Emerin grunted as his body slammed into the wall near the doorway, forced backward by the impact of a lightning bolt spell. His armor spell had deflected most of the damage, but the force had still sent him flying. Azzar's magic was stronger than anything that he had encountered before, and he was grateful that his companions had until recently kept the mage from casting a spell, but after Azzar had teleported to a space within the center of the farther room, he had given himself enough time to start casting.
Miria ran toward Emerin and stood beside him as she began to cast her own spell, while Brian and Ronan rushed back inside through the doorway. Thankfully, there were no obstacles in the center of the room besides the bodies of the three dead men, and the two running fighters managed to reach Azzar just as he finished casting another spell. Darkness fell over the room as the spell's effects caused the area to turn pitch black. Ronan quickly kicked at the space where Azzar was, only to strike empty air, while Brian growled angrily and looked around, trying to see through the darkness. Miria didn't let the sudden change of atmosphere disturb her, and her spell filled the air around the others, dispelling the darkness inside of the room.
Azzar had vanished, but his voice was soon echoing loudly off of the walls as he spoke the final arcane words of another spell, one that the adventurers recognized. Ronan and Brian both leaped away from the center of the room just before the fireball landed right where they were standing, sending them both to the floor despite their efforts to avoid the blast. The mage wasted no time, casting yet another fireball spell at the group. Miria answered with a spell of her own, sending out a bright ball of light from the tip of her rod toward the mage who was standing just ouside of the room.
The spell connected with its target, but as the ball touched Azzar, it dissolved without damaging or distracting the mage, who launched his third fireball. Emerin quickly rushed forward and pushed Miria aside, only to be pushed aside himself by Ronan, who took the full force of the blast. Emerin looked back at him in shock as the flames engulfed him, but the sound of wicked laughter soon filled the room as Ronan suddenly rushed forward, his still-burning form grabbing the front of Azzar's robe. "You should be honored," the demon said calmly as the flames continued to surround him. "You're one of the few people who have ever taken my clothes off in such an imaginative way." He then thrust his other hand into the mage's chest, and with a loud thud, Azzar flew backward to slam into the wall, a hand-shaped scorch mark burned into the folds of his robe as he slumped over, dead.
"Looks like I'll need to borrow some of the guards' clothes," Ronan said as he looked down to see the flames surrounding his body starting to die. "Unless the lady says otherwise, of course." He smirked at Miria, who shook her head in disgust and said "Just put something on, you creep." Ronan shrugged, walked back into the room with the dead guards, and said "Looking may be free, but you might still want to close the door." The others promptly slammed the door shut and walked into the hallway.
Some time later, Ronan walked out of the room wearing a black shirt and trousers. As he rejoined the others however, a familiar voice called to them from an unknown source. "Such an achievement," The voice said. "It seems that you are more than simple trash that a simulacrum could dispose of. That is a most excellent turn of events." The group turned toward the way that they had come from down the hallway to see Azzar standing at the other end of the hall, seemingly uninjured by the previous battle. "It seems that you all fight well against normal guards, but you falter in the face of a mage of any talent. No matter, you will still make useful servants when I am finished with you."
"You have got to be kidding," Miria said. "There's no way we'd agree to serve you!" "No, my dear girl," Azzar replied. "You don't understand. You never had a choice in the matter." He suddenly began casting another spell, and Miria quickly responded with a spell of her own. Emerin likewise began casting a spell, while Brian and Ronan leapt into action, running toward Azzar as quickly as they could. They couldn't reach him in time, nor could Emerin or Miria cast their own spells before he finished casting his.
A wave of intense pain suddenly flooded Emerin's mind, causing him to stumble and lose his spell. He heard Miria groan behind him, and he knew that she was also affected. Through the pain, he looked up to see Brian clutch his head and reel backward while Ronan simply stopped moving entirely. The pain became more intense with each passing moment, and through it he heard a whispering voice saying "You have been called to submit. You will obey my will."
Emerin cried out in a desperate attempt to clear his head, but it was no use. Azzar's spell had already worked its way inside of his mind, and he felt his own thoughts turn away from fighting. Eventually, he no longer cared. Everything that he had once held dear now seemed hollow and empty, and a future of servitude, which was once a ridiculous notion that he would never consider, now seemed very interesting to him.
"How sad," Azzar spoke softly, his tone reflecting confidence in his victory. "Despite all of your efforts to undermine my plans for this region, you will now join me and see them fulfilled. Still, there is no reason as to why the new purpose that I have given you should be difficult to endure, right?" A wave of compulsion washed over Emerin, and he nodded silently in agreement. Miria nodded her agreement as well, and Azzar turned his attention to Ronan, who was unaffected by his mind control, but was not capable of moving anyway. "And you," Azzar said. "You would dare to challenge my will, despite knowing that my gift allows me to manipulate the very essence of your soul?"
Ronan's body felt heavy; too heavy to move, even though he desperately wanted to kill the mage. Nevertheless, he smirked and struggled to speak, saying "You're right...that would have been...really stupid. Good thing I'm not...you, right?" As he finished forcing out that last word, his eyes darted to his right toward Brian, who had begun to issue a low growl. The sound gradually became louder until it became a roar of unbridled fury, and Ronan smirked again as Azzar looked on in confusion. That confusion soon turned into surprise when Brian strengthened his grip on his hammer once more, his face turning dark red, and with purple veins nearly seeming to pop out of his skin along his face and neck. He screamed, his berserk rage freeing him from Azzar's spell and sending him into a frenzy.
Did some proof reading/editing of the latest few posts. I made a few errors go away and changed some of the dialogue, mainly Jett's. I started trying to give her a different manner of speech from the others, but changed my mind halfway through. Unfotunately, I didn't catch all of the words before I posted, so I took care of them with this edit.
I will continue my writing tomorrow. I'm taking a break to proof read and catch up on the other threads today.
Azzar hurriedly retreated from the raging Brian, but the warrior seemed to move with greater speed and fervor, and the mage was quickly cornered. He swore under his breath and hastily pulled out a short, narrow rod and pointed it at Brian, who merely swatted it aside with his left forearm as he gripped his hammer with his other hand. Strengthened by his rage, Brian had little trouble swinging the large weapon, and Azzar barely managed to duck in time to avoid the swing. Instead, the hammer collided with the wall and smashed it into splinters, creating a large hole.
Ronan soon felt the power that held him in place begin to weaken, and he took advantage of his limited freedom to sing a single, steady note. Emerin and Miria both began to shake their heads and groan as the note broke through the spell that had controlled them. After a few moments, all three of them were free, and the two casters immediately began to cast more spells as Brian continued to swing madly at Azzar.
Speaking a few arcane syllables, Azzar managed to teleported away from Brian and into the empty room between the hallway and the room with the three corpses. He quickly began to cast another spell, but Miria had already finished casting her own spell, followed quickly by Emerin. Azzar's casting was soon replaced by screaming, as a lightning bolt and fireball both slammed into his chest, throwing him backward with the resulting explosion. He stumbled to his feet and tried to teleport once again, but Brian smashed through the wall just then, causing a flurry of splinters to rain down upon the mage, and he spun with the momentum to bring his hammer down upon the dazed mage's head with greater force. Azzar's head burst, and his now headless body fell forward to the floor.
As the mage fell, Brian's roaring grew silent. His rage and energy all but completely spent, he fell to his knees and started to breathe deeply. Emerin stared at him in awe. The explosive rage had significantly increased his strength, and through it, he was impervious to mind control, or at least that's how it seemed to Emerin. He looked at Ronan and said "You seem to know about Brian's ability. Otherwise, you wouldn't have put yourself in as much danger as you did, would you?" Ronan shrugged and said "Yeah. It's not really a secret, but I didn't think it was important to mention. Brian and I had met before, a long time ago. We fought on the same side then, too. He always had that nutty, self-righteous side, but despite all of his threats, he never truly went out of control until our group had gotten into a fight with several mages. As soon as the fight started, he turned red and started screaming at the top of his lungs, just as he did a few moments ago. The mages couldn't hurt him while he was in this state. They couldn't even make him flinch."
The storyteller cleared his throat as Brian stirred from his position on the floor. "After he slaughtered them all, he suddenly dropped to the ground, and when I spoke to him afterward, he almost sounded normal. I think he hides behind his crazy exterior to keep from murdering everybody around him." "Why would he kill everyone?" Emerin asked. Ronan shrugged and said "I don't know. It was just speculation on my part, but something about mages definitely sets him off." They both turned and stared at Brian, who was standing on his feet once again. He turned to regard them, and Emerin's eyes widened. Brian's face was devoid of the customary mirth and mad grin, but was filled with a sorrowful expression.
Brian walked up to them and said "Damn mages. You're only tolerable when you're on my side...or missing a head." Miria, who had been listening to their conversation, gulped reflexively. Emerin spoke to Brian, asking "Is our magic going to be a problem?" Brian shook his head. "Not yet," he said, though the tone of his voice betrayed his true feelings, which were clearly negative. His expression changed suddenly however, as he reverted back to his original state of mind. "Not if the mages are heroes like you!" he exclaimed.
The group continued to search the building, finding several more guards, who were easily dispatched, along the way, then finally managed to leave the building. As they started to follow the path back, Miria crept up to Emerin and asked "How are you feeling after that experience?" Emerin looked over at her and said "I'm just fine. Why do you ask?" "Well," Miria replied. "I can't help but feel a little freaked out about that Azzar's power. He took control of our minds, and we could do nothing to resist. Doesn't that scare you?" Emerin stopped walking and addressed her fully before saying "It does, but letting fear control you is just as bad, in my opinion. We weren't expecting an attack like that this time, but we will be expecting something like that if we ever meet another one of those cultists." "I suppose..." Miria replied.
"We will definitely be seeing more of them during the course of our journey," Ronan said from his position in the front beside Brian. "This is the second time that we've thwarted their plans. They won't let us walk away now." "You say that like it's a bad thing," Brian replied. "I, for one, am looking forward to delivering yet another mighty blow to the face of evil!" "Just make sure that you don't swing at the wrong villain," Ronan told him.
The group found no further resistance as they made their way through the forest. When they passed through the edge of the woods and found the town of Bellepoint to be just a few miles away, they breathed a sigh of relief. "I never want to go for a forest stroll again," Miria remarked. "Ever." Emerin laughed and said "I second that. Our next mission will be in a cave." Miria looked at him, startled. "Caves are even worse!" she said. "They're filled with bats and snakes, and...and bats!" "Sounds like someone doesn't like bats," Ronan said with a smirk. "I'll have to remember that." "Don't you dare!" Miria shouted at him. Emerin laughed again before saying "Well, since you put it that way, know a good place filled with bats, Ronan?"
"NO!" Miria exclaimed, and Ronan and Emerin snickered. Miria's expression turned sour, and she said "You're both a couple of jerks!" Emerin smiled as he looked to each of his companions. "Have no fear, madam!" Ronan said in a mockingly heroic tone. "I'm sure our sweet prince will protect you from any nasty blood-sucking fiends!" He winked at Emerin, who shook his head, saying "I'm not a prince. Not anymore, anyway." Ronan sighed and said "Fine, then this ordinary guy will protect you from any nasty blood-sucking fiends, even though it sounds less like a dream come true, and more like a poor attempt at comedy." He then smirked and said "Way to fail at romance, Em." Emerin's face scrunched up, and he shook his head and asked "What kind of wingman calls his friend a sweet prince, anyway?"
"The best kind of wingman," Ronan replied, and he smirked again as he continued, saying "That was hardly a denial, Em." Emerin rolled his eyes and said "If I had denied it, then you would have come up with some ridiculous retort." Ronan grinned and said "Oh, you know me so well by now. Still, I fail to see that as the only reason." "Um, you guys know that I'm still walking right beside you, right?" Miria interjected. "If can hear everything that you're saying." She looked at Emerin and said "You still haven't denied it, by the way." "Okay, when did this become about me?" Emerin asked quickly, trying to deflect the others' curiosity. "Don't worry, Em," Brian said. "I won't let Ronan lure you away from your feelings for Miria with his swaying hips of sadistic sensual tension." Emerin's expression turned even more incredulous as Ronan said "Yes, because that's clearly what I'm trying to do. There is simply no way that I could actually be trying to help spark the flames of passion between two young friends."
Emerin suddenly stopped walking, which caused the others to turn around and stare at him. "Will you continue to be my friends?" he asked, and the others became silent. "When this is over," Emerin continued. "After we report our success to the captain, will you still follow me as the Black Legion?" Ronan smirked and said "You know what, I like you too much to part ways so early. I'm in." Miria nodded and smiled, saying "So am I. You have certainly earned my loyalty, fearless leader." Brian grinned wildly and said "Yes! Together, we shall force the large, solid block of cheesy justice down the throats of the wicked! They will spend the next three years with clogged bowels when we are finished with them!" "That's quite the mental image, isn't it?" Ronan asked the others. Emerin grinned and said "Thanks, guys. You're the best people that I have worked with so far." "Ew, don't get so sappy on us," Miria replied. "We've only just started working together. Your opinion might change as soon as you find out that we don't take orders very well." "Speak for yourself, unruly maiden," Ronan said with a wicked grin. "I for one take orders very well." "Yeah," Emerin said. "Then you give them to someone else, because you're such a generous person." "That's right!" Ronan replied.
The group continued to make such comments toward each other as they made their way to the east gate of Bellepoint. As they reached the gate, Emerin couldn't stop thinking about how lucky he was to have found a place for himself among such a lively group of people.
"I found it!" shouted Velani as she held up her right hand, which held the small round core. She had found the core near the bushes on the other side of the road. Jett immediately rushed over to her and nearly yanked the core out of her hand, saying "Victory! And about time, too." She looked up at the sky, which was growing dark as the sun had begun to set. "Alright," she said. "I'll take you Ryllas, just as I said that I would."
"So you'll help us now?" asked Kaiser, a stern look on his face. "Can we depend on you to keep your word?" "Of course I will," Jett replied. "I'm not an arse, unlike you." Kaiser recoiled at her accusation, an expression of surprise on his face. "Well, you DID sound like an arse a while ago," she explained. "Just like that other guy who looks just like you. Are you related, because I could see you having a brother who is just as grumpy as you."
Kaiser took a moment to think on her words, then said "You said something like that before." "Yeah," she replied. "Some hotshot mercenary name Kain, I think. He was hired to clear out some pests that had taken up residence in one of our old research labs. He took care of them easily enough and was hired again to help with several other problems. He's a real arse, though. He nearly killed one of my assistants for making an offhand joke, and I was forced to get involved." "You handled him fairly well, then," Kaiser said. Jett shrugged and said "I suppose, but it was easier than you might think. He's actually kind of shy around people who treat him nicely, though he'd kill me if he ever found out that I had said that. That's not what you're all here for, though, so let's get moving before night falls completely."
Jett immediately spun around and started walking toward Ryllas, with Kaiser and Velani close behind her. Starlen stood where she was for a moment and looked toward the looming mass of buildings in the distance. "Will he be there waiting for us?" she muttered under her breath. A growing sense of dread began to fill her mind as she thought of seeing her father again. Her heart pounded in her chest, but she took a moment to force the thought of facing him back down into the depths of her mind before she started walking behind the others.
"I believe this is the third time that I have had to find this stupid dog," said Varnam as he wound his way down the main road. "All because some kid thinks that I'm his hero." He stopped to peer down a side street, as he had been doing for the past hour, but continued onward when he didn't see anything. He may have been the guard captain, but he wasn't so stupid that he would walk down one of those streets alone.
As he approached the center of town, Varnam heard a sudden loud bang to his right, down a side street. The noise was followed by a soft whimper, like that of a dog, and Varnam carefully walked over to the entrance. He whistled so that the dog could hear him, which had always worked to bring the dog to his side, but he waited for a long while and no further noise came from the street. He quietly whistled again, but there was still no response. After a while, he slowly walked down the side street, keeping his eyes open and alert for suspicious figures, But the street was empty.
Suddenly, another loud bang echoed along the walls of the buildings around him, followed by a soft thud. Varnam hastened his steps, suddenly very eager to find the source of the noises. He turned a corner into an alley, and his jaw dropped at the sight that awaited him.
The bodies of nearly a hundred leather-clad men were strewn along the length of the alley, mangled and missing heads and limbs. Near the other end of the alley, the body of a familiar dog, or most of it, was lying upon the ground. His legs were missing, and Varnam had to close his eyes at the sight. In all of his years of experience as a guard, he had never felt so saddened by the sight of a dead animal, but this dog was an exception.
His ears perked up when he heard a soft popping sound coming from behind him. He quickly drew his sword and spun around to face the source of the noise. What he saw next turned his stomach. Standing just a few feet away from him was a short, lean man with wild, unkempt brown hair wearing a bright green tunic and red pants. Two axes with red blades hung limply from his waist by a pair of thin ropes that were tied around him. His left hand was at his side, but his right hand was holding one of the dog's severed legs as he shoved it into his mouth.
After a short while, the man pulled the leg back out and said in a high-pitched voice "Oh dear, it seems that my shenanigans have drawn an audience this time." He casually threw the chewed leg over his shoulder and grinned, revealing a set of crooked, bloodstained teeth. He then held out his newly freed hand and said "Hey there!"
"Put your hands on your head and turn around!" demanded Varnam. "Which hands?" The man asked in response. He then held up his other hand, and Varnam saw that it held a large brown bag that smelled like a corpse. "These hands?" The man asked, and he suddenly threw the bag on top of his head, causing some of its contents, a number of severed hands, to fall over his head and shoulders and land on the ground with a series of sickening thuds.
Varnam was too disgusted to react, but the man was not, and he reached down and pulled his axes out of their makeshift holsters with inhuman speed. Varnam cried out and readied his sword, but the man's axes were already embedded within his gut, and his cry turned into a scream of pain as he fell to the ground, his belly torn open and spilling his innards out onto the ground. The man laughed madly as he fell and planted his left foot on Varnam's chest and raised his right axe over his head and brought it down upon Varnam's neck.
After chopping off his head and slinging it into his bag, the man skipped away deeper into the dark side street, singing a discordant song as he went. "Hundreds dead, without their heads, town is ripe with fear. Eat their flesh, bloody fresh, pestilence is here!" The man's song repeated again and again as it faded away after him.
Chapter Three: The Lucent Mask is now finished, along with the first part of my story (the first short story). I hope that you have enjoyed it, and I will likely continue, since I enjoy telling this story so much. Thank you all for your support and criticism.
The town was silent as Emerin and the others made their way toward the inn. They could not wait to rent a room and get some much needed rest as night fell upon the town. They were so exhausted that they did not hear the cries of alarm that had sounded in the distance, the cries that carried news of the guard captain's death, until after they had reached the door of the inn.
