A/N: O_O It's Tuesday. . I like, hallucinated about posting or something, because this chapter was done on Saturday. Waaa! Thanks to everyone for reading, and sorry for the second failed 'once a week' post. At least I was sort of close... kind of... not really...
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"Why are you afraid for your life, Ridel?" asked Darkness softly.
"Not for my life, truly. I am afraid for my kingdom." Ridillyn replied.
"But if your father died an unnatural death, which he did, he could still be on earth."
"But he wouldn't be. He had an heir, so he would have just left it all to me."
"You could anchor yourself back to the mortal world if you die, you know."
"If I died, I wouldn't want to stay back. The values of the demon Ridel are different from those of the mortal Ridillyn."
"You make a valid point. If you truly do care so, I can go for you. It'd be a miracle if I died." said Darkness. Ridillyn looked up again, a shocked expression on his face.
"You would do that for me?"
"Not for you, for my followers and servants who live in your country." Darkness corrected bluntly. Ridillyn merely shrugged.
"That's good enough for me." he muttered.
"I should be setting off then." said Darkness, and he jumped out of the back of the wagon. Dark, wing-like appendages unfurled out of nowhere, lifting him up into the sky.
"How did he just grow wings?" I asked, dumbfounded.
"Phaging cloak." Ridillyn answered. That didn't help at all.
"What?"
"It's a magical garment that can morph into a large number of useful things." he clarified. It would be nice if I had one of those.
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A/N: Switching to Darkness' POV, since nothing particularly interesting will be going on with Kite and Ridillyn, except that they are continuing on through the forest.
Darkness
I imagined soaring into the sky, pumping my non-existent wings. They soon became existent, courtesy of my phaging cloak. As I gained altitude, the warm air became frigid, and it was hard to see. Strong winds blew my hair about, effectively obscuring what little physical vision I had left. I gave up on my mortal eyes and shut them tightly to get them out of the way. I relaxed, sensing the spiritual drift around me. Deftly, I caught onto a strand of it, and my spiritual Vision came to life. Although it took extreme meditation to see far off places with my Vision, I was easily able to "see" any obstacles or living things that surrounded me, outlined in a colored blur.
So far, I had bumped into nothing. This was not surprising, since I was in the air. I directed my Vision downwards, towards the ground. To my left were mountains, rising up to pierce the clouds. Directly below me lay vast regions of forest, with occasional concentrations of mindful mortal life, which were presumably villages. I was definitely still in the far reaches of Keave, and I wouldn't be in Lytas until I reached the Incri Peaks, which were nearly out of the range of my close Vision.
I let my thoughts drift, flying nearly blindly now that I knew what surrounded me. I thought about Safirus, or Kite, as she was called. I had acted very much mortal with her, almost forgetting my status as the leader of the Thymas, a god. Well, there was nothing wrong with that, I was simply overwhelmed by the extra senses and needs of mortals. I sighed, the sound lost in the roaring wind that surrounded me. How I wished I was free of this body, free of the mortal world. Of course, as a demon, I would have completely different values and thoughts. As an almost pure Thymas, I was very clever. Too clever, really, for my own good. I always calculated every possibility thoroughly. I remembered every mind and soul that ever passed through my hands, and I made sure to answer prayers and requests carefully. Of course, as a mortal, my physical brain could never function so well, so anything that my mind knew that wasn't needed was locked away. However, I still had a mildly photographic memory, which was definitely very useful.
Whenever I caught spiritual drift, I could use it as a temporary container for my knowledge. I regained most of my godly mental abilities in this way. Unfortunately, if I lost concentration, I would lose the spiritual drift and go back to a normal, mortal state. This was inconvenient, because it meant that if I had to move my body consciously, I would switch back to normal. I was glad that flying did not require the use of my body, only the use of the mind to direct the imaginary wings. With my increased thinking capacity, I could easily do that and many other things all at once.
