“Fuck you, bitch,” Aish’s attempt to feign bravado failed miserably when her voice cracked.
I kept smiling as I slid my hand over hers, lacing our fingers together before tightening my grip. Aish’s look of confusion quickly turned into a grimace, and she cried out in pain when I squeezed even tighter, and three of her fingers abruptly snapped with a sickening crack. When I let go, Aish cradled her mangled hand against her chest, whimpering in agony like the sniveling coward she was. Her weakness only stoked my rage, reminding me just how despicable she was. She knew better than most how terrible it was to live in fear, but once she’d been given a taste of true power, Aish had chosen to use it for the most deplorable of purposes.
“That’s just a little taste of what’s in store for you, Aish,” I slid my hand along her thigh until my palm rested on her kneecap. “Shall I break this next?”
“W-What do you want?” She replied through her sobs.
“I need to know where Thorgil, Laerik, and Jaide are,” I glared at her menacingly while my fingers dug into the flesh of her leg. “And any information you have about the remaining forces in the Dark Lands.”
“I-I don’t know where they are,” Aish replied.
“Only Laerik and Jaide work together!” She quickly added when I scowled at her and tightened my grip around her knee.
While I was irritated with her answers, the blue tint of Aish’s words belied their truth. Even though it was frustrating for me, I had to admit that the inability of the twisted Deathless to trust each other had probably saved many lives. Had they coordinated their efforts against me, the Deathless might very well have succeeded—in every case, just a single one of them had been able to cause a great deal of damage. Aish herself had only been thwarted by a combination of my trap, Rhia’s sacrifice, and Insleí’s corrupted blades. Had there been just one more Deathless with her last night, they would have shredded our defenses, likely killing many, possibly even myself and Líann if they’d been able to sneak into our quarters. With my hopes of finding the remaining Deathless shattered, I switched to something different.
“How much do you know about the strongholds within the Dark Lands?”
“Not much. I spent almost all of my time in the Realms,” tears began to fall from Aish’s eyes when she confessed her ignorance. She knew full well that her ability to provide me with the information I wanted was the only thing keeping her alive at that point.
“Can you think of anything else you have to offer me?” I asked as my fingers curled around her kneecap.
“Please…” Aish began sobbing uncontrollably.
After she’d killed Ella, the worthless fucking bitch dared to plead for mercy? My vision flared green, and I wrapped my hands around her neck when Aish’s pathetic blubbering kindled my wrath.
“You killed my Tári!” I shouted at her in rage.
Aish’s mangled arm flapped uselessly as I slammed her against the wall while she vainly tried to push me away with her one good arm. But even if she’d been at full strength, Aish was no match for me, and with the broken fingers of her hand, all she managed to do was injure herself even further in the process. Before long, Aish’s pathetic flailing grew weak, and she barely managed to offer any resistance at all as I slowly choked off her air.
I desperately wanted to keep squeezing—to feel her windpipe crushed between my fingers, but I knew that wouldn’t end her; she’d only respawn somewhere else and resume her evil ways, possibly even taking the lives of some of my own people when she did. I reluctantly loosened my grip and threw Aish to the floor where she gasped hungrily for air while I unlocked the door to her cell and called down the hall for Emilda.
The halfling woman came quickly, shuffling down the corridor as fast as she could, obviously still eager to eliminate any of the Deathless we captured. As Emilda made her way to me, I ripped off the sleeve off Aish’s tunic, exposing her arm so I could check for the tattoo that had been the mark of Ineth’s killers. Fortunately for Aish, her skin was clear. Had it not been so, I might very well have inflicted a great deal more harm on her before letting Emilda do her work.
When she entered the cell, Emilda took in Aish’s form splayed out on the floor before quickly glancing at me. I shook my head slowly in response, answering her unasked question and then, with a quick nod, she immediately began casting her magic.