"Captain Varnam is dead!" the voices shouted. "The captain has been murdered!" "Well, shit," Ronan muttered when the news reached his ears. "I hope that we still get paid." "THAT'S what you're worried about?!" Emerin asked him angrily. Ronan shrugged and said "Why not? Someone died, so what? We kill plenty of people ourselves." "He was a good man!" Emerin complained. "Says who?" Ronan asked in response. "You? How much did you even know the guy? Besides, whining about his death won't help him one bit. With any luck, we'll be hired to deal with his killer, which means more money for us."
Emerin shook his head. "You're terrible," he said, but Ronan merely smirked and replied "It's not that bad of a perspective. Someone has to keep you good guy types from getting yourselves killed, after all." He then walked up to the inn's door and opened it, walking inside and taking a seat near the bar as he scanned the lobby. The room was empty, aside from a single red-haired man dressed in black who was also sitting at the bar.
The others followed him inside. Emerin recalled that Starlen had left them and headed back to town some time ago, but he looked around and did not see her. A look of concern came upon his face, and Miria saw it clearly and knew why he looked so worried. "I'm sure that she made it back," she told Emerin, who grunted half-heartedly in response. "We can ask Mandon if she came back," she continued. "I'm sure he would know." Emerin turned to look at her and smiled.
"Or we could ask this guy!" said Brian as he pointed toward the red-haired man. He strode up to the man confidently and said "Hail, friend! Have you seen a young red-haired woman wearing black clothes during your stay here in this inn?" The man turned to regard the group, and Emerin nearly gasped in surprise. The man looked eerily similar to Kaiser, but without the scars and lidless left eye. The man spoke in a raspy voice, saying "That depends. Was she traveling with a tall man who looks like me?" "Sounds like her," Ronan replied, and the man snorted as though he had found some humor in what he had said.
"Aye, I've seen her," the man said, pulling himself up out of his seat as he did. "She went west, toward Ryllas. If I was you, I would stay as far away from that city as possible for the next few days." "Why is that?" Ronan asked, suddenly very interested in the conversation. The man laughed, his laughter sounding like boots scraping against cobblestone, and he said "A family reunion, that's what. I'll be heading there myself, soon enough. If you know what's good for you, you'll stay here, where it's safe."
Ronan looked at Emerin, who nodded and said "Thanks for the advice, but I think that we'll take our chances." The man shrugged and said "It's your funeral. Just make sure that you stay out of my way, and I won't gut you like the rest of them." With that, he turned toward the door and walked out. Miria had to scramble to get out of his way, and the entire group looked at each other. "She's in danger," Emerin said, and Ronan nodded. "If my hunch about her father is correct, then yeah, she is," he said. "They all are." "What do you mean, your hunch?" Miria asked him with suspicion. "Her entire story was interesting to me," Ronan replied. "Especially the part about her father. I know of only one demon who had inhabited this area ten years ago. He hid himself well, but I have my sources, and they confirmed that the demon of the forest from the local legend, her father, was actually a harbinger." The others stared at him for a long while, then Emerin said "We should hurry."
Miria and Brian agreed, but Ronan shook his head. "Don't be foolish," he said. "Have you all forgotten what happened with Jem in the woods? Trying to fight a harbinger is a bad idea." "I can't just let them die!" Emerin snapped back at him. Ronan smirked and asked "When did I suggest letting them die? I can come up with a plan that not even a harbinger can fight his way out of. All that I need is some time and a good location." Emerin looked at him for a moment, then nodded slowly. "I guess we'll leave it up to you, then," he said. Ronan smirked and replied "Don't worry, this is the kind of planning that I enjoy the most."
Emerin nodded. He had to admit that Ronan's plans have a tendency to succeed when the others fulfill their roles. "First things first, though," Ronan said with a smirk. "We need to get some drinks and a good night's sleep." He looked around before asking "Do you think we can just help ourselves to the drinks?" "No," Emerin answered firmly. "That does raise a question, though. Who watches the inn while the innkeeper is away?"
"Who's been sayin' the innkeeper's away?" The sudden response startled Emerin, who turned toward the bar to find Mandon glaring at them. "I been standin' back here the whole ye were talkin'." Ronan looked at him with an arched eyebrow. "Are you sure?" he asked. Mandon nodded and said "Just a trick of mine, and it ain't any of yer business what it is beyond that. Ye want drinks, right? It's gonna cost ye some money, and I don't wanna hear some claptrap about ye payin' off a tab later on."
Ronan smirked and Emerin sighed. Miria simply laughed and said "Don't worry, drinks are on me." She produced a large brown sack that was jingling with the movement from a loop on her belt and set it down upon the bar. To everyone's surprise, she opened it to reveal the shining gold coins within. "Well, that solves our money problems," said Ronan. Emerin stared at Miria and asked "How did you get that much money?" Miria shrugged and said "I found it just lying around in a certain secret evil lair. You should pay better attention to your surroundings, by the way. You passed it twice when we were looting the place."
"Eh, now, I don't take stolen money," Mandon said firmly. Ronan shook his head and answered "It's not stolen money, it's the spoils of victory. We adventurers have an unspoken right to kill people living in remote places and take their things. Didn't you know that?" "We were given a job by the town guard to investigate the forest," Emerin hastily interjected. "We found and destroyed the source of the recent attack. This gold was found in the hideout where we fought our quarry." Ronan smirked and muttered softly so that only Emerin could hear him "Nice save, Em." Emerin glared at him as Mandon stroked his chin.
Finally, the innkeeper said "Fine, then. Ye look like a trustworthy sort ta me. Just make sure ye keep yer smart-mouthed friend from drinkin' the whole stock. I don't get another shipment 'til next week." Emerin nodded and took a seat at the bar, and the others joined him. After they had each ordered a drink, Ronan said "Now's as good a time as any to discuss our plan. It's a day's trip westward to Ryllas, and the city is fairly large." "I know my way around the city," Emerin said. "I came here from Ryllas a few days ago, myself." "I've never been there," Miria admitted. "It always seemed like a rough place for anyone who wasn't a mage." "But you are a mage," Emerin replied. Miria let out a soft moan and said "Yeah, I suppose so."
Emerin couldn't help but wonder about her response. Was she not a mage? If she wasn't, then how could she be able to cast spells? The questions lingered inside of his mind until Mandon had brought out the drinks. Ronan grinned and quickly downed his drink before saying "Ah, this is one very good reason why I don't destroy the world. You can't find good ale in a burned-out, lifeless rock." "Is ale that important to you?" Emerin asked. Ronan nodded happily and yelled "I'll take another!"
Emerin smiled at the sight. He didn't know why, but seeing Ronan's face look so genuinely happy seemed to amuse him. He happened to glance over Ronan's shoulder at that moment to see Brian standing up and walking over to a table nearby. His eyes didn't stop staring at the blond man as he sat down and started drinking alone. Miria noticed his staring and said "He's really an odd one, isn't he?"
Emerin looked back at her, and she continued, saying "He treats us like true companions one moment, then just leaves us suddenly to drink by himself. I wonder if it's because of us." Emerin thought about it for a moment, then said "Maybe we should give him a reason to trust us." Miria smiled and said "Well, you're our leader, so you go first."
Emerin decided to take her advice, and he stood and walked over to Brian. "Brian," he said softly. Brian took a long drink from his mug and turned his head to regard Emerin. Emerin nodded in the direction of the chair opposite of him, and Brian stopped drinking and gestured in assent. Emerin sat down and said "It has occurred to me that I don't know much about you. Would you mind telling me a little about yourself?" Brian grinned wildly, but remained silent. "Look, I know you don't trust me, but perhaps the path to trust involves opening yourself up just a little." Brian smiled softly and said "The boss has an interest in me, does he? So be it." Emerin nearly fell over in his chair at the sound of Brian's apparent change in demeanor. Brian's smile turned into a grin, and he said "I'm not such a cheerful sort when I'm drinking, I'm afraid." He cast a sideways glance toward Ronan as he said "Don't trust that one. He's tricky, even to his friends. One thing that he forgot to mention about our last time together is that when the job was done, he took the reward and ran off with it before anyone else knew what was happening." Emerin raised an eyebrow in response. Brian shrugged and said "He's more than just a demon, he's a villain, through and through. But we were talking about me, weren't we?"
He leaned back into his chair with a sigh and said "I am not a man prone to nostalgia, so I'll only say this once. I was born in a small village in the northern part of the kingdom. I never knew my parents, though. My mother died giving birth to me and my sister. My father walked out on her shortly after they eloped. As for my sister, well, she's somewhere, but I don't know where. She never told me where she went." Emerin listened intently to his tale, and Brian smirked in response. "Everything else is fuzzy, though. I don't know why," he said. "I can vaguely remember falling from a high place once, but nothing else. It didn't bother me much, though, to be honest. I just kept moving forward. I didn't need to look back."
"You don't want to remember your life?" Emerin asked. Brian shrugged again and said "I do get a little frustrated about the lack of memories from time to time, but those feelings pass rather quickly." He took one last drink from his mug and said "I'm gonna go get some sleep now. You take care of yourself, Em." He stood, walked toward the bar, and asked for a room key, which Mandon refused to hand over until Miria handed over the coins. After receiving his payment, Mandon gave Brian a key, and the blond warrior trudged up the stairs until he was gone from the others' sight. Emerin considered what he'd had told him. He somehow felt that Brian's words were worth heeding, at least when he wasn't raving like a lunatic, and that gave him pause. He sat there for a while longer before finally ordering a room of his own.
The town was significantly louder that night as Kain made his way toward the town's center. People from every part of Bellepoint were streaming toward the central square, forcing Kain to push his way through the crowd. He had finally reached the pavilion when he was stopped by a guard. "Halt!" the guard demanded. "All travelers wielding weapons are to be brought in for questioning concerning the captain's murder! You will come with me to the guardhouse at once!" Kain sighed and said "Very well, but you're wasting your time. I don't know anything about it." "We'll see about that at the guardhouse!" the guard replied firmly. Kain shrugged and followed the guard through the crowd as he made his way through the crowd westward, toward the guardhouse.
When they had reached the guardhouse, the guard pulled the heavy metal door open and gestured for Kain to move inside. Kain did so without a fuss, and he sat down at a small round table near the entrance and looked around at his surroundings. The room that he was in was fairly large and filled with a large number of chairs and round tables roughly the same size as the one where he sat. Along the thick wooden walls hung an assortment of sketches, supposedly of criminals who were either wanted or captured. A long row of cages lined the wall on the side across from the door.
Another door set in the wall to Kain's left burst open, and Landin walked out briskly, a look of outrage on his face. He glared at Kain, who merely snorted and crossed his arms in response. When he approached the table, he asked "Where were you earlier tonight? Taking a stroll through the neighborhood, perhaps?" Kain sneered at him and replied "Hardly. I was drinking at the inn. The old man in charge there can vouch for me, if you want to ask him." Landin looked toward the guard and nodded, and the guard immediately turned and left the building. "We'll see," he said skeptically as he turned back toward Kain.
"A short moment later, another guard burst in through the front door, sweat beginning to form upon his face as he breathed heavily. He took a few moments to compose himself before saying "Sir, we've found another group of victims near the west gate." "Was it another group of thugs, like the others?" Landin asked. The guard shook his head slowly and answered "No, sir. It was a family of four this time." Landin closed his eyes and muttered a curse under his breath, then asked "Who were the victims?" "The Krendalls, sir. The whole family was slaughtered inside of their home; even the children."
Kain couldn't help but scowl at that part. As a mercenary, he was hired to perform a variety of tasks, but one thing that he had never agreed to do was kill innocent people, especially children. In fact, he often offered his services in catching murderers such as that for free. This time proved to be no exception, as he looked at Landin and said "Sounds like you've got a serious problem. I can take care of the problem." Landin's eyes narrowed in response, and Kain firmly added "Gladly."
Landin looked into Kain's eyes and saw the anger that boiled just beneath his stoic exterior. He could tell that the mercenary was not lying. After a long while, he finally said "Very well, but you'll be placed under supervision while you conduct your search, at least until the true culprit has been found and caught." Kaine grinned and replied "If you think your boys can keep up with me, then by all means, give me an entourage." He stood up and strode confidently toward the front door, but Landin stood up and walked after him, saying "I'll be your escort tonight. I've lost too many friends over the course of my career, and this search is one that I wish to see done personally." Kain looked at him appraisingly for a moment, then nodded and said "Aye, you'll do fine." The two men then proceeded outside and walked toward the west gate, where the latest murders were committed.
Starlen stared at the looming mass the stood just a few more miles down the road from where they were. Their group had gained a bit of ground before turning in for the night, and despite the darkness, Starlen could now make out the details of the buildings. "It really is a big place," she muttered to herself, though her mind was focused not on the size of the city, but on the daunting task that lay before her. The sensation of terror that filled her caused her to tremble at the thought of fighting her father. She tilted her head when she heard the soft sound of footsteps upon the grass, and she knew who it was who was walking up to where she stood.
"Are you scared?" said Kaiser as he approached her from the small camp that the group had made along the north side of the road. Velani and Jett had already gone to sleep, and Kaiser had volunteered to take the first shift of the night watch. "I can't sleep," Starlen answered, trying to keep her voice steady so that her brother wouldn't notice her true feelings on the subject. She needn't have bothered, however, as Kaiser was already aware of them. He looked up toward the sky and mumbled a soft, slow tune that Starlen immediately recognized. She turned away from the city and stared at him as he sang, her eyes becoming filled with tears. Kaiser himself had started to cry silently as he finished singing the lullaby that their mother had sung to them when they were small. "I still remember most of it," he said softly as he looked back down at her. "Though my voice is less comforting than hers. It helps to calm my nerves whenever I am afraid, and I hope it can calm yours, as well." "I never see you afraid," Starlen said to him, which made him chuckle softly. "I'm just a good actor, I guess," he replied, and he gave her the warmest smile he could manage. "Honestly, though, I was always scared whenever I left town," he continued. "I was scared that I might not come back, and that you would feel the pain of losing another part of your family."
"If that was the case, then why did you leave?" Starlen asked him. Kaiser smiled at her and answered "For your sake. When we were children, you clung to me at all times and never let me go. Even now, you still depend on me being there for you. I left so that you could learn to live your life on your own, though I have to admit, part of me wanted to bring you along with me whenever I searched the forest for our old home." "I don't think I would have gone with you for that," Starlen said, and Kaiser nodded knowingly. "I know," he said. "You are set on forgetting the past and moving on. Still, when I saw the remains of our old home, I thought of you."
Starlen looked down at her feet and said "No. I was running away, just as I thought that you were by clinging to the past. The direction in which I ran may have been different, but I ran all the same." She looked back up at Kaiser. "I'm scared," she admitted. "I want more than anything to leave and never come back, but if I do that, then I would never forgive myself, nor would I forget the people I have abandoned. I don't know what to do, and it's gnawing at me from within." Kaiser nodded again and said "Do what you think is the right thing to do, for your heart is yours and yours alone, and nobody can change that." Starlen smiled and said "You're right. The right thing is not always the easier path to take, but if I can make a difference, then I don't want to run away. As much as I fear the coming storm, I will not shy away from its path, nor will I break beneath its force. I will endure the pain and terror, and I will see the storm laid low. That, I think, is what Mother died for, and I will not let her down anymore by running away." Kaiser's smile broke into a grin, and he said "You have a poet's heart, I see." Starlen laughed at his statement and said "I thought it was a rather nice speech, given the fact that I am shaking in my boots."
The two siblings returned to the camp then, and Starlen lied down to rest as Kaiser started to stoke the fire. Two glowing blue eyes observed them from within a cluster of trees that grew along the other side of the road. The stranger peered at them from beneath the wide brim of his hat and smiled. "That's my girl," he whispered softly to himself, and as he turned away, he muttered an incantation and waved his hand toward the group's camp, creating an invisible barrier that would keep them safe through the night. He then walked away, fading into the night and leaving without another word.
"This is definitely the work of the same killer," said Landin as he knelt down down beside the headless corpses of of the Krendall family. The killer had somehow managed to make his way inside of their house, though the other guards at the scene had told him that the door was still firmly locked when they had arrived. He looked around at the walls of the small stone house. Inlaid with wood, the walls were sparsely decorated, save for a few hanging ornaments that were neatly placed in a perfect row. The father, Boris Kendall, was fairly obsessive when it came to keeping things clean and tidy. The short, wooden chairs surrounding the fireplace along the building's far wall were also kept together in a tight line facing the fire, which was starting to die.
From his position in the now-open doorway, Kain scanned the area just outside, looking for signs of the murderer's passing. After finding nothing, he turned toward Landin and said "I'm going to check around the house for anything that could help us find this bastard." Landin looked back at him and sighed, then replied "Fine, but stay close to the building. I don't want to have to search for you, understand?" Kain shrugged and gave a noncommittal nod, then quickly strode outside.
Landin stood and continued to scan the crime scene, but he still found nothing. There was no sign of a struggle, no evidence left behind to even suggest that anyone else was here, but the Krendalls wouldn't have killed themselves. There had to be something that he was missing. After completing his search within the main room, he walked into the adjacent kitchen.
Two guards were standing within the kitchen. They were the first to reach the house, and their search had also provided no answers as to who had committed the crimes. Everything in the kitchen was also in perfect condition. The entire room seemed to be untouched. Landin scratched his head in confusion and looked at the other guards, who shrugged. "Did you search upstairs?" he asked them. The guard on his left answered, saying "Yes, sir. All of the upstairs rooms were clean and organized. We found nothing that even suggested that the family was in their bedrooms tonight." Landin shook his head and sighed again. This is going to be a long night, he thought to himself.
Meanwhile, outside of the house, Kain slowly stalked along the outside of the walls, his eyes carefully scanning them for signs of forced entry. As he rounded the back right corner of the house, a sound suddenly broke through the silence that permeated that side of town. Kain closed his eyes and listened more intently, and the sound became clearer, turning into a song, although it was sung by a terribly high-pitched voice. The discordant tune gradually became louder, and Kain eventually felt certain that the source of the song was getting closer.
Ignoring the words of the lieutenant, Kain cautiously proceeded away from the house and toward the source of the song, his hands reaching over his shoulders as he gripped the hilts of his swords. As the voice grew even louder, he walked faster, accelerating gradually into a steady run as he followed the sound down the side street, his eyes darting from house to house as he ran in an effort to catch sight of his quarry.
The song stopped suddenly, and Kain slowed down his pace as a result. He now walked cautiously once again, a feeling of unease suddenly threatening to overwhelm him. He snarled and shook his head viciously to clear his head, then scanned the area. A row of houses lined up on each side of him, and in the distance ahead of him, he caught sight of the first crime scene. It was still quite far from his current position, but he could make out the armor on the guards as they stood and watched over the area.
