Avarice Twilight

by R. A Davidson

  Mister Utrix coughs on his drink. "I-I-I meant, that he was making sure she would have the knowledge to take over the business," he responds through coughs.

  I guess a merchant would want the child to take over the business. I wonder if Asteria plans on being a merchant. If she does take over the company, I wonder if I will be able to negotiate with my country and the Merchant Guild.

  "I can recall of my mother," Asteria continues. "She was a free spirit; she found joy in everything. She passed when I was young. I feel as though my father felt the need to protect me even more after her death. My mother was an adventurer before she met father. I think maybe I want to feel closer to her somehow, and that is why I wanted to join Avalon Academy. I have experienced the world my father lives in. I would like to see the world my mother lived in," Asteria finishes.

  She wipes the tears from her eyes once she ends her story. I can relate to Asteria in a way; I too wish to feel a stronger connection to the mother I barely knew.

  The fool looks over at Mister Utrix.

  "What?" Mister Utrix asks.

  "Well, it's your turn," the fool replies.

  Mister Utrix responds with a disgruntled look.

  "If you don't share, then I won't cook you any food tomorrow," the fool states.

  The statement makes Mister Utrix sit upright, "Hey, that isn't fair!" he says, bewildered.

  The fool smiles as he gestures for Mister Utrix to talk.

  "You do not have to listen to the fool's whims," I intervene. "Him not cooking is hardly any reason to oblige him."

  The fool seems dissatisfied with my interjection, though I care not for his opinion.

  "Listen, Princess," Mister Utrix addresses me. "I imagine you grew up eating meals of the highest standards in your elven castle. Now I have tasted food from the table of royalty, and I've also eaten some of the worst slop to stay alive. Aryn's food is, without a doubt, the best food I have ever put in my mouth."

  "Thanks," the fool interrupts with a prideful smile.

  "I am not losing the food due to me not wanting to talk," Mister Utrix states. He becomes serious as he positions himself to speak. He turns to face us, then clears his throat. "I was a war orphan of the Restovik Rebellion. I had nothing, living like an animal in the mud."

  As Mister Utrix begins his story, the melancholy from his voice sets the mood.

  "Sometime after the fighting was over, a group of adventurers found me. Turned out that I had some pretty strong magic for a kid, so they took me with them." He stops to take a sip from his bottle. "The leader of the group, Roche, took a liking to me. He made the other members train me. They didn't like the idea of a kid with them, but they eventually welcomed me as one of them."

  Mister Utrix seems slightly elated when he mentions the adventurers and this Roche person.

  "We went on several jobs, jobs became quests, then we had become a reputable group. Nobility would employ us and treat us to banquets... those were good times." Mister Utrix pauses; his face is briefly painted with remorse.

  He rubs his eyes and sighs. "Then some things happened that put me in higher esteems with Avalon Academy. Our merry group disbanded... for reasons that don't need to be said." Mister Utrix lowers his head as he talks with a hushed voice. "I never saw any of them again. I don't adventure or take jobs anymore. I live off the wealth I accumulated over the years and live rather peacefully."

  He raises his head to look at the fool. "Until now, that is."Mister Utrix scratches his head and sighs.

  "It's getting late. You lot get some rest; I'll take the first watch," Mister Utrix states.

  Barin and the fool arise to make their beds for the night. They arrange their bedrolls in similar positions to last night.

  Asteria makes her way over to me. "Come on." She smiles as she hoists me by the arm. "It is a good thing we found the horses and carriage; however, I am still upset that the other horse had to die that way though," Asteria solemnly remarks.

  It is quite a good thing we found the carriage; I refuse to sleep on the ground.

  Asteria and I make our way into the carriage, then arrange our beds to sleep. It is rather lovely that the two men and the fool use few supplies. Asteria and I can make the inside of the carriage as comfortable as we possibly can.

  "Princess Isla?" Asteria shyly calls.

  I turn over to face her. "Please, call me Isla as if we were friends," I say with a smile.

