Crimson Twilight: Dusk
Chapter 23: Companions
Night slowly descended on Prontera as its defenders made their way back to their quarters. The initial orc invasion had been repulsed, much to the relief of the citizenry. The people in the streets hailed the knights as their unwavering, invincible saviors. The knights knew better. Among the piled up bodies of the orc invaders also lay the bodies of their comrades who perished. Such things were relegated to the back of Eliarainne's mind when she made her way towards Baelthran's. She knew that the reports will be pouring in tomorrow; tonight will be the only opportunity for her to relax.
"Good evening, Eliarainne! Did you have a rough battle?"
Baelthran's greeting never lost its warmth whether Eliarainne walked through the free-swinging double doors with a broad grin or a dark scowl. It was just another one of those things about his otherwise plain tavern that Eliarainne liked. She nodded absently before taking her usual seat. She was the only customer right now but she knew that there would be others. "Rough battle?" she responded. "Hardly. The orcs weren't even interested in sending out their entire forces! What's on the menu for today, Baelthran?"
The barkeep wiped his hands with a rag. "I've roasted that bigfoot your division brought from Alberta." he answered. "It's quite a treat now if I must say so." Though Eliarainne Sialsanderin often threatened to tear the tavern apart during her more awful moods, she made up for it by providing him with free meats. Not only was the First Knight Commander an excellent soldier, she was also surprisingly knowledgeable about meat. Baelthran chalked that up to her liking it so much that she would not touch a dish made only of vegetables. After their mission in Alberta, Eliarainne had apparently taken one intact bigfoot corpse aside and had taken some slices of its meat with the precision to make any butcher proud. Baelthran was delighted to find those slices carefully preserved and sent to his tavern.
Eliarainne nodded with satisfaction. She knew what magic Baelthran could work with inch-thick slabs of meat. "I'll have that then." she answered. "Along with a glass of Pronteran Silver Eagle."
Baelthran raised an eyebrow. Pronteran Silver Eagle was a mild alcoholic drink derived from the capital's groves of apples. It was nowhere near the strength of Eliarainne's usual drinks. "No Payon Spirits tonight?" he asked.
Eliarainne waved a hand as she shook her head. "I can't afford to get that drunk tonight." she answered. "Too much work in the morning. Besides-" She suddenly remembered a certain crusader taking her armor off for her. "-it puts me in…uncomfortable situations."
Baelthran watched as a slight hint of red stained Eliarainne's cheeks. He grinned slyly and nudged her arm with an elbow. "You have Makaelthos to take care of that, right?" he said. "You're probably the luckiest knight around to be partnered with a guy like him. He's got a lot of acolyte admirers hanging around here lately!"
Eliarainne frowned at Baelthran's hinting and fought to prevent more color from rising to her cheeks. "Don't be a busybody, Baelthran!" she snapped. Lowering her voice; she continued. "It's embarrassing to depend on Makaelthos like that. Although, the acolyte admirers are new. How did you know about that?"
Baelthran laughed briefly as he served Eliarainne's meal. A large serving of bigfoot steak was placed beside a good portion of rice and potatoes and covered with his special gravy. Eliarainne was quick to dig in; stabbing her fork straight into the meat. The juices ran out and spilled onto the rice and potatoes. "You haven't noticed them?" he asked in surprise. "They're here almost every night. They're mostly acolytes from Silmeia's division. Pretty girls too. Can't blame them though, Makaelthos is their proverbial knight or should I say crusader in shining armor."
Eliarainne took a sip from her drink. Pronteran Silver Eagle did not possess the kick of Payon Spirits but she'll wake up in the morning without feeling like a tree had fallen on her. She remembered a conversation with Silmeia a few years back. Back when she was still a swordswoman.
"He's smart, reliable, quiet but articulate and boyishly handsome. You're saying he's a bastard now, Rainne, but I doubt even you will be surprised he starts attracting admirers without seemingly trying."
"You're singing a lot of his praises, Sil, don't tell me you like him that much."
"I thought I was only singing counterpoint to you, Rainne. As for liking him, well...why not? I can like smart, reliable, quiet but articulate and boyishly handsome men."
"Sil!"
Eliarainne remembered her friend laughing softly at her after that. To Baelthran, she only said "I have to agree with you." The tavern's doors swung open; causing Eliarainne to look up. "Good evening, Makaelthos." she greeted him.