Within seconds, the links around Aish’s neck pulsed with a malevolent darkness and thin strands of inky blackness leeched out of the collar and into her flesh as the collar crumbled into ashes. Screams of utter anguish followed immediately as the vile corruption of the links’ magic snapped Aish’s bones and reduced her body to a steaming mound of putrid black slime.
“They said to tell you that her gear is in the next cell,” Emilda commented offhandedly as we left Aish’s festering remains behind.
The door was unlocked, and when I stepped inside the cell, I saw Aish’s backpack propped up against the stone wall. Peering inside the pack, I saw three items, and I pulled out one of them to examine it more closely. The simple gold ring was unadorned, and if I’d noticed it on someone’s hand, I would have thought nothing of it. But after looking it over for a moment, I still couldn’t detect its properties, so I handed it over to Emilda. She passed the ring back to me after a quick review, and I discovered its nature.
Ring of Concealment – This plain metal band boosts the wearer’s Stealth Abilities. The exact bonus provided depends on the wearer’s Dexterity. This item will become Soul Bound to its rightful owner.
I could see how an item like that would become quite powerful when worn by a Deathless like Aish. With our high Attribute values, such a boon would become extremely useful. In fact, the ring had likely played a key role in helping her slip past our outer defenses. Khorim might benefit a great deal from the boost that it would grant him, and I resolved to pass the ring on to him as I placed it in one of my Cloak’s hidden pockets.
Once the ring was away, I pulled out the next item from Aish’s pack—a pair of fine-looking boots. Like the ring, they didn’t appear to be anything special, but for a Shadow, that was probably a good thing. Maintaining a low profile was just part of their craft. As soon as I got the boots clear of her pack, I examined them closely and was rewarded for my efforts when their description came up in my vision.
Boots of Quickness – These boots offer increased movement speed both in combat and when traveling. This item will become Soul Bound to its rightful owner.
That probably explained how Aish had been able to do so well not only against my guardians but Insleí as well. I doubted that anyone, Deathless or not, could best Insleí without the aid of some powerful magic; these boots seemed to explain how Aish had managed to do just that. Having liberated them from Aish, my dilemma became what to do with this very useful item.
Giving the boots to Insleí would make her practically unstoppable, but Ella had been the one who’d truly suffered the most the night before. However, both of them had already received gifts from me, or in Insleí’s case, gifts from the Gods on my behalf, while there was another who I’d promised to help and had still received nothing. With my mind made up, I tucked the boots away and removed the final item from Aish’s pack.
I’d been surprised to see the bow with her gear since I’d anticipated that she’d used magical blades to inflict so much damage, but the boots explained how Aish had been so deadly at close range, so I guess it made sense. With her enhanced Stealth and quickness, Aish would have been quite deadly at range, and that same quickness would have served her equally as well during close-up fighting. Thankfully, the tight confines of the keep had prevented her from using her bow, or we might have suffered even more casualties. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to identify the weapon and had to pass it off to Emilda so she could unlock its secrets for me. It only took her a brief moment to do so, and she quickly handed the bow back to me for my review.
Archer’s Recurve Bow – This weapon increases its wielder’s accuracy b
y 20%. This weapon will become Soul Bound to its rightful owner.
I was at a bit of a loss for what to do with this fairly powerful weapon. Among my Tári, Líann was the only one who used a bow, but she already had the Bow of Impact. I had tried to persuade Insleí to add a ranged weapon to her arsenal, but she’d refused to even consider it. Eventually, I decided to pass the weapon off to Ella—not for her use, I knew that it wasn’t her style either, but perhaps as a weapon for one of my guardians to wield. Even though both Líann and I were deadly with our own bows, having a capable sniper among my protectors seemed like a decent idea.
Once I’d stowed the bow away with the rest of the gear, I snatched up Aish’s empty pack and headed back towards the guard station where my protectors were waiting for me. I was about to march upstairs again when I noticed that Insleí had joined the group. She’d obviously tracked me down, although I doubted it took too much work for her to figure out where I was, considering the previous night’s events.