And so I thought about Safirus once more. I had known her name immediately; that meant that she was one of my servants in the spirit world. That also meant that she had much more than the usual sixth of Thymas. She was clever too, but that meant that she was deficient in another area. I wondered which it was. Was it Amathis? No, unlikely; she wasn't fragile or squeamish, and had at least the average amount of bravery. I didn't know if she had normal Cynthis or Darius, because purity was hard to prove, and there hadn't been an opportunity for her to rise as a leader. However, she seemed rather honest, which could be a sign of low levels of Imentis. The last quality, Redas, or awareness, was difficult to see in someone who hadn't yet attempted "reaching out" magically.
I myself was low in everything but Thymas. I was content with my large helping of mind power, but I did occasionally wish that I was a better leader. I wasn't afraid to admit that I was a coward, which, once I thought about it, was sort of an oxymoron. I detested lying, and I was glad that most of my servants did not have much Imentis, because I would have had problems dealing with deception in all directions. In my mind, I didn't need a pure heart, because I was the god of death and fate. I would have had a hard time killing people off if I had a pure heart. Of course, I would have liked to have more Redas to fuel my Vision, but I was fine with my slightly blurred spirit sight for now. Thinking of which, I saw that I was already nearing the beginning of the Incri Peaks. I was flying at a ridiculous speed, tearing through the air with an almost invisible blur of flapping "wings." In any case, it was getting even colder, if that was possible. I deduced that I would have to land soon to cater to the needs of my body.
Fortunately, there was a settlement at the base of the north side of the Incri Peaks. I slowed my flapping, and then let my wings fold back into a cloak. I dropped like a stone, loosing altitude extremely quickly. I let my cloak tumble out into a makeshift parachute, and landed safely perhaps a mile from the town. It was dark, and most of the residents of the area were probably asleep. I started walking, moving in the direction of the cluster of mortals I had felt earlier, before my Vision dispersed. A shuffling sound reached my ears, and I froze, peering through the gloom. There wasn't time to use my Vision again. With rudimentary magic, I could sense that I was surrounded by six or seven living creatures.
"Give us all your valuables, and don't try anything funny. You're surrounded." A voice said to my right. Bandits; I had surmised as much. I turned slightly to face the speaker. The corner of my mouth curled upward. After the extra spiritual energy that my flight had expended, I was feeling rather peckish. Of course, I was scared- courtesy of my almost nonexistent Amathis- but cold reasoning overpowered any fears I had. I knew exactly what to do.
"I-I don't have anything at all! You can search m-me." I said, stuttering on purpose. A signal seemed to pass through the group, and the figure to my left stepped forward, grabbing me roughly and looking through my pockets. When he bent down to check inside my cloak, I let my body take over. I could hear the blood pumping through his body, tantalizingly close. I closed my eyes. My predator self growled and lunged, tearing into the man's flesh. He let out a bloodcurdling scream. Now, there were two main possibilities. Either the remaining bandits would run for their lives, or they would close in and attack. The probability of the second was slightly larger than the first, but it would still be hard to figure out which would happen. It all depended on whether these thieves had more Amathis or Imentis.
It soon became evident that they were indeed inclined towards Amathis. They pulled out sword and other various weapons, closing in menacingly. I forced myself to think rationally. I couldn't die, and if I did die, it would be a good thing. Therefore, it didn't matter how badly I was wounded, right? All the same, I would prefer to remain uninjured. The leader flew at me with his blade directed at my chest. I directed a clump of random, raw magic at him, knocking him back. The man's eyes widened.
Suddenly, I felt an awful, searing pain slide through my upper body. Someone had snuck up on me and plunged his sword into my back. I staggered, winded. The blade slipped out and I screamed out at the pain that it caused. All the same, I could feel my body repairing itself, the wound closing even as my attacker wiped the blood off his weapon. I turned around slowly, clenching my teeth. The wound was completely healed, but the remnants of the pain still graced my conscious. I heard my attacker gasp. I felt like ripping his throat out as well. I looked up, and gasped too. I had assumed that all the bandits were male. However, a pretty feminine face stared into my eyes. I saw fear in her eyes. I was alive, and she was afraid that I would kill her like I killed her comrade. I shook my head, groaning.
