Crimson Twilight: Dusk

Chapter 36: Attracting Opposites

"Good day, Sir Agranias."

Several passing acolytes bowed politely at Agranias as they were about to leave Baelthran's establishment. He acknowledged the greeting and smiled to himself. He was getting used to the idea of being greeted by friendly smiles. Besides, he was starting to make acquaintances among the citizens of Prontera; especially among the members of the Second Priest Division. "Good day to you too, Miss Uragi." he replied. "How goes your training?"

Airinn Uragi smiled cheerily. The smile made Agranias glad that these acolytes were not yet involved with the orcish invasion outside. War had a knack for taking away the ability to smile. Airinn's friends stood beside her this time. It was a mark of their growing familiarity with him that they no longer hid behind her out of fear or shyness. "We're doing fine, Sir Agranias." she answered.

Agranias nodded once again before returning to the meal he had ordered. While abysmal knights had little need for food or drink, he knew that it was only appropriate that he ate. It would make him seem unnatural if he lived without food or drink. The barkeep, a man named Baelthran, was friendly enough to serve him a meal without a fuss. Apparently, Baelthran had recognized him as one of Silmeia's "friends" while he was looking around the city for a place to eat. It was to his good fortune too. He had discovered another problem with his staying in Prontera; he had no money and no means to get to acquire some. Baelthran was kind enough to offer him a free meal. "Far be it for me to let a defender of Prontera go hungry!" Baelthran had said.

The acolytes remained standing in front of Agranias. "Umm…Sir Agranias?" Airinn asked.

Agranias turned to face Airinn once again. She clearly had more to say. She tugged slightly at her creamy white robes as well as her blond hair. Her blue eyes looked around nervously as if she was afraid of someone overhearing. "Yes, Airinn?" he replied.

All three acolytes shifted nervously. "You're friends with Khaesilya, right?" Airrin asked.

Agranias stared at the acolytes curiously. He didn't realize that someone had seen him talking with Khaesilya last night. He was not that sure if they were friends already. He didn't even know what constituted being someone's friend. "I suppose we are." he said hesitantly. "What about it?"

The acolytes watched Agranias eagerly. Their eyes had lit up with excitement. "Then could you help us?" the asked. "It's about Sir Makaelthos Solcry."

Agranias raised an eyebrow. All he knew of Sir Makaelthos was that he was a good friend of Silmeia and that Khaesilya was incredibly loyal to him. "What does this have to do with Sir Makaelthos?" he asked.

The three acolytes seemed to speak almost in unison this time. "Khaesilya is Sir Makaelthos's sohee." they said. "He probably tells her everything!"

Agranias became even more perplexed. "Well…she hasn't told me much and-" he replied haltingly.

Airinn leaned intently towards Agranias. "Does she know if Sir Makaelthos and Dame Eliarainne are a couple?" she asked.

Agranias was silent after that question. A couple? Sir Makaelthos and Dame Eliarainne were two people and "couple" comprised exactly that. But that sort of answer was so obvious that there was no way it was the one the three were searching for. He also know that the crusader and the knight were partners in battle but he had the feeling that this was not the answer these acolytes were looking for either. "Well…" he answered. "She never told me anything about that."

All three acolytes looked downcast. Suddenly, Airinn looked up again. "What about you and Head Priestess Cafilence?" she asked.

Agranias was really confused now. What in the world did they mean by that? Before he could reply, a familiar voice cut him off.

"That's not an appropriate question to ask Sir Agranias, Airinn."

Surprised, the acolytes turned to see who was behind them. They nearly shrieked in terror when they found their Head Priestess looking sternly at them.

Silmeia looked apologetically at Agranias before reproaching the younger members of her division. The acolytes bowed in apology to her before departing hastily. Silmeia took a seat beside Agranias. "I'm sorry about that, Sir Agranias." she said. "Those three are always so curious about such matters."

Agranias watched Silmeia with concern for a while before relaxing. She seemed to be handling herself well after the incident in the cathedral. He was still a little concerned. Her cheeks were…red. Perhaps she was suffering from some sort of fever. Suddenly, he felt someone's elbow dig into his side. He turned around only to see the barkeep pass him with a strange smile on his pudgy face. Perplexed, he turned his attention back to Silmeia. "I don't mind." he answered. "They are good company."