  She nods. "Well, Isla, could you think about working with us as a member of our team? You are a strong person. If you were to work with everyone, I am sure that no one will have to get hurt again," she cheerfully says.

  She smiles before turning to sleep.

  I lie on my back, staring at the cloth roof of the carriage. Lost in thoughts, I am eventually embraced by the relaxation of rest.

  13

  BARIN

  "Wake up!" Utrix alarms.

  Aryn and I awake in an instant, jumping up and readying for an attack.

  “Get the girls!" a voice from the shadows commands.

  The three of us instantly charge for the carriage to protect The Princess and Asteria.

  A chain flies towards Aryn, wrapping around his arm. Aryn slides to a stop, jerking the chain to pull the assailant towards him. I leave him behind and join Utrix; Aryn is more than enough to deal with one person.

  Utrix and I reach the carriage.

  Asteria is on the ground, while The Princess guards her with a sword. "How dare you make me fend off a surprise attack by myself!" The Princess yells as we join her side.

  "What happened to the two of you?" Mister Utrix asks as he checks Asteria.

  The Princess lowers her sword. “Someone tried to take Asteria away, and I was awoken by her resisting. The figure struck her in the back of the head to knock her unconscious, I attacked, then more appeared as you arrived," she explains.

  "Why aren't you using a widespread attack or your golems?" I question.

  The assailants retreat to the woods, and as my eyes adjust to moonlight, I see their shadows amongst the trees.

  "I must be able to see what I am attacking to use my magic. That is the most significant limitation to my magic," The Princess states.

  Shit... that would've been useful information to have known. Luckily, I can use attacks that affect large areas, but they are not as accurate as The Princesses.

  "Utrix, how does your magic work?" I ask, breaking the brief moment of silence.

  Utrix hesitates. "I can manipulate the weight of a person or object. I am also able to move whatever I am manipulating," Utrix responds.

  From Utrix's description, Aryn and I will be compatible with his magic. If he is as experienced as he seems, then he should adapt to us just fine.

  Someone emerges from the darkness, whoever it is doesn't want to be recognized. The person is wearing a dark cloak and a cloth wrap to cover their face.

  "I am afraid I must request you release Princess Isla Marin Parisa Siofra Aelfdene to us immediately," the person asks politely in a feminine voice.

  Is it actually a woman, or a man using tricks to make us lower or guards? Due to how they're dressed and carry themselves, I do not see any clues to figure out how they may act.

  The Princess steps forward. "State your business with me at once," she demands.

  Damn elf. She's far too inexperienced to be acting this high and mighty at the moment. We're surrounded by potentially hostile people, and she isn't even raising her guard towards the enemy.

  The cloaked female bows. "Your highness, we were hired by a member of the Aelfdene family to bring you back home," she answers.

  I'm not buying it; they sneaked into our camp and attacked the two of them. The hooded woman may be doing her best to be eloquent, but I can feel the murderous intent from the group in the woods. It's as though the wolf in the sheep's hide is trying to lure us to the ravenous pack.

  "Who hired you, was it my father?" The Princess further questions.

  Asteria starts regai
ning consciousness, Utrix motions for her to sit still. That was most likely her first time being knocked out; she'll need some time to recover.

  "I am afraid I cannot answer that question. There is much commotion in Aelfdene at the moment," the hooded woman replies.

  There's conflict in Aelfdene, she claims. Unfortunately, we don't know if the information is true or not. We should pry for more information. It could be a lie to get The Princess to make a mistake.

  I step forward. "What do you mean—"

  The Princess swings her sword in front of me. "Silence, I shall be the one doing the talking," she orders.

  This fuckin’ pretentious bitch, does she really think she's in any position to give out orders?

  I pull The Princess back. "Listen here, we've got no idea who they are, or if what they say is true."

  I turn towards the hooded woman. "Now, you will answer my questions," I demand.

  The hooded woman shakes her head. "We are ordered to only answer the necessary questions when The Princess asks," she states.

  Damn, I can't see her face to tell if she's telling the truth or just another convenient lie.

  "Gaaaahhhh!" a scream of pain echoes through the woods.

