Crimson Twilight: Dusk

Chapter 13: Invasion

The arrow sped from the huntress's bow with unerring accuracy. Arcing gracefully in the air; it found its target and struck home. The lone high orc was, at least, a hundred feet away when she took the shot. Despite the distance, the arrow pierced the high orc's right eye.

The high orc could only croak out a dying gasp before falling on his side. His bloody, two-handed axe fell uselessly to the ground. With his remaining eye, the high orc tried to get a good look at his killer as it approached. The one with the gakkung was a woman. Despite the blurring vision of his eye, the high orc could notice her shoulder-length, light blue hair from afar. She was slim, lithe and of average height for a female of her race. It was surprising that the ambush party could be wiped out by this woman but that was what happened. She approached the dying orc cautiously. As she got closer, the orc noticed her icy, blue eyes. Neither pity nor fear flickered in those eyes. For a moment, he thought that he was killed by a machine that resembled humans. The woman's pale skin and expressionless stare made it seem that blood did not flow in her veins but ice. He did not harbor these thoughts for long, though. A few seconds more and his remaining eye closed, adding another corpse to the pile of her victims.

Seihanine Xalascent stared grimly at her handiwork as she replaced her weapon behind her. She pulled the arrow out of the dead orc's eye and inspected the point. Judging it to be still useful, she wiped the point off with a bit of cloth and replaced it in her quiver. She looked around to inspect the battle site. It was a costly victory for her and only a minor loss to the orc tribes for along with the bodies of twenty high orcs and ten orc archers lay the bodies of the rest of her twelve-man scouting party. 'Strange indeed.' She thought. 'I've never seen them move like this.' She heard a screech above her followed by the beating of wings. Her sole surviving companion descended from the skies to perch on her padded right shoulder. The falcon stared at the desolate battle field for a while before it shifted its focus on her. Seihanine relaxed her guard for the moment. Her falcon did not notice more foes from afar. "As bad as the situation is, Kalyx, we'll have to go." She told the bird. "The colony must be warned." In response, he squawked and took flight again.

Seihanine made her way back to the pronteran colony of Orcville. She had suffered only minor wounds from being occasionally grazed by orc archer shots; allowing her to travel quickly. Kalyx flew ahead; scouting for possible threats. She glanced at the bodies behind her for one last time. "Damned orcs, it didn't have to be so bloody." was all she had to say about her ambushers. She wondered why the orcs had broken the peace treaty between their tribes and the colony. She did not have time to wonder for long though, Kalyx suddenly flew back to her at incredible speed. She removed her bow from her back and dropped to the ground. Kalyx had spotted more hostile orcs. 'At this close to the colony? That means-!' Alarmed by her own deduction, she slowly moved forward. The tall grass of the plains near the colony provided only slight cover. She soon noticed the clouds of smoke that billowed from the colony's direction.

'Damned orcs!'

Seihanine moved forward to catch sight of the burning colony. Littering the surrounding plains were the bodies of dozens of pronteran soldiers mixed with the corpses of almost the same number of orcs. Immediately, she scanned the place for ongoing battles. There were only a few minor skirmishes left. She watched as the last squads of knights and hunters were overwhelmed by superior orc numbers. 'God, no…did he fall as well?' She thought. Frantic, she continued to search the battlefield until she found what she was looking for. A lone blacksmith waved a twin-bladed, two-handed axe about; keeping the high orcs that surrounded him at bay. Even from a distance, she easily recognized his cropped black hair and his powerful build. "Kreizen!" She called out. She shot the high orc behind her older brother before the blue-skinned warrior could raise its axe. A second arrow followed the first shot so fast that it was only a few inches away from the first as it flew. Both arrows struck the high orc's chest; the combined force of their flights knocking it down.

Kreizen Xalascent took advantage of the moment of surprise his sister provided. His two-handed axe bit deep into the neck of another high orc. He kicked the orc down to free his axe and made a run for it. Ten to one were bad enough odds and he knew that reinforcements may come at any moment. A hundred to one was a dire situation indeed. One orc warrior reached out to pull him back. He raised his axe and brought it down the green-skinned arm, severing it from its shoulder. Blood sprayed across the chain armor he had on as he kept running. His sister covered his back by quickly shooting down the pursuing orc archers. Her falcon, Kalyx, flew past him, raking the eyes of a persistent blue-skinned orc. "We'll have to retreat, Sei!" He called out. "All of the remaining colony forces have already retreated to Prontera!" The falconer nodded. Her ice-blue eyes, normally cold and appraising, momentarily flashed with fury. Kreizen clapped his sister on the back as he reached her and they ran off. "Glad to see you're alive at least!" He panted. "Where's the rest of your patrol?"

