Arion: Woof
Angel: …Who seriously needs some help, wouldn't you say minna-san? ^^
Arion: Awwoooooooo~
Angel: *coughs* Ahem…now, this chapter was only written by Arion-san and-
The Real Arion: What's going on here? Why are you letting a dog impersonate me?
Angel: Huh? *Looks from Real Arion to Dog-Arion* Oh…well y'know…there's so much similarity between you two and all ^^
The Real Arion: Don't be insulting. As if I would be so crass and crude. Humph. As everyone will see, this chapter is entirely by me.
Arion the Dog: Woof.
The Real Arion: Shut up you mangy mutt. Ahem. Please enjoy the chapter. It's about time we get to know the dark forces in this story, eh?
Angel: *Mutters* And that's why I like the dog better -_-; ) Well, yeah….hope you like the chapter, leave us a nice review and don't worry 'cause I got the next chapter all to myself ^o^
The Real Arion: Noooooo youuu wonnnntttt!!! You can never escape…the dreaded claws of the Editorrrr!!!
Angel: *Grabs him by the collar* Don't mind him…. Read on, minna-san! *Drags him away*
Arion the Dog: Woof.
Chapter 6: Dark DesignsBy Arion Wong
"Such a quaint little place," a coldly, seductive voice whispered.
The woman who had identified herself as Iveria to the Hikarigumi hovered in the night sky, looking dispassionately down at the city. The moon's light was obscured by the clouds, but in the darkness, her plain white eyes, without pupils; glowed.
The wind whipped her wavy black hair around, but it caused her no discomfort. Her long, flowing dress shimmered, as if absorbing the darkness around her.
One hand on her cheek and the other cupping an elbow, she looked like a dark, mysterious beauty contemplating the mundane affairs of the world. Who knew the thoughts running through her mind?
"Lady Iveria."
The sound of her name being called by an urbane voice broke the icy woman's reverie. Turning around in mid-air, a smile slowly appeared on her face.
"My my, coming out all the way here to greet me, how kind of you," she said mockingly at her visitor.
"Oh, it's no trouble at all," the visitor replied genially, "It's just what a gentleman should do."
"Really my dear Baron, you are so chivalrous," Iveria chuckled.
"Of course, only a beauty such as you would deserve my attention," the Baron replied smoothly.
One would easily mistaken the easy conversation between the two of them as idle flirting, if one could ignore the fact that they were chatting at least a hundred feet off the ground. The beauty of Iveria and the devilish handsomeness of the Baron would have made the theory even more plausible.
He had a chiseled body built like an athlete, a square jaw and deep blue eyes, the hallmarks of a dashing actor or sports champion. His blonde hair, streaked with white side locks, was slicked back, adding to the look.
Then again, one would have to be blind to ignore the huge pair of wings on the back of the Baron, like a male-version of the harpies in myths and legends, except they were like the leathery wings of a bat rather than those of birds.
'Still, he's very handsome... like a marble sculpture...' Iveria thought to herself. Having thought of that, she wondered how the youngish-looking man with gargoyle wings ever wore his clothes. He was dressed in an immaculate tuxedo, with appropriate openings at the shoulder blades for his enormous wings.
"Well, enough with the pleasantries," the Baron said, abruptly ending the light-hearted mood, "the others are waiting for the meeting."
Iveria sighed. "Oh, but it is such a bore," she pouted.
The handsome Baron laughed. "That is why I am escorting you, my dear."
Iveria smiled coyly in return and hooked herself around the Baron's extended arm.
"You're really such a gentleman. I could fall for you easily," she breathed, much to the Baron's amusement.
---
Although Iveria had identified herself to the Hikarigumi to be part of a group called the Forgotten Ones, nobody could easily forget the sheer array of individuals gathered in the hall lighted with primitive torches on the walls.
It was a massive medieval hall, complete with a throne at the head of a long table. Four great, equal chairs lined the table, two on each side, and two thrones at each end. All were occupied by individuals who were more than human.
Or perhaps, less than human.
Iveria, the evil beauty. She was obviously bored already, checking her fingernails for imaginary defects. Ignoring the seemingly dour atmosphere, she hovered several inches above her seat, her long pale legs dangling.
The devilishly handsome Baron sat with his legs crossed and his hands akimbo, a self-satisfied smirk on his face. His great wings were folded behind him, allowing him to sit on his lavish chair without difficulty. With his wings hidden in the darkness of the hall, he looked like an ordinary man.
They sat on the same side of the table, facing two more figures that were more than human.