Makaelthos nodded to acknowledge the greeting before settling down beside his partner. "Good evening to you too, Eliarainne." he replied. "Baelthran, I'll have what's on the dinner menu today as well as a glass of Morroc wine."
The barkeep was quick to fill out the order before turning to talk with Makaelthos. "So how come you're second to Eliarainne this time?" he asked. "You're usually the first to arrive here."
Makaelthos looked past the tavern's stained glass windows. Even from where he was, he could still see the occasional knight being carried on a stretcher for healing. "I had to help Silmeia with the injured." he answered. When he looked away from the window, he noticed Eliarainne's drink and smiled. "Glad to see you're not taking Payon Spirits this time." he told her.
Eliarainne smiled in return and looked at Makaelthos's drink. "And I see you're drinking your usual." she replied.
Makaelthos took a sip from his glass. Morroc wine was sweet; derived from grape vines that grew near the large oasis that was adjacent to the pyramids. It was quite strong but he knew how to moderate his drinking. "It's my favorite." he answered. "It reminds me of home."
Eliarainne paused for a while; unsure of how she should react. Morroc was Makaelthos's birthplace. Except for the unusually bright green eyes, his features were all Morrocan. She often wondered how a breeding place for thieves and murderers could produce a crusader like him. What confused her was how he reacted to the subject. Most of the time, he avoided discussing his home city or his past life as if he were trying to disassociate himself from both. Yet, he has never allowed anyone to make a disparaging remark on either. "Makaelthos." she started.
Makaelthos raised an eyebrow. "Yes, Eliarainne?" he asked.
Eliarainne watched Makaelthos's reactions carefully. The last thing she wanted was to upset him. Unlike her, he didn't show a lot of signs that he was getting upset. A lot of people often tried to test the limits of his patience; especially those who wanted to prove that he was just a thug from a city that produced thieves. Most of them would choke in frustration and still not find that limit. A very few were unfortunate enough to find it and they did more than regret that they ever did. "You never told me why you became a crusader." she told him.
Makaelthos watched as three young acolytes entered the tavern. He recognized the three from Silmeia's division. They bowed respectfully to him before settling down on one of the tables. Baelthran gave him a conspirator's nudge before going over to take their orders. "I've already told you it was inspired by someone, right?" he answered.
Eliarainne settled down to her meal. The slices had been seared to perfection and seasoned with Payonese herbs. She wasn't going to let it get cold. A few mouthfuls later, spoke again. "That's too vague. Inspired by whom?" she asked. Makaelthos was silent for a while. For a brief moment, she thought that she had offended the him. A halting apology was at the tip of her tongue before he spoke again.
"You already know that I was once a part of NightKnife, right?" Makaelthos answered.
Eliarainne nodded. It was also apparent to her that NightKnife still wanted to be a part of him. She remembered the sinister and possessive gleam in Trynis's eyes when the guild mistress stared at him. There was something about the way Trynis stared at Makaelthos that spoke of unresolved matters and a stubborn refusal to let go.
Makaelthos took another sip of his wine. In truth, he never liked discussing what had happened to him in the past nor did he like prodding others for their history. Everyone has had rough times before; events and actions best forgotten or simply set aside. He was no exception to that and part of him just wanted to stay quiet until Eliarainne got the hint and gave up. But Eliarainne had been his partner for five years now. For all that time, this was the first time she asked him such a question. She had confided much to him about her personal life already. Out of fairness alone he should say something and it wasn't just fairness that moved him to speak. He trusted Eliarainne to guard his back in battle. It was time she learned about a different aspect of his life.
"I was one of NightKnife's founders ten years ago." he started. "I was a swordsman back then and I fought alongside Trynis. Together we made NightKnife into a powerful guild that supplanted the former thieves' guild in Morroc. In a few years we were controlling Morroc and Trynis had plans to extend our territory."
Makaelthos swirled the wine in his glass as he stared at it. In some ways, he had been happy back then; working with Trynis to bring the downfall of some enemy, keeping one step ahead of the law, exposing spies and conspiracies against NightKnife and its guild mistress. It had been exhilarating during the daytime and the nights…he shook his head. It was over. Everything that involved him with Trynis and the guild was over.
"So what happened that changed all that?" Eliarainne asked.
