon form of Tartarus, looked with the clashing colors of crimson holding back a sea of obsidian. Other than the blade itself, the hilt drew in all who looked upon it as it resembled a raven perched on a broken branch. Such hilt designs were often seen at fancy balls where they rested on top of canes and in some cases showed the wealth of the owner. Looking closer, I saw the round scabbard in the figure's left hand where a silver metal sparkled in the light.
"Silence," the figure wiped the blood free from the blade before sheathing it, "is a virtue many take for granted. Wouldn't you agree, Jackal?"
My arm was brought painfully behind my back as I attempted to cleave the man's head from his shoulders. The pain increased with each pull of my limb higher than it was capable as the man pried Poena from by grasp. Disappearing, I freed myself before appearing behind the man only to find the tip of the sword cane buried deep into my chest forcing me to double forward and receive another blow to my back. I disappeared once more and struck out with Poena fainting a frontal assault before striking from the side. The sound of metal colliding filled the silent room as my attempt was easily blocked.
Holding my blade at bay, the man leaned forward closing the distance to my left ear. He whispered, "You have questions that you wish answered. I am here to answer them but not at this time."
Looking into the man's hidden blue eyes, "Why are you here? To finish what your pet ghoul couldn't?"
The man lunged backwards as a halberd came crashing down where he stood. "Father," Isho roared, "allow me to fight him!"
Once more utter shock at the knowledge that I had an Arachne as a daughter filled a room causing many to say the word in unison just as Ulf and the others did when they found out. Eyes burned deep into my back like the brands used to mark us cattle waiting to be slaughtered for mere amusement. Eyes that shifted between Isho and myself as she stood ready to fight the one somewhat responsible for my death. The hairs of her lower half perked upward as purplish venom seeped from the large hollow fangs waiting to rend flesh into mush. She was always protective over me.
I saw the figures of Duval and Kuval rise from the shadows dressing the balcony just like the bandages surrounding what remained of my left limb. Each wielded the weapons given to them long ago as a sign of our bond. They silently stalked closer to the exit hoping to cut off the man's escape only to feel the weight of his strength. As a response, a faint golden aura began to outline the man's frame which grew in mere seconds to an overwhelming point. The air felt as if it were suddenly taken away from the lungs of those present forcing them to fall to their knees gasping for much needed air.
Many of the knights fell victim to the aura as they knelt grasping their throats before sprawling on the ground. Their iron wills unable to withstand the unseen force that cut them from the mana flowing around them. This was a ploy most mages used to defend themselves against large crowds of people wanting to kill them. As the teachings of the scholars say, the world is filled with mana flowing freely with the rise and fall of a new day along with the principle that every living thing has mana inside them. Such a defensive measure is the result of disturbing the mana held within and surrounding the body by using it to act as a weapon which could burst a victim's heart depending on the strength of the mage.
I saw that Isho fought to stand her ground and overcome the force with her own will out of the corner of my eye. Truthfully, I was surprised to sense quite a few still conscious as they fought back even if it broke them. Both Veronica and Thirteen managed to hold their ground among the five monsters struggling to keep standing from the weight placed on them. Even I felt the air trying to escape my lungs from the invisible fingers which slowly closed around them until nothing but cut sacks remained. My vision began to dim a little with each strong squeeze and grasp of air escaping through the gaps of my teeth.
[(If it's a battle of wills he wants then I'll gladly oblige him.)]
Closing my eyes to steady my beating heart, I focused on the thumps themselves as they banged like drums being played. The rapid tempo of a thundering storm slowly became docile and slow as the man's around me glowed within the darkness. Flowing mana danced in different directions colliding with one another in the empty air. It was the same sight when I visited the Grotto and watched the Spider make her descent. The ability to sense mana without looking through eyes but the mind instead.
A warm embrace rose from the bottom of my heart and flowed to the fingertips of my outstretched hand. It felt like an opposing force tried desperately to halt my motion as pain began to set in throughout my veins. The pain continued until my hand was at chest level out in front and appeared as a white blur within my mind's eye where colors collided trying to overwhelm one another. Small cracks ran from my closing grasp like that of a mirror when shattered as the man's aura became consumed by the darkness I controlled. Opening my eyes, I unleashed the crimson black aura that consumed all in its presence as shapes of howling wolves materialized in response to such nurishment.