Seated opposite Iveria was a mountain of a man. He was a large man; on his feet he would have stood eight feet tall. Huge, powerful muscles lined his entire body, thick veins pulsing underneath his grey skin as if threatening to burst. His cruel eyes shone blood red as he angrily shook his lion-mane of black hair. A huge cross-shaped scar lined his throat, and the wound showed just why his voice was so guttural sounding.
Bulky chains were wrapped along the length of both arms, his upper chest unclothed and adorned with a spider-like tattoo that seemed to have a life of its own. His overall look gave the impression of a dangerous barbarian who could easily crush a man's skull with each hand.
"What the hell are ya smiling about?" he demanded of the Baron in a growling voice.
"Nothing, Duke Wolftz," the Baron replied with fake humility, a mocking look in his eyes.
Duke Wolftz growled, the huge chains on his arms rattled dangerously. He viewed the Baron as a dainty man, somewhat of a dainty fellow who wouldn't get his own hands dirty doing the job.
"Calm down, Duke," the figure beside him said. The Duke growled further, but he stopped his chain rattling.
The last among the ones seated around the table was a fully armored individual. There was no flesh visible; it was as if it was a living suit of silvery armor. What was striking was that it was an armor obviously designed for a female: flaring hips, with long slender legs and arms. The helmet had the visage of a fierce hawk carved onto the face of it, so that only two glowing, red orbs that were her eyes were the only signs of life within the armor.
Intricate black runes decorated around the shoulders, neckline and the sides of the torso, and they would pulse with dark energies, like blood rushing inside veins.
"Yes Wolftz-dear, listen to your Knight," Iveria laughed, displaying contempt for her opposite duo.
Wolftz started to rise in anger again, but the armored warrior beside him stopped him.
"Pay no attention to sheep," the armored Knight said, in a strange metallic voice that was also feminine.
"As you say, Silver Knight," Duke Wolftz replied. But his glowering eyes never left Iveria or the Baron, staring daggers at them.
As for the Baron and Iveria, they outward enjoyed nettling the barbaric Duke, though they were privately peeved with the lack of reaction from the Silver Knight.
Before they could settle on what to do next to further irritate the Duke, the entire room seemed to grow darker. A gust of wind blew through the hall, whipping the torches and causing the lights to flicker about.
"Always with the grand entrances," the Baron muttered sarcastically underneath his breath.
True enough, when the wind died down, when the lights were restored, the two thrones were now occupied. At one end was a ghostly figure of a woman, dressed like a medieval queen complete with regal bearings and distinguished features. A small tiara crowned the top of her head, fixed with black jewels that gleamed menacingly.
Her face was covered with a soft veil, not entirely hiding her face but irritatingly blurred her features so that no details could be seen except a pair of rich, full lips. Her flowing robes and the unearthly light that glowed seemingly from within her only added to her ghostly appearance. And when she sat on her throne there was the barest rustle of sounds.
And at the other throne was the king, her opposite number. But he had a more solid presence than his ethereal counterpart. Where she was ghostly, he looked very much alive.
Compared to all of them, the king looked human the most. Duke Wolftz was too unbelievably large, the Baron's wings made him stood out, Iveria's beauty too unearthly and the queen was a ghost.
The king was like a frail old man, with a wizened face that was 'combed by the winds and bathed by the rains'. Under his simple, golden crown was a head of full hair that had turned pure white, as was his short beard. One would mistake him to be a kindly old man until they saw his eyes. They were the only things still youthful, eyes that burned with evil ambition.
His body was hidden by a chain mail and a rough tunic, giving him the appearance of a warrior king, still fiery and spoiling for a fight despite of his apparent age.
"I bid you all welcome," the king said gravely as he surveyed the gathering.
"This must be important to have all of us here at the same time," the Baron replied, crossing his arms.
"Is it too much for this kind, old man to see your faces again?" the king countered in jest, smiling even.
"Dark Royal, you are neither kind nor an old man. Besides, you do everything with a reason," the Baron said, smiling sarcastically.
"Even Queen Ventres is here, that as much speaks for the situation," Iveria added, nodding towards the ghostly queen at the other end of the table.
Dark Royal, the king, locked his fingers together. "Very well, I will go to the heart of the matter. I suppose you have all heard from Iveria about the pests cowering in the capital city?"
The Baron nodded, but Iveria merely looked away innocently when the Duke and the Silver Knight bore their glaring eyes at her.
Dark Royal caught their look and snickered. "Well then, I take it that you two have not. Iveria, that's very naughty of you," he said, wagging a finger adorned with a magnificent ring in chastisement.
"Thank you my liege," Iveria remarked brightly, causing the Duke to clench a fist.
"You-"
"Settle down, Duke, we all know her ways," the king said soothingly with a mischievous smile, eyes twinkling.
