Avarice Twilight

by R. A Davidson

  Why would Barin care about the old man getting angry with us…we have to help Aryn.

  Aryn comes walking from the water.

  Large icicles form over the old man; Aryn readies himself. Two icicles fly towards Aryn, who stands his ground. Aryn brings his arm across his body to redirect the first icicle; upon contact, the icicle morphs into water. The water envelops Aryn's arm before turning back to ice. The second icicle splinters into several small spears. Flames erupt from Aryn's hand, incinerating the old man's attack.

  The flames dissipate, revealing scorched sand.

  A wave of water from the ground wraps around carries the old man out of the fire's path to the ocean. The old man goes further and further to the horizon, until I can barely make out his shape.

  "That old man is gathering a tremendous amount of mana," Princess Isla states.

  The amount of mana he's able to gather is indeed outrageous, to be able to have that much mana after the previous attacks…does he have a blessing?

  The shoreline begins to recede. Looking towards the horizon, I see the ocean is rising higher and higher.

  Barin pulls Princess Isla and me close to him. "Stone Pillar," he chants. The ground beneath us shakes as we are elevated from the beach.

  The wall of water begins to rush towards the shore, the roaring of the tumbling water echoes through the silence.

  "Aryn, climb up here!" I yell down at Aryn.

  He turns his head up at me, thinking I got his attention; I go to shout again. I stop; is he glaring at me?

  Aryn takes an unusual stance; keeping his body straight, he gets in a widened stance and bends his knees as if to sit. The wave crashes closer, getting bigger and louder. Aryn aims the palm of his left hand at the wave. With his right hand tucked, he waits as the wave approaches him.

  What's Aryn doing? Does he have a way to stop that? The wave is almost to the shore…it's colossal up close, as if it will swallow everything in its path. A sudden boom makes me cower and cover my ears.

  I look up to see what happened, the wave…no…the ocean is parted. I can see Aryn for just a moment, just as the rest of the water falls onto him.

  "Aryn!" I scream.

  The water begins to recede.

  "Should you not be worried about your foolish brother?" Princess Isla questions.

  I stop panicking for a moment to think about Princess Isla's question. Why has Aryn been the only one to show immense compassion to Barin? If they are brothers…why is the love so one-sided?

  The thought quickly leaves my mind as I focus on scanning for Aryn in the water. The shore is visible once again. Barin lowers the pillar to the ground.

  "We have to look for him," I state.

  I begin to wad in the water; not hearing Princess Isla or Barin, I look back. "Why are you two standing there? Does Aryn's life hold that little importance to you two!?" I franticly ask.

  Barin shows no emotions on his face, while Princess Isla seems confused.

  "What are you so worried about?" Princess Isla inquires. "That fool should have died at least three times since I have met him," she finishes.

  A figure emerges from the water…it's the old man. He begins to ride a wave towards the shore.

  "Did the fool actually lose to this senile man?" Princess Isla asks.

  The old man gets closer to the shore, I can make out a broad back sitting behind the old man. I recognize the muscles… it's Aryn; he survived too.

  The old man and Aryn land on the beach; the old man is missing his arm from the shoulder down. "The lad needs some clothes," the old man states.

  I rush past the old man to check on Aryn…he's naked! I turn and cover my face as quickly as I can, as to not see anything. "W-why aren't you wearing clothes!?" I shriek.

  Oh no, I just spoke how I usually do in front of everyone; they will think I'm an uncivilized woman.

  "This old bastard tore what clothes I had left," Aryn grunts.

  "You wouldn't be bare assed if you had let me kill you," the old man retorts.

  Aryn jumps up and takes the old man by the collar, "You fuckin’ coot!" Aryn barks.

  Barin punches Aryn in the back of the head. "Knock it off, dumbass," he orders.

  Aryn lets go of the old man and rubs his head. "Didn't have to hit me," Aryn complains.

  Barin throws his cloak over Aryn to cover him.

