The room became a flurry of motion. Aribis threw out a hand and Ilya froze in her place, eerily statuesque in the midst of the uproar. A whip of thorns extended from Enna's hand but narrowly missed Finwe as he deftly charged forward. As Sooka's magical spellbook flashed into existence next to her, William was already landing blows on Finwe's back. With his final hit, his fist glowed for a split moment, and the power of his ki washed over Finwe, stunning him into immobility. Grabbing his chance, Bash sprang forward and threw his arms around Finwe, ensuring that he would go nowhere once William's force waned.
"S-stop," urged Finwe through gritted teeth, eyes aflare with wrath and vengeance, all trained on Ilya.
"What's happening?" asked Ilya, looking to Finwe with disbelief.
William and Enna moved to stand between Ilya and the door as William said gruffly, "Why are you attacking Lady Ilya?"
After a tense moment of silence, Bash felt Finwe's body shift as the paralysis wore off, but it only increased the force of his struggle. Bash tightened his grip.
"Get out of my head!" snapped Finwe toward Sooka, who stood near the door, her hands halting their motions.
"Just stop fighting me so we can talk!" pleaded Bash through gritted teeth.
"Get… OFF!" shouted Finwe, finally pushing Bash off, and he started forward but paused as Aribis stepped between him and his prey. "Move. Now," he said desperately. "Let me kill it." His voice was anger, sadness, frustration.
With the lull in activity, Bash was finally able to take a moment to really see Finwe. He had been attacked and hurt, open wounds visible on many parts of his back. Bash imagined the front must be the same, or worse.
"What proof do you have that this is warranted?" challenged Enna.
"There's no time," said Finwe frantically. "We have to kill it before it gets up and has a chance to attack!"
"Finwe," began Ilya as she stood slowly, hands held out in an attempt to calm him. "What are you doing?"
"Sit down," commanded Enna, but Ilya hesitated.
"Sit down… now," said Aribis. "Or else I'll have to kill ye."
With absolute terror and confusion on her face, Ilya retreated and slowly sat in her chair.
"Before we do anything," said William to Ilya, "we have to make sure that you're not a fake."
"What is going on?" asked Bash, but there was no reply.
Suddenly Sooka threw sparks into the air, and everyone turned to look at her. She seemed eager to say something and began casting illusions above her hand, faintly mimicking words from Finwe and Ilya. Fascinated, Bash watched as Ilya was attacked by a window and then a moment later, sitting on this very chair. Then Finwe was shown at the Colosso Exhibition, where Ilya transformed into some vapid creature and pierced him with a knife.
Casting a concerned glance to Ilya, Bash began to understand, and he saw the same comprehension dawn on his friends.
"How do I know that you lot aren't with them?" asked Finwe frantically. "You could all be one of them." He slashed with his sword, narrowly missing Aribis before swinging again and making small contact with his feathers.
"Stop right now!" said Enna. "Or I'll turn you into a worm."
Glancing at Enna, Finwe's face contorted in frustration.
"If Ilya is a doppelganger, we will help you kill her," she added earnestly. "But we have to be sure first."
"Please," whimpered Ilya. "Finwe, please, what are you doing?"
Finwe breathed several heavy breaths while watching Ilya carefully before his shoulders fell slightly.
"If you don't interrupt me, I can prove she is one," he said.
"How?" asked Enna.
"Silver burns them," he said simply before producing a silver coin. "Just touch her with this and you'll know."
"I'll do it," offered Aribis, hand held out before him.
Hesitantly, Finwe dropped the coin into his palm and repeated, "Touch it to her. You'll see."
"Give me your hand," commanded Aribis.
"Her first."
"We'll do both anyway. Now give me your hand."
For a moment, Finwe wrestled with the idea, but then moved to remove his gauntlet. "Just… don't let it move." And he held his bare hand out, eyes perpetually on Ilya.
Everyone held their breath as the coin touched Finwe's hand… But nothing happened.
Nodding, Aribis turned to Ilya. "Your hand, please," he said.
"Why?" demanded Ilya. "Are you going to tell me what's going on?"
"Aye, in a second. Hand."
She reluctantly placed her hand in his, and he touched the silver to it, again with no reaction.
Suddenly Finwe slumped to the ground, weeping as his legs gave out beneath him. Magic flowed from Aribis and Enna as they healed his wounds, sealing them up to stop the bleeding.