Nothing existed in the room except for the man and I as we silently gazed at one another for a time. The darkness gave way to shocked knights who simply held their chests as air once again traveled through their lungs while others were unconscious but breathing soundly in a subtle slumber. To my left, Isho placed her trust in the halberd to support her wobbly legs that soon gave way when the mana flowing throughout her body was no longer disturbed and covered in the black flame. Her crimson eyes spoke volumes of relief for the much needed reprieve as she allowed herself to relax a little. The others were the same and all could have died if nothing was to be done nor would they survive if the man meant harm.
"I got your attention," the air slowly became normal as the man's aura subsided leaving mine flowing uncombated, "and you have mine even more."
I stared at the man as my aura died down. "Tell me," my eyes narrowed, "who are you? What is your purpose here?"
The man nodded as he slowly closed the distance between us, "I have been known by many things in my time but please feel free to simply address me as Kraven."
He stopped a foot in front of me, "and the enemy of my enemy of my enemy is my friend or so the saying goes."
After some time, the entrance to the aqueducts was in sight along with the charmed guards who wore the common cloth of Breura's citizens to keep the faux pas up as they milled around like ants without a queen. Their tattered clothes were covered in dust and fragments of freshly ground wood coated their palms to give an appearance many would not question upon a quick glance nor be interested. They each continued to work like clockwork from picking fresh stone to further extend the cavernous entrance or simply moving dirt from pile to pile without aim. Each of them had an unfazed expression as Kraven and I made our way through following his untrusted lead to Nyxis' whereabouts. Though I didn't trust him, I was in no position to go against his terms if it meant bringing Nyxis home safe in my arms, or arm.
The smell of blood filled the air as it mingled with the stench of mold and the fluttering specs of dust. Isabella claimed to have killed a few of the guards before charming the rest and she was always true to her word because tucked hidden among a freshly dug pit were the remains of four Vaniel knights partially clothed in their disguises. Their fear stricken eyes looked forever at the stone ceiling above and never able to see the sunlight once more. Claw marks covered most of their bodies as if a wild bear had found them trespassing in its den before settling down for a long slumber. Seeing the scene reminded me of how ravenous vampires tended to become when going without fresh blood settling their hunger.
The carnage did not end there as the first signs of what remained from Ogga's play became highlighted by the fluttering glow of the crystal lanterns. Ogres are known for their immeasurable strength that has been said to move the ground itself and feared by the most experienced adventurer. A sulking corpse sat against the blood spattered wall with broken bones in full display. Another felt the receiving end of the monstrous club the Ophin wielded like a knight's trusty blade as nothing but limbs dug into the ground trying to free the crimson paste covered armor. That was nothing compared to the anguish of those whose limbs were torn while they breathed.
I smiled a little as Kraven let out an involuntary gasp from seeing such a massacre that left most unrecognizable. "You get used to it," I muttered as silver threads shone dimly ahead marking Isho's hunting ground.
"Tell me," Kraven spoke as he accidentally kicked a head from its body, "how do you manage to control them?"
[(Everything always comes to the word Control, doesn't it?)]
I pulled Kraven back by the collar before he ran straight into Isho's webs like a bumbling oaf who had too much drink in one sitting. I ignored him as he readied himself for a nonexistent assault and looked for something to throw that was large enough to see in the dim lighting. Settling for a stone the size of my fist, I smeared the surface in the allotted pool of blood donated by a knight who found themselves without arms to a desired point that made it glitter in the lanterns' gaze. I ignored the man's questioning eyes and proceeded to aim at the center or the pathway ahead before tossing it. The sound of four separate thuds on the dirt floor echoed in the darkness ahead and lost by the stream of fresh water bringing life to the citizens of Breura.
Kraven's surprised whistle was somewhat of the response I was hoping for when discovering how close he was to being minced to pieces. The black beak of his mask turned to me as I drew closer to the unseen web. I felt his eyes move in unison with my arm as I strummed the fine silk like an old forgotten violen that needed tuned before seeing a stage once again. Though the silk could cut, it was also malleable to the touch like freshly forged metal awaiting the strikes of a hammer to give it shape. Such a thing had often been searched for by many experienced artists that could weave a sturdy resource into the finest armor that only the richest of knights could afford.