Seihanine concentrated on running. Once in a while, she stopped, turned to see if some over-eager orc ran ahead of his fellows, shot down any who did and turned to run once again. "We ran into an ambush, brother." She answered him. She didn't bother with the details. Kreizen would not find them useful anyway.

Kreizen nodded in understanding. "Prontera has lost a lot on this day." He said. "We must make it back to warn them of the orcish uprising." His sister nodded once before running ahead to scout. The orcs had given up running after them. Eight casualties over two escaping survivors was a strong deterrent. They finally stopped at the entrance of the forest between the orc lands and the Sograt Desert. With nightfall upon them already, he was the first to stop. "We can rest here, Sei. I doubt it if there's an orc brave enough to follow you into a forest." He said. He was panting and sweating when he sat down. He had been fighting ever since the sudden orc attack on the colony that morning. He was just getting his forge ready when he had to make a scramble for his weapon and armor. The orcs broke through the gate in an hour and he had to fight his way out of the settlement while the orcs torched everything remotely inflammable. He lost track of time from that point. All he could think about was finding a way to warn his sister that there was no colony for her scouting party to go back to and making the orcs pay for their treachery. Seeing his sister alive was all he needed bring his spirits back up; especially since he had been fighting in a bleak plain surrounded by corpses. "We got an early return to Prontera out of this if nothing else." He remarked, mustering a grin as he did so.

Seihanine did not respond to her brother's statement at once. She began to make a fire; not minding the long, drawn-out silence her lack of response created. After piling a few more branches on the growing blaze, she sat cross-legged near it and across her brother. "An entire colony has burned to the ground with many of its defenders dead, my brother." She said. "A reason to go back to Prontera is not the foremost of the things I see out of this." She stared at the fire for a while before looking up towards the blacksmith. She was relieved to find that he had survived the orcish attack on Orcville but his reaction to the entire thing still did not sit well with her. Across the fire, he still had a smile on his face even as he cleaned the blood from his armor and weapon. Sweat poured down his brow; getting into his slanted, blue eyes until he blinked. The few weeks of growth on his cheeks and chin glistened from the firelight as well. He replaced his axe in its leather harness before looking around. Seihanine took out a small bag she had on her belt and took out some of its contents. All she had was a handful of trail rations, nothing more than a few pieces of dried fruit which she gave half to her brother.

Kreizen nodded thankfully as he took the pieces and started chewing on one. "It's true that many good soldiers have died today, Sei." He said. "Their loss is tragic indeed. Sad as I may be for their families' loss, I am much more relieved that you survived with me. I've done what I can for the colony and so have you. Moping about will not help anyone but keeping your spirits up is always good."

Seihanine was about to say something when she suddenly aimed an arrow towards Kreizen's direction. Her brother's hand went to the two-handed axe that was strapped to his back.

"Whoa! Easy, lady! I'm just a swordsman traveling around the forest!" Someone exclaimed from behind Kreizen. He turned around to see who was there.

Seihanine did not lower her bow. Kalyx screeched at the blond swordsman in front of them from his perch on her shoulder. His feathers ruffled as he watched the swordsman grin at his mistress. "Who are you, swordsman, and why are you wandering these woods at this hour?" Seihanine asked cautiously.

The swordsman bowed with an air of mockery that Seihanine found irritating. She kept a straight face though. "Name's Joe Buck. My friend over there is Seiros." He answered.

A tall and heavily-cloaked man walked towards them. Seihanine noted the bandaged hands that the figure tried to hide. Kalyx grew more agitated as the one called Seiros approached. Kreizen noticed the falcon's reaction and tensed. There was something wrong with the swordsman and his companion.

Suddenly, the swordsman's confident voice interrupted the blacksmith's thoughts. "You won't mind if Seiros and I stayed to share the fire, won't you?" He asked.

Seihanine kept the bow trained on the swordsman. Unlike most people, she remembered every detail of every enemy she fought such as weaknesses, strengths and styles. Appearances was part of that list. "I don't think so." She answered. "Why don't you explain what you're doing so far from Geffen, doppelganger?"

The swordsman's eyes danced with amusement. He tried to hold it in for a while before bursting into fits of laughter. "Doppelganger?" he laughed "That's the most hilarious thing I've ever heard! Now why would the doppelganger-?"

Seihanine loosed the arrow the moment she noticed the doppelganger's muscles tense but, compared to his movement, even a shot arrow seemed to slow down. He moved so fast, it was almost as if he had teleported behind her.