Kain narrowed his eyes and turned around, suddenly aware of a presence behind him. He saw a man with brown hair wearing a green tunic and red pants who was leaning against a nearby house and whistling softly to himself. The man turned his head to regard Kain and grinned from ear to ear. "Hello, hello, my inquisitive man!" he shouted with the same high-pitched voice that Kain had heard singing earlier. He then pulled himself away from the wall and walked toward Kain, his hands at his sides. Kain couldn't help but notice the two red axes hanging from his belt.
The mercenary took a moment to size up the man walking toward him. If he was truly responsible for killing the captain, then he would at least be skilled enough to provide some challenge. Kain drew his swords, and he immediately sensed danger as the man's hands grabbed and pulled his axes from his belt in the next instant. Kain sneered and said "So, you're one of THEM. I see now. Which one are you, then? Famine, or perhaps pestilence?"
The man raised one eyebrow and laughed before asking "And how do you know about us, hmm?" Kain smiled and replied "I have some experience with one of your fellows, but that doesn't matter. What matters now is whether or not you intend to make things difficult." The man shrugged and said "I never INTEND to do anything. It just happens. I love it when things just happen. Like when a kid's head goes squish when you pop it like a zit. Good fun!"
He suddenly lunged forward, and Kain quickly batted his axes to the right at the last instant, then proceeded to send his swords into a spinning dance in front of him, rolling their hilts between his fingers as he pressed forward. The harbinger recovered instantly, and he met Kain's charge with equal fervor, and his axes collided with Kain's swords with a loud clang. They both pushed against each other, both combatants testing the other's strength for a brief moment before finally pulling away. The harbinger immediately spun and swung his axes over his head wildly, forcing Kain to duck beneath the swings as he continued to build momentum, his whirling blades becoming a blur that encircled his rapidly moving hands. The harbinger took several steps back to avoid the spinning blades, then lunged forward suddenly with his axes extended aiming directly for Kain's chest.
Kain didn't see the attack coming, but his reflexes were more capable, and he brought his swords up in time to parry the deadly strikes, sending each of the harbinger's axes to their respective sides. The harbinger recovered in an instant, swinging both axes inward to strike at Kain's left and right sides. Kain's whirling swords revolved around his body, both of them quickly moving to their respective sides and knocking the harbinger's axes aside. The harbinger spun again, but this time he stopped with his back turned toward Kain, and his body suddenly bent over backwards and twisted around in a way that seemed rather painful as he launched a quick flurry of attacks, swinging his axes in a series of vertical strokes that made him appear as though he was swimming on his back.
Kain was caught by surprise by the unorthodox movements, and he just barely managed to dodge the first few strokes before regaining his focus. He continued to duck and weave his body away from the downward slashes, keeping his still-spinning blades at his sides as the speed of their spinning steadily increased. He soon had them whirling so quickly that they had begun to whistle as they spun, and he grinned wickedly as he continued to evade the harbinger's attacks. The harbinger spun around suddenly and leaped forward, sensing the sudden change in Kain's demeanor. His wild swings came more frequently, and Kain's grin disappeared as he immediately had to focus once again on keeping himself away from the harbinger's maddened flailing. He quickly found a new rhythm, however, and while he knew that such an unpredictable enemy could change the direction and speed of his attacks in an instant, he also knew that if he didn't take a chance, he would only tire himself out before his opponent would ever let him have a real opportunity. He closed his eyes and let his hands move on their own as he focused upon the energy within his body.
Kain's swords suddenly became a solid wall of metal as his hands moved with incredible speed, no longer held back by the limitations of his conscious mind. With his eyes firmly closed, Kain easily parried the harbinger's attacks, and the harbinger growled in frustration when his opponent was no longer fazed by his erratic movements. He twisted his body and spun wildly, trying to catch the mercenary off guard, but Kain's hands were no longer subject to his will, and they reacted with greater speed than what any consciousness could manage. A low hum suddenly began to fill the air around the two combatants, and the harbinger's eyes narrowed as the humming grew louder and higher-pitched with each passing instant.
The hum was suddenly replaced by a loud, thunderous boom as the blades of Kain's swords erupted with a crimson light. Red sparks leaped from the blades and ran along their surfaces, crackling as though they were bolts of electricity. Kain opened his eyes and smirked as the harbinger quickly jumped away, and he stopped spinning his swords and brought them together into a cross in front of his chest. The sparks jumped from one blade to the other, and a loud crackling sound rose from them and grew in intensity as the energy trapped within the blades desperately sought release. The harbinger raised an eyebrow at the sight, and Kain rushed forward, thrusting his swords straight for the harbinger's chest.
The harbinger grinned as he ducked to his left, and the blades soared past him. He countered with his axes, but Kain's hands reacted before Kain had even noticed the incoming blades, and the four weapons collided in an explosion of crimson lightning as the energy within Kain's swords was discharged. The resulting shockwave caused the walls of the nearby buildings to buckle and crack, and the two combatants flew backward from the force of the impact. Kain had grown used to the force, however, and he spun his blades rapidly. The residual sparks flared to life, and before Kain's body collided with a nearby wall, he was engulfed in the red lightning, and in an instant, he vanished.
The harbinger hit the wall behind him and immediately recovered, his eyes darting from one side to the other in an attempt to find his opponent, who was nowhere to be seen. He stood there for a moment before he felt the hairs on his neck stand up, and he immediately jumped forward as Kain reappeared in the air above him, fully enveloped by the red lightning. With a single thought, Kain willed his swords to absorb the discharged energy once again as he plunged. He pointed his blades at the harbinger as he landed, and two jagged bolts of red energy burst forth from within them, producing a harsh shriek as they flew toward their target. The harbinger ducked, and the bolts soared over his head, but they changed direction immediately upon missing their mark, and they arced down and back to hit him squarely in the back.
The harbinger grunted as the red bolts collided with his body, tumbling forward from the force. He allowed the force to carry him to his opponent, and he turned the tumble into a forward roll, rising back onto his feet and swinging his axes horizontally at Kain's head. Kain ducked an instant before they would have connected, but he needn't have bothered, as the axes stopped just short of their intended destination. Kain looked up to see the harbinger staring down the street, and he followed his gaze to see Landin and several guards running toward them. The harbinger frowned and said "It's not as fun when vermin try to crash the party. It's a shame, really. I was looking forward to killing you, but not when there are witnesses. The shouting of crowds makes my head split." He looked back at Kain and said "I am an artist, my friend, spreading death and fear wherever I go. The trick is to only kill as many as you need to for the fear to take hold. Once that has been accomplished, all that is left is to watch the drama unfold. This place is boring, though. I'll be going now." With that, he faded where he stood, leaving Kain to deal with the guards alone. When Landin arrived at the spot, he looked around and viewed the destruction, then turned to Kain and asked "What happened? Who was that man you were fighting?" Kain sighed and said "You're better off not knowing." Landin glared at him suspiciously, but he merely shrugged and said "Your murderer has already left the town. He is no longer within your jurisdiction, and it would be better for you if you didn't try to hunt him down."
He then walked calmly back down the side street, but he didn't sheath his swords until he had put considerable distance between himself and the guards. Realizing that they wouldn't let him leave until morning, he headed back to the inn to rent a room for the night with the intention of leaving as soon as the sun rose.
The sun had started to rise. Ronan felt its warm touch from where he stood just outside of the inn. He looked toward the west, his gaze fixed firmly upon the gate that appeared as little more than a tiny hole in the wall of buildings and fences. The gate was open, but the number of guards who stood watch had tripled to six at each entrance. "Not that it would make much of a difference, though," Ronan said with a sigh. He was almost certain that a harbinger was in the town last night.
The door to the inn flew open, and Kain stepped outside. Without a word to Ronan, he immediately headed for the west gate. "So," Ronan said to him as he passed, causing Kain to turn his head to regard the storyteller. "What do you say to providing my group with an escort? I can pay you well." He held up the bag of coins that he had taken from Miria, who had fallen asleep at the most inopportune time. Kain raised an eyebrow and said "One half-empty bag of silver will not suffice to pay for my services." "How about a half-empty bag of gold?" Ronan asked. Kain's eyes narrowed, and he said "Show me." Ronan shrugged, held out the bag, and pulled it open, revealing the shiny gold coins within.
"Okay," Kain muttered as he looked back up at Ronan. "Now tell me something. Why does your group need my help in the first place? You seem to get along well enough on your own if you can muster that much coin." "Maybe so," Ronan said. "But one can never be too careful. Besides, we're all going the same way, you and our group. It would be safer for us to travel together, given the recent troubles in this region."
Kain looked at Ronan with suspicion. The man standing before him was hard to read, and therefore he was dangerous. Still, the money he offered was genuine, and Kain wouldn't be much of a mercenary if he didn't work for shady employers at times. "Fine," he said finally, extending his arm to take the bag. Ronan grinned as he handed it over and said "Great! Now we just need to get paid for our last job and we're out of this town!"
Suddenly, the door burst open again, and Miria stormed out. "Ronan!" she shouted as she turned toward him. "What did you do with my money?!" She looked down at the bag in Kain's hands, and a look of pure anger spread across her face as she looked back up at Ronan. "That was mine, you arsehole!" she yelled, and Ronan shook his head. "It went to a good cause," he replied, but Miria was still fuming. The door opened once again, and Emerin stepped out, his eyes immediately turning toward the source of the ruckus. He sighed and asked "What did you do this time, Ronan?"
"He stole my money and gave it to that guy!" Miria exclaimed as she pointed a finger toward Kain, who stood dumbfounded at the sight of the group's bickering. Finally, he spoke up, asking "Do you do this all the time? How do you people get anything done?" "To answer both of your questions," replied Emerin. "Yes, and we somehow seem to manage regardless, though frankly, we haven't been a group for very long." "I see," Kain said. "Well, money's money. I've been hired to help you get to Ryllas. That is where you're going, yes?"
Emerin was taken aback at his statement. He looked at Ronan, who smirked and said "With harbingers around, we'll need all the help we can get. Besides, we'll get paid more than we lost when we report to whoever's in charge of the guard now." Emerin sighed again, but he suddenly straightened when he caught sight of someone familiar coming toward them.
"Hail," said Landin as he approached the group with two guards behind him. He walked up to them, looked at Kain, and said "We found no sign of the murderer. It looks like he somehow gave us the slip. I still don't understand it at all." Kain sighed and said "Some things are meant to be beyond your comprehension. Even if you knew, there would be nothing you could do about it." Landin frowned and said "The man was our captain. It would be a disservice to him and his family, as well as all of the citizens of this town, if we didn't catch the killer." "Then I guess you'll just have to disappoint them," Kain replied.
Landin shook his head, then turned toward Emerin and asked "What about you? Have you had much success?" Before Emerin could answer, Ronan interjected, saying "Of course we succeeded. We found the mage responsible for summoning those monsters and slew him. Your town is now safe from the hellspawn." Landin looked at Ronan, then turned his gaze back toward Emerin, who nodded and said "A mage named Azzar was responsible for the attack. He seemed to have been working with the Ebon Sun, a group of slavers that have been terrorizing the region. He was also a part of some cult called the Lucent Mask, but I have no idea who they are. We killed Azzar, as well as the Ebon Sun members who were with him." "What happened to the other three?" Landin asked with concern. "You left with three others besides Starlen, Kaiser, and that Velani girl who arrived here earlier." "Two of them are no longer with us," Emerin replied. "One was killed in the forest, betrayed by his companion. The other one is, well, he's still inside of the inn."
"I see," Landin said with a sad expression. "My condolences for your loss." Ronan asked him "What? Oh, right, that dead guy. Yeah, his death really hit us hard. He was so young. He had so much to live for." Emerin and Miria both rolled their eyes, and Emerin said "We are now headed west to meet up with Starlen and the others. It's very important that we make the trip as soon as we can." Landin nodded and said "We don't have much more work for you, anyway. We're too concerned with making funeral arrangements for the people we lost. As for your reward, we were going to make a spectacle of it, but again, we now have other problems. Come with me, though, and I will take you to the lord's manor. He wants to reward you himself."
Ronan nudged Emerin's arm, and when Emerin turned his head to regard him, he grinned and said "A gift from the lord himself, eh? You're moving up in the world, Em." Emerin shook his head and replied "It's as much your reward as it is mine. We did it together." "Sure," Ronan said. "But you're the leader of this group, so you get the glory, as well as the blame for when things go wrong." Emerin thought about his sentence for a moment, then asked "And what exactly will go wrong, Ronan?" Ronan shrugged and answered "Hopefully nothing, but considering our recent bad luck, I wouldn't put it past the gods to have a rather sadistic sense of humor."
"I always liked the sunrise," said Velani as she stared toward the east. "It reminds me of the potential for good things to happen through the day." "It's just a big ball of light," Kaiser said from behind her, preparing the group's equipment for another day of travel as he spoke. Velani frowned and spun around to look at him, and she said "Well, some of us aren't cranky all the time. We can enjoy the view while you sit around all day with a sour face." "I'm not sitting," Kaiser replied. "Who cares?!" Velani asked in frustration. "You're still cranky. Honestly, put a smile on your face!" Kaiser raised an eyebrow. His face then started to contort dramatically before he settled on a wide, uncomfortable grin, and he asked "Is this what you had in mind?" Velani was unamused, however. She rolled her eyes and said "Fine, be a jerk if that makes you feel better about your daddy issues."
Kaiser's mocking grin faded instantly from his face, and he considered Velani's words. She was right. He was once again letting his anger and frustration get to him. He sighed, walked up to her side, and stood looking up at the brightening sky. Velani watched him as he did so, her eyes transfixed upon his face as the morning light illuminated its features. With his right side facing her, his scars were hidden from her view, and she was surprised to see how soft his appearance truly was. Without the scars that marred his face, Kaiser would have been a handsome young man.
Kaiser noticed her staring and turned to regard her. "What is it?" he asked her, his voice softer than usual when he spoke. Velani blinked and shook her head. "Nothing," she said as she turned back to view the sunrise. "It is a beautiful sunrise, I will admit," Kaiser said. The two of them stood there for another moment, watching the sun in silence. Starlen looked at them from where she was lying down and pretending to still be asleep, and a slight smile formed on her face. She couldn't help but smile as she considered the two. While they seemed to grate on each other's nerves often, their dispositions toward each other had begun to soften. After a while, they turned back toward the camp, and Starlen closed her eyes again, trying hard to make it seem as though she wasn't watching.
The lord's manor was simply decorated, as was expected within a small frontier town such as Bellepoint. The stone walls were nearly bare aside from several candles and a few portraits of old men set within silver and bronze frames that hung from the walls with equal distance between them. The cobblestone floor just inside of the threshold was covered by a small red rug, and the high wood ceiling was far beyond the reach of the light from the candles.
The group was greeted by a young woman with long blond hair wearing a long black dress adorned with small gold circles stitched into the hems and sleeves. The woman bowed and said "Welcome back, agents of Bellepoint. I am Silva, the lord's daughter. I regret to inform you that our lord has been called away on important business. As such, I have been instructed to deliver your reward in his stead."
Emerin couldn't take his eyes off of her. The lord's daughter was truly a beautiful young woman, with soft facial features and clear blue eyes that that sparkled in the candlelight. He barely noticed the dull pain in his side after Miria's elbow rammed into it. "Ow," he muttered as his trance broke. Ronan smirked at him, and Miria rolled her eyes.
"Er, thank you for your welcome," he said with a bow. Landin walked past the group and stood beside Silva as she nodded in acknowledgement. She nodded to Landin, who walked away for a moment before returning with a red bag made of silk. He handed it to her, and she walked up to Emerin and held it out in front of him. "This bag contains three hundred go coins. I hope that it proves to be an adequate reward for your service."
Emerin reached for the bag, but he stopped for an instant when he looked into her eyes. With their faces so close to each other, Emerin could see something else in them besides the sparkling reflections of the candles. He saw the same inner confidence and strength that only a trained fighter could muster. In that instant, his opinion of her changed dramatically. She was clearly not as harmless as he had thought just a short while ago. He took the bag as quickly as he could without offending her in order to mask his sudden apprehension, but a slight upward twitch of Silva's lips told him that she noticed anyway.
He softly cleared his throat and backed away, bowing his head in newfound respect to the lord's daughter, who nodded once again in response. Silva looked at him for a short while longer before addressing the entire group. "I sincerely hope that you all find everything that you need here in this town, and that you will continue to be an indispensable group of agents in our service." With that, she bowed to the group one last time, then turned toward Landin and said "We have other things to discuss later, lieutenant, if you don't mind stay for a while." "Of course not, my lady," Landin replied with a bow.
The group left the manor soon afterward and headed for the west gate. Ronan walked beside Emerin and said "You might just be biting off more than you can chew with that girl, Em." Emerin turned his head to regard Ronan and asked "What are you talking about?" "I saw the way you looked at her in there," Ronan explained, a knowing smirk on his face. "But trust me when I say she's off-limits. Hundreds of suitors have tried to court her, and none of them have walked away without something broken." "Just out of curiosity, why is that?" Emerin asked. "Well," Ronan replied. "Ever since she came of age, that young lady has become notorious for the rather extreme trial that she puts them through. Essentially, they have to defeat her in combat before they can claim her hand in marriage." "You make it sound like that's impossible," Miria said. "As I said, no man who has ever accepted the challenge has been able to complete it," Ronan stated with a smirk. "That seems very impressive," said Emerin. Ronan shrugged and said "Perhaps, though many of the potential husbands may have been ordinary, untrained dolts with no real combat experience. At least, at first."
Kain snorted as the group walked through the west gate, and Emerin cocked an eyebrow. Their new companion certainly seemed confident in his own abilities, to put it mildly. Eventually, he shrugged and led the group outside of the town and onto the road toward Ryllas.
"Well, here we are," declared Jett when Starlen's group had reached the massive closed gates of Ryllas. Starlen stared in awe at the large metal doors that spanned the entrance, connecting the ends of two tall stone walls embedded with glowing blue stones that appeared similar to Jett's animate core. "This is amazing," she muttered. Jett smiled at her and said "This is Ryllas' shield wall, the pinnacle of defensive fortifications. It is completely unbreakable, reinforced by the constant magical shield powered by hundreds of animate cores. There are also cores within the gate that cause it to open on command to anyone who has the proper clearance, like me."
She walked up to the gate and shouted "Opal whiskers!" Suddenly, a loud series of metallic clicks emanated from the gate, and the doors slowly opened with a loud rumble. After the noise had stopped, and the gate had fully opened, Jett motioned for the others to head inside. As they passed, Velani asked "'Opal whiskers'? Is that some kind of code or something?" "I sure hope so," Jett replied. "It was the phrase they told me to say when I got back, though it's entirely possible that they only made me say that for laughs while they opened the door from the inside." "Wait," said Starlen. "What about travelers who don't know the password?" Jett shrugged and said "They have to use the other gate and go through the long, boring manual clearance system. That involves a lot of questions and inventory searches. However, since you're with me, you get in this way." She looked smugly at Kaiser. "This is why it pays to know people," she told him. Kaiser willingly conceded her point after hearing about the usual method for travelers to enter the city.