Black flames enveloped my hand and began to engulf the held threads within seconds leaving behind fluttering ash to dance into extinction. "Everything," I muttered stepping forward, "isn't about control but the trust forged between a king and his people."
Kraven fell silent as the sound of rushing water became louder with each step further into the void along with the drowned out sounds of laughter. My vision became more and more lighter as the orange hue of an open blaze poked around the corner where the laughter originated with the sounds of desperate pleas for help. Hugging the wall where the shadows were thinnest, I continued forward until the figures were full silhouettes outlined by the blaze and could easily see the small camp constructed as a checkpoint of some sort. I observed silently in the darkness as two figures silently stalked over to a fiery haired woman who knelt in front of the sobbing figure. The defiant eyes of the woman burned bright as her tattered shirt was cut revealing the lush hills underneath.
Massive hands pulled the red haired woman to her feet and away from the weeping brunette that I recognized as one of the two knights that stayed by Tanja's side as her brother walked off without so much as a torn nail. Laughter ensued as the woman's pitiful screams echoed against the flowing current when her back was pressed hard against the cold stone and her arms pinned underneath the weight of her fellow knight. Her terrified eyes grew even more as her chest was exposed and the man's filthy hands moved along her slender figure down to her waste. Those eyes looked to the red haired woman that once guarded her as she too found herself in the same predicament. Their eyes begged for a miracle as their womanhood was taken without much of a struggle or it would have.
"Good evening," I stepped out of the shadows startling the lone knight next to the fire who took up a spear.
His eyes looked as if they would eventually burst forth from their sockets, completing the resemblance of one of the Little Bat's or Kuval's victims, "Who are you? Where d-"
The orange glow casted by the open blaze was suddenly snuffed out sending everything into darkness except for the poor lighting emitted from broken crystal lanterns and cutting short the knight's sentence. In the darkness, I watched the forearm sized spiked legs of a Cetopedos coil around the knight's body lifting him to the ceiling where it began to devour him starting with the abdomen. Venomous claws punctured the chainmail shirt like it was paper as adapted pincer limbs tore flesh from bone before shoveling it in to the unseen maw. Large antenna danced constantly sensing the eventual ceasing of thrashing limbs and hysterical screaming in the endless dark. A few seconds went by as the massive shadowy Cetopedos burrowed through the knight's lower back almost splitting him in half.
[(Not a good way to leave this world.)]
Black flames sparked to life where the one before had rested casting an errialy white glow throughout the space that was even brighter than the broken lanterns. A white hue outlined each crackling flame allowing the dancing blaze to be better seen in the darkness just as it was when I formed it in my palm. Black flame was one of the most feared incantations known to Aquera because the darkness of the obsidian blaze represented the caster's strength while the heat it gave off represented the control over mana. It was among the first skills learned when practicing my craft under the guidance of Erebus and one I held the most heart toward since fire was the first step forced upon my path in life. A technique that gave the teachings mother had given a new life all its own.
Two separate brushes of air soared past me just barely grazing the tips of my ears and was followed by the clattering of metal. Turning, I found that one of the knights had forgotten their prey and made his way over to me with a short sword in hand. I was impressed in the accuracy delivered in each throw as a needle-thin blade found its way between the man's eyes and dead center of his throat. Kraven stalked closer under the gaze of the shadowy Cetopedos as it looked overhead with the remnants of a flailing arm. He stopped and looked at me but a strong smell of piss filled the air causing the two of us to unanimously turn to the knight preying on the red haired woman.
"Tell me," I knelt down and pulled free one of the daggers Kraven threw, "why does a fearsome knight of Vaniel which is known to produce some of the strongest warriors piss himself in the presence of a halfling and a raven masked man?"
"Better question," Kraven crossed his arms before continuing my ruse, "why would such a brave warrior prey upon unarmed women?"