"Thank you," he said weakly. "I'd used all my magic to escape them… Madame Ilya, I am so sorry."
"How could you do this?" asked Ilya softly.
"I'm so sorry," wept Finwe. "Forgive me."
"I understand. But next time, try talking to me first?"
"I'll try."
The group relaxed their stances, glancing among each other, but not yet ready to get comfortable.
"Now we know that silver affects them," Enna muttered to Bash, and he nodded in response. It was indeed valuable information.
"Ilya," interjected William. "Are there any secret entrances to this house? Anywhere someone else could have sneaked in?"
"No," she replied. "One in the cellar, but that's it. Nobody knows about it except me."
Then Aribis started, eyes peering above the mantle, and the others followed his gaze. There on the short balcony stood a familiar figure with a dark face, cloaked, eyes glowing red in the dim light.
"How charming," he mocked, and Bash felt the room tense once more.
Reaching forward, Enna grabbed Finwe and Ilya and pulled them behind her.
"So, you've returned," said William, readying his fists as Bash drew his rapier.
"What do you want?" pried Enna.
"Oh, you can barely imagine what I want," the rakshasa sneered back at them. "The trouble you have caused me these past few days is… minimal. But also… irritating." He turned and began pacing back and forth behind the fireplace. "I must admit that I'm impressed at what you've accomplished in that amount of time, but I can't let this meddling continue. You all know that." He stopped and peered at them, evil writhing about his person.
"I will give you a choice," he said, his voice dropping lower. "First option: I will kill those you love. Enna, your dear mother." He feigned empathy, and a glance toward Enna told Bash of her seething reaction. "And Aribis, your brother Kayl resides in Agneward, does he not? What a pity that would be for them."
Glancing now at Aribis, Bash saw his anger flare at the mention of Kayl. While he could not reach Aribis, he reached out a hand to Enna, touching her arm lightly and giving her a meaningful look. She didn't appear to want to heed him.
"Do not speak to Aribis," growled William, hands in tight fists.
"I want you gone," continued the rakshasa, his tone a terrible threat. "Or I will hunt you down systematically, and everyone you love. Do I have your attention?"
"You may speak," conceded William.
The rakshasa turned piercing eyes to William, and Bash did not envy that icy gaze. William's stoic demeanor was, for a moment, shattered as a flash of fear ran across his eyes. But as soon as Bash saw it, it was gone, and the monk was once again in charge of himself.
"You all have played your part relatively well," said the beast. "I ask for one thing to avoid the first option: finish the Colosso Exhibition. Then leave. That is all. No more meddling, and I will let you all go. Should you choose to continue fighting me and my plans, hunting down my specters, sticking your noses where they don't belong, then I will hunt you all down, as none can catch the Ghost." He let the words hang in the thick air, then said, "Oh, and just a taste of what is to come…"
He flicked a hand, and a door opened behind him. Two people stumbled out, each disgustingly emaciated, hands reaching out to the rakshasa, teeth shining bright white.
"Please, Master," they cried. "Please, just a taste more!"
With a hint of a grin, the rakshasa muttered, "Just a taste."
He snapped his fingers, and a red and black light flashed from behind him. The people began to writhe in pain, screaming as their bones cracked and split their bodies open, blood smattering the wood floor as they transformed into terrible monstrosities of flesh and sinew. They growled and gargled and began stumbling forward.
Turning to Enna, hand still on her forearm, Bash said quietly, "Stay calm." The rage and desperation were evident on her face, but he knew that being emotional during a fight would lead to nothing but more death. His eyes pleaded with her not to charge the rakshasa at the naming of her mother, but he wasn't sure that she would be able to regulate her own fear and wrath.
Before anyone could react, it became clear that Enna was not the one out of control. Aribis forcefully beat his wings, pushing himself into the air at startling speed and approaching the rakshasa in an instant.
"WAIT!" called Bash desperately, but there was no response.
The rakshasa's eyes narrowed. "Curious," he mumbled as Aribis's swords swung wildly at him.
As Bash darted to the left, intent on getting Aribis out of danger, a deep red shimmer of magic shot from Sooka, reaching toward the Ghost, but he merely batted it away and said, "You're not listening!"
"We will protect our own," shouted Enna, and then her form enlarged, growing fur until she became a massive dire wolf, and she readied for a pounce.