The group enter Ryllas, and Starlen and Kaiser both stopped dead in their tracks at the sight before them. Large, round buildings made of what seemed to be glass flooded their vision. Within each of these buildings, several workers were tilling and harvesting a wide variety of crops. "We grow our food on the surface here, in greenhouses," Jett explained to the others as though she was giving them a tour. "Our own houses are mostly underground, though all of Ryllas's mages dwell within that tower there." She pointed at the lone tower that jutted upward, reaching far above the other buildings and nearly touching the clouds. "That looks like it would be a long way up," Kaiser said, pointing his own finger toward the top of the tower.
Jett shrugged again and said "We have a solution to that too. You'll see it soon enough when we get there." She grinned when she saw Kaiser look at her in confusion and added "You know, I kinda get a kick out of seeing you react like this." Kaiser frowned and stormed away toward the tower. Jett laughed before turning her attention toward Starlen, who was still ogling the surrounding greenhouses. "There are so many of them," Starlen said. "How do you eat all of this?" "It's a city, Starlen," Jett replied as though the answer should have been obvious. "There are a lot of people living here. We've even had to expand the walls recently to make more room for new additions." Starlen's gaze turned toward the tower. "I don't think I could live in a place like that," she said. "It's way too tall." "Better that than in the ratways," Velani muttered with a barely concealed scowl. Starlen looked at her curiously, and she explained "That's what normal citizens of Ryllas call the tunnels that they live in."
Jett frowned and said "That is debatable from a certain perspective." Velani scoffed at her and followed Kaiser. Starlen looked back at Jett and asked "What are you talking about?" Jett sighed and replied "The average citizen lives underground, but some of them are getting sick of seeing nothing but dirt all around them. I don't blame them, but life in the tower isn't much better, trust me." She walked after the other two, and Starlen quickly followed after her.
The sun was shining from the sky when Emerin's group reached the Starlen's group's campsite. Ronan sniffed the air and said "Ah, the smell of body odor. They were here recently, alright." "That's good news," said Emerin as he surveyed the road leading west. "Soon, you'll be reunited with your sweetheart, Em," said Miria with a smirk. "Oh, give me a break!" Emerin replied. Miria laughed.
Ronan smirked and said "You know, Miria, most of Ryllas is underground. Are you sure that you wish to antagonize the one man who would protect you from the bats?" Miria's eyes popped open, and she stammered "N-not the bats. Please don't talk about bats." "What's that on your back?!" Emerin shouted frantically as he pointed at Miria's back. "AHHHH!" Miria screamed, flailing her arms about wildly as she ran around in circles. Emerin laughed and said "Don't worry, Miria. There's nothing on your back." Miria stopped moving and started to rub her back. After feeling nothing, she looked at Emerin and scowled. "That's not funny," she said angrily. "It's no less funny than you calling Starlen my sweetheart," Emerin countered. Miria sighed and said "Fine, let's call a truce then." Emerin smiled and nodded in approval.
From his position north of the campsite, Kain watched the group with a harsh glare. Eventually, he walked toward them and said "Enough of this nonsense. We need to continue westward." Brian, who was watching the trees to the south, walked toward the group as well. "We've got company," he spoke softly to the group. "Some dastardly deviants of doom have noticed our passage. They are now moving to bar our way forward with their evil plans and sinister handlebar mustaches." Kain sighed and said "This is why we needed to keep moving. Now we have to fight our way through."
"Those must be some mustaches," Emerin muttered before shaking his head and saying "Alright, let's move forward with caution." Kain snorted and said "Damn your caution. This is what I live for." He drew his swords and strode confidently down the road. Emerin looked to his companions and shrugged before following after him.
Another dead end. Kaiser swore under his breath as he looked around at the greenhouses that surrounded him. Shaking his head, he turned back and walked slowly, trying to find a gap between the large glass buildings. As he explored the area, he heard a soft laugh coming from his right. He turned toward the sound and saw Velani, who stood with her arms crossed as she looked at him with a smile on her face.
"Lost, are we?" she asked with some amusement as Kaiser walked toward her. "It would seem so," Kaiser replied, a slight tremor in his voice betraying his confusion. Velani's smile wavered as she considered that the man standing before her was now very much out of his element. "Come on," she said as she gestured for him to follow her, and he willingly agreed.
As the two adventurers made their way through the maze of glass, Velani couldn't help but smile at the thought of their tracker being lost. Still, she understood that moving around Ryllas was difficult without asking for directions or getting a local to serve as a guide. Kaiser noticed that they were essentially retracing their steps, and he asked "Just how long have I been going the wrong way?" "Not too long," Velani replied. "Only a few more steps before we're back on track." Kaiser watched her as they walked and said "You know quite a bit about this city."
Velani stopped suddenly and looked back at him. "This is where I was raised as a child," she spoke softly, a hint of sorrow in her voice. "This place was always home to me, even after I left." His curiosity piqued, Kaiser asked her "Why did you leave? What made you choose the life of an adventurer?" Velani said nothing, but she continued to stare at him for a long while. Eventually, she broke the stare, casting her eyes downward as she said "It's too personal. I no longer felt welcome here. That's all that I'm going to say."
Kaiser nodded slowly, choosing to respect her wishes for privacy. "I'm sorry for asking," he said, but Velani shook her head and smiled. "It's alright," she said. "You wouldn't have known that it was so personal if you didn't ask. Besides, I already know about your own troubles. It would only have been fair for me to answer your question." Her smile faded, and she added "I still can't tell you, though. I'm sorry."
Kaiser looked at her with concern. She was obviously recalling some unpleasant memories, and he didn't want her to suffer like she was. Finally, he decided to change the subject to one that was hopefully more appealing to her. "So, where was your favorite place to go to in this city?" he asked. Velani laughed and said "Way to change L the subject, Kaiser. I know of at least one place where I had some fun as a kid. I don't know if it's still there, but..." She thought for a moment, then said "If you don't mind being a little late to the search for your father, I could show you." Kaiser crossed his arms and replied "You know what, he has been waiting for over ten years already. He can wait a bit longer."
Velani's jaw nearly dropped when she heard that. In the admittedly short amount of time in which she knew him, Kaiser had only been concerned with finding his father. Seeing her surprised look, Kaiser smiled and said "We have no idea where he is. He might not even be here. We might as well do some sight seeing while we are here." He shrugged, but Velani could see the frustration lying just beneath the surface of his face. He was trying hard not to show it, but she could tell that the idea of abandoning his search, even for a little while, was gnawing at him from the inside.
"Are you sure?" Velani asked cautiously. She didn't want to force him into something that he didn't want to do. "I suggested it, didn't I?" Kaiser asked her in response. Velani frowned for a moment, and Kaiser shook his head, saying "I want to know more about you and this city. Is that really so surprising?" Velani gave him a surprised look once again and said "I...don't know. Maybe?" Kaiser smiled again and said "Well, don't get used to it. I'm still the same grumpy old tall guy with a chip on his shoulder." Velani grinned and replied "Oh, come on, you're not old." She then gestured for him to follow her and led him in the opposite direction from where they had been walking.
"I call this one the 'stache smasher!" cried Brian as he swung his hammer toward a bandit's head. The man, who really did have a mustache, couldn't back away fast enough, and his head burst when Brian's hammer collided with it. As the body fell over, Brian looked around to see that the other bandits had been taken care of.
Ronan ran his fingers through his hair and said "Alright, time to loot the bodies. Do it quick, because we need to get moving if we want to make it to Ryllas before nightfall." Emerin, who had been hanging back with Miria during the fight, said "Let's just go. We don't need anything that these guys had." Ronan shook looked back at him with a shocked expression. "We're not looting the bodies?!" he asked dramatically. "Of course not," Emerin replied. "We don't need every single silver piece that we find." "For shame, Em!" Ronan declared sharply. "What manner of fiend merely walks past money without picking it up?!" "The most heroic fiend in the world!" Brian interjected. "True heroes need no vile blood money. That would just be mean!" "Says the guy who grabbed Garm's armor," Ronan replied.
Miria snickered suddenly, and when Emerin turned to face her, she said "Garm's armor? More like 'Garmor', eh?" Emerin sighed. Surrounded by five dead bandits, Kain sheathed his swords and glared at the others. "I don't give a soaring sod about this shit," he said with a snarl. "You're only wasting time." "It's what we do," replied Ronan. Kain sneered at him, but Emerin quickly stepped forward and said "You're right. We should move on. Let's go, guys!"
The rest of the journey to Ryllas proved uneventful, and the group reached the city just as the sun started to set. Emerin led the others toward the city's public entrance. "The guards will search our gear and register our weapons," he said, directing his statement more toward Miria than anyone else. "Once that happens, we'll be free to enter and stay in the city as long as we don't start any trouble with the law." "You humans and your weapons," Ronan said with a smirk. "You wouldn't need to worry about searches if you had trained to use your fists and feet instead like a certain incredibly handsome and smooth evil genius."
"Who is also obnoxious, sadistic, arrogant, sexist, and a big jerk," Miria remarked. Ronan smirked at her as they all headed toward the gate. All, that is, except for Brian, who stopped and stared at the city's wall for a long while. When Emerin noticed that he had stopped, he stopped as well and asked "Are you okay?" Brian said nothing. Emerin carefully walked toward him and asked the question again. Brian slowly turned his gaze toward Emerin, and Emerin saw something in Brian's eyes that he didn't want to see. Brian's eyes seemed dull and devoid of the usual cheeriness that Emerin had come to expect. In fact, Brian's downcast expression seemed eerily similar to what he and the others had seen in Azzar's hideout.
"Brian?" Emerin spoke his name softly, not wanting to startle the blond man. Brian suddenly began shaking his head, and he muttered "Not my fault." Emerin looked at him curiously, but he offered no explanation. He stood there for a moment longer before reluctantly trudging toward the gate, and Emerin followed him at a safe distance, watching him carefully as they both moved to rejoin the group.
The sun was beginning to dip beneath the horizon when Starlen and Jett reached the base of the tower. As they approached the tall stone structure, Starlen's head turned in every sensible direction as she searched for her brother. When it became clear to her that he was not there, she said "I can't believe that he's not here. Now I'm getting worried." Jett, who had been walking in front of her, turned back to regard her and said "I'm sure he's fine. That other woman went after him, and she seemed to know her way around."
Starlen shifted her gaze downward and stared at the ground. "Still," she muttered softly. "I can't shake the feeling that he might run into trouble." "Can he handle himself in combat?" Jett asked her suddenly. Starlen looked up to see Jett's questioning stare. After a short pause, she nodded. "Yes," she said. "He can, but he's not perfect. I should be there with him when the fighting starts." Truthfully, she was worried about what would happen if their father was to catch either of them alone. The stranger in the forest had told them that he was in Ryllas, after all.
Starlen's train of thought stopped immediately as she considered that little detail. Upon further consideration, she realized that the stranger had done nothing to help them, aside from frightening away Jemeniah. Since that was the case, why was she so willing to trust him? As she remembered his face, she felt a sense of familiarity with the man, almost as though she had seen him before many years ago.
At that point, the answer suddenly popped into her head. The man seemed familiar because he was there ten years ago, when she had carried her brother away from their old home. He stood alone against their father, preventing him from following after them. She rembered the ring of clashing blades that had pierced through her ears and echoed within her mind as she fled.
"Um, you okay?" asked Jett, but Starlen didn't respond. She was trying to remember something, anything that could tell her who the man was, but she couldn't. His identity stubbornly eluded her. After a while, she let out a deep breath as she gave up on trying to recall anything. She focused once again upon Jett, who was starting to look concerned, and she smiled. "I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't zone out like that while we're standing out in the open." She looked up and scanned the tower's entire length before asking "I'm guessing that this tower isn't just yours, right?" Jett snorted and said "Yeah, right. I wouldn't know what to do with half of these floors if I was the sole occupant. I'm mostly out doing field work nowadays. My assistant would have a few ideas, but let's be honest, none of them are all that good." She shot Starlen a mischievous grin before she turned and walked toward the tower's door. Starlen gave one final look toward the surrounding area, then followed her inside.
"Well, here we are," Velani said with a slightly disappointed tone as she stopped walking. Kaiser looked past her to see yet another greenhouse. He looked back at her and thought of what to say next. "Um," he said tentatively. "Is this particular dome important to you?" Velani shook her head. "No," she said. "Something was here before it, but it's not here anymore." "Ah, then I am sorry," Kaiser replied, which brought a smile to Velani's face. "It's no big deal," she said softly as she turned to face him. "The memories are more important anyway."
Kaiser smiled in an attempt to cheer her up, and it seemed to work, as her smile grew wider. "You know, you should smile more often," she said. "You remind me of a little kid." Kaiser's smile faded, and he stared at her in silence for a moment before asking "What used to be here, anyway?" Velani sighed and answered "My hideout. There was a small wooden shed here when I was little. I used to come around here and hide whenever people were looking for me." Her eyes drifted down to toward the ground as she added "And they were, all the time. I truly have no idea as to how they had managed to overlook that little shed, but it worked for a while."
"Who exactly was looking for you?" Kaiser asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. Velani closed her eyes for a brief moment before responding, but as she opened her mouth to speak, another voice reached their ears. "Well, if it isn't sweet little Vel, all grown up and making new friends," the voice called. Velani's eyes widened, and she turned toward the source of the voice to see a face that she hadn't seen in years. She cringed when she saw the tall dark-haired man dressed in black who was carrying two silver-edged daggers in his belt.
The man approached her slowly with a sinister smirk upon his face and said "You made a serious mistake in coming back here, love. You know what happens to nosy little girls who can't keep their mouths shut in the ratways." He moved to get closer to her, but Kaiser stepped between them. "I'm new to this town," he said to the man, the tone of his voice making it clear to everyone that he was ready to fight. "Perhaps you could enlighten me." The man backed up a few steps and said "Your friend will only get you into even more trouble, Vel. You both would do well to watch where you step." Kaiser snorted and said "You and your men in the shadows behind you are just another typical band of thugs." He leaned forward and brought the full force of his glare down upon the man, and he continued, saying "If you wish to remain in one piece, you will leave. Now."
The man swallowed hard as he tried to retain his composure. Finally, he flashed a derisive smirk toward the two companions and turned to leave. Kaiser watched him go and didn't take his eyes off of him until he was a long way away from them. Velani sighed and said "Sorry. It looks like I haven't been gone long enough, after all. I was hoping that they had forgotten all about me." Kaiser turned toward her and asked "What did happen here? Why were they after you?" Velani shifted her feet and gave a half-hearted shrug, but Kaiser continued to stare at her, determined to get an answer. Eventually, she groaned and said "Fine, I'll tell you, but only because you got yourself caught up in it."
"What in the hells is all of this?" asked a surprised Miria as she stood just inside of the gate. She was obviously speaking of the greenhouses the filled the city's surface. "It where they grow their food," Emerin answered with a grin. Miria stared at them intently as she said "Stop grinning like a toddler, you look ridiculous." Emerin shook his head and laughed, then said "You didn't even look at me." "I don't have to," she said calmly. "I heard it in your voice."
Brian gazed up blankly at the tower in the distance while Ronan proceeded forward. Emerin looked at him and asked "Where are you going?" "To the tower," he said matter-of-factly. "It's as good a place to start as any if we're searching for your girlfriend." "She's not my girlfriend!" Emerin exclaimed loudly. Ronan smirked as he continued on toward the tower. "That's right!" Miria called out. "I'm his girlfirend!" She turned toward Emerin and grinned mischievously at his incredulous reaction. "Stop that!" he shouted angrily, but Miria merely continued to grin at him. "I'm not joking!" "Well, maybe I'm not joking either," she replied, her grin becoming less malevolent. Emerin stared at her blankly, and she said "Maybe you're just the kind of guy that I'm looking for. After all, you did risk a lot to keep me safe in that forest back there."
Emerin's cheeks began to turn red. "I-I just take care of my friends, really," he stammered. "I mean, you were in danger, so-" "So you heroically swooped in and swept her off her feet, your righteous blade of thundering justice filling the hearts of her oppressors with fear and lightning in equal measure!" shouted Brian, who was apparently still beside them. "Surely the bards will sing of your powerful love for each other for centuries to come!" "Brian, what in the hells was that?!" Emerin asked vehemently. Brian grinned at him and answered "That, my friend, is what any good wingman would say to help spark the flames of passion! The time has come for your hearts to roast over them together on the spit of love!" Emerin looked over toward Miria, who snickered as she watched Brian's show of support.
He shook his head and said "Look, I don't think that this is really the right time for this kind of discussion." "When is the right time?" Miria asked him as she crossed her arms. "I don't know, later," he nervously replied. Miria sighed and said "You know what, you're right. I shouldn't press the issue any further." She walked away toward the tower, leaving a confused Emerin and Brian behind. "Wow," Brian said after she had gone. "Where did the bucket of water come from?" "Oh, shut up!" Emerin snapped at him.
Kain looked on from behind the group with an expression of disgust. "These people are almost physically painful to watch," he muttered to himself. "No wonder my brother and sister left them behind." He approached Emerin and Brian with a sigh and declared "Our business is done. At any rate, if your idiocy doesn't get you all killed before then, remember what I said about our family reunion. Don't get involved if you don't want to die."
Emerin looked at him and frowned. "We'll see about that," he said calmly, though in truth his heart was starting to race at the thought. If the harbingers were as powerful as Ronan had led them all to believe, then the fight ahead of them would surely be difficult. Still, he trusted in his companions' strength and resolve, and one demon alone, no matter how powerful, wouldn't be enough to defeat them all. He told this to himself within his own head as he stared at Kain defiantly.
Kain saw his look of defiance and snorted. "Just a fair warning," he said threateningly. "If any of you get in the way of my revenge, I will have no trouble with killing the whole lot of you. Get out of my way." He roughly pushed past Emerin, who stumbled and nearly fell, but Brian caught him and held him steady. "Thanks," he said, but Brian shook his head and replied "I've got your back, boss." As he heard the words which almost seemed strange coming from Brian, Emerin could barely believe that he was the same guy. He straightened and asked "Why do you only let me see this side of you?" Brian shrugged and said "No reason, aside from the fact that you bothered to ask questions." He grinned as he continued, saying "If everyone received the same treatment, I would be setting myself up for getting stabbed in the back."