The sounds of metal clicking across the stone floor sounded alongside the flowing current now stained with blood as the Cetopedos crawled over to my side. It slowly raised its uppermost segment and began prodding my missing limb gently hoping no harm would come to me with its long twisting antenna. Small red eyes gazed analytically at me trying to determine whether or not new prey was found. A series of crunching sounds came from the mashing venom claws when I began to pat the shadowy monster's head and its body twisted like Dutch often did trying to get the right place scratched. I smiled as the massive beast fell to its back with pluffs of shadowy must coming to life with each movement.
Smiling, "You must be quite ravenous being in the real world after so long?"
The venomous claws smashed together once more, answering my question with delight as the antenna moved and twisted in the man's direction. Fear filled his eyes as they shifted between us looking for any possible way to survive this encounter and hoping to gather other allies possibly held deeper within the system of caverns built around Breura's life source. His bare feet slowly moved along the wall where he held the brunette against her will like a cockroach scrambling from the irritating bath of light. Muscles worked on instinct with the twist of the body and the rotation of feet toward the darkness ahead where a shining light of hope lies. Unfortunately for him, the fear he tried to run from blinded him from the gleaming blade pulled from its scabbard and thrusted deep into his belly.
Whether it being from the will for survival or vengeance, the brunette silently made her way over to where a gilded dagger laid in its elegant sheathe waiting for it's owner's touch once more and the taste of blood that ensued next. Her eyes were bloodshot giving the look of prolonged exposure to madness as the jagged blade allowed a tide of warm crimson dye her fair skin. She continued to stab the man in quick succession while holding him on his feet. Blood spat from his mouth in response to her continued frustrated screams coloring more of her bare flesh crimson with each thrust. I saw the glimmer of tears trail along her cheeks as her comrade pulled her off the man allowing him to slump peacefully against the stone wall.
The two held one another so tightly that it would take Ogga's strength to pry them apart. "We must control ourselves Juliana," the red haired woman spoke as I made my way over and examined the kill, "Her Ladyship needs us now more than ever!"
[(Sloppy even for a Vaniel knight.)]
Sensing my distaste, one of the shadowy wolves appeared from the shadows and watched diligently over the barely breathing knight whose chest moved ever so slightly with each labored breath grasping at life's tapestry. Blood poured from the various gashes throughout his chest and the corners of his mouth as blood caught in his throat finally found a way out to join its brethren once more. The wolf growled in a low tone when the sounds of Kraven's footsteps bound forward only to be cut short by three more shadowy wolves. Sighing, I reached into the shadow cast by the black flames and pulled a misericorde free from the billowy fingers clinging to the blade. I placed the tip of the blade against the dying man's throat and gazed into his welcoming eyes before ending his misery.
Kraven spoke as I stood, "Why allow the bastard to have a quick death?"
I didn't answer as I made my way past the two women whose eyes just bore deep into my head and followed by the shadowy creatures. "Tell me," I turned my eyes to the pair, "did you see a Ljósálfar woman with emerald green eyes come through here?"
The fearless crimson haired woman stood and looked me in the eyes without a care that her bare body was exposed, "I saw her draped across the Minotaur's shoulder an hour or so before the two of you arrived. I believe she is to be taken before the Emperor as some sort of prize before being given to Maddox. There are more knights ahead so you might be able to get a concrete answer from one of them."
Puzzled, "Why tell me this when I'm a threat to your country's prince?"
The woman scowled, "That bastard Agusta knew of her deceit this whole time and waited to make his move. Before the meeting, we were told to return to the Inn and wait til sunset to make our way here only to be apprehended upon our arrival. We were stripped of our knighthood and given to these pieces of shit as payment for keeping the aqueduct free from prying eyes while Her Ladyship was taken to the main camp along the nearby river where the water converges with the ocean. I fear for her safety and was hoping you would save her in return for information or even my body if you wished."
She fell to her knees with her head bowed, "Please save our Lady!"
"I'm no hero," moving forward into the cavernous path ahead and stopping just at the light's edge, "and I have no desire to save an enemy."
Crimson eyes began to illuminate in the darkness ahead sending panic into the musty coppery air as two of the wolves sat beside the women. "Once you're done weeping," the Cetopedos crawled into the darkness beside me as it drugged the carcass of the recently killed knight, "mount the wolves and find Thirteen or one of his Queens. Tell them what you have told me and any other information that may be helpful in succeeding in the coming battle."