Even though she was truly dead, I was still seething inside over my disgust with Aish and all the other Deathless for that matter. With their powers, they could have saved many lives and done a great deal to curb the evils of this cruel world. Instead, they’d chosen to side with those who tormented the innocent, adding their might to the vast numbers who preyed upon the people of Arrika. It was maddeningly frustrating that every single one of them was such despicable pieces of shit, and I needed to find a way to vent my outrage before it came out in the wrong way.
“Come with me,” I growled at Insleí as I strode up the single flight of stairs to the ground floor.
Although I could hear the sound of many sets of boots following me, I didn’t bother looking back. Once outside, I stomped across the small courtyard to one of the nearby storage buildings and motioned for Insleí to step inside and then closed the door behind us, leaving the rest of my guardians outside. Without saying a word, I stalked to the center of the mostly empty building and drew my blades.
Insleí understood my intent and responded by unsheathing her own swords while taking up a defensive stance across from me. She knew I was no real match for her, just as I did, and that my intention was only to release a portion of my anger. Sparring with Insleí would allow me to fight virtually unrestrained, venting my rage while ensuring that I didn’t accidentally harm anyone.
As I slowly began circling closer to her, I noticed the form of the Essence Blade in my hand. Although I’d had little opportunity to wield it, the weapon had morphed from Dwarven Steel to Khelduin when I’d reached level 60, and while I held the powerful weapon in my hand for the first time since reaching level 80, I noticed the subtle change that had come over the blade.
While it was still made of brilliant Khelduin, the edges of the weapon were fringed with a faint haze of shadow. Vaporous wisps, not unlike those of my Shadow Armor, trailed off the razor-sharp blade, writhing menacingly in the still air of the vacant building. I hesitated momentarily, my rage forgotten for a moment as I considered the danger that the shadowy projections might present for Insleí, and she took advantage of my distraction to launch an attack.
I barely had enough time to raise the Essence Blade and block her first strike when Insleí followed up with a vicious combination of blows. She held little back, and had it not been for the points I’d gained through Saibra’s Oath, I doubted that my defenses would have held up under her assault. Then, as she continued her relentless attack, my concern over her safety gave way to my own increasingly desperate need to defend myself, and I was soon consumed with the effort to protect myself from her onslaught.
Suddenly, I saw an opening when Insleí glided away a half-step, and I took advantage, launching a counterattack of my own. Insleí sidestepped my swipe at her, and when I pressed forward, she continued to back away. I was so consumed by the apparent advantage I’d gained that I couldn’t make out the words she was speaking until she shouted them at me.
“Stop!” Insleí’s near desperate cry finally reached my ears.
She backed away several more steps after I halted and it was only then, as Insleí eyes remained focused not on me, but on the blade in my hand, that I noticed what had caused her to retreat from me.
The thin, gauzy veil of shadows that surrounded the Essence Blade when we’d begun our match had transformed into a heavy aura of deep blackness, and where only tiny strands had projected from it before, thick bands of darkness thrashed about around the Blade’s outer edges. It was no wonder Insleí had backed off so quickly; if those projections held only a fraction of the power of my Shadow Armor, even a near miss from the Essence Blade could prove fatal. Obviously, the Blade had drawn on me during our sparring, increasing the power of its shadowy projections as the fighting went on—a powerful boon in real combat, but also one that presented an unacceptable danger in this mock battle.
“Perhaps you should warn me about developments like that in the future,” Insleí commented dryly while I continued to stare down at the Blade and its slowly diminishing halo of darkness.
Nearly losing Ella the night before brought my fears for my Tári to a sharp point, reopening the jagged wounds that had been torn into my heart when I let Tási go. Overcome by what I’d almost done to Insleí, I sheathed the deadly weapon as I advanced towards her wordlessly. Her expression slowly turned from amusement to one of confusion as I drew closer before a brief look of surprise came over Insleí’s face when I pulled her into me and kissed her.