  Pretty sure that was Aryn dealing with more people behind us.

  The hooded woman approaches The Princess. "Princess, please come with us at once. Aelfdene needs you as immediately as possible," she pleads.

  She holds her hand out for The Princess to take. The Princess is hesitant at first, then slowly goes to accept the hooded woman's hand. I go to grab The Princess. How can she be so foolish!?

  A body crashes into the hooded woman, knocking her to the ground.

  "What the fuck!?" Utrix exclaims.

  Aryn emerges from the direction the body was thrown. "Why is it that I seem to be keeping you from making idiotic decisions?" he asks The Princess with a smile.

  He walks over to us, clearly not in a hurry. I swear, Aryn always knows how to make an entrance.

  The Princess marches up to him. "How dare you attack someone sent on behalf of Aelfdene?!" she yells.

  Aryn smiles at her, then catches an arrow shot at him from the woods. Startled, The Princess jumps back. Urtix and I take defensive stances, surveying for oncoming attacks.

  "Wait," the hooded woman commands.

  She pushes the body off her. "We mean no harm. We see now that The Princess is with you of her own accords," she states as he gets up.

  I look at Aryn; he has a cocky look on his face, seems to know something that we don't about the situation.

  "You can drop the act now," Aryn announces. "Your friend there told me what I wanted to know," he says as he points at the body.

  The hooded woman raises her hand… a signal for those in the woods?

  "I am sure whatever he told you was misinterpreted," she responds.

  Aryn proceeds to walk towards the hooded woman. Hopefully, he has something in mind.

  "That's quite funny. It just so happens the dead guy told me you were a group of assassins," Aryn announces.

  The hooded woman doesn't respond but keeps her hand raised for those in the woods to see.

  "He also said something that I think you'll have a tough time defending. Forgive me if I'm mistaken, but I thought the Hashshashin were only active in Nizari. Now, what are you doing all the way here?" Aryn probes.

  Shit, did he just say the Hashshashin? If so, this may be more troublesome than I'd like.

  "How unfortunate, I was hoping they would have learned not to succumb to torture. You must show me your techniques," the hooded woman answers.

  "Oh… already asking for my personal secrets?" Aryn replies.

  The hooded woman laughs. "No need to fret, I am willing to repay you for such secrets… I'm sure you would find it pleasurable," she replies.

  They face each other, while it only lasts a few seconds, the suspense of what will happen makes it seem prolonged.

  The hooded woman clenches her hand. In that instant, Aryn drives his fist into her gut. The force from Aryn's punch sends her flying into a tree, colliding with an impact that makes the leaves fall.

  "Clay wall," I chant, creating a barrier of earth to arise from the ground.

  Arrows zip from the shadows as the wall forms, some of them make it past.

  Utrix stops the arrows that made it through midflight. "Looks like I'm faster," he remarks.

  The wall is completely up now… with Aryn on the other side. "Princess, shoot projectiles into the woods on our sides," I order.

  "I told you, I have to see the target for the attacks to be effective," she responds.

  Fire erupts from the other side. Seems like Aryn's gone on the attack.

  "It doesn't matter if you see them. Just keep them from flanking us." Utrix states.

  A hand appears from the shadows, covering The Princess's mouth. The hand pulls her towards the ground. Utrix grabs the arm, which promptly disappears back into the shadows.

  "Damn it, it looks like they may be the real Hashshashin," I remark.

  Utrix stops daggers that zip at us from the woods. "If you have any plans, now is the time!" he yells.

  I face the direction the daggers came from. "Vermillion Blaze," I chant.

  Embers float from the palm of my hands into the woods, faintly lighting the Hashshashin, waiting to strike.

  "Is a light show the only purpose for that attack?" The Princess asks.

  I admit, upon first glance, this attack is pleasing to look at. However, the second activation is not so pleasant. Once the embers have encircled the Hashshashin, they erupt. Each ember turns into a small explosion, setting ablaze anything in its vicinity.

  The Hashshashin wail as they either suffer fatal wounds from the eruption or burn to death. I have no idea how many I took out; hopefully, a large portion of their force tried to attack us from the rear.