The duke was not mollified. "But that damn woman-"
"SETTLE DOWN," Dark Royal repeated. There was no warning in the sudden shift of his tone, from the kindly voice it became as if a rolling thunderstorm that echoed throughout the hall. His eyes blazed brighter, but his smile remained.
"A-aye, my lord..." the Duke stuttered in fear. A huge, towering mass of muscle such as the Duke, cowering before the old king... that speaks much for the power and influence wielded by Dark Royal.
"Good," the king said, reverting back to his quieter voice. "Last week, a band of Iveria's minions conducted a reconnaissance in force into the city, to probe for information. And they found something interesting, didn't they?"
Iveria ignored the question. But the Duke grinned widely, baring his teeth in dark amusement.
"Ah, you mean there's a reason beside her incompetence that her troops were killed?" he asked sneeringly. Iveria glared at him.
"You overgrown oaf! They were mere underlings, nothing more!" she snapped.
"Or maybe they were just useless," the Silver Knight interrupted dismissively.
Before the meeting could degenerate any further, the king gently rapped the table with his knuckle, silencing them. Each was smoldering within at the insults being thrown about, yet they dared not to raise the ire of their liege.
"As I was saying, Iveria's scouts did encounter some resistance in the city," the king continued.
"Do my ears deceive me?" Queen Ventres asked bemusedly. "Our foes have grown backbones and are actually putting up a fight?"
"Indeed, they are. From what Iveria tells me, they called themselves the Anti-Demon Division," Dark Royal answered.
"As if we are demons," the queen laughed quietly.
"My lord," the Duke began respectfully, "are you sure they are worthy of our attentions? Perhaps it was nothing more than just merely the woman's lack of sense that caused her defeat..."
"Shut your mouth, you pig," Iveria snarled, her white eyes flaring.
"Calm down you two," Dark Royal interrupted, again intervening to stop the argument. He brought his linked fingers close to his face in a gesture of thoughtfulness.
"For some time now, I have sensed a growing irritation in the back of my mind," the aged-looking king revealed. "Perhaps the source would be the people mentioned by Iveria."
"If they are indeed worthy opponents, then I am anxious to test my skills against them," the Silver Knight said, flexing a gauntleted fist.
The king laughed. "Oh no, they are nothing yet. It's as irritating as a bunch of flies buzzing around the table. I'm curious to how much they will grow to actually be a threat to us."
"Weeds must be rooted out before they grow troublesome," the queen cautioned.
"True. But our plan for revenge shall require some more time as yet," the king said in an indulging tone. "They make a fine foil for our troops, which had nothing to fight except peasants and the pitiable weapons of this nation so far."
"Then I claim first strike against them!" the Duke stood up and yelled. "I have been idle too long; I will get sick if I do not take the field again!"
"Sick in the head, more like," the Baron remarked quietly so that only Iveria could hear, causing her to giggle girlishly.
"Iveria, you have no wish to avenge yourself?" Dark Royal inquired.
She folded her arms. "Let the brute do what he likes. I'd rather see him eat his words when he fails."
"So, you see something in them as well?" the King insisted.
"Perhaps, my lord. I have a feeling that they are going to be a nuisance, just like Queen Ventres warned," the raven-haired woman shrugged. The ethereal queen nodded in acknowledgment.
"Bah, your worries are for nothing!" the Duke scoffed.
"Very well. Proceed in your own leisure, my Duke, but do not allow our progress elsewhere to suffer."
"You have my word, my liege!" the Duke said proudly.
"We shall see. Now, this meeting is adjourned. Retire to your commands, we shall meet again."
One by one, the inhuman figures stood up and disappeared into thin air. Finally, only the aged king and his ghostly queen remained.
"You risk letting our enemies grow more powerful," Ventres said as she approached him to stand at his side.
"Let them," the king answered, his eyes blazing once more. "The more powerful they are, the more energies for us to draw from them, don't you agree?"
The queen nodded reluctantly. Seeking to reassure her, Dark Royal stood up and brushed his wizened fingers against her veil, not quite touching but tracing lines, as if afraid that his fingers would go through her figure.
"We knew the risks when we embarked on this enterprise, my queen. Do you regret it now?" he asked softly.
"Never," she replied unhesitatingly. "I shall always be with you."
The king smiled, almost tenderly.
"As shall I, my queen. And woe betides those who stand in our way."
---End Chapter 6: Dark Designs---
End-notes:
[1] The Baron, Duke Wolftz, The Silver Knight, Dark Royal created by Arion Wong
[2] Queen Ventres suggested by Yoru no Angel