Crimson Twilight: Dusk
Chapter 25: Complications
Trenzein Zaisen made his way slowly back to his quarters. The evening was getting late and he knew that there was a chance that the orcs would attack again tomorrow. Who knows, there might be more of those spell casting orcs he had to prepare for. If there were, he wasn't going to fool around this time. A quick and efficient victory would remind certain witnesses that he was hardly in over his head. Just thinking of Seihanine's dry comment annoyed him to no end.
'I am not taking this battle for granted! She's worrying needlessly!' he thought to himself. He shook his head just to stop thinking of her words. It wasn't the first time Seihanine had reminded him that he could be killed. Ever since he started travelling with her and her brother, he had always found a need to show her that he could handle whatever situation he placed himself in. It was frustrating for him that she never learned. For every risk he took, she would always coldly remind him that the results could have been radically different. Shrugging his shoulders; he took out his keys and prepared to enter his room. Finding it unlocked; he stood back for a moment. 'Someone's broken into my room? We'll see about that.' Trenzein pushed the door open; an incantation already half finished on his lips and his hands surging with magical energy. The words slipped on his tongue once he saw what was inside his room however.
A dead assassin was lying face up in the center of his room. Blood had pooled around the body; staining almost the entire floor in crimson. A heavy metallic smell wafted towards him; making him nauseous and clinging to his clothes. Judging by the smell, Trenzein guessed that the assassin was dead for at least a few hours. What he found disturbing was the gaping hole in the middle of the assassin's chest. It appeared as if the heart was cut out. The agonized expression that permanently twisted the assassin's face was a horrid indication that he was still alive when it was done. Trenzein bent over to look at the wound closely; making sure that he touched nothing. The wound's edges were smooth. Even the ribs that were cut out had smooth edges. Whatever cut it was extremely sharp and precise. His eyes widened in realization; he knew only one person who would butcher a victim like this.
'But that's impossible! This means-'
Trenzein stood up and whirled. It was too late. An arm; a slender and feminine arm, grasped him from behind. A long straight blade appeared near his neck, close to the large veins in it. His suspicions were confirmed when he noticed the Payonese characters engraved on the weapon's blade. Only one person he knew would carry such a weapon. "Malice." he muttered under his breath. "I never thought I'd ever see you again."
Soft, feminine laughter came from Trenzein's attacker. Another arm grasped him from behind; locking him in a deadly embrace. A second blade glinted from the other hand as it locked against the first; trapping his neck between the two blades. "Don't forget Fury, Zein! And they have missed you so…not as much as I have though."
The first blade belonged to a gladius, a weapon which was as much of a dagger as it was a short sword. Its straight blade was as long as a man's forearm with sharpened edges on both sides. A single Payonese character was inscribed on the blade and it was the character for "Malice". The blade traced a line across Trenzein's cheek. The other dagger was a main gauche, also straight-bladed but much shorter. The blade was wider for parrying blows. The Payonese character for "Fury" was inscribed on the blade. It was kept in its position near his jugular vein. A trickle of blood welled from the cut on his cheek. Already, the tiny cut burned like several wasp stings blending into one. Malice dripped with poison as usual. "I thought you were dead, Maiha." Trenzein spoke the name through grit teeth.
The assassin laughed softly once more. Slowly, she pulled him closer; gently licking the blood on his cheek with the tip of her tongue. Trenzein shivered with disgust. "Well, I suppose you'd think that, Zein." she whispered in his ear. "You were watching when my baby sister put an arrow through my chest. It was…delicious in a way but far too efficient to make it really satisfying. For all her bluster about murdering me, Sei just wasn't woman enough for the job."
Trenzein tried to turn his head about to catch a glimpse of the assassin's face. The mannerisms and the voice were enough to convince him that it really was Maiha Il-Xalascent but he couldn't simply believe that Kreizen and Seihanine's half-sister was still alive.
"Don't squirm too much, Zein." she whispered again. "You'll make me do something horrid and our fun's barely started to get into that kind of amusement."
Trenzein felt the urge to cast a spell. He wanted knock this psychotic assassin from his room with a surge of fire, ice and lightning but he knew that she'd cut his throat wide open before he could complete even the most basic of spells.
"No spellcasting now, Zein." Maiha told him; echoing his thoughts. "I'll have to break your fingers if you did. While that would be exquisite, I'd rather that you'd be able to cast spells later. Just the thought of getting struck by your spells makes me shiver. A little fire to sear the skin a nice bright red and a little lightning to char the edges; it'll be like you cooking me for a meal, how delightful!"
Trenzein cursed under his breath. "Always the madwoman, aren't you, Maiha?" he asked.
More laughter. "Madwoman?" Maiha scoffed. "May be, Zein, but I think that would really turn you on if you'd just admit it!"