  The wall behind us shatters, and Aryn comes charging through in a fit. "There's a fuckin’ guy in the shadows!" Aryn yells.

  A dagger flies from the ground, piercing Aryn's knee. Aryn falls to his knee. "Damn bastard!" Aryn screams.

  He starts to randomly strike at any and all shadows on the ground. Each of his strikes leaves the ground shattered.

  The hooded woman claps, gaining our attention. "I must say, I was hoping for something more enthralling. What say we make this more entertaining?" she questions.

  I don't like where this is going. I've only heard tales of the Hashshashin's capabilities. If the legends are true, then it'll take a miracle to escape these woods.

  The hooded woman claps twice, signaling for the Hashshashin to appear from the trees.

  We're surrounded. Black-cloaked figures cover every space the moonlight shines through. We tighten up so that our backs face each other, leaving no blind spots.

  "Now," the hooded woman commands.

  We take defensive stances, anticipating the head-on assault.

  "Argh!" Aryn grunts in pain.

  A hand has emerged from our shadows and stabbed Aryn with a strange blade. Aryn snatches the hand before it can disappear. He yanks a cloaked figure from the shadows.

  "Gotcha, you fuckin’ shit," Aryn says through an angry smile.

  Aryn drops the Hashshashin and staggers, covering his face. The Hashshashin tries to flee into the shadows, but Utrix pins him down with his magic. Aryn stomps his head, shattering it like an egg.

  Aryn winces and hunches over in discomfort.

  "Did you poison him?" Utrix asks.

  Aryn screams in fear as he covers his head.

  "What did you do to him?" Asteria questions.

  The hooded woman laughs hysterically. "I wonder what horrors your friend is seeing?" She stops to chuckle. "Your friend has been injected with our most potent poison, well I suppose it is not poison by normal standards," she states.

  Asteria tries to heal Aryn, but to no avail. The pain Aryn is experiencing seems to intensify. What kind of poison is this? What does she mean by not norm
al?

  "Is it poison imbued with magic?" I ask.

  The hooded woman laughs. "I do suppose it would be more interesting to see you try to help him. Very well, you are wrong to guess magic. It was made by Hashshashin Alchemists."

  Shit, it could be made of anything if it's Alchemy. There are too many substances in the world for me to even begin to make assumptions about its contents. It would also explain why magic isn't healing him. Alchemy was created in defiance to the Celestials interfering with the natural word.

  "The poison is called Pazuraeth, though it is more of a concoction. If I were to explain it plainly, it makes one see their greatest fears manifest, and weakens their mind," she explains.

  Aryn lets out a blood-curdling scream. "Get away from me!" he yells.

  Another Hashshashin appears from the shadows and approaches Aryn. Utrix and I try to intercept him, but the other Hashshashin emerge to keep us at bay. They're a nuisance to deal with; they weave around our attacks and avoid confrontation. If we peel away, then they try to slip between and separate us. It's as if they're moving like a current.

  The shadow Hashshashin pulls a dagger out and strikes at Aryn.

  Just before the dagger reaches Aryn, the Hashshashin explodes, painting the ground behind with blood. The impact is followed by a blast of air.

  Aryn struck the Hashshashin, but with more force than he usually would.

  "Everyone cast enchantments that fortify the mind or induce sleep if you want to live!" I order.

  In an attempt to ease Aryn's hallucinations, I cast an enchantment. We have to stop him from losing control.

  I look around me and see I'm the only one casting an enchantment though.

  "What did I just tell you!?" I snap.

  Asteria rushes towards my side; at least she's aware of the situation. She casts an enchantment that can put people to sleep.

  I glare at Utrix and The Princess.

  "Sorry, I only know enchantments for combat," Utrix responds.

  A group of Hashshashin attack Asteria and me; they're like damn rodents.

  I stop the enchantment to defend us. Three of them lunge forward and attack with various weapons. They switch weapons among themselves fluidly after each attack. Their relentless assault gives me no time to use magic; I have hand to hand combat knowledge, but it isn't my forte.