  "Who exactly are you?" he asks, facing the old man.

  "I would first like to apologize to you three. Especially you, lad," the old man replies remorsefully. He lowers his head to us. "I believed you to be a group of assassins after my life," he states.

  Princess Isla steps forward. "How could you possibly mistake one as prestigious as I for a common murderer?" she questions.

  The old man falls to his knees, then sits back. "Well… I'll be dead soon. Might as well answer any questions," he says. His voice is so calm; he must have prepared himself to die long ago.

  "Heal him Asteria," Barin orders.

  I'm confused; why would we save the person who attacked us? We have nothing to gain from this. I doubt any information that the old man can give us will be relevant to the group. This is not a favorable trade for us to make.

  "It's not like he can hurt any of us," Aryn states.

  I look at him confused; why are they both in agreement with this? Aryn gives me that reassuring smile of his.

  "Fine… but I have a few stipulations to benefit us with this deal," I state. "First, you will tell us everything we want to know; any knowledge you have will be ours. You will also answer our call if and whenever we may require your assistance," I affirm.

  The years of father making me conduct business deals with him seems to have found some use.

  The old man stares at me and chuckles. "I suppose I can agree to that, if it's a lovely lass giving me the demands," he answers with a grin.

  I kneel beside him and begin to use my magic to heal him. Slowly, his arm begins to return. I have the resolve to see this happen, but I never get used to the sight of a missing limb returning.

  First, the bone begins to form, the muscles slowly start to follow along with the veins. Depending on the size of the wound or the person's size, time varies with how long the process takes. The old man's arm is relatively thin, so his arm is renewed in a matter of minutes.

  "Remarkable," the old man remarks. "To think I would meet someone who is blessed with a gift such as yours."

  I stand. "I can only heal wounds. I cannot fight off any danger," I answer back.

  I don't see my magic as such an important thing; most people can heal wounds to an extent. I would much prefer magic that would allow me to protect those I hold dear.

  The old man stands. "Young lady, there is nothing nice about taking a life," the old man says. He seems quite remorseful. "Taking the life of a person is something that stays with you forever. The weight is heavier for those who were innocent."

  He makes his way over to the teleportation stone. "Get on, I'll tell you everything at the inn," he instructs.

  Barin and Aryn don't hesitate to get on the stone. Princess Isla and I lag behind before following.

  Once again, a bright light ensues, and we are brought back to the inn room.

  Princess Isla sits on the bed. "Now then, tell us why you took us to a beach, then proceeded to assault us," she demands.

  The old man takes a seat in one of the chairs. "My name is Jen Und; I use to be a famed assassin. I have been hired to kill many people from multiple counties. Eventually, they gave me the moniker…Ahuiz," the old man states.

  Ahuiz...friend of the rain?

  "That does not answer the questions I asked you!" Princess Isla snaps back. "If you continue to be arduous, I will deal with you myself," she threatens.

  Attention is back on Mister Jen. "Suppose I can't get away with not talking," Mister Jen replies. "Cochagine is not what it appears to be. The grandeur and glee is all a ploy by the Senate to stay in power," Mister Jen states.

  A ploy,
he says. How can we trust a single word that he says, though? The people in the city all seem fulfilled except for him. "If something is going on, then why are you here?" Barin questions.

  "The Senate once hired me to do a job. Of course, they lied about what I was hired for. I unintentionally saw members of the Senate enter a hidden room. I followed them into a strange structure within the city's underground system…couldn't believe what I saw them doing," he replies.

  Princess Isla stomps her foot on the ground. "I thought I commanded you to tell us what you witnessed. You are testing my patience!" she yells.

  "They're using Mofiuses to alter the minds of the citizens. Due to being in a constant dream-like state, the Senate can do anything they want with the people. The room was a den for them to release all of their built-up desires," he bitterly states. "They then use the substance Pasith, to make the citizens believe they need the dream-like state to function. Thus, not a soul will ever oppose them," Mister Jen finishes.