Malice made its way towards Trenzein's chest while Fury remained positioned near his neck; ensuring that he was helpless to fight back. Suddenly, the gladius stabbed forward; piercing his side. He grit his teeth in agony; refusing Maiha the sick pleasure of hearing him scream. The pain was excruciating but Maiha's blow was precise. The dagger slipped past his flesh without striking anything vital. Malice went through his side; burying itself into Maiha's side as well. He heard a slight moan of pleasure escape the assassin's lips. "Simply wonderful, isn't it, Zein? And to think that I was sent here to "get rid of that upstart wizard quickly and quietly". Now why should I do that when we can enjoy each other tonight?"
Trenzein grunted in pain as Maiha's fingers probed his wounds gently. The weapon's poison was already doing its work. It felt like a hundred vile worms slipping into the wound and slithering into his insides; biting and chewing away at his innards. Knowing Maiha, he guessed that while the poison was extremely painful, it was not lethal. She simply loved causing pain too much to ever allow her victims the leisure of a quick death. Her words brought something to mind, though. "And just who asked you to kill me, Maiha?" he gasped. "Koullufen Aethernas?"
Maiha slipped her fingers out of Trenzein's wound and thought for a while. She placed her bloody finger in her mouth in introspection. "Hmm…yes it was him, Zein." she answered. "He sent this man to make sure I did the job right. He wasn't much fun though. He actually fainted while I was right in the middle of my fun."
Trenzein glanced at the bloody corpse. A vision of his own eviscerated body sprawled on the floor suddenly flashed in his head. "And his heart?" he asked. He already knew the grisly truth before the answer came.
Maiha laughed softly. In some ways, she reminded Trenzein of a less serious Seihanine. A less serious, horribly twisted Seihanine. Or it could be the other way around; that Seihanine reminded him of less psychotic Maiha.
"There's nothing like a light snack to pass the time, Zein." Maiha answered with a smack of her lips. "You did take your time in coming home."
Trenzein felt nausea rise to his throat. He had learned long ago that Maiha ate the hearts of her victims but he would never get used to it. He also knew that if he ever did then the assassin had succeeded in rotting away a portion of his humanity. Malice made its way to the center of his chest.
"Don't worry, Zein." Maiha tried to sound reassuring. "I'm not going to eat your heart! You're too enjoyable for that! My baby sister is a different matter though. Sometimes I think ice water flows in that girl's veins. Pricking her is like pricking a corpse; hardly any juicy reaction at all and you know that the juicy reaction is what I'm always after." Maiha started stroking Trenzein's chest while she talked. Trenzein could hear a slight rumbling in her throat. It sounded like that of a cat's purr while being stroked.
Ignoring the disgust rising to the back of his neck; Trenzein concentrated on his options. While Maiha was easily distracted by pain, whether her own or her victim's, her reflexes were unnaturally fast. It was safe to assume that she was probably under the influence of an awakening potion. Such drugs were prohibited by Pronteran law due to their addictive properties and dangerous withdrawal effects. He decided to get some information about her employer first. "So why does Koullufen want me dead so badly?" he asked.
Maiha stopped stroking the Trenzein's chest and proceeded to nibbling painfully on his ear. "Well…I think it has something to do with you telling him that he was about as sharp as a marine sphere." she mumbled in-between nibbles. "That really pissed him off. But then he did mention someone named Abraxil…Survivor or something. I don't get into these kinds of details, Zein. Now can I ask you a question?"
Trenzein raised an eyebrow. He had not expected the assassin to ask questions of her own. He even wondered how her deranged mind could even digest any information at all. Curiosity got the better of him however. "And what would you possibly want to know?" he asked.
Malice returned to its position under Trenzein's chin. "Have you…bedded my baby sister?" Maiha asked the question playfully with licentiousness dripping from the edge of her tone.
Despite the danger of his situation, Trenzein failed to stop the blood from rushing to his face. He could not completely deny that such thoughts crossed his mind. It was probably something he had in common with the men that Seihanine had known in the past. There was one thing that separated him from them though. Kreizen had not twisted his limbs like wire. "And why the hell would I do that?" he asked in indignation.
Malys relaxed slightly. "No particular reason, Zein." she answered. "I wish you had though it would make her death all the more painful too you. Besides, it's a bit disappointing if little Sei died a virgin. Hmm…maybe I should get someone to rape her before I finish her off. You'd fill the role nicely, my perverted little vegetable."
That was it. Trenzein's face darkened. His golden eyes flashed briefly as magical power coursed through his arms. Malice and Fury were quick to tighten around his neck.
"Ah…ah, Zein. No spellcasting, remember?" Maiha warned. Her playful tone had a hint of concern around it.
Trenzein ignored the assassin's warning. The mention of raping Seihanine was too much. He would destroy this madwoman even at the cost of his life! "Let go of me, woman!" he shouted. A blast of raw magical energy erupted from him in the form of a globe.
