Demiourgos (34 page)

“Among our people there are few outsiders that can survive and thrive here for obvious reasons.” Avreel started.

“Xenophobia, arrogance, aggression and not to mention your wonderful hospitality set apart who would think such a thing?” Liostro interjected with sarcasm saturating every letter in each word. “Go figure.”

“Yes you’re very witty now shut up. Having external genitalia doesn’t give you complete expertise on every situation to arise; you must understand the gravity of this situation. Some years back a big player entered the scene, he claimed the blood of naarabi kings and because of the bodies left in his wake no one cared to challenge him.” Avreel paused for a moment and looked down at the ground. “No one knows his real name but he goes by several pseudonyms ranging from the Nighthunter, the Hunter and Bloodhunter. He’s never failed to get his quarry.”

“There’s a first time for everything.” Liostro replied coldly. “He has chosen his target poorly.”

To Rose she could hear some of his old life in that statement and it scared her a bit but at the same time she felt safe with him, she knew he wouldn’t let anyone harm her. The fire in his eyes was a testament to the steel behind his words.

“For your sake I hope you’re right.” Avreel replied with a shrug as she began handing out the concealing clothing she had procured for their journey out of the city. “For obvious reasons we can’t afford to put you up as slaves so we’ll have to rely on stealth. Just try not to attract too much attention; you can’t fight the whole city.”

“For her I would take on any opponent. None shall lay a finger on her ever again.” Liostro replied evenly while gathering up what little they had left on them and what they had taken from the room beyond.

Avreel watched him silently for a moment, fully convinced that he would be willing to fight the entire city. The thing that had her taken aback was the look on his face, she wasn’t entirely sure it would be sound to bet against him.

The city was quiet around them; the stone of every building seemed just as sinister as the shadows they cast upon the ground. The city of blood rarely slept but it did quiet down during what Rose considered to be the ‘evening hours’. Though they were marginally safer on the back streets and alleys of the vaguely alien city Rose didn’t feel like it did a whole world of difference. Every set of eyes staring at them from street corners to dark passages between the buildings themselves seemed to disrobe her and shrug her disguise off for all to see. This place was vastly different from the elven city she had made her home; in this particular area alone the presence of ladies of the night and their pimps were enough to make her feel ill at ease. A lot of the time the girls in question were unfamiliar to her eyes. All of them were strange beings some of which were only vaguely humanoid. To spice things up every now and again a group of thugs would watch them pass with more than just a fleeting interest.

Rose and the others kept their heads down and Avreel had opted to display the stolen house medallion and outfit she had taken from her house’s store room. Most of the common Riff-raff had let them be. Though she was keeping up with them her body was protesting with every step. Her muscles were burning and her head was throbbing but luckily enough her eyes had stopped hurting. She had not attempted to recharge her reserves of magic at Avreel’s insistence so she was almost useless. To top it all off her ability to swing a sword was severely limited.

Perhaps just to emphasize this fact five tough-looking orcs stepped into Avreel’s path and grinned broadly displaying cracked yellow tusks through oily grey skin. Rose was worried when Avreel didn’t pause, but a quick motion brought her mace from its holster and across the face of the nearest orc who seemed to be the leader.

“You will move when a noble wishes to cross your path.” She said coldly as she gazed down at the cowardly humanoid. Her hand lifted up for another strike but he scampered out of the range of the blow and his cohorts followed. “If I see your hide again I will use it to decorate the floor of my personal privy.”

Though her heart was about to jump out of her chest she did her best not to show it to the others. Clenching her cloak closer to the golden-hued fur that covered her body she side glanced at the orc in question as he glowered at Avreel’s back. Her sigh must have been audible because Liostro put a hand on her shoulder from behind. Her first reaction was to jump but she caught herself in time to look back at him and smile nervously. They had only been out of their safe haven for a short time but it felt like an eternity walking through the hostile streets of the city the Infernis elves had built.

Avreel led them through the winding paths as quickly as she could walk; since she was a little shorter than all of them it was surprising that she was outpacing everyone. Nina had positioned herself between Avreel and Rose while simultaneously keeping an eye on their surroundings. Rose had never seen her so tense, even underneath the cloak she could tell that Nina was ready to spring at any moment. Liostro, on the other hand, looked relaxed as if he had nothing to fear; that in itself was a potent deterrent. A person who had no fear was either a fool or powerful. Rose grinned a little underneath her hood because she knew he was a little of both and she loved him for the former of the two.

The relatively smooth sailing didn’t last long. Avreel halted mid-stride and drew her mace again, backing toward the three of them with a look of terror on her face. Rose followed Avreel’s gaze and rested her eyes upon an odd-looking character. He was dressed in strange dark leather armor with crawling dull purple runes. His face was concealed behind a hood and mask that covered his entire head and he had a nondescript black cloak attached to his shoulders. On his hips were belted two long daggers, one of which seemed to be red hot and the other with a cold mist clinging to it. This lone figure stood in the center of the road with his arms relaxed at his sides and his feet spread apart languidly. As he spoke his voice wavered and faded in and out as if he were speaking through water, the effect was disorienting. “You may come quietly if you wish, but it’s much more fun if you resist.”

Against all warnings Rose attempted to build a reserve of magical energy. The second she began her legs gave out and a bright line of red blood dribbled from her nose, dripping to the floor with a wet plop. Darkness threatened to consume her for a brief moment causing confusion to everyone, including their aggressor from his posture. A sob hit her lips as she was wracked with an all too familiar pain.

“Rose!” Avreel whispered softly as she helped the naarabian up to her feet. “You mustn’t attempt to use magic.”