"I don't hurt girls." I murmured, cursing my lack of both Imentis and Amathis. I was too chivalrous, and I didn't have the backbone to change that.
"You think I'm weak?" she growled. I sighed.
"Just appreciate the fact that I don't hurt girls." I snapped. She stalked towards me with her weapon in hand, and made a gash across my chest. I closed my eyes and winced, but let her wound me. More blood soaked my clothes, but again, the injury healed immediately.
"What are you?" she whispered, amazed.
"Do you think I'm inclined to tell you, since you're using me to test your sword?" I muttered irritably. She responded by stabbing me yet again, this time in the stomach. I doubled over, crying out in pain.
"Tell me." she ordered, brandishing the blade.
"You're making me lose so much blood, I might just forget my manners and drink yours." I responded, regaining my composure. My wounds may have healed immediately, but that did not mean that they didn't hurt. She regained her expression of fear.
"You're a vampire, aren't you?" she inquired, stepping back slightly. I swept my gaze over my surroundings; the other bandits were stopped in their tracks, watching the proceedings. I shrugged.
"More or less, I suppose." I stopped moving, trying to shift into my Vision. I saw someone sneaking up behind me again, this time holding something lumpy that was etched in green in the landscape of my Vision. I whirled around, the world shimmering back to normal. The man who had been inching towards me froze, trying to look innocent. When I glared at him, he threw whatever he was holding at me. It bounced off my head. I searched around for it, spying it lying in a clump of short grass. I bent to pick it up. It was garlic. My mind immediately transferred information to my brain. Garlic was a mythical defense against the occult, used to ward off evil. However, it really was just myth, because it didn't seem to be affecting me very much. I tossed it back at the man who had thrown it at me. He was staring dumbly, and it hit him in the chest when he was too slow to catch it.
"H-how?" he stammered.
"Er, how what?" I returned innocently. The man was trembling visibly.
"Let's leave." said the leader, turning and running as fast as he could. The others followed without looking back. I snorted, and then sighed again. The town was still more than half a mile away, and it would be better for me to move faster. After all, if something had happened, I didn't want more Sonfians dying, did I?
Awhile later, I was walking through the town. I noticed how hungry I was. It was a shame that that woman had stabbed me so much. I could only prey on those who were balanced or had a lot of Thymas. If I killed those who weren't my own for no reason while I was in the mortal world, the other gods would be after me in the blink of an eye. I wandered farther, going in no particular direction.
Soon enough, I realized that I was moving towards the scent of blood. I mentally smacked myself for not figuring that out sooner. Blood meant that either there was another vampire, or someone was hurt. There was a much higher probability that someone was injured, because most vampires lived on donated blood or rimwood juice, since attacking people would just get them apprehended. I followed my nose, closer and closer towards the smell. I wondered if my body would be able to control itself from springing at the blood. In any case, it was too late to wonder, because I was already close enough to see what was happening. A small boy whimpered as a much larger one threw punches and kicks at him. He cowered in a corner of the alleyway, trying in vain to dodge the blows. Being able to see the blood did not make me much more excited, which was good. I supposed that I had been wrong in assuming that I had so little self control. Besides, wasn't it just like food to a normal person? Surely a normal person could control themselves from pouncing on their food whenever they were hungry.
"You little piece of crap! That's what you get for getting me an 'Average' on my homework!" the larger boy snarled, punctuating each word with a punch. The victim was in tears, crying out helplessly as he was beat to a bloody pulp.
"Average? But you can only expect another to do mediocre work for you." I said nonchalantly, stepping into view. The bully whirled around to face me. His face twisted into a nasty expression.