The question brought Makaelthos back to the present. It also reminded him that his days as a NightKnife master were in the past. "Trynis and I started disagreeing on guild policies." he continued. "She wanted to expand to activities I wanted no part of; blackmailing, slave-trading…things I did not want to be associated with. I wanted the guild to maintain its repertoire of robbery only. I was somewhat naïve back then; thinking I could provide NightKnife with a sense of honor. Trynis made it clear that she didn't care for such things. Furious, I shouted my resignation at her and left. I found out later that she wanted me back but it was too late. I had decided to become a crusader by then."
Eliarainne made no pretense at eating as she listened closely. It was rare that her partner was so voluble about himself. During the five years they worked together, she could only gain a few tantalizing tidbits of his past. She didn't like asking about it as he would end up in a dark mood every time his past was mentioned and she would feel guilty for making him feel that way. Besides, he was trustworthy and reliable; it didn't matter if she didn't know what kind of life he used to have. She could trust him with her life in a battle and, for a knight; it was all that really mattered.
Makaelthos watched his partner in amusement before continuing. It was easy to see how interested Eliarainne was in his story. Having served Prontera with her for five years had acquainted him with her personality. Eliarainne seldom recognized the need for subtlety and that made her a bit too direct sometimes. It wasn't that he minded that though. In truth, after several years of facades, hidden daggers and veiled threats in NightKnife, he appreciated his partner's directness. "When I left NightKnife, my first goal was to create a guild that followed my way of thinking." he continued. "At least, that was my goal until I met this swordswoman."
Eliarainne watched as Makaelthos smiled to himself. 'So it was a swordswoman that brought him about. She must have been special to inspire him.' she thought.
Makaelthos laughed inwardly as he remembered the first time he met that person. The irony of it all never failed to amuse him. "I was there when NightKnife members had ambushed a caravan from Prontera" he went on. "I figured that the goods must be important for it to be so heavily guarded. Most of the guards were dead by the time I got there. The battle had dwindled to a swordswoman, an acolyte and three NightKnife thieves. The swordswoman held the thieves at bay even though she was heavily outnumbered and her acolyte friend was quickly tiring."
Makaelthos paused for a while. He stared at his drink intently as if he was trying to put a finger on what had happened to him back then. "That foolish swordswoman was outnumbered and outflanked." he said. "The best course of action would have been to retreat. No profit was worth one's life. Yet she stayed to fight. An unwise decision all in all yet-" He paused to think. After a moment of silence he spoke again. "-she reminded me of what it was like to invest myself into a cause I believed in. I realized that I didn't leave the guild because of just the change in policy but because I had lost faith in what it stood for. When I rushed in to help her, I had begun thinking of what I wanted to fight for. Who and what I am today says all about what I had come up with."
Eliarainne stared incredulously at Makaelthos as he finished his tale. There was something familiar about his story, something about rare spices and caravans. "Makaelthos, that swordswoman who-?"
Makaelthos turned to stare at his partner. "When I joined the Church to begin my crusader training, I learned from her acolyte friend that they were guarding a shipment of rare Morroc spices for a certain influential blacksmith." he answered.
Eliarainne felt herself redden. "The swordswoman was-!" The words choked in her throat like a prematurely swallowed sip of liquor.
Makaelthos smiled at her as he took another sip from his glass. "You, right?" he finished. ""And to think we'd be partnered as soon as I became a crusader and you reached your knighthood."
The tavern was silent for a while as Makaelthos went back to his meal. Eliarainne's hand trembled slightly as she took another spoonful of her meal. Baelthran watched the two in amusement while the acolytes stared at Eliarainne jealously. The awkward silence didn't last long however, the tavern doors swung open again and two more figures entered the bar.
"Ho, Baelthran! How's your business doing?" Kreizen called out.
Baelthran looked up and grinned to see two more familiar customers. "If it isn't Kreizen and Seihanine Xalascent!" he greeted them. "Come on in! What'll you have?"
Kreizen took his seat beside Makaelthos while his younger sister took her usual place beside Eliarainne. "I'll have what my friends are having for dinner, Baelthran, As well as a flagon of Payon Spirits!" he ordered.
Seihanine looked disapprovingly at her brother's loud behavior and ordered a smaller portion of the bigfoot steak they were all having. "I'll just have some water, Baelthran." she added.