Silmeia smiled and watched Agranias eat. He moved about with a clumsiness that was strange compared to how he moved about in battle. Against his enemies, Agranias was graceful and powerful. Among his allies, he was stiff and hesitant. From the way he ate, it was as if he had never handled a spoon and fork for a long time, if he ever handled them before. "I'm glad to see you're making friends." She told him.

Agranias allowed himself to smile. So even Silmeia believed that he was making friends. He wasn't sure how that exactly happened but he was glad of it. When he defeated Sir Gardzen in the arena, he had expected the citizens of Prontera to fear him. He could already envision the people running for their lives. Instead, a majority of the Second Priest Division took a liking to him. But even better than his unexpected friendships was that Silmeia was smiling again. "It's strange though" he answered. "They were asking about Sir Makaelthos and Dame Eliarainne. Something about...being a couple."

Silmeia laughed softly. Amusement practically danced in her eyes. "It's just like those three to ask about Makaelthos and Rainne!" she said. "They've been practically stalking those two for the past two weeks!"

Agranias was becoming confused again. "Stalking them?" he asked. "What for?"

Silmeia ordered a dish of her own and began to eat. Agranias looked to his own food in slight embarrassment. He could imagine himself looking crude next to her table manners. He was used to the soldierly company of his old troop. They often ate with their hands as they did not carry eating utensils with them. As a result, he was out of practice. It didn't help that the utensils he had been provided with were so small and fragile.

"Those three have a crush on Makaelthos." Silmeia answered. "It's a bit of a nuisance, really. It's hard to keep their attention focused on their training especially if he's inspecting my division with me."

Agranias was listening intently now. "But isn't Sir Makaelthos partnered with Dame Eliarainne?" he asked. "That would make them a couple, right?"

Silmeia shook her head. "They were talking about a different "coupling" other than partnership, Sir Agranias." she answered. "They were probably asking you if Makaelthos and Rainne were lovers."

Agranias stared blankly at Silmeia. Lovers? Was loving some sort of specialization? "Are they?" he asked.

Silmeia was silent for a while. "I think Rainne's always liked Makaelthos even when they were still swordies." she said. "Five years of fighting side by side with him did a lot to deepen that feeling. As for Makaelthos…" Silmeia's expression grew serious. It was easy to tell with Eliarainne as they had known each other since they were novices. Makaelthos was still a mystery to her. "...I don't think he's completely ignorant of it. His awareness of things happening around him is uncanny. It's like he's pretending that he doesn't know because he's afraid of something happening."

Agranias felt the conversation was getting too serious. He was about to change the subject when another thought entered his mind. "Then what Airinn was saying earlier about us was-?"

Silmeia reddened, much to Agranias's concern. Was she suffering from a sickness? The priestess did look tired.

"Don't take them seriously, Sir Agranias. She said. "It's just that-" Silmeia stopped herself. It's just that…what? All of a sudden she was at a loss for words. All this talk about couples and love was making her blush furiously and, by the way Agranias was staring at her, it was most likely that he had noticed. "Nevermind…just don't mind them, Sir Agranias." she finished.

With that, the both of them ate the rest of their meal in silence.

Sir Kinzek Veltis did not consider himself a hired thug. The term was too…crude. Swordsmen were hired as thugs, as were thieves. He was a knight. Sure, Sir Gardzen had paid him well to do this; just as the big knight paid the two assassins with him right now. He liked to consider himself as a…part-time mercenary. The term certainly sounded better. But as much as his part in this "sounded" better, he was not exactly thrilled by what he was about to do. 'That ass, Gardzen, I could get executed for this!" he thought. He didn't exactly have a choice in the entire matter though. Gardzen was pretty persuasive; especially while emphasizing his point with a claymore. Besides, as much as he wasn't sure about this, the prize was worth it in the way. It was such a shame that they had to "share" her, though. 'Not that I would mind…if only I went first!'

It was an hour past noon when Kinzek watched his target leave the tavern. To his luck, the Second Head Priestess Cafilence was not accompanied by the black-armored knight who was often by her side these days. The idea of fighting Sir Agranias would be a waking nightmare for him. Now that he thought about it, Sir Agranias was likely the reason that Gardzen had resorted to this. Ever since the duel with Sir Agranias, Sir Gardzen became a laughingstock among the knights and a sort of pariah among the priests. No one from any of the priest divisions wanted to heal his broken jaw except for the weird priest with the strange robes; the priest that Sir Gardzen had been spending a lot of time with lately. "Well, that's that, men." he told the two assassins with him. "Time for us to move."