"Ha, another loser who wants a beating? Who are you, shorty? I haven't seen you around before." he snarled in an arrogant voice. The smaller boy opened his eyes and stared at the scene fearfully, mouthing 'get away' at me. I shook my head slightly. There were advantages to this body. I was extremely small, which meant that many underestimated me by a marginal amount. Those who were perceptive noticed the tiny horns that stuck a little ways out of my hair and left me alone wisely, but those who weren't realized a little too late that I wasn't what I seemed.
"Tut, if you're so confident, then duel with me." I replied.
"Duel? You mean like a one on one fight? Deal. But if you lose, which you will, you give me eighty phaelox or I'll beat it out of you." he said. I smirked.
"Alright, but if I win, you owe me two pints of your blood." I told him. What? I was hungry. He looked at me oddly, but we shook on it, and he attempted to crush my fingers, an attempt that failed miserably. Any normal person would have backed off and ran away at the mention of the blood, but apparently this boy had little intelligence to match with his strength- which, by the way, would be nigh useless against my magic.
"Let's fight right now." he demanded.
"Let me fix him first." I responded, nodding towards his earlier victim.
"You're not going back home to get anything. I don't want you running away." he spat. I ignored him, already walking towards the small boy. Stopping in front of him, I picked up a strand of spiritual drift to recall my memories. Immediately, I knew who this boy was. I had been correct in assuming that he was one of my people.
"Anterr, are you alright?" I whispered, waving my hands over his wounds, which scabbed over. I made sure not to heal him too well, lest it look overly suspicious.
"H-how did you know my n-name?" he whispered, frightened.
"I'll tell you later." I told him. "Alright, we can start our duel." I said to the bully. "Oh, but first, what should I call you?"
"Peter." he grunted. "What about you, shorty?"
"Darkness." I replied simply. He narrowed his little eyes and snorted.
"Whatever, stop stalling and let's fight. And you, don't' you even think about running away." he muttered, the second statement directed at Anterr.
"Do stay for the proceedings." I told him as well. Anterr seemed slightly more at ease after my bit.
With a roar, Peter rocketed towards me, fist readied to deliver a smashing punch. At the last moment, I swerved out of the way. His fist collided with the brick wall, but the impact did not seem to hurt him much. He grunted in anger and spun around quickly, swinging his other hand over. I knew that I wouldn't be able to dodge it again. I concentrated on the air in front of me, willing the molecules to lose energy, for particle motion to slow, and an almost solid wall of milky hue materialized. Peter's attack nearly broke through, but it was enough to stop him. He gaped at the dirty ice in his hands, confused. I used his momentary distraction to begin my attack.
I had never specified what type of duel we would be having. Peter assumed that it was a fight, and I let him. I had more of a wizard's duel in mind. Of course, I wouldn't be aiming to kill, only to knock out. While Peter was in a state of momentary puzzlement, I stood still and let my Vision take over. I penetrated his mind, reaching out towards the metaphorical 'shut down' button. Unfortunately, before I could reach it, he recovered. Since he was not learned in magic, he could not throw me out of his head. However, while he was focused on me, I wouldn't be able to get to him. I had to distract him again.
I saw the blurred blob that was Peter fly at me with my Vision. Borrowing some of the power from the spirit world, I created a barrier of otherworldly particles around me. Peter bumped painfully into a solid wall of nothing, he stood there, bewildered, for a second. That was all I needed. I dove in and grabbed at his mental core, managing to close my imaginary fingers around it. I pulled, and Peter fell to the floor, unconscious.
"Well, it looks like I win." I remarked. All in all, it was one of the shortest wizard's duels I had ever been in. I hoped that he would wake up soon. I was even hungrier now, and he owed me two pints of blood. I didn't want to take it while he was still unconscious. No, that would be boring. I wanted to see the look on his face when I took my payment. But I had thinking mortal thoughts again. Sadism, helping and caring about others, those were all things of the mortal world. Even being bored was a mortal problem, actually. There weren't such complex messages or feelings in the spirit realm.
And that is why I marveled how I'd wanted to help Anterr with his predicament. Sure, he was one of my people, but that did not mean that I cared about what happened to him in the mortal world. I shook my head to clear it. As soon as I returned to the spirit world, I'd be fine.