As soon as his sister fired a shot, Kreizen raised his axe and turned to face the cloaked figure. The one called Seiros did not seem interested; he simply folded his arms and stared at Seihanine's battle. Red eyes gleamed from the figure's hood.

Seihanine dove forward the moment she felt the doppelganger's presence. She rolled on the ground, stood to face the doppelganger and shot an arrow at him in mere seconds. He grinned and sidestepped the arrow. In a flash, the broadsword appeared in his hands. He held the sword in an easy, one-handed grip as he walked towards her. "I admire your style a lot, huntress." He told her. "It's a little less cute than a knight's but still amusing. It would be a total waste if we fought to the death right away."

Seihanine drew another arrow from her quiver. The doppelganger tilted his head, as if inviting her to take a shot.

Kreizen watched the fight between his sister and the doppelganger. He would have jumped to help his sister but the cloaked figure kept him uneasy. He did not dare to turn his back on him. It was strange to hear the doppelganger talk like a person though. Earlier, Prontera had issued a warning regarding the mysteriously sudden sentience of the great monsters. He did not want to believe it at first until he watched the Orc Hero cut through the colony's defenders like a scythe through wheat. The doppelganger's prowess had him completely convinced. He was further unnerved when the cloaked figure spoke. The figure's voice was deep and powerful, with an authoritative quality that seemed use to obedience.

"My companion is right." Seiros spoke. "We do not seek to fight with you mortals. We've come to destroy the Orc Hero and his ally, the Orc Lord."

The huntress's eyes narrowed. "Even you would be hard pressed against them." She answered. "The orc horde has yet to have an end."

The doppelganger smiled and sheathed his weapon. "We're going to fight with the colony. It's still there, right?" He asked.

Kreizen shook his head in response. "Prontera's forces have retreated. The colony belongs to the orcs for now."

The doppelganger scratched his head and turned to talk with his companion. "So much for that plan, Seiros, so where are we off to?"

The cloaked figure removed its hood, revealing a bandaged and crowned head. "Drop the act, doppelganger." He growled. "They have already discovered us."

The doppelganger shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever you say, Osiris."

The mummy ignored the doppelganger for a while and looked at the blacksmith. "You plan to return to Prontera, correct?" He asked. "That means you must cross either the wood where the goblins reside or the Sograt desert."

Kreizen lowered his defense as he stared at Osiris. He had realized that even these great monsters needed their help. "You're right." He answered. "What does this have to do with you?"

Osiris' eyes gleamed red as he shifted his gaze to the huntress. His eyes flickered with anticipation when she reached for a silver-tipped arrow. At the last minute, she lowered her bow; allowing him to talk. "The Lord of Death has some of his abysmal knights patrolling the woods. Sograt desert is no option, that's where his army has its main camp."

Seihanine's eyes narrowed as she stared at the mummy. There was no break, tension or any signs of lying between Osiris' words. "What do you suggest then?" She asked.

The mummy's eyes flashed. "A temporary alliance, we aid you against the Lord of Death's minions-"

Kreizen's brow furrowed. "-and in return?" He asked.

Osiris appraised both the huntress and the blacksmith. What a strange pair these two made. The huntress was small, lithe and graceful while the blacksmith was tall, powerfully built and steady. They were both either Payonese or Amatsunese from their slanted eyes. The blacksmith's skin was woodland brown; tanned more by forge fires instead of sunlight by the looks of it. He was covered with black hair; those on his head were short and cropped but he seemed to make up for it with a beard, a pair of hairy arms and chest. The huntress's skin was smooth and pale like the moonlight shining down on them right now. She had light blue hair, a color not found among the Amatsunese. Nevertheless, they did bear some resemblance to each other. They both had prominent jaw lines, pointed noses and high cheekbones. Perhaps they were siblings. "-you take us inside Prontera." He continued. "Mundane disguises will not be enough for us to remain within your capital."

Seihanine watched the darkness beyond the woods. They were left with no choice this time.

Kreizen arrived at the same conclusion as his sister. "We'll take your offer then." He answered.

Seihanine's eyes narrowed. Why is it that she could only expect further complications?

World notes

Falconer - falconers are hunters who divide their time between archery training and working with a falcon. They supplement their deadly ranged attacks with their falcon's swooping attacks. They are able to communicate to some degree with these birds, who obey only them. Most falconers are trained in Payon, where the birds are native to. Hunters who are not from the city either migrate there or focus entirely on marksmanship.