As one of the monstrosities clambered down the stairs toward William, Enna lunged forward and sank her teeth into its flesh, eliciting a squeal of pain. Bash ran behind William as the monstrosity, full of desperation, fought to bite at William. But he was too nimble for the pathetic foe and dodged this way and that, easily outmaneuvering it.
Skipping past this commotion, Bash bounded for the stairs, desperate to get between Aribis and the Ghost. Images of that fateful night that they had almost lost him ran through his mind, and he couldn't let it happen again. That wild eye that Aribis had sent chills down Bash's spine, and he fought his frantic mind for a solid plan that continued to elude him. Running on instinct, he ran up to within just a few feet of the Ghost and pushed a hand out to the small bird's chest, shoving as hard as he could.
"STOP!" screamed Bash.
Reacting in anger, Aribis flailed at him, almost returning the same force, and they pushed each other back.
Unsure whether his words had been effective, he was forced to turn his attention to the second monstrosity charging from his left. Dodging quickly, he avoided the claws that came near his face only to be struck by bony pincers that grabbed around his waist. Bloody teeth closed around his side, and he winced as acid burned within him.
"You have been warned," said the Ghost before disappearing from the room.
William appeared on Bash's left and began to strike the monstrosity in a flurry of blows before spinning and sweeping its spidery legs. The enemy toppled, pulling Bash on top of it, and he grimaced as blood and slime smeared on his chest and legs. A growl from Enna rang out from downstairs, but he could not turn to see it. Heavy paws thudded on the stairs behind him as he stabbed carefully at the heart of the monstrosity, its vaguely human face screaming at him. It stood, its arm dragging him to his feet with it. Another obscure appendage struck his chest, forcing him to exhale as it bit his shoulder.
Punches from William jostled him, and he winced in pain, but then a fist pierced through the enemy. The thing fell limp to the floor, releasing Bash finally.
As the battle fell to an odd quiet, Bash held out his arms and looked at his soiled leather jacket.
"I'm gross," he said almost fearfully. The thought of cleaning his outfit was not a welcome one.
Enna nuzzled up next to him on his left, and he patted her furry head lightly as Sooka waved a hand. The blood and slime on him and William disappeared in an instant, and he shot her a grateful smile.
As Bash turned back toward the room, he saw Ilya cowering behind Finwe, Sooka nearby, and Aribis hanging in the air with his crossbow, wings beating quietly. Enna began sniffing about the room while William gazed stoically at the defeated enemies.
Bash faced Aribis, and said, "You can't get emotional like that. That's what gets people killed."
"And you know that how, exactly?" challenged Aribis, a fury in his eyes.
"I've watched it happen before."
"You think I was being emotional during that first fight? You think that's what happened?"
"I didn't say that," replied Bash. He opened his mouth to explain, to tell Aribis that frenzy during battle was his enemy, to say that he'd seen more than one person succumb to a blade because emotion clouded their movements. All he wanted was to make sure that didn't happen here, to these people.
But Aribis cut him off.
"Thank you for the save," he said, but his voice was anything but sincere. Alighting next to his short swords that he'd dropped, he gathered them and walked out the door.
"Wait, Aribis," called Ilya weakly, but he ignored her.
Enna followed slowly, and Bash felt a spike of anger at Aribis's reaction. In one fluid motion, he drew a dagger and threw it on the floor, where it pierced the hardwood and stood wavering back and forth. After a deep breath, he looked up and saw William, still and watching the bloody corpses.
"We can't stay here forever," said Bash.
William said nothing, and Bash snatched up his dagger and followed the others out, Ilya's terrified and pleading eyes doing nothing to stop him.
By the time he reached the doorway, Aribis was already perched on top of the house across the street, Enna in her elven form sitting with Sooka under an awning. Rain fell lightly, adding an ambience of melancholy that was reflected in the faces of each of his companions. The rakshasa's threats were not made idly, and each of them knew it.
Ignoring everyone, Bash walked within earshot and began mindlessly shooting arrows at a beautiful tree next to the house as William exited the Zen Manse behind him.
"We finally meet him again, and he has the nerve to threaten our families," said Enna, her soft voice barely audible above the rain.
"Aye, that he does," confirmed Aribis, calling down from above.
