Crimson Twilight: Dusk
Chapter 14: The wake of death
"So how did the orcs manage to raze your colony?" Despite the tragedy around the subject, the doppelganger was smiling when he asked Seihanine the question. He kept just a few steps behind her; his restless nature making him occasionally skip in place just to avoid overtaking the huntress.
Seihanine almost let out a frustrated sigh. It was the fifth time the doppelganger had asked her that question. She had ignored him only to find that he was utterly relentless in getting her attention. She walked faster to make him focus more on walking instead of talking only to realize that, to an immortal who can sidestep arrows with ease, she must be moving at a snail's pace. Then she thought of turning around and glaring at him, only to remember that this was the immortal who could fool around even after the former emperor of Morroc had told him to stop. All her attempts seemed to accomplish was to increase his constant pestering. It seemed as if the blond "swordsman" enjoyed annoying people. As a last resort, she tried bargaining. If nothing else, the doppelganger seemed to stick to his word. "Will you shut up and leave me alone if I told you? She asked.
The doppelganger's smile widened. Finally, a reaction from the stone-faced huntress! He brightened as if he had won a great victory. "You know, you remind me of this knight I traveled with." He said. "You're both grouchy and untalkative though her fighting style is slightly cuter than yours. Well, I suppose knights always have a cuter fighting style than huntresses!"
Seihanine ignored the doppelganger's casual remark and concentrated on answering his question; if only to shut him up completely. "The orcs simply outnumbered the colony defenders." She answered. "That's counting the orcs alone. I noticed that they were fighting with the kobolds and the goblins as well though I find it odd that the goblins would completely abandon their forest homes to join the orcs."
Walking behind the doppelganger; Osiris suddenly joined in the conversation. "Because they were no match for the forest's current occupants, huntress." He told her. "The Lord of Death has started to invade the Sograt Desert's surrounding territories. Including the forests that serve as a border between it and the orc lands. It may only be a matter of time until he decides to take Morroc as well."
Upon hearing the word Morroc, Kreizen decided to speak. He brought up the rear; keeping just a few steps behind Osiris. "Morroc is your territory isn't it, Osiris?" He asked. "Won't you defend it against the Lord of Death?"
Osiris's eyes flashed briefly under his hood. Morroc was his city in the past. He had fought countless of battles to safeguard it from every invasion whether from within or without. During his time, to attack Morroc was to be broken by the fist of Osiris. But that was in the past. When he first arrived in Morroc more than a thousand years ago, it was a gigantic prison of Glastheim's undesirables. A pit full of unruly people living a bleak existence. He fought hard to change that for the sake of the glastheimian refugees he led. He had watched the fruit of his labors when Morroc grew from a prison into a great city. However, when he stepped out of his tomb, he had discovered that everything he had tried to build in Morroc had crumbled into ruins. Not just the monuments; he cared not for mere stone statues and buildings, but the very precepts he tried to build an empire from. Morroc was a pit of crime when he first came upon it and it was a pit of crime again when he returned to it. "I do not care for that sand-blown ruin, blacksmith." He answered. "I may have been its emperor once but, now, I'm just another immortal; apparently prey to its thieves like anyone caught within its walls alone."
Seihanine's eyes narrowed. She had expected them but the uncaring words still grated on her. She glanced back at the bandaged immortal. "What makes you so sure that we won't expose you to the public?" She asked.
Osiris stopped momentarily. He stared at the huntress for a while to see if she was firmly resolved in doing this. Her icy, blue eyes revealed nothing; not even to him. Her Payonese origins were much more obvious now. The Payonese were paler than Pronterans. They had slanted, almond-shaped eyes, similar to the elves of long ago, that seemed to be made to hide emotions. As he would have put it before, she had the eyes of a natural liar or, at least, that of an inscrutable person. He looked away and continued walking. "Because you'll need all the help you can get, mortal." He answered. "Even if it came in the form of other immortals such as the doppelganger and me. There are those immortals that are more bent in wiping out our species before starting our war; Baphomet for one and the Orc Hero for another. To survive you'll need the help of less…bloodthirsty immortals such as me and if I can benefit from your kind as well then so be it."
Seihanine did not bother replying. Osiris did have a point, though she disliked the idea of being manipulated by anyone. From that exchange, she had observed that dealing with these two immortals had to take two approaches. While she could take into account the quirks in the doppelganger's personality, she had to tread lightly around Osiris. There was an edge to the bandaged immortal's voice; one that told her he would do everything to get what he wanted. She wondered why the two traveled together.