I poured my fears into Insleí in the form of an intensely passionate kiss, clutching onto her almost desperately, and she returned my affection just as fiercely. I held her close even after our lips parted, relishing Insleí’s warmth as we stood together in the emptiness of the large building. Her soft lips brushed against my skin enticingly when she kissed my neck and then whispered softly in my ear.
“It’s okay, Dreya,” Insleí’s hushed voice reassured me. “Ella’s fine, and you didn’t harm me.”
“But—” I began before she quickly cut me off.
“You will lose us all, eventually,” Insleí’s grip around me tightened as she spoke. “There’s nothing you can do to prevent that. But others will follow, just as I followed Tási. Although your heart will ache, it will never be empty—you will never be alone.”
Rarely, if ever, had she spoken to me with so much insight. With just those few words, Insleí had cut right to the heart of my deepest fears and attempted to lay them to rest. But even though everything she’d said was true, it still didn’t ease my real concern. I’d thought the comfort of knowing that Bane and Líann would be with me forever would make things more bearable for me, but Ella’s near-death had shaken my resolve—badly.
“No one can ever replace Tási,” my words came out in halting spurts as my voice cracked with emotion. “Nor will anyone ever be able to replace you, Insleí. But how long will it be before I can no longer bear the pain of losing the people I love?”
“Where would I be right now if you felt it was too much after Tási?” Insleí answered my question with one of her own.
Dead, most likely; either that or possibly still rotting in one of the cells beneath my Palace. And with that, she’d made her point quite clearly. If I gave up, I wouldn’t only be depriving myself of the Tári I needed, but I’d be giving up on them as well. Would those I’d abandon suffer like Insleí might have, or perhaps even worse? There was no real way for me to know the answer to that question. But what I did know, what Insleí made perfectly clear to me, was that my pain was only part of the equation. Balancing that was not only the love of my Tári but also the potential harm I might cause if I refused to accept them into my life.
“I really have no choice, do I?”
“No,” her blue eyes twinkled mischievously as Insleí pulled away slightly. “But then again, neither do we.”
Well, she pretty much had me there—again. Knowing that we’d accomplished our task and more, Insleí took my hand and pulled me towards the door that led
back outside. I followed almost reluctantly, somewhat unsure about what had just transpired between us. I’d been the one to drag Insleí here to vent some of my anger, but somehow she’d wound up not only helping me with that, but she’d also soothed a deeper wound inside me, much like I’d healed those within her before. The thought reminded me once more that the relationship between my Tári and me was no one-way street; we comforted and brought peace to each other, sometimes without even knowing it.
Aiva looked us both over critically when we emerged into the daylight outside, seeking out any tell-tale bruises that might relate the story of our fight. Seeing no such marks on either of us, she ventured a guess.
“Healing crystals?”
“It was a draw,” Insleí responded quickly.
Aiva’s brow shot up incredulously, she knew well enough Insleí’s skill with her blades, and that I was far from her equal.
“There were… complications that favored me,” I offered as we began walking back towards the keep.
Insleí merely shrugged when Aiva glanced at her in disbelief, leaving the mystery unsolved for the Captain. When we crossed the threshold into the keep, I quickly returned to my quarters, leaving Insleí and my guards behind as I closed the door behind me. Líann appeared to have just finished getting herself together when I stepped inside, and she smiled at me almost sheepishly as she tightened the last few straps of her armor.
“Sorry,” Líann apologized. “I guess I slept a little late… again.”
“No, you’re just in time for some breakfast,” I replied, suddenly remembering that I had yet to eat anything since I’d woken up.
We shared a relatively quiet meal together before Líann accompanied me while I sought out Ella. I finally found her sparring in the courtyard, venting her own frustrations just as I had earlier that morning—I couldn’t help but smile while seeing her release her burdens in the same way I did. My grin only widened as I watched Ella best her opponent; although Rhia had put up a valiant effort, she was no match for her Commander’s ability. Seeing them there, I had a sudden inspiration—a familiar feeling I’d learned not to ignore—and called the two of them over when their match was complete.
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