"A buddy system would be a good idea," said Sooka in Aribis's voice. "Nobody should be alone right now."
"That's so creepy," breathed Aribis. "But you're right."
As William approached, he picked up speed, ran up the wall, and grabbed a hold of the awning. A few steps later, he sat next to Aribis, letting the rain fall on him.
Bash let an arrow fly as William sighed next to Aribis.
"Those two people had a family," the monk said quietly enough that those below could not hear him. "And he made us kill them."
Aribis could hear the pain in his voice.
"Aye, they probably did have a family," returned Aribis just as softly. "But that's not on us, is it?"
"…I had a family once."
There was a pause.
"And when he said that he'd kill the ones we love, I realized… you all are the ones that I love."
Were those… tears in his eyes? Or just the dreary rain?
The raindrops fell heavier, and Aribis's keen ears heard hissing sounds as they struck William's body. Glancing over quickly, he could make out tiny puffs of steam as each drop made contact. Bewildered, he waited for a moment, but William did not seem to notice as he continued to speak.
"I will not let him kill you again," he said seriously.
"I appreciate that, buddy, but I can handle my own," assured Aribis. "It's the others you need to watch out for. Especially the little one. Though, I suppose she isn't that little compared to me, is she?"
"I understand," replied William, dismissing the humor as he usually did. "You need to be careful, though, rushing into battle like you did."
After William's show of emotion, these words seemed to strike Aribis differently than they had from Bash. Or perhaps it was the way he said it, with such sincerity of kindness.
"You're probably right," he conceded.
Bash let loose another arrow, the fifth in a perfect vertical line, and listened carefully. He couldn't hear what Aribis and William were saying, but Enna's soft voice came through the rain and met his ears.
"Are you okay?" she asked Sooka.
"Okay," replied Sooka in Enna's voice. "Are you okay?" Bash almost shivered at the precision of that tone. Had he not known that Sooka was there, he would have thought that Enna was talking to herself.
"Not entirely," she admitted. "But I will be."
Glancing over, Bash saw the pensive, worried, angry thoughts scamper over Enna's face. His mind ran over the multitude of calamities that had reached them in just the past several days, he remembered Enna's worry over her mother and brother that she had expressed the night before, and his heart ached for her. Carefully woven into that ache was wrath for the "Ghost." He had done everything he could to pierce their group with more than weapons.
A light creak came from behind him, and Bash turned to see Finwe peering out of the Zen Manse door. After scanning the group, Finwe's eyes settled on him, and he said, "That's, um…" He gestured lightly toward the tree, then shook his head as if his comment didn't matter.
"Where is everyone?" he asked, clearly not seeing Aribis and William on their perch. "Can-can we talk?"
Bash trudged toward the tree and then extricated his line of arrows, placing them back in his quiver before heading toward the door. Flaps of wings and a light thud alerted him to the descent of Aribis and William, and four pairs of footsteps followed him into the mansion. A nudge on Bash's shoulder told him that Enna was by his side.
Ilya awaited them inside, sipping on a tea in her extravagant nightgown. She looked up, still somewhat shaken.
"Goodness, thank you for coming back," she said, her voice wavering slightly. "I feel like after what just happened, we should probably discuss some things."
"Of course," replied Enna. "We just needed a moment to collect ourselves."
"Believe me, I understand. Make yourselves at home. If you need a drink, help yourselves to the bar."
That piqued Bash's interest, and he and Aribis made their way over and began opening cabinets, scanning what sort of liquor was available to them. Bash was impressed with the selection, and as he opened a lower cabinet, he and Aribis spotted something special simultaneously. They both exclaimed, and Bash grabbed the bottle, a beautifully aged bourbon over three hundred years old. He snatched it up and examined the label telling of its elvish origin, shot a grin to Aribis, and popped it open. Taking in the amazing, manly scent, Bash poured a glass for each of his companions.
"Bottoms up," he grinned before downing the entire glass at once. The smooth liquid ran down his throat and radiated a comforting warmth throughout his entire body.
Ilya and Finwe approached, and Sooka reached into her pocket and retrieved a silver spoon. The next moment, she was at William's side poking him in the arm. When nothing happened, she moved to Enna, then Aribis, and around to each person. Nobody paid her much mind, but Bash smiled as he realized her intent.
Sitting, Ilya sighed and said, "What an evening… What a mess to clean in my sitting room!"