The barkeep served their orders and smiled at Seihanine. "Trenzein's not with you today, Seihanine?" he asked.
Seihanine looked defensively at Baelthran in return. "Zein can go wherever he likes, Baelthran. I don't understand why you're always expecting him to be with me." she said.
The barkeep laughed. He had missed the two Xalascents ever since they were exiled to the Pronteran colony of Orcville deep in the orc lands. Even Seihanine's cold remarks were welcome. "No need to get upset, Seihanine. I was just joking!" he laughed.
Seihanine focused on her food. She never appreciated jokes, especially if they were about her and Trenzein. "Not funny, Baelthran." she muttered.
Baelthran watched the huntress good-naturedly for a while and turned to talk to her brother, Kreizen. "I see you're not holding back with the Payon spirits!" He commented.
Kreizen laughed and took a pull from his flagon. "Of course not!" he answered. "We've won a great battle today, Baelthran! I say we celebrate!"
The barkeep laughed heartily. "Well said! I have full confidence that the army will send those orcs back to their lands in no time!"
Kreizen raised his flagon to the notion and faced Eliarainne. "You can count on that, Baelthran!" he said. "So long as we've got the best Knight Commander Prontera's ever produced with us. Right, Rainne?"
Eliarainne grinned and clashed her glass against Kreizen's flagon. She was more than glad to change the subject. Her conversation with Makaelthos had her feeling uncomfortable for some reason. "That's absolutely right!" she agreed loudly.
The two began to share stories about their battles. Kreizen, in particular, proudly told of his duel against the Orc Hero, using a fork to illustrate his slashes and parries. Eliarainne laughed heartily and called the blacksmith the luckiest bastard on Rune-Midgard while Makaelthos and Seihanine conversed more quietly beside them.
"So how are you and Kreizen doing, Seihanine?" Makaelthos asked. "Have there been any problems from the blacksmith guild so far?"
Seihanine watched her brother's antics and sighed. "I heard that he got into another fight again." she replied. "The guild's furious. A lot of other blacksmiths want to run him out of business."
Makaelthos nodded in agreement. "I suppose he and Trenzein have the same habit of making a lot of enemies." he said.
Seihanine stared at her food in thoughtful silence and picked at the steak. Makaelthos watched her closely. Seihanine had always kept by her brother's side; traveling with him as he traveled through Rune-Midgard's cities, supporting him with his trade and siding with him in his frequent quarrels with the Pronteran Blacksmith Guild Branch. He knew that she was starting to feel the effects of mounting strain. She was worrying too much for her brother, whose optimistic attitude and tendency to attack any problem head on led him to take a lot of risks. Trenzein was, in his own way, adding to her worry by constantly arguing with the Geffen Wizard Academy. He knew that she was also deeply concerned with the often-overconfident wizard.
"I hear you and Trenzein encountered several hired killers in the streets of Prontera. Any idea on who sent them?" Makaelthos asked.
Seihanine's eyes narrowed in recollection. "Zein mentioned that it was Koullufen Aethernas but we don't have any proof other than a dead wizard's words." she answered.
Makaelthos nodded. Koullufen Aethernas was high-ranking member of the Geffen Wizard Academy's Council. He could easily deny any accusation that linked him to the attempted murder. He took his mind off the subject though, now was not the time to discuss such unpleasant things. He watched as another familiar figure entered the tavern. Seihanine looked up as well.
"What's this? Enjoying yourselves without me?" Trenzein asked with mock indignation. He sat himself beside Seihanine, immediately he signaled for Baelthran. "Give me some of that bigfoot steak as well, Baelthran!" he ordered. "And add a glass of Geffen wine with that!" Baelthran nodded and fetched his order. Trenzein immediately turned to talk with Seihanine. Another triumphant grin was on his face. "Great fight today, right?" he asked.
Seihanine focused on her meal. She didn't even look at him when she answered. "You make it sound like a game, Zein." she said coldly. "You nearly got killed by that orc mage."
Trenzein snorted as he began to eat. "You mean that loutish old orc?" he asked. "Didn't you see how I dealt with him?"
Seihanine fixed a cold stare on Trenzein. "What I saw was Kalyx having to distract that orc so you can pull your 'teleport to the same location where I was before' trick." she told him dryly.