The two assassins beside Kinzek promptly vanished. He began to follow Silmeia from a distance. Their attempting this in broad daylight made it much harder but, if Gardzen was right, now was probably the only chance. "Excuse me, Second Head Priestess!" he called out. He approached Silmeia with a fake smile on his face. It was one of Second Head Priestess Cafilence's weaknesses that she was so trusting.

As he expected, she stopped to listen to him. "You're Sir Kinzek Veltis of the Fourth Knight division, correct?" she asked. "Is there something you need?"

Kinzek scratched his red hair apologetically. "The Grand Knight Commander asked me to fetch you for an emergency meeting." he answered. "Apparently he would like a change on the assigned support for the knight divisions."

Silmeia nodded wearily. She had already attended several meetings with regards to that situation. Another one was not welcome but, if it was from the Grand Knight Commander himself, she really had no choice. "Very well, lead the way then, Sir Kinzek." she replied.

Kinzek grinned as soon as he turned his back on Silmeia. Things were going as planned. "Walk this way then, ma'am." he said. He led her to one of the abandoned houses to the east side of Prontera. Just a bit more and-

"Wait a minute, Sir Kinzek, we've never used this house for our meetings before!" Silmeia protested.

Ignoring her, Kinzek opened the door to the house; revealing a dark interior. The inside was devoid of any furniture and the dilapidated columns and walls showed that this house had long been abandoned. "The truth of the matter is, Silmeia, we were planning on discussing something else." he said.

Before Silmeia could react, a pair of assassins passed her from behind. She felt something prick her neck. "Kinzek!" She exclaimed. "What are you-?" Silmeia froze. Those assassins had pricked her with mouth darts for one reason only. Sure enough, her vision started blurring."Kinzek, you-"

Kinzek grinned and caught Silmeia as she pitched forward and fell unconscious. It was so easy.

Agranias continued to walk the streets of Prontera after his meal. The early afternoon was pleasant enough to stay outdoors. Besides-

'What are you doing here, Agranias?'

Agranias stopped. This was not the first time someone had spoken to him through thoughts. It used to be the main means of communicating with him by his creator. 'Who are you?' he responded. 'Where are you?'

The telepathic voice was calm as it answered. "The priestess is in danger, Agranias. Do as I say and you just might save her.'

Agranias had no idea who or what this voice was. The last time he heard such a voice, he was still fighting for Glastheim. However, he did not want to ignore the possibility of Silmeia in danger.

Gardzen grinned as he stared at the unconscious priestess before him. "Silmeia…I finally have you where I want you." he whispered to himself. He began to take off his armor. Just to be sure, he had priestess was bound tightly to prevent any resistance.

"Save some for us, Gardzen." one of the assassins nearby said.

The two assassins chuckled among themselves while Kinzek looked on worriedly. "Are you sure we should be doing this, Gardzen?" he asked. "The city needs its priests remember?"

Gardzen laughed harshly. 'And to think you actually gave yourself to that blackened monster.' he thought. To Kinzek, he merely snorted. "It's not like we're going to kill her, Kinzek. We'll just have some fun and then put her back. She'll think this was all a dream."

Kinzek grinned in agreement. "Just don't keep her all to yourself, Gardzen." he said. "We all have our turns remember?"

Gardzen nodded and waved a hand dismissively. "Fine, fine, just get out of the room already!" he said.

The assassins and Kinzek chuckled among themselves once more before preparing to leave. Suddenly, the already darkened room inside the mansion seemed to get darker.

"You've done well, Gardzen Haelungrein. By following your lust, you've ensured the success of my plan."

Gardzen looked about. "Who's there?" he called out. "Show yourself!"

The voice whispered one word in a strange tongue. Suddenly, Gardzen found himself completely immobilized. Judging by the look on his companions, he realized that he wasn't the only one. To their surprise, a man in strange-looking priestly robes materialized before Silmeia's unconscious form. Gardzen recognized the priest. It was the same priest he had been talking to for several days; Abraxil Sovivor, he had introduced himself.

"It looks like the stage is set for my little drama…just one more puppet to make it all work." Abraxil said. He bent over Silmeia's unconscious form and began to tear her dress apart in some places. He also cut away her bonds.

"Abraxil, what are you doing?" Gardzen asked in confusion.

After he had torn apart a good portion of Silmeia's dress, Abraxil approached the immobilized Gardzen and smiled. "A little false witnessing you might call it, Sir Gardzen." he answered. "Be sure to commend me when Agranias sends you all to the abyss."