"What are you?" Anterr asked, approaching me. I noticed that even he was taller than I was.
"Why don't you decide?" I responded, grinning slightly. He saw my teeth, then looked up and noticed my horns for the first time.
"A true vampire." he gasped. "A wizard, and your name is Darkness." I could almost hear the pieces click together in his head. "The Thymas god banished to earth?" I scowled.
"I wasn't banished. It was a dare. Not even I knew that I would get stuck. But you're sharp, Anterr. I never knew Lytians could be so knowledgeable in the so called 'occult.'"
"It's really not much." he said modestly. I shrugged, and began to heal his bruises. There I was again, caring for someone else for no reason. "Thanks." I heard him mutter when he realized what I was doing. There was a groan from a few feet away. I looked over, and saw that Peter was awakening. I stalked over to him and glared.
"You owe me blood." I snapped. He gazed up at me woozily.
"What? Hey, it's you, shorty!" he snarled. "Why are you looking at me like that?" I realized that I was staring at him with a hungry expression on my face. I licked my lips and took a dramatic step towards him. He sat up and scooted back, afraid. This was fun. I enjoyed his fear. Of course, my actions were more for effect than anything else.
"You owe me blood." I said again, emphasizing each word.
"B-but..." he seemed to realize that he had lost our little duel. I pounced and grabbed him by the front of his shirt, slamming him into the wall. I actually had prodigal strength, and could probably have beaten Peter with no magic at all. But magic was easier and more amusing. With haste, I bit him and began to drink, gulping the blood down. Once I had taken the estimated two pints, I dropped him and healed the wound- slightly.
"Well, I really must be off now. Anterr, you should return home." I advised the boy. I turned on the spot and my phaging cloak reformed into a pair of giant wings. With a couple of hard flaps, I was back in the air. I had no time to lose. My stop in the town had been long enough, and it was time I continued on my way. The state of Sorimunt began south of the Incri Peaks. The capital of Lytas was in Sorimunt. South of that lay the Medri peaks, which then led into the desert of Voxith after Rodym lake, the last bit of aboveground fresh water for awhile. The state of Voxith was ruled over by a man named Hafral Xen. The Xen mountain range was named after his family. Finally, south of that, was the gate to Sonfun. I was already passing over the Incri Peaks. I would be going over very little of Sorimunt, since it was located in a more eastern position. I wanted to get to Sonfun as fast as possible.
The air above the mountains was freezing, and as most of my phaging cloak was going into the wings, I had little to protect me. I had the hood over my face to avoid being smacked by debris, and I was using my Vision again to see. As the minutes went by, I felt the temperature dropping more and more. If I continued on at this altitude, I could literally freeze. However, if I flew lower, I could be seen. Then again, did it matter if I was seen? I swooped down, reveling in the immediate warming of the air. I could already see the farms located at the foothills of the Medri Peaks. The people on the ground were indistinct specks, and the farmhouses only as large as a fingertip.
The mountains rose up before me, silhouetted in the rising sun. I couldn't move as fast at the altitude I was at, since I had to dodge birds and avoid clouds. Still, I would much rather go a little slower than be a flying ice cube. Flying was rather boring, after awhile. Especially when I was actually going somewhere instead of just winging around in a circle. I barely paid attention to what I was doing, only steering myself occasionally in the correct direction when I veered to far off course. That was why I did not notice the crossbow bolts that whizzed past me and tore holes in my wings. That was bad. I swerved sharply, spiraling downward. I tried in vain to repair my cloak magically. Magic like that did not work well under stress. I panicked, thrashing around. The inevitable impact to the ground came, and it was horrible. Burning pain radiated through my nerves, and I felt like every single bone I had was cracking, including my skull. I smelled the coppery scent of blood, my own blood, and fought to stay conscious. If I was unconscious, I still wouldn't die, but I wouldn't heal either. And that was painful and awkward. Still, as hard as I tried not to, I fell into the depths of blackness.