Kreizen walked on silently seemingly oblivious to the conversation between his sister and Osiris. It wasn't that he didn't care, something he had been occasionally accused of by Seihanine, it was just that there wasn't much they could do at the present moment. It wasn't that he or Seihanine could tell Osiris and the doppelganger to stop following them. Besides, he and his sister benefited from the arrangement just as surely as Osiris and the doppelganger did. Looking at it as a businessman, he could let such a situation pass. For now at least. He also believed that, while Osiris may be true to his word, he doubted if the doppelganger could be bound by anything less than a hundred feet worth of pure elunium chains.
Seihanine suddenly raised an arm, allowing her falcon to land on it. The falcon screeched once and stared ahead of them. Without a word, she dropped low and nocked an arrow to her bow.
Kreizen knew the signals his sister's falcon gave. One screech upon landing meant danger ahead. Sure enough, when she pulled her weapon out, he did the same with his two-handed axe and moved forward; placing himself between where the danger was likely to come from and his sister.
"Looks like the Lord of Death's minions are heading for us." The doppelganger mentioned casually. He drew forth his broadsword in a slow, deliberate manner. He stretched his neck, as if limbering up for a battle. Osiris was less enthusiastic about the entire situation though he clenched and unclenched his fists several times.
"Can you see them, Sei?" Kreizen asked his sister in a hushed tone while keeping his focus ahead of him. With the canopy of leaves above them; the forest floor was dark, damp and difficult to navigate. He left the watching to Seihanine during these times.
Seihanine squinted at the surrounding trees. She could already see vague images of their enemies. She recognized the familiar clanking of empty armor and the scraping of swords on the ground. She had fought these beings before. For a moment she recalled cold, empty hallways of ruined stone and marble, a perpetually darkened atmosphere and tattered cloth hanging from broken pillars. A name came to mind when she remembered the image. Glastheim. She had come to that place only once and the fleeting memories she had of it were kept at the darker recesses of her mind. She hated that place and everything that happened in it save for one. These creatures, things that should be wandering its halls only, were not it. "Raydrics." She answered. "Plenty of them and I can hear several khalitzburgs among them as well."
Osiris strode forward. "Do not think that these creatures will simply mill about and attack mindlessly, huntress." He said. "Gone are the days of the sleep. They will surely work together in their attack and there is likely an abysmal knight to lead them." With those words, Osiris dashed forward and jumped. At the same time, a massive, armored skeleton burst from the trees. The creature was over nine feet tall. It was clad in rusting steel and armed with a pair of jagged blades. Osiris twisted in midair to avoid the khalitzburg's twin sword attack. The huge skeleton raised its swords again but it was too late. His heel smashed through its helmet in a vicious spinning kick. The first khalitzburg crashed to the forest floor only to be replaced by three more.
The raydrics burst from from the vegetation. While much smaller than the khalitzburgs, the empty suits of armor moved with precision and speed instead of the lumbering strides of their undead allies. They whirred into practiced lines and closed in on the group in a pincer attack. Their two-handed swords glinted when they caught the few rays of sun reaching past the canopy. The doppelganger was the first to wade among them; his broadsword cleaving through the first raydric he faced. He continued charging; his weapon swinging so fast it became a blur of steel.
Kreizen followed in the doppelganger's wake; dodging the shreds of armor that flew towards him. He raised his weapon and brought it down on the empty helmet of one raydric that was coming up from behind the doppelganger. The heavy crescent-shaped blade bit into the thick armor plate of the raydric's helmet, gouging a large hole and sending cracks around the metal. He then smashed a steel-toed boot into the thing's chest plate; freeing his weapon and sending it crashing into the leaf-covered ground. When the thing began to stand up, he suddenly grabbed one of the pouches hanging from his belt. The pouch jingled from the jostling movement, heavy as it was with several gold zenny coins. He grasped the pouch with one hand, balancing his axe with the other, and concentrated. The blacksmiths of Rune-Midgard did not manipulate the elements through extensive magic like wizards did but their intimate knowledge of the earthly elements and some dabbling in the wizard's art let them achieve unique feats of their own. After all, as surely as a wizard weaved fire, frost, lightning and earth for his means, a blacksmith worked fire, earth and his own physical prowess into the creation of his work. It was why the blacksmith guild's main headquarters was in Geffen. Drawing on that knowledge, Kreizen transformed the metals within the gold zenny coins; turning them into simple energy that ran through his arms and weapon. Energized, he swung his axe again. The force of the blow split the rising raydric into two; scattering its fragments all across the forest floor. The money pouch, along with the money it contained, burned away after the spell. He didn't even get to fuss over the loss of money before two more raydrics rushed him.