With another word, Abraxil disappeared, allowing all of them to move once again. As if on cue, the doors to the room burst open. Sir Agranias stood in front of them; a massive, black-bladed sword gleamed in his hand. He took one look at Silmeia and began to advance on them.

Kinzek raised his hands. "Now look, Sir Agranias, things are not what you think they are-!"

Agranias cut the knight off. His voice was frighteningly calm and soft. He sounded as if killing them would be just business. "No words." he said softly. "You will all die."

The black blade lashed out so fast that, when Kinzek's head rolled to the ground, his expression was still that of someone trying to explain. His throat spurted blood from the horrid opening the sword left; spattering on Gardzen and the two assassins before dropping to the ground. Blood pooled from the severed head; spreading all over the floor. Seeing that words would not get them anywhere with the Agranias; the two assassins charged.

Agranias calmly stood his ground and switched to a fighting position that none of them had seen him use in the battle against the orcs. "You frail lumps of worthless flesh." he said.

The dark blade cleaved the first assassin's waist almost effortlessly; cutting him into two neat halves. Blood spattered on one wall as both halves crashed to the ground with a dull thud. The second assassin ducked the dark blade as it passed through his comrade and straight at him. Agranias caught him by the neck, though. His fingers closed in quickly. The force was so great that his grip "popped" the second assassin's head off. Agranias shook his hand, getting rid of the blood and pieces of throat that clung to it before turning to face Gardzen. "I let you live once, Gardzen." he said. His voice quivered now; the veneer of calm cracking in many places. "It looks like that was the next biggest mistake of my existence."

Gardzen raised his claymore. He had removed the upper part of his armor already and he knew how powerful Agranias was. He suddenly heard a prayer chanted from behind him. A soft glow surrounded him like some sort of barrier. He knew better though. This was the spell Silmeia used on her enemies before she blasted them with holy light. This spell was-

Gardzen saw Silmea rise behind him. An expression of utter loathing marred her usually beautiful face. It was a big mistake for him to change his focus. By the time he returned his gaze to Agranias, the black knight was already directly in front of him; dark blade poised for a killing strike. He raised his sword to block the attack.

The soft glow that bathed Gardzen exploded as soon as Agranias's sword met the claymore. The oridecon blade of the weapon snapped in two as the dark blade descended.

Gardzen's skull practically exploded when the sword finally struck him. The blade tore through his chest all the way to between his legs. Two bloody, headless chunks crashed to the floor.

Agranias focused every ounce of his strength into one killing blow. The effort was so intense that not only did his blow tear through his enemy; it struck the floor of the mansion with a loud crash. A small crater had formed beneath the weapon. He felt the red haze of fury clear from his vision. He had taken his revenge on those who dared to attack Silmeia but in the process he had killed mortals once again. She stared at him for a long moment. Both of them were breathing heavily from their efforts.

Silmeia stared at Sir Gardzen's remains. While it was Agranias who killed him, it was her spell that ensured his doom. She had killed the knight. 'I had to, he was…' She thought. She recalled the brief horrifying moment when she woke up to find her dress torn and Gardzen standing in front of her. For that moment, the only thing that she felt was utter hate. Whoever did this had to die and she was willing to do anything to make it happen. Later, when she had cast the Lex Aetherna spell, she realized that Gardzen may have tried but he had failed. "Agranias, I…h-he didn't…" She stuttered.

Silmeia watched as a look of relief replaced Agranias's furious expression. Before she could continue her halting explanation, though, Agranias pulled her close into a crushing embrace. Her eyes widened.

"I-I was frightened when I saw you there." Agranias spoke. "I thought he had-"

Silmeia freed her arms from Agranias and put them around his neck. "He didn't." she said. "You were there…you were…"

It was Agranias's turn to be surprised the moment he felt Silmeia's lips touch his own. He had no idea what was happening. He had seen occasional glimpses of this kind of action on the streets of Prontera but he never truly knew what it meant until now. The feeling was…incredible, no, it was beyond that… the taste, the softness…for some reason he could somehow understand why Gardzen did what he did. Instinctively, he held Silmeia even tighter as he kissed her back.

The halls of Glastheim echoed with the triumphant laughter of the Dark Lord.

"Excellent! How wonderful love is!"

Baphomet stared at his ally dubiously. Even he could barely understand his undead ally. The Dark Lord's eyes flared.

"As I planned."