Emerin started to say something, but a sudden soft sound from behind him quickly drew both of their attentions. "Speaking of which..." Brian muttered as he walked around Emerin to intercept what seemed to be a small furry creature. He knelt down and scooped it up as Emerin tried to take a better look at it. As Brian rose and turned back toward him, Emerin could finally see what it was that had run up to them.
It was a ferret. Brian held the small creature tenderly with both hands as he smiled warmly. "This is Stoat, my little buddy," he said softly as he walked back to Emerin. Emerin looked at the small creature with surprise and asked "Is this your pet?" "I'm nobody's pet, sir," the ferret suddenly spoke with a commanding voice, which nearly caused Emerin to jump out of his shoes. "Wha..." he started to say, but he could hardly continue to speak after just hearing an animal do the same thing. Brian nodded in understanding, then said "He like to make a strong first impression." The ferret seemed to grin as Brian finished what he was saying, and Emerin blinked several times and shook his head wildly to clear his mind.
"I've got your back, Em," Brian repeated. "And this little guy's got mine. He's a sneaky little fellow. He helped me escape from...er, wherever it was that I escaped from." "Hardly a task worthy of my talents," the ferret said haughtily as it turned up its nose in apparent disgust. "By the by, what was your name again, my good man?" "Um," Emerin still couldn't effectively respond to being asked questions by a talking ferret. "Pleasure to meet you, sir Um," the ferret said with a short bow. "I am called Stoat, though my colleagues from the college know me as the ferret lord. I am quite pleased to see that Brianheart has found a friend whom he could trust." "Er, thank you?" Emerin asked more than said. "My name's not Um, by the way, it's Emerin." "Very well, sir Emerin," Stoat said with another short bow. "Now, shall we find your other friends, then?" Stoat leaped from Brian's hands and vanished completely from sight, despite the lack of shadows cast upon the ground. When Emerin looked back up at Brian, he simply shrugged and said "Wait for it."
Suddenly, Emerin's vision turned black for only an instant as a dark shadow enveloped him. As quickly as it washed over him, however, it vanished, and Emerin noticed that he and Brian had moved. He looked around and saw Miria and Ronan standing to his left, looking at him with questioning expressions. To his right, he saw that he and his friends had been brought to the base of the tower. Surprised, he turned back to Brian, who said "Little scamp makes things almost too easy."
There was no sound. The large, dark chamber was filled with silence as a certain thief quickly made his way deeper into the pitch-black abyss. He walked slowly, striving not to make a sound in an attempt to maintain a calm atmosphere. It was needed when dealing with the monster within.
The thief couldn't survey his surroundings, as the darkness cloaked everything in all directions, causing him to become nervous as he cautiously approached. That was how the monster liked it, and only he was allowed to enter the place. The thief continued forward until he heard a deep growl within the darkness in front of him. He stopped dead in his tracks and bowed as sweat began to form on his face.
"Why have you come to me this time?" The deep voice resonated within the shadows with such malevolence that the thief could barely respond. "I-I have come t-to...make a report," the thief said shakily, his own voice seeming small and fragile by comparison. "I saw Vel...Velani has returned to Ryllas, and she has brought a friend." "Spare me your pointless internal strife," the deep voice echoed once more. "If you have anything of real value to me, say it now, and without such nonsense."
The thief bowed his head more deeply as he said "The man who was with her...He matched the description that you had provided for us. You wanted us to report to you once we discovered a tall red-haired man with a torn face, and we did. He's traveling with her." For a long moment, there was silence once again, and the thief couldn't help but swallow hard as he grew more and more anxious. Finally, the deep voice came again, asking "Was he the only one? Were there no others?" The thief quickly shook his head and answered "No, they were both alone. We would have fought them, but then I remembered what you said about reporting the news to you."
"Hm," the voice cut through the silent air once more. "There is little possibility that he could have left her behind. If he is here, then so is she. This situation has become much more interesting." Suddenly, a loud boom erupted throughout the hall as numerous torches along the walls burst into flames, revealing the large chamber, which was empty aside from a wide, ornately decorated throne adorned with glistening red gemstones. Sitting upon the throne was a man, though to the thief he was more monster than man. His massive frame was nearly as wide as he was tall, with arms the size of tree trunks that bulged with rippling muscles. Wearing a stark white suit of chain, the man leaned forward, his bent body still an managing to tower above the thief as he stood up. Upon the crown of his head, protruding outward from within a cascade of long red hair, we're two long black horns that bent forward slightly as they extended outward.
The man reached around the left side of his throne and pulled from the shadows behind him two large spears with hooked tips as he ordered "Tell your men to follow them closely, and make sure that they do not leave the city. Do not engage them unless you are forced into a battle. I will follow you to them, and I will deal with them myself, understand?" "Yes, Garinbold," the thief replied immediately. "Your word is law here, after all."
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Miria ran toward Emerin and stood beside him as she began to cast her own spell, while Brian and Ronan rushed back inside through the doorway. Thankfully, there were no obstacles in the center of the room besides the bodies of the three dead men, and the two running fighters managed to reach Azzar just as he finished casting another spell. Darkness fell over the room as the spell's effects caused the area to turn pitch black. Ronan quickly kicked at the space where Azzar was, only to strike empty air, while Brian growled angrily and looked around, trying to see through the darkness. Miria didn't let the sudden change of atmosphere disturb her, and her spell filled the air around the others, dispelling the darkness inside of the room.
Azzar had vanished, but his voice was soon echoing loudly off of the walls as he spoke the final arcane words of another spell, one that the adventurers recognized. Ronan and Brian both leaped away from the center of the room just before the fireball landed right where they were standing, sending them both to the floor despite their efforts to avoid the blast. The mage wasted no time, casting yet another fireball spell at the group. Miria answered with a spell of her own, sending out a bright ball of light from the tip of her rod toward the mage who was standing just ouside of the room.
The spell connected with its target, but as the ball touched Azzar, it dissolved without damaging or distracting the mage, who launched his third fireball. Emerin quickly rushed forward and pushed Miria aside, only to be pushed aside himself by Ronan, who took the full force of the blast. Emerin looked back at him in shock as the flames engulfed him, but the sound of wicked laughter soon filled the room as Ronan suddenly rushed forward, his still-burning form grabbing the front of Azzar's robe. "You should be honored," the demon said calmly as the flames continued to surround him. "You're one of the few people who have ever taken my clothes off in such an imaginative way." He then thrust his other hand into the mage's chest, and with a loud thud, Azzar flew backward to slam into the wall, a hand-shaped scorch mark burned into the folds of his robe as he slumped over, dead.
"Looks like I'll need to borrow some of the guards' clothes," Ronan said as he looked down to see the flames surrounding his body starting to die. "Unless the lady says otherwise, of course." He smirked at Miria, who shook her head in disgust and said "Just put something on, you creep." Ronan shrugged, walked back into the room with the dead guards, and said "Looking may be free, but you might still want to close the door." The others promptly slammed the door shut and walked into the hallway.
Some time later, Ronan walked out of the room wearing a black shirt and trousers. As he rejoined the others however, a familiar voice called to them from an unknown source. "Such an achievement," The voice said. "It seems that you are more than simple trash that a simulacrum could dispose of. That is a most excellent turn of events." The group turned toward the way that they had come from down the hallway to see Azzar standing at the other end of the hall, seemingly uninjured by the previous battle. "It seems that you all fight well against normal guards, but you falter in the face of a mage of any talent. No matter, you will still make useful servants when I am finished with you."
A wave of intense pain suddenly flooded Emerin's mind, causing him to stumble and lose his spell. He heard Miria groan behind him, and he knew that she was also affected. Through the pain, he looked up to see Brian clutch his head and reel backward while Ronan simply stopped moving entirely. The pain became more intense with each passing moment, and through it he heard a whispering voice saying "You have been called to submit. You will obey my will."
Emerin cried out in a desperate attempt to clear his head, but it was no use. Azzar's spell had already worked its way inside of his mind, and he felt his own thoughts turn away from fighting. Eventually, he no longer cared. Everything that he had once held dear now seemed hollow and empty, and a future of servitude, which was once a ridiculous notion that he would never consider, now seemed very interesting to him.
"How sad," Azzar spoke softly, his tone reflecting confidence in his victory. "Despite all of your efforts to undermine my plans for this region, you will now join me and see them fulfilled. Still, there is no reason as to why the new purpose that I have given you should be difficult to endure, right?" A wave of compulsion washed over Emerin, and he nodded silently in agreement. Miria nodded her agreement as well, and Azzar turned his attention to Ronan, who was unaffected by his mind control, but was not capable of moving anyway. "And you," Azzar said. "You would dare to challenge my will, despite knowing that my gift allows me to manipulate the very essence of your soul?"
Ronan's body felt heavy; too heavy to move, even though he desperately wanted to kill the mage. Nevertheless, he smirked and struggled to speak, saying "You're right...that would have been...really stupid. Good thing I'm not...you, right?" As he finished forcing out that last word, his eyes darted to his right toward Brian, who had begun to issue a low growl. The sound gradually became louder until it became a roar of unbridled fury, and Ronan smirked again as Azzar looked on in confusion. That confusion soon turned into surprise when Brian strengthened his grip on his hammer once more, his face turning dark red, and with purple veins nearly seeming to pop out of his skin along his face and neck. He screamed, his berserk rage freeing him from Azzar's spell and sending him into a frenzy.
I will continue my writing tomorrow. I'm taking a break to proof read and catch up on the other threads today.
Ronan soon felt the power that held him in place begin to weaken, and he took advantage of his limited freedom to sing a single, steady note. Emerin and Miria both began to shake their heads and groan as the note broke through the spell that had controlled them. After a few moments, all three of them were free, and the two casters immediately began to cast more spells as Brian continued to swing madly at Azzar.
Speaking a few arcane syllables, Azzar managed to teleported away from Brian and into the empty room between the hallway and the room with the three corpses. He quickly began to cast another spell, but Miria had already finished casting her own spell, followed quickly by Emerin. Azzar's casting was soon replaced by screaming, as a lightning bolt and fireball both slammed into his chest, throwing him backward with the resulting explosion. He stumbled to his feet and tried to teleport once again, but Brian smashed through the wall just then, causing a flurry of splinters to rain down upon the mage, and he spun with the momentum to bring his hammer down upon the dazed mage's head with greater force. Azzar's head burst, and his now headless body fell forward to the floor.
As the mage fell, Brian's roaring grew silent. His rage and energy all but completely spent, he fell to his knees and started to breathe deeply. Emerin stared at him in awe. The explosive rage had significantly increased his strength, and through it, he was impervious to mind control, or at least that's how it seemed to Emerin. He looked at Ronan and said "You seem to know about Brian's ability. Otherwise, you wouldn't have put yourself in as much danger as you did, would you?" Ronan shrugged and said "Yeah. It's not really a secret, but I didn't think it was important to mention. Brian and I had met before, a long time ago. We fought on the same side then, too. He always had that nutty, self-righteous side, but despite all of his threats, he never truly went out of control until our group had gotten into a fight with several mages. As soon as the fight started, he turned red and started screaming at the top of his lungs, just as he did a few moments ago. The mages couldn't hurt him while he was in this state. They couldn't even make him flinch."
The storyteller cleared his throat as Brian stirred from his position on the floor. "After he slaughtered them all, he suddenly dropped to the ground, and when I spoke to him afterward, he almost sounded normal. I think he hides behind his crazy exterior to keep from murdering everybody around him." "Why would he kill everyone?" Emerin asked. Ronan shrugged and said "I don't know. It was just speculation on my part, but something about mages definitely sets him off." They both turned and stared at Brian, who was standing on his feet once again. He turned to regard them, and Emerin's eyes widened. Brian's face was devoid of the customary mirth and mad grin, but was filled with a sorrowful expression.
Brian walked up to them and said "Damn mages. You're only tolerable when you're on my side...or missing a head." Miria, who had been listening to their conversation, gulped reflexively. Emerin spoke to Brian, asking "Is our magic going to be a problem?" Brian shook his head. "Not yet," he said, though the tone of his voice betrayed his true feelings, which were clearly negative. His expression changed suddenly however, as he reverted back to his original state of mind. "Not if the mages are heroes like you!" he exclaimed.
The group continued to search the building, finding several more guards, who were easily dispatched, along the way, then finally managed to leave the building. As they started to follow the path back, Miria crept up to Emerin and asked "How are you feeling after that experience?" Emerin looked over at her and said "I'm just fine. Why do you ask?" "Well," Miria replied. "I can't help but feel a little freaked out about that Azzar's power. He took control of our minds, and we could do nothing to resist. Doesn't that scare you?" Emerin stopped walking and addressed her fully before saying "It does, but letting fear control you is just as bad, in my opinion. We weren't expecting an attack like that this time, but we will be expecting something like that if we ever meet another one of those cultists." "I suppose..." Miria replied.
"We will definitely be seeing more of them during the course of our journey," Ronan said from his position in the front beside Brian. "This is the second time that we've thwarted their plans. They won't let us walk away now." "You say that like it's a bad thing," Brian replied. "I, for one, am looking forward to delivering yet another mighty blow to the face of evil!" "Just make sure that you don't swing at the wrong villain," Ronan told him.
The group found no further resistance as they made their way through the forest. When they passed through the edge of the woods and found the town of Bellepoint to be just a few miles away, they breathed a sigh of relief. "I never want to go for a forest stroll again," Miria remarked. "Ever." Emerin laughed and said "I second that. Our next mission will be in a cave." Miria looked at him, startled. "Caves are even worse!" she said. "They're filled with bats and snakes, and...and bats!" "Sounds like someone doesn't like bats," Ronan said with a smirk. "I'll have to remember that." "Don't you dare!" Miria shouted at him. Emerin laughed again before saying "Well, since you put it that way, know a good place filled with bats, Ronan?"
"NO!" Miria exclaimed, and Ronan and Emerin snickered. Miria's expression turned sour, and she said "You're both a couple of jerks!" Emerin smiled as he looked to each of his companions. "Have no fear, madam!" Ronan said in a mockingly heroic tone. "I'm sure our sweet prince will protect you from any nasty blood-sucking fiends!" He winked at Emerin, who shook his head, saying "I'm not a prince. Not anymore, anyway." Ronan sighed and said "Fine, then this ordinary guy will protect you from any nasty blood-sucking fiends, even though it sounds less like a dream come true, and more like a poor attempt at comedy." He then smirked and said "Way to fail at romance, Em." Emerin's face scrunched up, and he shook his head and asked "What kind of wingman calls his friend a sweet prince, anyway?"
"The best kind of wingman," Ronan replied, and he smirked again as he continued, saying "That was hardly a denial, Em." Emerin rolled his eyes and said "If I had denied it, then you would have come up with some ridiculous retort." Ronan grinned and said "Oh, you know me so well by now. Still, I fail to see that as the only reason." "Um, you guys know that I'm still walking right beside you, right?" Miria interjected. "If can hear everything that you're saying." She looked at Emerin and said "You still haven't denied it, by the way." "Okay, when did this become about me?" Emerin asked quickly, trying to deflect the others' curiosity. "Don't worry, Em," Brian said. "I won't let Ronan lure you away from your feelings for Miria with his swaying hips of sadistic sensual tension." Emerin's expression turned even more incredulous as Ronan said "Yes, because that's clearly what I'm trying to do. There is simply no way that I could actually be trying to help spark the flames of passion between two young friends."
Emerin suddenly stopped walking, which caused the others to turn around and stare at him. "Will you continue to be my friends?" he asked, and the others became silent. "When this is over," Emerin continued. "After we report our success to the captain, will you still follow me as the Black Legion?" Ronan smirked and said "You know what, I like you too much to part ways so early. I'm in." Miria nodded and smiled, saying "So am I. You have certainly earned my loyalty, fearless leader." Brian grinned wildly and said "Yes! Together, we shall force the large, solid block of cheesy justice down the throats of the wicked! They will spend the next three years with clogged bowels when we are finished with them!" "That's quite the mental image, isn't it?" Ronan asked the others. Emerin grinned and said "Thanks, guys. You're the best people that I have worked with so far." "Ew, don't get so sappy on us," Miria replied. "We've only just started working together. Your opinion might change as soon as you find out that we don't take orders very well." "Speak for yourself, unruly maiden," Ronan said with a wicked grin. "I for one take orders very well." "Yeah," Emerin said. "Then you give them to someone else, because you're such a generous person." "That's right!" Ronan replied.
The group continued to make such comments toward each other as they made their way to the east gate of Bellepoint. As they reached the gate, Emerin couldn't stop thinking about how lucky he was to have found a place for himself among such a lively group of people.
"So you'll help us now?" asked Kaiser, a stern look on his face. "Can we depend on you to keep your word?" "Of course I will," Jett replied. "I'm not an arse, unlike you." Kaiser recoiled at her accusation, an expression of surprise on his face. "Well, you DID sound like an arse a while ago," she explained. "Just like that other guy who looks just like you. Are you related, because I could see you having a brother who is just as grumpy as you."
Kaiser took a moment to think on her words, then said "You said something like that before." "Yeah," she replied. "Some hotshot mercenary name Kain, I think. He was hired to clear out some pests that had taken up residence in one of our old research labs. He took care of them easily enough and was hired again to help with several other problems. He's a real arse, though. He nearly killed one of my assistants for making an offhand joke, and I was forced to get involved." "You handled him fairly well, then," Kaiser said. Jett shrugged and said "I suppose, but it was easier than you might think. He's actually kind of shy around people who treat him nicely, though he'd kill me if he ever found out that I had said that. That's not what you're all here for, though, so let's get moving before night falls completely."
Jett immediately spun around and started walking toward Ryllas, with Kaiser and Velani close behind her. Starlen stood where she was for a moment and looked toward the looming mass of buildings in the distance. "Will he be there waiting for us?" she muttered under her breath. A growing sense of dread began to fill her mind as she thought of seeing her father again. Her heart pounded in her chest, but she took a moment to force the thought of facing him back down into the depths of her mind before she started walking behind the others.
As he approached the center of town, Varnam heard a sudden loud bang to his right, down a side street. The noise was followed by a soft whimper, like that of a dog, and Varnam carefully walked over to the entrance. He whistled so that the dog could hear him, which had always worked to bring the dog to his side, but he waited for a long while and no further noise came from the street. He quietly whistled again, but there was still no response. After a while, he slowly walked down the side street, keeping his eyes open and alert for suspicious figures, But the street was empty.
Suddenly, another loud bang echoed along the walls of the buildings around him, followed by a soft thud. Varnam hastened his steps, suddenly very eager to find the source of the noises. He turned a corner into an alley, and his jaw dropped at the sight that awaited him.
The bodies of nearly a hundred leather-clad men were strewn along the length of the alley, mangled and missing heads and limbs. Near the other end of the alley, the body of a familiar dog, or most of it, was lying upon the ground. His legs were missing, and Varnam had to close his eyes at the sight. In all of his years of experience as a guard, he had never felt so saddened by the sight of a dead animal, but this dog was an exception.
