"Hold Your Breath"
by Aizhen Aschenhimmel
Disclaimer: Rich's poring says: "Chapter 1!"
Chapter 3: Other Residents
Andraley Brielle kept his eyes peeled for a certain monster all the while he was hacking the tentacles off a marse. Damn it, these squishy squids don't really provide much of a challenge. Just a bit of hot whackin' and bam, they'd roll over and die. And the cornutus things are annoying - you have to crack their shells first. Then those obeaunes. He had to groan at that. They are practically endless! He must've at least chopped fifty of them! He's looking forward in confronting merman, but no luck so far.
He looked at his axe and had to wrinkle his nose. Geez, the blade's practically coated with fish grease. He guessed it's going to take all night to clean it up.
The dark-haired blacksmith straightened up as he moodily kicked away the remains of the squid. He was tall, his lean body visibly muscular beneath the white shirt and his skin tanned by the Moroccan sun. Dark green hair crept down to his nape, their edges irregular and in spite of his regular adventures, always kept in a pristine combed state. Jet black eyes twinkled in the torchlight, although currently they seem to possess less sparkle than normal.
Really, this is boring. So, so boring. And to think that below them were the ruins of Byalan, where there is some real kick-ass action! A measure of thrill went up in him. His older bro Astre went there once, and he said there were lots and lots of monsters among the ruins. Just how cool is that! He longed to slice and dice swordfishes, marcs and lots and lots of mermen. It was the part he really looked out for, since this was his first Byalan visit. The Pyramids had become rather dull for him so he decided to give other places a try.
Then his jet-colored eyes fell once again on the dead marse. His spirits fell. But look, here I am in this stupid place, dealing with stupid monsters! The best I can get are cartloads of mermaids! At least there is merman...but where is that stupid scaly fish?
He turned to his companion, who was wading in the water with his back turned at him. He was idly slashing the surface with a claymore sword. Well, he looked rather bored in what he was doing, but at every stroke monster limbs or innards flew around. Lots of them, actually. The water around him had been colored a deep blood red. Andraley felt a little queasy upon seeing it. At least he isn't that...bloody. He shook his head. That sounded really weak. Hey, Azrael wasn't the Crimson Devil for nothing.
"Azrael, aren't you bored with this?"
Azrael Darkhaven raised his head at the address. He was a couple of inches shorter than Andraley, with plate armor a tone darker than most and made his stark red cape stand out all the more. Bright red hair stood up in veritable spikes, with a few strands drooping at the sides of his face, and contrasted heavily with his fair skin. Struck with light, it almost glowed like real fire and was an attention-grabber. But what intrigued - and imparted fear - with most people, including Andraley himself, was the pair of brilliant red eyes. Against the backdrop of his pale, blank face, those eyes looked sinister.
The red-haired lord knight looked at him. In the darkness his crimson eyes seemed to glow. Andraley had to admit, those eyes took some time in getting used to. It was the other reason his companion was called the Crimson Devil. "Not really."
The blacksmith exhaled irritably. He was willing to bet that moss will be growing on him sooner or later. "Azzie! Can't we go to the ruins instead? This place is killing me."
Azrael sheathed his sword and walked back to land. His ease in climbing up the slippery rocks indicated familiarity with the place. Andraley envied him in that matter. He had slipped more times than he could count.
"You are not ready for the ruins yet," the lord knight said in his soft and serene monotone. Though Andraley was taller, the cool yet imposing aura of Azrael was more than enough to make up for the height deficit. "It is much more dangerous, as there are more monsters. They also tend to form mobs. You are not ready for mobs yet." When the blacksmith gave him a sullen look, he added, "It's not because that you're with me I will always have to save your ass."
The blacksmith gave a sulky grunt - not because he was resentful, but because what the redhead had said was practically true. Though he liked them to come in numbers, he does tend to have problems when the monsters get too many. And even though his father, the Moroccan Governor Avald Brielle, entrusted him to the care of the lord knight (for reasons still unknown), he couldn't just rely on him forever. But then, if anybody else said it, he'd scoff. But since it was Azrael, he allowed himself to be an obedient little boy. After all, he has a point. Or more exactly, he is correct.
But that doesn't change the fact that this waterlogged place sucks like hell.
"Yeah, yeah," he answered sullenly, perching the shaft of his trusty two-handed axe upon his shoulder. "I get the idea."
"Good." And with that he turned away and apparently indulged himself in scanning their surroundings.
The dark-haired young man had to roll his eyes at that. Geez, he makes me look like some kid. It's not as if he's that old. We're of the same age!
"Can't we just go to Glastheim instead?"
"No."
"Lightalzen's Somatology Lab? Heard the others are in there."
"No."
"Alright, Kokomo Beach."
"No."
If he were several years younger, he would've blown a raspberry. But then, he still did, no matter how childish it looked. He still doesn't know why his father chose Azrael to be his companion (or most of the time, guardian) other than the fact he knew Byalan really well, but it seems that the governor had other solid basis.
"Geez Azzie, whatever happened to your sense of adventure? You sure think like my grandpa. Just how old are you?"
Without facing him the lord knight replied rather nonchalantly, "I'm older than your grandpa."
Andraley made another eye-roll. That's an Azrael Darkhaven joke for you. "Sure Azzie. You're immortal."
"I see. So Avald told you."
Ah Valkyrie. The man's sense of humor is beyond weird. The dark-eyed young man thought of searching for merman instead. That'll make him feel better, and maybe take his mind off Azrael's abnormal jokes.
Big fish, big fish, big fish...the only things he could see are obeaunes. Obeaunes and more obeaunes. He frowned. Maybe there are too many obeaunes, especially in that island. If memory serves him right, there's supposed to be a bridge there. Maybe it collapsed or something. They're not rare. Izlude Tourism Board hasn't exactly kept up with the island's infrastructure.
Wait a minute, there's a...there's a girl in that place. His frown deepened. Seems to be a mage, and...She's facing those stupid mermaids alone. Why she's not using magic? Silenced, yeah, that's it. He often got silenced from those stupid obeaunes, thanks to their Lex Aeterna. And that's just bad. Then, inspecting the scene more clearly, his mouth formed an excited grin. If Azrael was watching him he would've recognized that smile immediately.
"Azzie, let's go!"
A/N: Thanks to Tellie and Mina :) This was supposed to be longer, then it became really, really long. So the other part became Chapter 4. And Chapter 4 became very long, and so did the fifth and the sixth. We're getting somewhere, I hope. Ah, length. Anyways, did I get Azrael and Andraley right? Azrael's supposed to be cold and Andraley kind of childish and reckless. Reviews, please - they'll be of much help. Thanks people:)