The blast knocked Maiha back and straight into the air. She quickly buried Fury into a wall; allowing her to hold on to it and cling to the wall. She felt the burns on her arms and grinned. "Wonderful! That was simply delicious!" she laughed. "Do more, Zein!"
Trenzein's eyes glowed with golden light. He was getting extremely annoyed at his opponent's sadomasochism. He expected the targets of his spells to cry out in pain or to beg for mercy. Watching someone asking him to do more unnerved him more than seeing how she had moved so fast to turn his lethal attack to a few vicious burns. Portions of his own flesh along his arms and back had opened up as well. Magic was meant to flow through the elements and the conventional spells were exactly that; elements guided by diluted magic. Unleashing it unbound created an invisible concussive force that hurt the caster as well as the target. "Shut up!" he snarled. Sharp spikes of ice materialized from the air and flew towards where Trenzein's hands pointed. Maiha did not evade them; allowing the jagged pieces of ice to gash her in several places. One shard buried itself deeply into the upper part of her chest. Maiha withdrew Fury from the wall and jumped above Trenzein. Her laughter echoed inside the room as Trenzein sent a blast of ice towards her. This time, she evaded the blast and charged. Malice and Fury cut into his side in a deadly scissor-attack. The wound was deep and the pain caused Trenzein to wince and lose the spell he was about to cast. Before he could recover, Maiha was already out the door. "Great, she escaped." he muttered. "Now I have to tell Sei that Maiha's still alive.'
Maiha Il-Xalascent watched from afar as Trenzein returned to his room. She pressed her burns softly; enjoying the stinging sensation while Malys cut the burns open. Fresh blood leaked from the injuries; trickling down her legs slowly. "I'll enjoy you later, Zein." She whispered towards his direction. "As for now…I think I'll have a little vengeance on my baby sister first." Maiha sheathed her weapons and walked into the darkness. She wasn't really interested in Koullufen's money. She could get any amount at any time she wanted. As for her dead "partner"...well, it was easy to blame that on Trenzein.
Maiha laughed once more and vanished.
Trenzein Zaisen teleported the assassin's body outside the city. No one would miss another assassin anyway. He doubted if this one had any connections in Prontera before Maiha decided to eat his heart. A combination of his minor healing ability and a roll of bandages took care of his injuries. He wasn't going to have a priest or an acolyte look at him; that would force him to make explanations. 'Let that idiot, Koullufen, figure out what happened to his assassins.' He thought. 'Maiha would probably blame me for this guy's death.' His thoughts went to the female assassin who nearly killed him tonight. Despite being only half-sisters, Maiha and Seihanine shared plenty of traits. They were naturally graceful, athletic and slim. Their hair was of equal length although Maiha's hair was a darker blue compared to Seihanine's lightly colored hair. Their eyes were slanted, as most Payon-born women's were. While Seihanine's eyes were a pale blue, Maiha's were a soft brown. What differentiated the two was their way of thinking. Seihanine was calm and efficient; always quick to end a battle as soon as it started. Maiha was a deranged but powerful combatant. She was both a sadist and a masochist and she took advantage of every opportunity to hurt or get hurt. Trenzein also remembered the last time they fought the psychotic assassin. "I thought you buried your clan's shame in Glastheim, Sei." he muttered. "Looks like you didn't finish the job right this time."
Maiha should have been dead. A silver-tipped arrow should have pierced her vile heart and ended her foul existence. How she could have survived was beyond even Trenzein's reasoning. He stared out his window and wondered. 'And during the war too…is her comeback a bad sign?'
Knowing Maiha, Trenzein didn't have to think about the answer to that one.
World notes
Awakening potion – an awakening potion is a drug made from a mixture of a variety of green herbs and the blood of matyrs, the crazed hounds that wander the pyramids. The mixture, once ingested, heightened the imbiber's senses and reflexes. Warriors once prized he drink as a way to improve their prowess before entering combat. Unfortunately side-effects from prolonged use exists. Awakening potions are highly addictive and can severely damage a user's brain. Long term use eventually drives the user insane. Concentration potions are a milder version of the drug, made from familiar blood mixed with the same variety of green herb. Berserk potions are a more powerful and dangerous version made from the plant and Minorus blood.
Il-Xalascent – Payonese clans are closely-knit family groups with very strict rules. Often, certain members of these clans commit acts that isolate them from the rest of their family. They are banished from the clan and the word "Il" which means "not" is added to their last family name as a mark of their permanent separation. Banished members are unwelcome among any clans that are friendly with the clan they were banished from.
Change notes
Malice and Fury – Readers may recall Maiha Il-Xalascent's signature weapons as being spelled as "Malys and Furie". The reason for the change is that I've decided to make Payonese characters as similar to pictograms like Japanese Kanji or Chinese characters. Variations on the spelling therefore is unlikely.