Realizing that he had no idea how long Ilya had been a doppelganger, Bash asked suddenly, "Do you know who we are?"
"I hired you, Bash!" She seemed offended. "Don't you remember?"
"Be patient with us," requested Enna. "We don't know who is real and who isn't. We are all pretty sure that Rolen and my mother have been fake ever since we've been here."
"What does that mean? What is going on?" Ilya turned to Finwe.
With a grave expression, he answered, "My lady, Agneward has been infested with creatures that call themselves doppelgangers. They can take the form and shape of anyone, and when they do, they can look in your mind without your being aware of their magic, taking captive your very thoughts and memories. They're hard to kill and hard to track. But there are many in the city."
Realization spread over her face, and she said, "You thought I was one of these?"
"My lady, I was certain of it. I saw you turn into one of them, and then that thing stabbed me. The betrayal stabbed deeper. I… did not react well."
"I understand, Finwe," said Ilya, placing a hand on Finwe's arm. "Don't worry about it anymore." Then turning to the others, she added, "What are we going to do about all this?"
"This wasn't our first encounter with the rakshasa," informed Enna.
"The what?"
"Rakshasa, their leader," replied Enna. "He looks like a tabaxi."
"The one who attacked me this morning?"
"Wait, is that really who you saw?"
"Yes," nodded Ilya, earnest now. "This morning, I woke up and he attacked me. The next thing I knew, I woke up in my chair in the other room, with you lot all around me. What is that thing?"
"It's called a rakshasa, a demon of sorts," explained Enna.
"The 'Ghost,'" added Bash, drawing out the syllable a little longer than necessary. That was some good bourbon.
"Yes, the Ghost of Agneward."
"I thought he was just a myth." Ilya's voice was timid.
"He goes around and stabs people all the time," said Bash, words slurring as he made a stabbing motion. He glanced down at his drink and noticed that it was empty again. Wait, was this the second drink? Or maybe third? He thought he'd only filled the glass once, but he wasn't sure. Looking to the bottle at his right, he noticed that it was almost halfway gone.
Did I drink all that? he asked himself. Then picking up his glass, he stuck his nose inside just to make sure it was all gone. Maybe I need more, he thought, then sloshed some more bourbon into the glass.
"The Ghost is the one who killed Aribis," said William. "Clearly more than just a myth."
Bash peered at William, who blinked slowly after saying this. His normal stoic, rigid self was just slightly… wobbling?
"He did, didn't he!" clucked Aribis animatedly. In stark contrast to his earlier demeanor, he was now kicking his feet at the barstool and clucking his beak occasionally.
Uh oh, thought Bash. Even Enna seemed to be slouching forward. He reached out to touch her arm.
"Stabby stab," he whispered as he poked her twice. She giggled and he grinned at her.
As Bash reached toward the bottle that Aribis had just slammed on the table again, Finwe stepped forward and snatched it out of his hand. But Bash was quick, a trained assassin. He lurched forward and snatched the bottle back – but missed and instead fell over the counter, hitting his elbow rather hard on the ornate bar.
"I think we've had enough," warned Finwe.
"That's awfully rude," chided Aribis, and he pecked Finwe's hand.
Finwe exclaimed, and the bottle fell with a crash to the floor, eliciting a chorus of mourning from the group.
"That was… expensive," muttered Ilya, rubbing her forehead.
"You're a bit of a jerk, aren't you?" accused Aribis.
"How about… we talk about this in the morning?" proposed Finwe.
"Yes!" said Enna loudly. "Because we have to do something!" Reaching into her pocket, she extracted the key given to her by Lady Erza the night before and waved it in the air. "The temple!"
"The temple!" exclaimed Bash in confirmation.
"Yeah, there, we go there, tonight," nodded William.
"We have to go," repeated Enna, placing a hand on Finwe's shoulder. Finwe blushed, and Bash stiffened and narrowed his eyes. "The secret to defeating him is there!"
"No, no," interjected William. "Find truth, there, we do there… Truth."
"We're a family," came Bash's slurred voice from Sooka, who was now leaning against Aribis.
Maybe it's naptime, thought Bash, and he put his chin in his hand. His thoughts drifted and his mind focused less and less on his surroundings. People were talking, but they were pleasantly distant. A moment later, he thought he heard a thud, and then he was asleep.