  That's awful; how can the Senate do that to those they are meant to protect?

  "Why did you attack me?" Aryn asks.

  Mister Jen stares at Aryn. "The stench of death on you had convinced me you were yet another assassin the Senate sent to kill me," Mister Jen answers.

  "Why have you remained in such a place?" Princess Isla asks.

  They aren't giving me enough time to think about what is happening in the room. The more questions that are asked, the cloudier the situation seems.

  "My daughter is one of the people in the city. If I don't do anything, they won't violate her," Mister Jen replies.

  The room goes silent. That is such a terrible thing to have happen to you, but Mister Jen has admitted to killing countless people. Is this something he actually deserves? I have conflicting feelings about Mister Jen. While I don't necessarily sympathize with him, I don't think his daughter should be in this situation.

  "Ok, you can leave now old man," Aryn says.

  Mister Jen appears to be as confused as Princess Isla and me.

  "We understand what's happening in the city. I want to sleep… so everyone go to your own rooms," Aryn states.

  Barin seems to be in agreement and leaves.

  Mister Jen stands and heads for the door, keeping his guard up the whole time.

  "You two as well, but if you want to spend the night with me… I won't mind," Aryn smirks.

  Princess Isla stands and slaps Aryn, "Boorish fool!" she barks.

  She leaves the room. "Are we going to do anything about this?" I ask him.

  Aryn just looks at me and smiles. Not knowing what to do, I leave too.

  I follow Princess Isla to our room; we don't speak as we make ourselves ready to sleep. I lie in bed and stare at the ceiling. With such an ordeal, I do not think I can get any rest for the night.

  16

  ARYN

  Everyone has left my room; I wonder if we can believe what the old man told us. I didn't sense any falsehood in what he said, but still… I feel as though we have yet to be told the whole truth. Wonder what I'll do about this. I'm sure some idea will come to me.

  I make my way over to the window.

  The people in the streets are just as lively as when we entered. I can't say whether or not the old man's words were valid. One thing I do know, since we entered this city, I have felt someone looking at me. I want to meet their gaze, but that would ruin any fun that may arise in the future. For now, I should do things my way…seems to always work out for me in the end.

  I open my door, and Barin's brooding in the hallway.

  "Planning on getting involved?" he asks. "I really do hate it when you go off on one of these whims of yours."

  I walk up to him. "Do you always have to look so serious?" I respond.

  We stand in silence, looking at one another. I know my brother better than anyone; I know what he wants to say at the moment. Barin has never been one to want to get entangled in affairs unrelated to us.

  "You know my policy. I'm gonna do what I want regardless," I say, gleefully.

  He glares at me, the pressure around him becoming heavier.

  Barin is the only person who has ever been able to stand against me in a fight. I fear and admire his power.

  I smile at him; he sighs.

  "You see why people call you a fool?" he remarks.

  "Well, I may be foolish sometimes, but at least I don't regret anything I do," I reply.

  I turn and head towards the stairs. I've made it halfway down the stairs.

  "Hey," Barin calls out. "At least be careful," Barin says.

  I stop.

  That's the side of him that only I ever seem to see. Despite his emotionless expression and cold demeanor, he truly cares for me as I care for him. I wave to him as I go down the stairs and make my way into the lobby, heading for the door.

  "Don't get any ideas of attacking the senate," I hear the old man call. I turn and see him behind the counter. "I refuse to have anyone pity me."

  "You don't seem to understand. I don't give a damn about you or anyone who lives here. If I feel like doing something, then I do it… nothing more to it," I respond, then head out the door of the inn.

  Immediately, I'm flocked by a large group of people. They try coercing me to join them.

  "Why don't you try some of this?" a man offers me a small cloth with a little mound of dark green powder on it.

  "It'll make all your worry go away and transport you to a world of dreams," a woman sings.