Seihanine fired a silver-tipped arrow straight into the skull of one khalitzburg. The force of the shot, combined with the miniature explosion of the stored holy energy within the silver, knocked the lumbering skeleton back a few steps before it resumed its pace towards her. She fired two more arrows in rapid succession; knocking it back some more. A fourth arrow arced across the air; finding its mark right between the hollow sockets of the skeleton. On impact, the skull shattered; sending the khalitzburg crashing to the ground. She stepped back and looked around, trying to ascertain if her brother needed help. Seeing that he was doing fine; she jumped back as a pair of raydrics approached her. She raised a hand to signal Kalyx and simultaneously fired two arrows at her nearest attacker. The falcon flew from her shoulder; his steel-tipped, razor-sharp caws cutting even through the thick armor of his enemies.
The forest floor was soon littered with broken pieces of armor and the bones of fallen khalitzburgs. Osiris tossed aside the shattered remains of one helmet. "Too easy." He growled. "These things are mere scouting parties and since they did not try to signal for reinforcements may mean that they have other ways to communicate with their leader."
Seihanine nodded in agreement. Though she had fought raydrics before, she had not expected them to attack in a coordinated manner. Osiris was right. Something had united these mindless things from Glastheim's halls and was unleashing them across Rune-Midgard. If she continued to believe in the mummy's words, that something was the Lord of Death. "It's better to avoid the abysmal knight altogether." She replied. "It might have a way to contact the Lord of Death and I'll doubt we'll survive an attack from such a being if it's accompanied by hundreds of organized raydrics and khalitzburgs."
Osiris stared off to the forest for a while. In truth, he and the doppelganger could take down even an abysmal knight and a brigade of raydrics and khalitzburgs. However, there was the blacksmith and the huntress to deal with. He had given his word that he would travel with the two towards Prontera. He wasn't going to go back on in his word just to annoy the Lord of Death with a dead abysmal knight and a few broken minions. "I agree with the huntress." He said. "We'll have to move quickly and quietly." He turned to face the doppelganger, who was about to say something. "That means you too, doppelganger."
The doppelganger grinned and walked on. "Whatever you say, Osiris!" He replied.
The rest of the group moved on, leaving the remains of the scouting patrol behind them. Seihanine continued to watch the trees around them as they walked as silently as possible. The goblins' forest was darker than usual, as if the presence of the Lord of Death's minions had infected it with the same pervasive gloom as the halls of Glastheim. The air around them was heavy and smelled of old blood and rusted iron. Her eyes narrowed; it was only a week ago when she last saw this forest. The air was fresh and the trees were verdant. The goblins were also bound by the peace treaty between their tribe and the colony; allowing her to take casual walks in the forest during the rare times when she was off duty. Now, the forest was as dark as a graveyard. 'A mere reflection of the Lord of Death's power.' She thought. 'I'll make him pay for this.'
Kreizen noticed the way his sister stared at the surrounding forest and silently let out a sigh. He had also spent plenty of time in this forest. Goblins were expert arrow craftsmen and knew their materials well so he often traded with them for fletching feathers and shafts. Looking at the forest now caused him to empathize with his often moody younger sister. A sudden crack of wood underneath his boots jarred him from his thoughts. The rest of the group turned towards the sound. He looked at his feet to see what made the noise. Underneath his boot was a mask; a grotesque smile was painted across the circular piece of wood identifying it as the mask of certain goblin warriors. What bothered him was not the large, vertical crack that nearly split the mask in two; he was responsible for that one, but the smear of dried blood over it. He shifted his attention to the clearing ahead of him and found the mask's owner. A goblin warrior lay face up on the forest floor. Flies were already swarming around it; many of them crawling about the terrible wound in its stomach. As he looked about he saw more dead bodies, obvious signs of a battle. Kreizen covered his nose as he approached; he had always hated the smell of dead bodies.