His ears perked up when he heard a soft popping sound coming from behind him. He quickly drew his sword and spun around to face the source of the noise. What he saw next turned his stomach. Standing just a few feet away from him was a short, lean man with wild, unkempt brown hair wearing a bright green tunic and red pants. Two axes with red blades hung limply from his waist by a pair of thin ropes that were tied around him. His left hand was at his side, but his right hand was holding one of the dog's severed legs as he shoved it into his mouth.
After a short while, the man pulled the leg back out and said in a high-pitched voice "Oh dear, it seems that my shenanigans have drawn an audience this time." He casually threw the chewed leg over his shoulder and grinned, revealing a set of crooked, bloodstained teeth. He then held out his newly freed hand and said "Hey there!"
"Put your hands on your head and turn around!" demanded Varnam. "Which hands?" The man asked in response. He then held up his other hand, and Varnam saw that it held a large brown bag that smelled like a corpse. "These hands?" The man asked, and he suddenly threw the bag on top of his head, causing some of its contents, a number of severed hands, to fall over his head and shoulders and land on the ground with a series of sickening thuds.
Varnam was too disgusted to react, but the man was not, and he reached down and pulled his axes out of their makeshift holsters with inhuman speed. Varnam cried out and readied his sword, but the man's axes were already embedded within his gut, and his cry turned into a scream of pain as he fell to the ground, his belly torn open and spilling his innards out onto the ground. The man laughed madly as he fell and planted his left foot on Varnam's chest and raised his right axe over his head and brought it down upon Varnam's neck.
After chopping off his head and slinging it into his bag, the man skipped away deeper into the dark side street, singing a discordant song as he went. "Hundreds dead, without their heads, town is ripe with fear. Eat their flesh, bloody fresh, pestilence is here!" The man's song repeated again and again as it faded away after him.
"Captain Varnam is dead!" the voices shouted. "The captain has been murdered!" "Well, shit," Ronan muttered when the news reached his ears. "I hope that we still get paid." "THAT'S what you're worried about?!" Emerin asked him angrily. Ronan shrugged and said "Why not? Someone died, so what? We kill plenty of people ourselves." "He was a good man!" Emerin complained. "Says who?" Ronan asked in response. "You? How much did you even know the guy? Besides, whining about his death won't help him one bit. With any luck, we'll be hired to deal with his killer, which means more money for us."
Emerin shook his head. "You're terrible," he said, but Ronan merely smirked and replied "It's not that bad of a perspective. Someone has to keep you good guy types from getting yourselves killed, after all." He then walked up to the inn's door and opened it, walking inside and taking a seat near the bar as he scanned the lobby. The room was empty, aside from a single red-haired man dressed in black who was also sitting at the bar.
The others followed him inside. Emerin recalled that Starlen had left them and headed back to town some time ago, but he looked around and did not see her. A look of concern came upon his face, and Miria saw it clearly and knew why he looked so worried. "I'm sure that she made it back," she told Emerin, who grunted half-heartedly in response. "We can ask Mandon if she came back," she continued. "I'm sure he would know." Emerin turned to look at her and smiled.
"Or we could ask this guy!" said Brian as he pointed toward the red-haired man. He strode up to the man confidently and said "Hail, friend! Have you seen a young red-haired woman wearing black clothes during your stay here in this inn?" The man turned to regard the group, and Emerin nearly gasped in surprise. The man looked eerily similar to Kaiser, but without the scars and lidless left eye. The man spoke in a raspy voice, saying "That depends. Was she traveling with a tall man who looks like me?" "Sounds like her," Ronan replied, and the man snorted as though he had found some humor in what he had said.
"Aye, I've seen her," the man said, pulling himself up out of his seat as he did. "She went west, toward Ryllas. If I was you, I would stay as far away from that city as possible for the next few days." "Why is that?" Ronan asked, suddenly very interested in the conversation. The man laughed, his laughter sounding like boots scraping against cobblestone, and he said "A family reunion, that's what. I'll be heading there myself, soon enough. If you know what's good for you, you'll stay here, where it's safe."
Ronan looked at Emerin, who nodded and said "Thanks for the advice, but I think that we'll take our chances." The man shrugged and said "It's your funeral. Just make sure that you stay out of my way, and I won't gut you like the rest of them." With that, he turned toward the door and walked out. Miria had to scramble to get out of his way, and the entire group looked at each other. "She's in danger," Emerin said, and Ronan nodded. "If my hunch about her father is correct, then yeah, she is," he said. "They all are." "What do you mean, your hunch?" Miria asked him with suspicion. "Her entire story was interesting to me," Ronan replied. "Especially the part about her father. I know of only one demon who had inhabited this area ten years ago. He hid himself well, but I have my sources, and they confirmed that the demon of the forest from the local legend, her father, was actually a harbinger." The others stared at him for a long while, then Emerin said "We should hurry."
Miria and Brian agreed, but Ronan shook his head. "Don't be foolish," he said. "Have you all forgotten what happened with Jem in the woods? Trying to fight a harbinger is a bad idea." "I can't just let them die!" Emerin snapped back at him. Ronan smirked and asked "When did I suggest letting them die? I can come up with a plan that not even a harbinger can fight his way out of. All that I need is some time and a good location." Emerin looked at him for a moment, then nodded slowly. "I guess we'll leave it up to you, then," he said. Ronan smirked and replied "Don't worry, this is the kind of planning that I enjoy the most."
"Who's been sayin' the innkeeper's away?" The sudden response startled Emerin, who turned toward the bar to find Mandon glaring at them. "I been standin' back here the whole ye were talkin'." Ronan looked at him with an arched eyebrow. "Are you sure?" he asked. Mandon nodded and said "Just a trick of mine, and it ain't any of yer business what it is beyond that. Ye want drinks, right? It's gonna cost ye some money, and I don't wanna hear some claptrap about ye payin' off a tab later on."
Ronan smirked and Emerin sighed. Miria simply laughed and said "Don't worry, drinks are on me." She produced a large brown sack that was jingling with the movement from a loop on her belt and set it down upon the bar. To everyone's surprise, she opened it to reveal the shining gold coins within. "Well, that solves our money problems," said Ronan. Emerin stared at Miria and asked "How did you get that much money?" Miria shrugged and said "I found it just lying around in a certain secret evil lair. You should pay better attention to your surroundings, by the way. You passed it twice when we were looting the place."
"Eh, now, I don't take stolen money," Mandon said firmly. Ronan shook his head and answered "It's not stolen money, it's the spoils of victory. We adventurers have an unspoken right to kill people living in remote places and take their things. Didn't you know that?" "We were given a job by the town guard to investigate the forest," Emerin hastily interjected. "We found and destroyed the source of the recent attack. This gold was found in the hideout where we fought our quarry." Ronan smirked and muttered softly so that only Emerin could hear him "Nice save, Em." Emerin glared at him as Mandon stroked his chin.
Finally, the innkeeper said "Fine, then. Ye look like a trustworthy sort ta me. Just make sure ye keep yer smart-mouthed friend from drinkin' the whole stock. I don't get another shipment 'til next week." Emerin nodded and took a seat at the bar, and the others joined him. After they had each ordered a drink, Ronan said "Now's as good a time as any to discuss our plan. It's a day's trip westward to Ryllas, and the city is fairly large." "I know my way around the city," Emerin said. "I came here from Ryllas a few days ago, myself." "I've never been there," Miria admitted. "It always seemed like a rough place for anyone who wasn't a mage." "But you are a mage," Emerin replied. Miria let out a soft moan and said "Yeah, I suppose so."
Emerin couldn't help but wonder about her response. Was she not a mage? If she wasn't, then how could she be able to cast spells? The questions lingered inside of his mind until Mandon had brought out the drinks. Ronan grinned and quickly downed his drink before saying "Ah, this is one very good reason why I don't destroy the world. You can't find good ale in a burned-out, lifeless rock." "Is ale that important to you?" Emerin asked. Ronan nodded happily and yelled "I'll take another!"
Emerin smiled at the sight. He didn't know why, but seeing Ronan's face look so genuinely happy seemed to amuse him. He happened to glance over Ronan's shoulder at that moment to see Brian standing up and walking over to a table nearby. His eyes didn't stop staring at the blond man as he sat down and started drinking alone. Miria noticed his staring and said "He's really an odd one, isn't he?"
Emerin looked back at her, and she continued, saying "He treats us like true companions one moment, then just leaves us suddenly to drink by himself. I wonder if it's because of us." Emerin thought about it for a moment, then said "Maybe we should give him a reason to trust us." Miria smiled and said "Well, you're our leader, so you go first."
Emerin decided to take her advice, and he stood and walked over to Brian. "Brian," he said softly. Brian took a long drink from his mug and turned his head to regard Emerin. Emerin nodded in the direction of the chair opposite of him, and Brian stopped drinking and gestured in assent. Emerin sat down and said "It has occurred to me that I don't know much about you. Would you mind telling me a little about yourself?" Brian grinned wildly, but remained silent. "Look, I know you don't trust me, but perhaps the path to trust involves opening yourself up just a little." Brian smiled softly and said "The boss has an interest in me, does he? So be it." Emerin nearly fell over in his chair at the sound of Brian's apparent change in demeanor. Brian's smile turned into a grin, and he said "I'm not such a cheerful sort when I'm drinking, I'm afraid." He cast a sideways glance toward Ronan as he said "Don't trust that one. He's tricky, even to his friends. One thing that he forgot to mention about our last time together is that when the job was done, he took the reward and ran off with it before anyone else knew what was happening." Emerin raised an eyebrow in response. Brian shrugged and said "He's more than just a demon, he's a villain, through and through. But we were talking about me, weren't we?"
He leaned back into his chair with a sigh and said "I am not a man prone to nostalgia, so I'll only say this once. I was born in a small village in the northern part of the kingdom. I never knew my parents, though. My mother died giving birth to me and my sister. My father walked out on her shortly after they eloped. As for my sister, well, she's somewhere, but I don't know where. She never told me where she went." Emerin listened intently to his tale, and Brian smirked in response. "Everything else is fuzzy, though. I don't know why," he said. "I can vaguely remember falling from a high place once, but nothing else. It didn't bother me much, though, to be honest. I just kept moving forward. I didn't need to look back."
"You don't want to remember your life?" Emerin asked. Brian shrugged again and said "I do get a little frustrated about the lack of memories from time to time, but those feelings pass rather quickly." He took one last drink from his mug and said "I'm gonna go get some sleep now. You take care of yourself, Em." He stood, walked toward the bar, and asked for a room key, which Mandon refused to hand over until Miria handed over the coins. After receiving his payment, Mandon gave Brian a key, and the blond warrior trudged up the stairs until he was gone from the others' sight. Emerin considered what he'd had told him. He somehow felt that Brian's words were worth heeding, at least when he wasn't raving like a lunatic, and that gave him pause. He sat there for a while longer before finally ordering a room of his own.
When they had reached the guardhouse, the guard pulled the heavy metal door open and gestured for Kain to move inside. Kain did so without a fuss, and he sat down at a small round table near the entrance and looked around at his surroundings. The room that he was in was fairly large and filled with a large number of chairs and round tables roughly the same size as the one where he sat. Along the thick wooden walls hung an assortment of sketches, supposedly of criminals who were either wanted or captured. A long row of cages lined the wall on the side across from the door.
Another door set in the wall to Kain's left burst open, and Landin walked out briskly, a look of outrage on his face. He glared at Kain, who merely snorted and crossed his arms in response. When he approached the table, he asked "Where were you earlier tonight? Taking a stroll through the neighborhood, perhaps?" Kain sneered at him and replied "Hardly. I was drinking at the inn. The old man in charge there can vouch for me, if you want to ask him." Landin looked toward the guard and nodded, and the guard immediately turned and left the building. "We'll see," he said skeptically as he turned back toward Kain.
"A short moment later, another guard burst in through the front door, sweat beginning to form upon his face as he breathed heavily. He took a few moments to compose himself before saying "Sir, we've found another group of victims near the west gate." "Was it another group of thugs, like the others?" Landin asked. The guard shook his head slowly and answered "No, sir. It was a family of four this time." Landin closed his eyes and muttered a curse under his breath, then asked "Who were the victims?" "The Krendalls, sir. The whole family was slaughtered inside of their home; even the children."
Kain couldn't help but scowl at that part. As a mercenary, he was hired to perform a variety of tasks, but one thing that he had never agreed to do was kill innocent people, especially children. In fact, he often offered his services in catching murderers such as that for free. This time proved to be no exception, as he looked at Landin and said "Sounds like you've got a serious problem. I can take care of the problem." Landin's eyes narrowed in response, and Kain firmly added "Gladly."
Landin looked into Kain's eyes and saw the anger that boiled just beneath his stoic exterior. He could tell that the mercenary was not lying. After a long while, he finally said "Very well, but you'll be placed under supervision while you conduct your search, at least until the true culprit has been found and caught." Kaine grinned and replied "If you think your boys can keep up with me, then by all means, give me an entourage." He stood up and strode confidently toward the front door, but Landin stood up and walked after him, saying "I'll be your escort tonight. I've lost too many friends over the course of my career, and this search is one that I wish to see done personally." Kain looked at him appraisingly for a moment, then nodded and said "Aye, you'll do fine." The two men then proceeded outside and walked toward the west gate, where the latest murders were committed.
"Are you scared?" said Kaiser as he approached her from the small camp that the group had made along the north side of the road. Velani and Jett had already gone to sleep, and Kaiser had volunteered to take the first shift of the night watch. "I can't sleep," Starlen answered, trying to keep her voice steady so that her brother wouldn't notice her true feelings on the subject. She needn't have bothered, however, as Kaiser was already aware of them. He looked up toward the sky and mumbled a soft, slow tune that Starlen immediately recognized. She turned away from the city and stared at him as he sang, her eyes becoming filled with tears. Kaiser himself had started to cry silently as he finished singing the lullaby that their mother had sung to them when they were small. "I still remember most of it," he said softly as he looked back down at her. "Though my voice is less comforting than hers. It helps to calm my nerves whenever I am afraid, and I hope it can calm yours, as well." "I never see you afraid," Starlen said to him, which made him chuckle softly. "I'm just a good actor, I guess," he replied, and he gave her the warmest smile he could manage. "Honestly, though, I was always scared whenever I left town," he continued. "I was scared that I might not come back, and that you would feel the pain of losing another part of your family."
"If that was the case, then why did you leave?" Starlen asked him. Kaiser smiled at her and answered "For your sake. When we were children, you clung to me at all times and never let me go. Even now, you still depend on me being there for you. I left so that you could learn to live your life on your own, though I have to admit, part of me wanted to bring you along with me whenever I searched the forest for our old home." "I don't think I would have gone with you for that," Starlen said, and Kaiser nodded knowingly. "I know," he said. "You are set on forgetting the past and moving on. Still, when I saw the remains of our old home, I thought of you."
Starlen looked down at her feet and said "No. I was running away, just as I thought that you were by clinging to the past. The direction in which I ran may have been different, but I ran all the same." She looked back up at Kaiser. "I'm scared," she admitted. "I want more than anything to leave and never come back, but if I do that, then I would never forgive myself, nor would I forget the people I have abandoned. I don't know what to do, and it's gnawing at me from within." Kaiser nodded again and said "Do what you think is the right thing to do, for your heart is yours and yours alone, and nobody can change that." Starlen smiled and said "You're right. The right thing is not always the easier path to take, but if I can make a difference, then I don't want to run away. As much as I fear the coming storm, I will not shy away from its path, nor will I break beneath its force. I will endure the pain and terror, and I will see the storm laid low. That, I think, is what Mother died for, and I will not let her down anymore by running away." Kaiser's smile broke into a grin, and he said "You have a poet's heart, I see." Starlen laughed at his statement and said "I thought it was a rather nice speech, given the fact that I am shaking in my boots."
The two siblings returned to the camp then, and Starlen lied down to rest as Kaiser started to stoke the fire. Two glowing blue eyes observed them from within a cluster of trees that grew along the other side of the road. The stranger peered at them from beneath the wide brim of his hat and smiled. "That's my girl," he whispered softly to himself, and as he turned away, he muttered an incantation and waved his hand toward the group's camp, creating an invisible barrier that would keep them safe through the night. He then walked away, fading into the night and leaving without another word.
From his position in the now-open doorway, Kain scanned the area just outside, looking for signs of the murderer's passing. After finding nothing, he turned toward Landin and said "I'm going to check around the house for anything that could help us find this bastard." Landin looked back at him and sighed, then replied "Fine, but stay close to the building. I don't want to have to search for you, understand?" Kain shrugged and gave a noncommittal nod, then quickly strode outside.
Landin stood and continued to scan the crime scene, but he still found nothing. There was no sign of a struggle, no evidence left behind to even suggest that anyone else was here, but the Krendalls wouldn't have killed themselves. There had to be something that he was missing. After completing his search within the main room, he walked into the adjacent kitchen.
Two guards were standing within the kitchen. They were the first to reach the house, and their search had also provided no answers as to who had committed the crimes. Everything in the kitchen was also in perfect condition. The entire room seemed to be untouched. Landin scratched his head in confusion and looked at the other guards, who shrugged. "Did you search upstairs?" he asked them. The guard on his left answered, saying "Yes, sir. All of the upstairs rooms were clean and organized. We found nothing that even suggested that the family was in their bedrooms tonight." Landin shook his head and sighed again. This is going to be a long night, he thought to himself.
Meanwhile, outside of the house, Kain slowly stalked along the outside of the walls, his eyes carefully scanning them for signs of forced entry. As he rounded the back right corner of the house, a sound suddenly broke through the silence that permeated that side of town. Kain closed his eyes and listened more intently, and the sound became clearer, turning into a song, although it was sung by a terribly high-pitched voice. The discordant tune gradually became louder, and Kain eventually felt certain that the source of the song was getting closer.
Ignoring the words of the lieutenant, Kain cautiously proceeded away from the house and toward the source of the song, his hands reaching over his shoulders as he gripped the hilts of his swords. As the voice grew even louder, he walked faster, accelerating gradually into a steady run as he followed the sound down the side street, his eyes darting from house to house as he ran in an effort to catch sight of his quarry.
The song stopped suddenly, and Kain slowed down his pace as a result. He now walked cautiously once again, a feeling of unease suddenly threatening to overwhelm him. He snarled and shook his head viciously to clear his head, then scanned the area. A row of houses lined up on each side of him, and in the distance ahead of him, he caught sight of the first crime scene. It was still quite far from his current position, but he could make out the armor on the guards as they stood and watched over the area.