  I push past them. Wonder if that the drug Jen told us about? Every face has a wild expression of blissful ignorance. It's almost gross to look at.

  The streets are filled with life and color. Flames of every color light the night, mesmerizing magic being used all around. If this place wasn't fabricated, I could probably have a fun time here.

  More people swarm me, each offering the drug to me. I begin pushing them off of me while keeping the cloak tied around my waist, so I'm not bare-ass naked.

  Looking up, I happen to see Utrix in the window across the street.

  I fight my way through the crowded street to the bar on the other side. I turn back to look at the people on the streets. Everyone is so eager to have a blissful time that they keep giving and taking the drug… it really is an endless cycle.

  I make it to the bar on the other side

  "What can I help you with, friend?" the barkeep asks as I enter the building.

  I survey the lobby; seems to be like any other bar one would come across. "Some clothes would be nice," I respond.

  He nods, then heads into a room behind the bar. I make my way to the counter; this place has a pretty good selection, could have a decent drink instead of ale.

  The barkeep returns with clothes. "Here you are, friend," he says with a smile.

  I take the torn cloak off and begin to change.

  "Friend, you can use the room upstairs on the right," the barkeep informs.

  I tie the cloak around my waist and head upstairs to the room the barkeep offered.

  Once at the top, I look down the hall. If I counted right, then Utrix is at the end of the hall. I make my way to the door I believe to be Utrix's. I hear some muffled noises as I grab the handle.

  "Still up Utrix?" I ask as I enter.

  "Kyaa!" a female voice shrieks.

  A woman in bed with Utrix covers herself with the sheets. "Sorry love, you only paid for one person," she tells him.

  She looks at me; I must be frightening her with only a cloak around my bottom half; must look like a crazed nudist.

  "If I get to choose, I think I prefer the one who just entered," she remarks.

  She smiles as she gets off the bed.

  "Now wait a damn moment," Utrix protests.

  He hastily stands. "This is my time that I paid for to relieve all the stress you shits have caused me!" he roars.

  Why is he so mad at me? Does he think I'm trying to stop him from having sex?

  The woman walks up to me and puts her
hand on my chest. Guess she wants to tempt me. She is reasonably attractive, but I don't lie with women for the exchange of money.

  I push her away. "You two can go back to having sex. I need to speak with you, Utrix," I state.

  The woman seems confused as to why I rejected her seduction, while Utrix just looks irritated.

  "While I finish up, why don't you go downstairs and have a few drinks," Urtix suggests.

  I walk over to the table by the window and set the clothes on it.

  "We can talk while you enjoy the product you purchased; I don't feel like waiting for you to finish before I get the time of day," I respond.

  They both look shocked by what I said. Is it that big of a deal? I'm sure that the information I have to say is of more importance than what's in Utrix's pants.

  I untie the cloak and begin to change into the new clothes.

  "I definitely prefer the new guy," the woman says.

  I pull the pants up and glance at her; she has eyes full of lust as she stares at me.

  "Just leave," Utrix tells the woman.

  He takes some coin from his pouch on the floor. "Here's some extra to keep quiet about this embarrassment," he says as he hands the woman the money.

  She grabs her dress and begins to get dressed. Utrix puts his clothes on as well.

  "Hey, handsome," the woman calls.

  Utrix and I both look towards her; she points at me. "You can have me anytime you want, for as long as you are in town," she says with a smile.

  She leaves the room; I turn to speak to Utrix, but he seems dejected for some reason.

  "Is yours that much better than mine?" he asks aloud.

  Well, of course, mine is better than his; not even a competition. "Not your fault; my personality is just more appealing to most people," I respond.

  Utrix gets up and walks over to me. He puts his hand on my shoulder and gives me an assuring smile. It's nice to see Utrix and I have built a bond in these few days.

  He punches my stomach without hesitation.

  “What was that for?" I ask.

  Utrix steps back while shaking his hand in pain. I hope he didn't hurt himself.