Trenzein frowned and let go of his spoon and fork. "I didn't ask for that bird of yours to butt his beak where it doesn't belong, Sei." he shot back.
Seihanine glared at the wizard. "And I suppose I should just watch you duel with every wizard you see, Zein, hoping that you don't make a mistake and stay alive?"
Trenzein looked away; his tone becoming hostile. "Maybe you should start practicing that." he shot back. "What's eating you today, Sei? You're grumpier than usual."
Seihanine let out a sigh. "I just wish you took this whole war more seriously, Zein." she said. "I've seen men die out of carelessness. That includes wizards!"
Trenzein's frown softened. "Alright, alright, I didn't mean to make it sound that I was taking the fight casually." he answered. "Besides I have no intention of throwing my life away like that."
Seihanine's glare disappeared. "You'd better not, Zein."
Makaelthos relaxed when the tension between the two faded. For a moment, he had expected a quarrel to emerge between them. Trenzein hated it when his abilities were put into question and Seihanine hated it when her companions behaved recklessly. His mood lightened as Silmeia finally entered the tavern. Baelthran was quick to greet her while the younger acolytes stood up, bowed respectfully and returned to watching him.
"Good evening, Silmeia! What took you so long?" Baelthran greeted her.
Silmeia smiled at the barkeep before taking her own seat. Everyone took note that she was extremely tired. Her shoulders were sagging and her hands trembled as they touched the table. "I had to handle the remaining wounded." she answered. "I'll just have some water with my meal, Baelthran."
Baelthran filled out the order and returned to his bar. He enjoyed watching the companions get together. As usual, a warm aura of friendship surrounded their group like firelight. Makaelthos began to converse with Silmeia regarding the Church's involvement in the upcoming war. Trenzein and Seihanine were talking about how to best dispatch your rampaging high orc. Eliarainne was asking Kreizen about the girl he had taken to nursing in his home. Kreizen grew concerned for a moment when he explained that she was still suffering from memory loss. She had, however, grown quite comfortable around him.
A nagging thought came to Baelthran as he watched. 'Where's Khaesilya?' he thought. He scanned his tavern for Makaelthos's shy sohee companion. Most of the time she remained standing beside the crusader; waiting for any command from him even though Makaelthos wasn't the type to order her about. He also failed to notice the presence of that strange, dark-armored knight called Agranias. He had watched his duel with Sir Gardzen and he had seen the knight walking with Silmeia on different occasions. The younger acolytes had begun referring to him as their Head Priestess's boyfriend. Baelthran did not know whether he should take them seriously or not. Makaelthos, on the other hand, was watching Silmeia in concern.
"You look tired." Makaelthos commented.
Silmeia nodded wearily. "There were a lot of wounded" she answered. "And I have a feeling there will be a lot more."
Makaelthos nodded in agreement. "Nonetheless, let the other priests pitch in and help." he said. "Don't force yourself to take care of everyone. By the way, where's Sir Agranias?"
Silmeia shrugged. "I asked him to join us here earlier. He said he had some things to attend to." she answered.
Makaelthos watched the tavern doors. Khaesilya told him something similar as well. She had excused herself; saying that there was someone important she had to talk to. He was curious of course. Khaesilya seldom went out to talk with others.
Agranias watched from the main square's fountain as the citizens of Prontera returned to their homes to sleep. The priestess had invited him to join her for a meal but he had refused. He could not imagine himself sharing a meal with her closest friends when he kept such secrets from her. What surprised him though was when a strange-looking woman approached him. "Good evening ma'am." He greeted tentatively. Perhaps it was just a passerby and he was just being paranoid. Agranias bowed slightly to acknowledge her presence before returning to his thoughts. Red eyes stared at him.
"You're an abysmal knight, aren't you?" the woman asked.
Agranias stared at the woman and realized why she knew her identity. "You're a sohee." he replied.
The sohee bowed. "My name is Khaesilya." she introduced herself. "Would you mind if I stayed and talked?"
Agranias watched the sohee curiously. He had seen her before. She was often with the crusader named Makaelthos. In fact, this was the first time he had seen her without the crusader.
"Alright." he answered.
World Notes
Geffen Wine - a light wine made from the grapes grown in Geffen's vineyards. Its low alcohol content often gets it derided as "Morrocan Grape Juice" by heavy drinkers.