Seihanine glanced coldly at the bodies and concentrated on trying to spot the one responsible. Her expert eyes took note that some of the wounds were still fresh; indicative of the proximity of whoever did this. What disconcerted her was one particular corpse. A goblin warrior had been pinned to a tree with what appeared to be a black javelin. She walked towards it for a closer inspection, only to notice the black feathers on the "javelin". It was an arrow, an enormous one that had driven its shaft right through the goblin and the tree behind it. The blackened point was sticking out of the trunk's opposite side. Seihanine's eyes narrowed, already picturing herself fighting against the archer or machine that could do this.
Osiris walked on, heedless of the scene of slaughter around him while the doppelganger took the time to inspect each; muttering a few choice remarks about the corpses every now and then. They made their way past the carnage and further into the darkened forest. Time was difficult to tell without a clear view of the sun. They walked on, guided only by Seihanine's sense of direction. Uncounted hours began to pass. Time and again, the doppelganger would try to say something only to be hushed by a glare from Osiris. In the darkened forest, the sudden flash of the mummy's red eyes were hard to miss. Finally, the trees started to space apart and more light reach them. It wasn't long until they reached the end of the forest. They walked into the green fields near Prontera. The sight of the capital's magnificent spires took some of the edge from the gloomy atmosphere that clung to them like smoke.
"Prontera at last!" The doppelganger shouted as he stretched his arms and grinned. The walk through the forest had been terribly restrictive to the point that he felt he was about to burst from boredom. He was glad to leave it behind.
Kreizen allowed himself to sigh with relief as well when he heard the familiar whiz of an arrow's flight.
"Kreizen!" Seihanine's warning cry made him look behind him. That was when he noticed noticed the black arrow as it flew from the massive bow of its even darker wielder. The shaft was speeding straight for him. Before he could even react, he felt someone push him down. It was Seihanine; who had impulsively shoved him out of the arrow's path. As a result, she caught the shaft high on her chest, near her left shoulder. Blood spattered across Kreizen's face and shirt. He grabbed his sister as she fell to the grass. "Seihanine!" He cried out. Kreizen carried his sister in his arms; ignoring her attempts to stand up on her own. The one who shot the arrow stood at the edge of the tree line; a tall figure clad completely in black metal. Wincing in pain, Seihanine reached behind her left shoulder to grab the point of the arrow that protruded from her back. There was no shaft to pull out though; the entire arrow had gone right through her. Her vision blurred as blood ran down her brother's arms. Her wound was an large hole on her torso, without magical healing, she was going to die.
The abysmal knight drew another arrow from its quiver.
Osiris was about to charge when he heard the familiar squawk of a pecopeco. He quickly wrapped his hood around him and signaled at the doppelganger. The blond swordsman winked and ran towards the troop of knights that appeared. "You've got to help us!" He called out. "One of our friends is injured and we're being attacked by an abysmal knight!"
Sir Althamas Kadrezyll recognized the huntress and the blacksmith as First Knight Commander Sialsanderin's companions. The swordsman and his cloaked friend were strangers though. He glanced briefly at the blacksmith to confirm their trustworthiness. At a nod from Kreizen, Althamas ordered his patrol to shield the group from any ranged attack. Kreizen helped his sister on top of one pecopeco and prepared to take off. It was unlikely that the abysmal knight would follow them to Prontera.
Aelumina watched as the patrol of eight knights waited for her attack. Behind her were three squads of raydric archers; enough bows to rain death on the troop of knights. She let them retreat, though. Osiris and the doppelganger still posed as dangerous threats and they would remind Prontera of just how close and how terrifying her lord's army truly was.
As the gates of Prontera loomed before him, Kreizen allowed himself to take solace in the city's safety. His sister was losing a lot of blood from her injury and it didn't help the situation that Osiris and the doppelganger vanished the moment they entered the city. Still, they would be safe inside Prontera.
So long as the mighty city did not fall.
World notes
Currency - All Rune-Midgardians have used zenny as their form of currency since the days of ancient Morroc. A gold zenny coin is worth 100 zenny, a silver zenny coin is worth 50, a bronze one is worth 10 and a copper zenny coin is worth 1. The rare platinum zenny coin is worth 1000 zenny. Transaction does not always involve coins, however. Barter is still a common practice in Rune-Midgard and special writs are also used in place of actual coin.
Mammonite - this blacksmith ability transforms elements found in gold zenny coins to physical force. The usual amount is usually ten coins.