Kain narrowed his eyes and turned around, suddenly aware of a presence behind him. He saw a man with brown hair wearing a green tunic and red pants who was leaning against a nearby house and whistling softly to himself. The man turned his head to regard Kain and grinned from ear to ear. "Hello, hello, my inquisitive man!" he shouted with the same high-pitched voice that Kain had heard singing earlier. He then pulled himself away from the wall and walked toward Kain, his hands at his sides. Kain couldn't help but notice the two red axes hanging from his belt.
The mercenary took a moment to size up the man walking toward him. If he was truly responsible for killing the captain, then he would at least be skilled enough to provide some challenge. Kain drew his swords, and he immediately sensed danger as the man's hands grabbed and pulled his axes from his belt in the next instant. Kain sneered and said "So, you're one of THEM. I see now. Which one are you, then? Famine, or perhaps pestilence?"
The man raised one eyebrow and laughed before asking "And how do you know about us, hmm?" Kain smiled and replied "I have some experience with one of your fellows, but that doesn't matter. What matters now is whether or not you intend to make things difficult." The man shrugged and said "I never INTEND to do anything. It just happens. I love it when things just happen. Like when a kid's head goes squish when you pop it like a zit. Good fun!"
He suddenly lunged forward, and Kain quickly batted his axes to the right at the last instant, then proceeded to send his swords into a spinning dance in front of him, rolling their hilts between his fingers as he pressed forward. The harbinger recovered instantly, and he met Kain's charge with equal fervor, and his axes collided with Kain's swords with a loud clang. They both pushed against each other, both combatants testing the other's strength for a brief moment before finally pulling away. The harbinger immediately spun and swung his axes over his head wildly, forcing Kain to duck beneath the swings as he continued to build momentum, his whirling blades becoming a blur that encircled his rapidly moving hands. The harbinger took several steps back to avoid the spinning blades, then lunged forward suddenly with his axes extended aiming directly for Kain's chest.
Kain didn't see the attack coming, but his reflexes were more capable, and he brought his swords up in time to parry the deadly strikes, sending each of the harbinger's axes to their respective sides. The harbinger recovered in an instant, swinging both axes inward to strike at Kain's left and right sides. Kain's whirling swords revolved around his body, both of them quickly moving to their respective sides and knocking the harbinger's axes aside. The harbinger spun again, but this time he stopped with his back turned toward Kain, and his body suddenly bent over backwards and twisted around in a way that seemed rather painful as he launched a quick flurry of attacks, swinging his axes in a series of vertical strokes that made him appear as though he was swimming on his back.
Kain was caught by surprise by the unorthodox movements, and he just barely managed to dodge the first few strokes before regaining his focus. He continued to duck and weave his body away from the downward slashes, keeping his still-spinning blades at his sides as the speed of their spinning steadily increased. He soon had them whirling so quickly that they had begun to whistle as they spun, and he grinned wickedly as he continued to evade the harbinger's attacks. The harbinger spun around suddenly and leaped forward, sensing the sudden change in Kain's demeanor. His wild swings came more frequently, and Kain's grin disappeared as he immediately had to focus once again on keeping himself away from the harbinger's maddened flailing. He quickly found a new rhythm, however, and while he knew that such an unpredictable enemy could change the direction and speed of his attacks in an instant, he also knew that if he didn't take a chance, he would only tire himself out before his opponent would ever let him have a real opportunity. He closed his eyes and let his hands move on their own as he focused upon the energy within his body.
Kain's swords suddenly became a solid wall of metal as his hands moved with incredible speed, no longer held back by the limitations of his conscious mind. With his eyes firmly closed, Kain easily parried the harbinger's attacks, and the harbinger growled in frustration when his opponent was no longer fazed by his erratic movements. He twisted his body and spun wildly, trying to catch the mercenary off guard, but Kain's hands were no longer subject to his will, and they reacted with greater speed than what any consciousness could manage. A low hum suddenly began to fill the air around the two combatants, and the harbinger's eyes narrowed as the humming grew louder and higher-pitched with each passing instant.
The hum was suddenly replaced by a loud, thunderous boom as the blades of Kain's swords erupted with a crimson light. Red sparks leaped from the blades and ran along their surfaces, crackling as though they were bolts of electricity. Kain opened his eyes and smirked as the harbinger quickly jumped away, and he stopped spinning his swords and brought them together into a cross in front of his chest. The sparks jumped from one blade to the other, and a loud crackling sound rose from them and grew in intensity as the energy trapped within the blades desperately sought release. The harbinger raised an eyebrow at the sight, and Kain rushed forward, thrusting his swords straight for the harbinger's chest.
The harbinger grinned as he ducked to his left, and the blades soared past him. He countered with his axes, but Kain's hands reacted before Kain had even noticed the incoming blades, and the four weapons collided in an explosion of crimson lightning as the energy within Kain's swords was discharged. The resulting shockwave caused the walls of the nearby buildings to buckle and crack, and the two combatants flew backward from the force of the impact. Kain had grown used to the force, however, and he spun his blades rapidly. The residual sparks flared to life, and before Kain's body collided with a nearby wall, he was engulfed in the red lightning, and in an instant, he vanished.
The harbinger hit the wall behind him and immediately recovered, his eyes darting from one side to the other in an attempt to find his opponent, who was nowhere to be seen. He stood there for a moment before he felt the hairs on his neck stand up, and he immediately jumped forward as Kain reappeared in the air above him, fully enveloped by the red lightning. With a single thought, Kain willed his swords to absorb the discharged energy once again as he plunged. He pointed his blades at the harbinger as he landed, and two jagged bolts of red energy burst forth from within them, producing a harsh shriek as they flew toward their target. The harbinger ducked, and the bolts soared over his head, but they changed direction immediately upon missing their mark, and they arced down and back to hit him squarely in the back.
The harbinger grunted as the red bolts collided with his body, tumbling forward from the force. He allowed the force to carry him to his opponent, and he turned the tumble into a forward roll, rising back onto his feet and swinging his axes horizontally at Kain's head. Kain ducked an instant before they would have connected, but he needn't have bothered, as the axes stopped just short of their intended destination. Kain looked up to see the harbinger staring down the street, and he followed his gaze to see Landin and several guards running toward them. The harbinger frowned and said "It's not as fun when vermin try to crash the party. It's a shame, really. I was looking forward to killing you, but not when there are witnesses. The shouting of crowds makes my head split." He looked back at Kain and said "I am an artist, my friend, spreading death and fear wherever I go. The trick is to only kill as many as you need to for the fear to take hold. Once that has been accomplished, all that is left is to watch the drama unfold. This place is boring, though. I'll be going now." With that, he faded where he stood, leaving Kain to deal with the guards alone. When Landin arrived at the spot, he looked around and viewed the destruction, then turned to Kain and asked "What happened? Who was that man you were fighting?" Kain sighed and said "You're better off not knowing." Landin glared at him suspiciously, but he merely shrugged and said "Your murderer has already left the town. He is no longer within your jurisdiction, and it would be better for you if you didn't try to hunt him down."
He then walked calmly back down the side street, but he didn't sheath his swords until he had put considerable distance between himself and the guards. Realizing that they wouldn't let him leave until morning, he headed back to the inn to rent a room for the night with the intention of leaving as soon as the sun rose.
The door to the inn flew open, and Kain stepped outside. Without a word to Ronan, he immediately headed for the west gate. "So," Ronan said to him as he passed, causing Kain to turn his head to regard the storyteller. "What do you say to providing my group with an escort? I can pay you well." He held up the bag of coins that he had taken from Miria, who had fallen asleep at the most inopportune time. Kain raised an eyebrow and said "One half-empty bag of silver will not suffice to pay for my services." "How about a half-empty bag of gold?" Ronan asked. Kain's eyes narrowed, and he said "Show me." Ronan shrugged, held out the bag, and pulled it open, revealing the shiny gold coins within.
"Okay," Kain muttered as he looked back up at Ronan. "Now tell me something. Why does your group need my help in the first place? You seem to get along well enough on your own if you can muster that much coin." "Maybe so," Ronan said. "But one can never be too careful. Besides, we're all going the same way, you and our group. It would be safer for us to travel together, given the recent troubles in this region."
Kain looked at Ronan with suspicion. The man standing before him was hard to read, and therefore he was dangerous. Still, the money he offered was genuine, and Kain wouldn't be much of a mercenary if he didn't work for shady employers at times. "Fine," he said finally, extending his arm to take the bag. Ronan grinned as he handed it over and said "Great! Now we just need to get paid for our last job and we're out of this town!"
Suddenly, the door burst open again, and Miria stormed out. "Ronan!" she shouted as she turned toward him. "What did you do with my money?!" She looked down at the bag in Kain's hands, and a look of pure anger spread across her face as she looked back up at Ronan. "That was mine, you arsehole!" she yelled, and Ronan shook his head. "It went to a good cause," he replied, but Miria was still fuming. The door opened once again, and Emerin stepped out, his eyes immediately turning toward the source of the ruckus. He sighed and asked "What did you do this time, Ronan?"
"He stole my money and gave it to that guy!" Miria exclaimed as she pointed a finger toward Kain, who stood dumbfounded at the sight of the group's bickering. Finally, he spoke up, asking "Do you do this all the time? How do you people get anything done?" "To answer both of your questions," replied Emerin. "Yes, and we somehow seem to manage regardless, though frankly, we haven't been a group for very long." "I see," Kain said. "Well, money's money. I've been hired to help you get to Ryllas. That is where you're going, yes?"
Emerin was taken aback at his statement. He looked at Ronan, who smirked and said "With harbingers around, we'll need all the help we can get. Besides, we'll get paid more than we lost when we report to whoever's in charge of the guard now." Emerin sighed again, but he suddenly straightened when he caught sight of someone familiar coming toward them.
"Hail," said Landin as he approached the group with two guards behind him. He walked up to them, looked at Kain, and said "We found no sign of the murderer. It looks like he somehow gave us the slip. I still don't understand it at all." Kain sighed and said "Some things are meant to be beyond your comprehension. Even if you knew, there would be nothing you could do about it." Landin frowned and said "The man was our captain. It would be a disservice to him and his family, as well as all of the citizens of this town, if we didn't catch the killer." "Then I guess you'll just have to disappoint them," Kain replied.
Landin shook his head, then turned toward Emerin and asked "What about you? Have you had much success?" Before Emerin could answer, Ronan interjected, saying "Of course we succeeded. We found the mage responsible for summoning those monsters and slew him. Your town is now safe from the hellspawn." Landin looked at Ronan, then turned his gaze back toward Emerin, who nodded and said "A mage named Azzar was responsible for the attack. He seemed to have been working with the Ebon Sun, a group of slavers that have been terrorizing the region. He was also a part of some cult called the Lucent Mask, but I have no idea who they are. We killed Azzar, as well as the Ebon Sun members who were with him." "What happened to the other three?" Landin asked with concern. "You left with three others besides Starlen, Kaiser, and that Velani girl who arrived here earlier." "Two of them are no longer with us," Emerin replied. "One was killed in the forest, betrayed by his companion. The other one is, well, he's still inside of the inn."
"I see," Landin said with a sad expression. "My condolences for your loss." Ronan asked him "What? Oh, right, that dead guy. Yeah, his death really hit us hard. He was so young. He had so much to live for." Emerin and Miria both rolled their eyes, and Emerin said "We are now headed west to meet up with Starlen and the others. It's very important that we make the trip as soon as we can." Landin nodded and said "We don't have much more work for you, anyway. We're too concerned with making funeral arrangements for the people we lost. As for your reward, we were going to make a spectacle of it, but again, we now have other problems. Come with me, though, and I will take you to the lord's manor. He wants to reward you himself."
Ronan nudged Emerin's arm, and when Emerin turned his head to regard him, he grinned and said "A gift from the lord himself, eh? You're moving up in the world, Em." Emerin shook his head and replied "It's as much your reward as it is mine. We did it together." "Sure," Ronan said. "But you're the leader of this group, so you get the glory, as well as the blame for when things go wrong." Emerin thought about his sentence for a moment, then asked "And what exactly will go wrong, Ronan?" Ronan shrugged and answered "Hopefully nothing, but considering our recent bad luck, I wouldn't put it past the gods to have a rather sadistic sense of humor."
Kaiser's mocking grin faded instantly from his face, and he considered Velani's words. She was right. He was once again letting his anger and frustration get to him. He sighed, walked up to her side, and stood looking up at the brightening sky. Velani watched him as he did so, her eyes transfixed upon his face as the morning light illuminated its features. With his right side facing her, his scars were hidden from her view, and she was surprised to see how soft his appearance truly was. Without the scars that marred his face, Kaiser would have been a handsome young man.
Kaiser noticed her staring and turned to regard her. "What is it?" he asked her, his voice softer than usual when he spoke. Velani blinked and shook her head. "Nothing," she said as she turned back to view the sunrise. "It is a beautiful sunrise, I will admit," Kaiser said. The two of them stood there for another moment, watching the sun in silence. Starlen looked at them from where she was lying down and pretending to still be asleep, and a slight smile formed on her face. She couldn't help but smile as she considered the two. While they seemed to grate on each other's nerves often, their dispositions toward each other had begun to soften. After a while, they turned back toward the camp, and Starlen closed her eyes again, trying hard to make it seem as though she wasn't watching.
The group was greeted by a young woman with long blond hair wearing a long black dress adorned with small gold circles stitched into the hems and sleeves. The woman bowed and said "Welcome back, agents of Bellepoint. I am Silva, the lord's daughter. I regret to inform you that our lord has been called away on important business. As such, I have been instructed to deliver your reward in his stead."
Emerin couldn't take his eyes off of her. The lord's daughter was truly a beautiful young woman, with soft facial features and clear blue eyes that that sparkled in the candlelight. He barely noticed the dull pain in his side after Miria's elbow rammed into it. "Ow," he muttered as his trance broke. Ronan smirked at him, and Miria rolled her eyes.
"Er, thank you for your welcome," he said with a bow. Landin walked past the group and stood beside Silva as she nodded in acknowledgement. She nodded to Landin, who walked away for a moment before returning with a red bag made of silk. He handed it to her, and she walked up to Emerin and held it out in front of him. "This bag contains three hundred go coins. I hope that it proves to be an adequate reward for your service."
Emerin reached for the bag, but he stopped for an instant when he looked into her eyes. With their faces so close to each other, Emerin could see something else in them besides the sparkling reflections of the candles. He saw the same inner confidence and strength that only a trained fighter could muster. In that instant, his opinion of her changed dramatically. She was clearly not as harmless as he had thought just a short while ago. He took the bag as quickly as he could without offending her in order to mask his sudden apprehension, but a slight upward twitch of Silva's lips told him that she noticed anyway.
He softly cleared his throat and backed away, bowing his head in newfound respect to the lord's daughter, who nodded once again in response. Silva looked at him for a short while longer before addressing the entire group. "I sincerely hope that you all find everything that you need here in this town, and that you will continue to be an indispensable group of agents in our service." With that, she bowed to the group one last time, then turned toward Landin and said "We have other things to discuss later, lieutenant, if you don't mind stay for a while." "Of course not, my lady," Landin replied with a bow.
The group left the manor soon afterward and headed for the west gate. Ronan walked beside Emerin and said "You might just be biting off more than you can chew with that girl, Em." Emerin turned his head to regard Ronan and asked "What are you talking about?" "I saw the way you looked at her in there," Ronan explained, a knowing smirk on his face. "But trust me when I say she's off-limits. Hundreds of suitors have tried to court her, and none of them have walked away without something broken." "Just out of curiosity, why is that?" Emerin asked. "Well," Ronan replied. "Ever since she came of age, that young lady has become notorious for the rather extreme trial that she puts them through. Essentially, they have to defeat her in combat before they can claim her hand in marriage." "You make it sound like that's impossible," Miria said. "As I said, no man who has ever accepted the challenge has been able to complete it," Ronan stated with a smirk. "That seems very impressive," said Emerin. Ronan shrugged and said "Perhaps, though many of the potential husbands may have been ordinary, untrained dolts with no real combat experience. At least, at first."
Kain snorted as the group walked through the west gate, and Emerin cocked an eyebrow. Their new companion certainly seemed confident in his own abilities, to put it mildly. Eventually, he shrugged and led the group outside of the town and onto the road toward Ryllas.
She walked up to the gate and shouted "Opal whiskers!" Suddenly, a loud series of metallic clicks emanated from the gate, and the doors slowly opened with a loud rumble. After the noise had stopped, and the gate had fully opened, Jett motioned for the others to head inside. As they passed, Velani asked "'Opal whiskers'? Is that some kind of code or something?" "I sure hope so," Jett replied. "It was the phrase they told me to say when I got back, though it's entirely possible that they only made me say that for laughs while they opened the door from the inside." "Wait," said Starlen. "What about travelers who don't know the password?" Jett shrugged and said "They have to use the other gate and go through the long, boring manual clearance system. That involves a lot of questions and inventory searches. However, since you're with me, you get in this way." She looked smugly at Kaiser. "This is why it pays to know people," she told him. Kaiser willingly conceded her point after hearing about the usual method for travelers to enter the city.
The group enter Ryllas, and Starlen and Kaiser both stopped dead in their tracks at the sight before them. Large, round buildings made of what seemed to be glass flooded their vision. Within each of these buildings, several workers were tilling and harvesting a wide variety of crops. "We grow our food on the surface here, in greenhouses," Jett explained to the others as though she was giving them a tour. "Our own houses are mostly underground, though all of Ryllas's mages dwell within that tower there." She pointed at the lone tower that jutted upward, reaching far above the other buildings and nearly touching the clouds. "That looks like it would be a long way up," Kaiser said, pointing his own finger toward the top of the tower.
Jett shrugged again and said "We have a solution to that too. You'll see it soon enough when we get there." She grinned when she saw Kaiser look at her in confusion and added "You know, I kinda get a kick out of seeing you react like this." Kaiser frowned and stormed away toward the tower. Jett laughed before turning her attention toward Starlen, who was still ogling the surrounding greenhouses. "There are so many of them," Starlen said. "How do you eat all of this?" "It's a city, Starlen," Jett replied as though the answer should have been obvious. "There are a lot of people living here. We've even had to expand the walls recently to make more room for new additions." Starlen's gaze turned toward the tower. "I don't think I could live in a place like that," she said. "It's way too tall." "Better that than in the ratways," Velani muttered with a barely concealed scowl. Starlen looked at her curiously, and she explained "That's what normal citizens of Ryllas call the tunnels that they live in."
Jett frowned and said "That is debatable from a certain perspective." Velani scoffed at her and followed Kaiser. Starlen looked back at Jett and asked "What are you talking about?" Jett sighed and replied "The average citizen lives underground, but some of them are getting sick of seeing nothing but dirt all around them. I don't blame them, but life in the tower isn't much better, trust me." She walked after the other two, and Starlen quickly followed after her.
Ronan smirked and said "You know, Miria, most of Ryllas is underground. Are you sure that you wish to antagonize the one man who would protect you from the bats?" Miria's eyes popped open, and she stammered "N-not the bats. Please don't talk about bats." "What's that on your back?!" Emerin shouted frantically as he pointed at Miria's back. "AHHHH!" Miria screamed, flailing her arms about wildly as she ran around in circles. Emerin laughed and said "Don't worry, Miria. There's nothing on your back." Miria stopped moving and started to rub her back. After feeling nothing, she looked at Emerin and scowled. "That's not funny," she said angrily. "It's no less funny than you calling Starlen my sweetheart," Emerin countered. Miria sighed and said "Fine, let's call a truce then." Emerin smiled and nodded in approval.
From his position north of the campsite, Kain watched the group with a harsh glare. Eventually, he walked toward them and said "Enough of this nonsense. We need to continue westward." Brian, who was watching the trees to the south, walked toward the group as well. "We've got company," he spoke softly to the group. "Some dastardly deviants of doom have noticed our passage. They are now moving to bar our way forward with their evil plans and sinister handlebar mustaches." Kain sighed and said "This is why we needed to keep moving. Now we have to fight our way through."
"Those must be some mustaches," Emerin muttered before shaking his head and saying "Alright, let's move forward with caution." Kain snorted and said "Damn your caution. This is what I live for." He drew his swords and strode confidently down the road. Emerin looked to his companions and shrugged before following after him.
"Lost, are we?" she asked with some amusement as Kaiser walked toward her. "It would seem so," Kaiser replied, a slight tremor in his voice betraying his confusion. Velani's smile wavered as she considered that the man standing before her was now very much out of his element. "Come on," she said as she gestured for him to follow her, and he willingly agreed.
As the two adventurers made their way through the maze of glass, Velani couldn't help but smile at the thought of their tracker being lost. Still, she understood that moving around Ryllas was difficult without asking for directions or getting a local to serve as a guide. Kaiser noticed that they were essentially retracing their steps, and he asked "Just how long have I been going the wrong way?" "Not too long," Velani replied. "Only a few more steps before we're back on track." Kaiser watched her as they walked and said "You know quite a bit about this city."
Velani stopped suddenly and looked back at him. "This is where I was raised as a child," she spoke softly, a hint of sorrow in her voice. "This place was always home to me, even after I left." His curiosity piqued, Kaiser asked her "Why did you leave? What made you choose the life of an adventurer?" Velani said nothing, but she continued to stare at him for a long while. Eventually, she broke the stare, casting her eyes downward as she said "It's too personal. I no longer felt welcome here. That's all that I'm going to say."
Kaiser nodded slowly, choosing to respect her wishes for privacy. "I'm sorry for asking," he said, but Velani shook her head and smiled. "It's alright," she said. "You wouldn't have known that it was so personal if you didn't ask. Besides, I already know about your own troubles. It would only have been fair for me to answer your question." Her smile faded, and she added "I still can't tell you, though. I'm sorry."
Kaiser looked at her with concern. She was obviously recalling some unpleasant memories, and he didn't want her to suffer like she was. Finally, he decided to change the subject to one that was hopefully more appealing to her. "So, where was your favorite place to go to in this city?" he asked. Velani laughed and said "Way to change
L the subject, Kaiser. I know of at least one place where I had some fun as a kid. I don't know if it's still there, but..." She thought for a moment, then said "If you don't mind being a little late to the search for your father, I could show you." Kaiser crossed his arms and replied "You know what, he has been waiting for over ten years already. He can wait a bit longer."
Velani's jaw nearly dropped when she heard that. In the admittedly short amount of time in which she knew him, Kaiser had only been concerned with finding his father. Seeing her surprised look, Kaiser smiled and said "We have no idea where he is. He might not even be here. We might as well do some sight seeing while we are here." He shrugged, but Velani could see the frustration lying just beneath the surface of his face. He was trying hard not to show it, but she could tell that the idea of abandoning his search, even for a little while, was gnawing at him from the inside.
"Are you sure?" Velani asked cautiously. She didn't want to force him into something that he didn't want to do. "I suggested it, didn't I?" Kaiser asked her in response. Velani frowned for a moment, and Kaiser shook his head, saying "I want to know more about you and this city. Is that really so surprising?" Velani gave him a surprised look once again and said "I...don't know. Maybe?" Kaiser smiled again and said "Well, don't get used to it. I'm still the same grumpy old tall guy with a chip on his shoulder." Velani grinned and replied "Oh, come on, you're not old." She then gestured for him to follow her and led him in the opposite direction from where they had been walking.
Ronan ran his fingers through his hair and said "Alright, time to loot the bodies. Do it quick, because we need to get moving if we want to make it to Ryllas before nightfall." Emerin, who had been hanging back with Miria during the fight, said "Let's just go. We don't need anything that these guys had." Ronan shook looked back at him with a shocked expression. "We're not looting the bodies?!" he asked dramatically. "Of course not," Emerin replied. "We don't need every single silver piece that we find." "For shame, Em!" Ronan declared sharply. "What manner of fiend merely walks past money without picking it up?!" "The most heroic fiend in the world!" Brian interjected. "True heroes need no vile blood money. That would just be mean!" "Says the guy who grabbed Garm's armor," Ronan replied.
Miria snickered suddenly, and when Emerin turned to face her, she said "Garm's armor? More like 'Garmor', eh?" Emerin sighed. Surrounded by five dead bandits, Kain sheathed his swords and glared at the others. "I don't give a soaring sod about this shit," he said with a snarl. "You're only wasting time." "It's what we do," replied Ronan. Kain sneered at him, but Emerin quickly stepped forward and said "You're right. We should move on. Let's go, guys!"
The rest of the journey to Ryllas proved uneventful, and the group reached the city just as the sun started to set. Emerin led the others toward the city's public entrance. "The guards will search our gear and register our weapons," he said, directing his statement more toward Miria than anyone else. "Once that happens, we'll be free to enter and stay in the city as long as we don't start any trouble with the law." "You humans and your weapons," Ronan said with a smirk. "You wouldn't need to worry about searches if you had trained to use your fists and feet instead like a certain incredibly handsome and smooth evil genius."
"Who is also obnoxious, sadistic, arrogant, sexist, and a big jerk," Miria remarked. Ronan smirked at her as they all headed toward the gate. All, that is, except for Brian, who stopped and stared at the city's wall for a long while. When Emerin noticed that he had stopped, he stopped as well and asked "Are you okay?" Brian said nothing. Emerin carefully walked toward him and asked the question again. Brian slowly turned his gaze toward Emerin, and Emerin saw something in Brian's eyes that he didn't want to see. Brian's eyes seemed dull and devoid of the usual cheeriness that Emerin had come to expect. In fact, Brian's downcast expression seemed eerily similar to what he and the others had seen in Azzar's hideout.
"Brian?" Emerin spoke his name softly, not wanting to startle the blond man. Brian suddenly began shaking his head, and he muttered "Not my fault." Emerin looked at him curiously, but he offered no explanation. He stood there for a moment longer before reluctantly trudging toward the gate, and Emerin followed him at a safe distance, watching him carefully as they both moved to rejoin the group.
Starlen shifted her gaze downward and stared at the ground. "Still," she muttered softly. "I can't shake the feeling that he might run into trouble." "Can he handle himself in combat?" Jett asked her suddenly. Starlen looked up to see Jett's questioning stare. After a short pause, she nodded. "Yes," she said. "He can, but he's not perfect. I should be there with him when the fighting starts." Truthfully, she was worried about what would happen if their father was to catch either of them alone. The stranger in the forest had told them that he was in Ryllas, after all.
Starlen's train of thought stopped immediately as she considered that little detail. Upon further consideration, she realized that the stranger had done nothing to help them, aside from frightening away Jemeniah. Since that was the case, why was she so willing to trust him? As she remembered his face, she felt a sense of familiarity with the man, almost as though she had seen him before many years ago.
At that point, the answer suddenly popped into her head. The man seemed familiar because he was there ten years ago, when she had carried her brother away from their old home. He stood alone against their father, preventing him from following after them. She rembered the ring of clashing blades that had pierced through her ears and echoed within her mind as she fled.
"Um, you okay?" asked Jett, but Starlen didn't respond. She was trying to remember something, anything that could tell her who the man was, but she couldn't. His identity stubbornly eluded her. After a while, she let out a deep breath as she gave up on trying to recall anything. She focused once again upon Jett, who was starting to look concerned, and she smiled. "I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't zone out like that while we're standing out in the open." She looked up and scanned the tower's entire length before asking "I'm guessing that this tower isn't just yours, right?" Jett snorted and said "Yeah, right. I wouldn't know what to do with half of these floors if I was the sole occupant. I'm mostly out doing field work nowadays. My assistant would have a few ideas, but let's be honest, none of them are all that good." She shot Starlen a mischievous grin before she turned and walked toward the tower's door. Starlen gave one final look toward the surrounding area, then followed her inside.
Kaiser smiled in an attempt to cheer her up, and it seemed to work, as her smile grew wider. "You know, you should smile more often," she said. "You remind me of a little kid." Kaiser's smile faded, and he stared at her in silence for a moment before asking "What used to be here, anyway?" Velani sighed and answered "My hideout. There was a small wooden shed here when I was little. I used to come around here and hide whenever people were looking for me." Her eyes drifted down to toward the ground as she added "And they were, all the time. I truly have no idea as to how they had managed to overlook that little shed, but it worked for a while."
"Who exactly was looking for you?" Kaiser asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. Velani closed her eyes for a brief moment before responding, but as she opened her mouth to speak, another voice reached their ears. "Well, if it isn't sweet little Vel, all grown up and making new friends," the voice called. Velani's eyes widened, and she turned toward the source of the voice to see a face that she hadn't seen in years. She cringed when she saw the tall dark-haired man dressed in black who was carrying two silver-edged daggers in his belt.
The man approached her slowly with a sinister smirk upon his face and said "You made a serious mistake in coming back here, love. You know what happens to nosy little girls who can't keep their mouths shut in the ratways." He moved to get closer to her, but Kaiser stepped between them. "I'm new to this town," he said to the man, the tone of his voice making it clear to everyone that he was ready to fight. "Perhaps you could enlighten me." The man backed up a few steps and said "Your friend will only get you into even more trouble, Vel. You both would do well to watch where you step." Kaiser snorted and said "You and your men in the shadows behind you are just another typical band of thugs." He leaned forward and brought the full force of his glare down upon the man, and he continued, saying "If you wish to remain in one piece, you will leave. Now."
The man swallowed hard as he tried to retain his composure. Finally, he flashed a derisive smirk toward the two companions and turned to leave. Kaiser watched him go and didn't take his eyes off of him until he was a long way away from them. Velani sighed and said "Sorry. It looks like I haven't been gone long enough, after all. I was hoping that they had forgotten all about me." Kaiser turned toward her and asked "What did happen here? Why were they after you?" Velani shifted her feet and gave a half-hearted shrug, but Kaiser continued to stare at her, determined to get an answer. Eventually, she groaned and said "Fine, I'll tell you, but only because you got yourself caught up in it."
An extra sentence added to Kaiser's lecturing when he found out that Starlen had told the others about their heritage.
Three extra paragraphs detailing Emerin's conversation with Brian in the Journeyman's Respite after returning from their mission in the forest.
Replaced a corny idea that Starlen had about Kaiser and Velani as a couple with something not as 'blah'.
Brian gazed up blankly at the tower in the distance while Ronan proceeded forward. Emerin looked at him and asked "Where are you going?" "To the tower," he said matter-of-factly. "It's as good a place to start as any if we're searching for your girlfriend." "She's not my girlfriend!" Emerin exclaimed loudly. Ronan smirked as he continued on toward the tower. "That's right!" Miria called out. "I'm his girlfirend!" She turned toward Emerin and grinned mischievously at his incredulous reaction. "Stop that!" he shouted angrily, but Miria merely continued to grin at him. "I'm not joking!" "Well, maybe I'm not joking either," she replied, her grin becoming less malevolent. Emerin stared at her blankly, and she said "Maybe you're just the kind of guy that I'm looking for. After all, you did risk a lot to keep me safe in that forest back there."
Emerin's cheeks began to turn red. "I-I just take care of my friends, really," he stammered. "I mean, you were in danger, so-" "So you heroically swooped in and swept her off her feet, your righteous blade of thundering justice filling the hearts of her oppressors with fear and lightning in equal measure!" shouted Brian, who was apparently still beside them. "Surely the bards will sing of your powerful love for each other for centuries to come!" "Brian, what in the hells was that?!" Emerin asked vehemently. Brian grinned at him and answered "That, my friend, is what any good wingman would say to help spark the flames of passion! The time has come for your hearts to roast over them together on the spit of love!" Emerin looked over toward Miria, who snickered as she watched Brian's show of support.
He shook his head and said "Look, I don't think that this is really the right time for this kind of discussion." "When is the right time?" Miria asked him as she crossed her arms. "I don't know, later," he nervously replied. Miria sighed and said "You know what, you're right. I shouldn't press the issue any further." She walked away toward the tower, leaving a confused Emerin and Brian behind. "Wow," Brian said after she had gone. "Where did the bucket of water come from?" "Oh, shut up!" Emerin snapped at him.
Emerin looked at him and frowned. "We'll see about that," he said calmly, though in truth his heart was starting to race at the thought. If the harbingers were as powerful as Ronan had led them all to believe, then the fight ahead of them would surely be difficult. Still, he trusted in his companions' strength and resolve, and one demon alone, no matter how powerful, wouldn't be enough to defeat them all. He told this to himself within his own head as he stared at Kain defiantly.
Kain saw his look of defiance and snorted. "Just a fair warning," he said threateningly. "If any of you get in the way of my revenge, I will have no trouble with killing the whole lot of you. Get out of my way." He roughly pushed past Emerin, who stumbled and nearly fell, but Brian caught him and held him steady. "Thanks," he said, but Brian shook his head and replied "I've got your back, boss." As he heard the words which almost seemed strange coming from Brian, Emerin could barely believe that he was the same guy. He straightened and asked "Why do you only let me see this side of you?" Brian shrugged and said "No reason, aside from the fact that you bothered to ask questions." He grinned as he continued, saying "If everyone received the same treatment, I would be setting myself up for getting stabbed in the back."
Emerin started to say something, but a sudden soft sound from behind him quickly drew both of their attentions. "Speaking of which..." Brian muttered as he walked around Emerin to intercept what seemed to be a small furry creature. He knelt down and scooped it up as Emerin tried to take a better look at it. As Brian rose and turned back toward him, Emerin could finally see what it was that had run up to them.
It was a ferret. Brian held the small creature tenderly with both hands as he smiled warmly. "This is Stoat, my little buddy," he said softly as he walked back to Emerin. Emerin looked at the small creature with surprise and asked "Is this your pet?" "I'm nobody's pet, sir," the ferret suddenly spoke with a commanding voice, which nearly caused Emerin to jump out of his shoes. "Wha..." he started to say, but he could hardly continue to speak after just hearing an animal do the same thing. Brian nodded in understanding, then said "He like to make a strong first impression." The ferret seemed to grin as Brian finished what he was saying, and Emerin blinked several times and shook his head wildly to clear his mind.
"I've got your back, Em," Brian repeated. "And this little guy's got mine. He's a sneaky little fellow. He helped me escape from...er, wherever it was that I escaped from." "Hardly a task worthy of my talents," the ferret said haughtily as it turned up its nose in apparent disgust. "By the by, what was your name again, my good man?" "Um," Emerin still couldn't effectively respond to being asked questions by a talking ferret. "Pleasure to meet you, sir Um," the ferret said with a short bow. "I am called Stoat, though my colleagues from the college know me as the ferret lord. I am quite pleased to see that Brianheart has found a friend whom he could trust." "Er, thank you?" Emerin asked more than said. "My name's not Um, by the way, it's Emerin." "Very well, sir Emerin," Stoat said with another short bow. "Now, shall we find your other friends, then?" Stoat leaped from Brian's hands and vanished completely from sight, despite the lack of shadows cast upon the ground. When Emerin looked back up at Brian, he simply shrugged and said "Wait for it."
Suddenly, Emerin's vision turned black for only an instant as a dark shadow enveloped him. As quickly as it washed over him, however, it vanished, and Emerin noticed that he and Brian had moved. He looked around and saw Miria and Ronan standing to his left, looking at him with questioning expressions. To his right, he saw that he and his friends had been brought to the base of the tower. Surprised, he turned back to Brian, who said "Little scamp makes things almost too easy."
The thief couldn't survey his surroundings, as the darkness cloaked everything in all directions, causing him to become nervous as he cautiously approached. That was how the monster liked it, and only he was allowed to enter the place. The thief continued forward until he heard a deep growl within the darkness in front of him. He stopped dead in his tracks and bowed as sweat began to form on his face.
"Why have you come to me this time?" The deep voice resonated within the shadows with such malevolence that the thief could barely respond. "I-I have come t-to...make a report," the thief said shakily, his own voice seeming small and fragile by comparison. "I saw Vel...Velani has returned to Ryllas, and she has brought a friend." "Spare me your pointless internal strife," the deep voice echoed once more. "If you have anything of real value to me, say it now, and without such nonsense."
The thief bowed his head more deeply as he said "The man who was with her...He matched the description that you had provided for us. You wanted us to report to you once we discovered a tall red-haired man with a torn face, and we did. He's traveling with her." For a long moment, there was silence once again, and the thief couldn't help but swallow hard as he grew more and more anxious. Finally, the deep voice came again, asking "Was he the only one? Were there no others?" The thief quickly shook his head and answered "No, they were both alone. We would have fought them, but then I remembered what you said about reporting the news to you."
"Hm," the voice cut through the silent air once more. "There is little possibility that he could have left her behind. If he is here, then so is she. This situation has become much more interesting." Suddenly, a loud boom erupted throughout the hall as numerous torches along the walls burst into flames, revealing the large chamber, which was empty aside from a wide, ornately decorated throne adorned with glistening red gemstones. Sitting upon the throne was a man, though to the thief he was more monster than man. His massive frame was nearly as wide as he was tall, with arms the size of tree trunks that bulged with rippling muscles. Wearing a stark white suit of chain, the man leaned forward, his bent body still an managing to tower above the thief as he stood up. Upon the crown of his head, protruding outward from within a cascade of long red hair, we're two long black horns that bent forward slightly as they extended outward.
The man reached around the left side of his throne and pulled from the shadows behind him two large spears with hooked tips as he ordered "Tell your men to follow them closely, and make sure that they do not leave the city. Do not engage them unless you are forced into a battle. I will follow you to them, and I will deal with them myself, understand?" "Yes, Garinbold," the thief replied immediately. "Your word is law here, after all."