Liostro pushed past them both and drew the long blade from his back. He didn’t bother pushing the cowl of his hood aside he just glared from beneath with murder in his eyes. He wasn’t surprised when the assassin drew his weapons, nor was he surprised when the assassin charged forward but what set him on his heels was a feeling in the back of his mind. His warrior instincts told him that his opponent was not really there. Liostro took a chance and turned around, holding his blade above his head he dropped to one knee right next to Rose and was rewarded by the sound of metal upon metal. The dark leather clothing of the strange killer wavered into view and Liostro heard a hint of irritation in the growl that followed the next two swipes.

Liostro’s slower blade was hard pressed to intercept the swift blows from the long knives but that wasn’t the most astounding problem. Their attacker was standing on the side of the building which made defending awkward. He was pressed backward and several times he blocked Nina from stepping into the battle. They were all outmatched more due to the fact that the hunter’s clothing was almost teeming with magic. “Take Rose and keep going.”

“We can’t leave you here.” Rose chimed in wearily as Avreel forced her to stand and the two of them began dragging her along the street through weak protests.

“If you want her you’ll have to go through me first and I will not lie down quietly.” Liostro challenged as he swept his lumbering blade in a downward arc aiming for the leather clad assassin’s midsection. As his challenger hopped backward to avoid the blow he swung his sword around and hopped into the air, twirling and carrying it over into two more swings before he leveled himself out and regained his stance. His foe was the quicker of the two that was obvious but he knew that if he landed one or two good blows he would have a chance at escape.

Noticing that the attacker was standing rather still he grunted and swept his blade around behind him. Liostro felt satisfaction as his blade bit into something unseen and a muted yell issued forth. The illusion now broken he grinned at the wounded man and rushed forward, taking him off of his feet with a sound tackle. Liostro turned quickly and ran toward his fleeing companions with his naked blade still free from its scabbard.

The strange aggressor appeared before him as he got closer to the trio, dodging to the side he swept his blade in a clumsy strike aiming for his attacker’s leg but his blade hit nothing. Having guessed his target’s pattern he dove forward and tackled the invisible assassin just before he could strike at Rose. He struggled to keep a hold on the strange assailant but he was able to slip out of Liostro’s grasp. Growling in frustration he retrieved his blade and swept it around his head in a full circle, catching the coming daggers by chance alone. As the wavering assassin shimmered from view he ran forward and the chase was on again.

It was still easy to catch Rose and the others but his luck seemed to have run out, there was no one menacing Rose this time. It took a moment for him to reorient himself as the fleeing ladies stopped midstride and tensed up with all of them looking around for the coming attack. It was Nina who rolled to the side first, narrowly avoiding the ice cold dagger that barely missed her cheek. Liostro could see the frost forming on her skin. Taking a chance he swung his sword over his head and let it fly end-over-end toward the assassin near his prone companion. Everything slowed down for him briefly but he took up after the flying blade. It was hard not to show satisfaction as the blade struck the assassin’s arm and sent one of his daggers flying free. Liostro stooped down low and grabbed his blade then swung it hard in the space the assassin had been occupying just a moment before.

A loud shout escaped his lips stemming from irritation and he spurred the three women on. “Go! Don’t stop running until I say.”

Liostro took up the rear again. Behind them he heard the telltale signs of pursuit but he declined to turn and look. Ahead of him he could see his three charges, Nina he knew could outpace all of them without question. Rose was tired and drained from her earlier expenditure and it was obvious that Avreel didn’t run often because she was beginning to tire. Out on the streets so exposed with a trained assassin on their tail was not exactly the definition of low profile so Liostro’s mind began to work. He was catching up to them rapidly and he was sure his assailant was close because the nimble killer wasn’t wearing metal armor. Though his armor was light and vented it was still heavier than what most would wear since metal was somewhat rare. Before he knew it he was within arm’s reach of Avreel again, who was ushering Rose onward with Nina’s help. Instinct saved him as he dove forward to avoid a sweeping blade.

Now pressed to turn and fight Liostro positioned his feet underneath him and braced his body for the coming blow. Crouching down low he launched himself backwards, ramming the metal armor against his opponent as he carried the blow through and landed heavily on top of the assassin. Twisting himself around he locked his hands around his foe’s throat and squeezed as hard as he could. The struggling assassin beneath him had a slender neck so it was easy to apply pressure. His foe gasped dropped his weapons to grab at his arms. The struggling assailant hit his shoulders, armor and even his head once but the blows were becoming increasingly pitiful.

Even after the body stopped moving he continued to strain and crush until he felt a slender hand on his cheek. Rose tugged on his shoulder weakly. “Liostro we have to go.”

Liostro turned to her and indicated the other two with his chin. “I’m right behind you, go I’ll catch up.”

~~~~

Liostro had rid the assassin of a few choice items and left the rest to the scavengers that lived on the streets. The edge of the city was easy to reach but on the outskirts was what Avreel called ‘the academy’. The infernis elf was obviously on edge because her attention only left the structure long enough to eye the guards they were approaching. The two were guarding the exit of the city. She approached the post warily and stopped when ordered.

“State your business.” The left guard said in a rather formal tone.

“We’re not going far.” She explained simply as she tossed the guard a jingling bag of their last coinage. “Just headed to the mushroom fields.”

“We’ll see you when you return ma’am.” The guard said with a flourish of his hand indicating the doorway.

Rose eyed the city behind them as it diminished with each step. Her gaze fell to Liostro who looked increasingly troubled and to Nina who was fiddling with something in her pack. Weakly she limped along trying not to lean on anyone. She had insisted that she walk on her own up to the gate but her legs gave out and she hit the ground hard, causing a sharp pain in her knees. “I can’t go any further, I’m too weak.”

Liostro quietly squatted down next to her and lifted her up into his arms and with a silent nod to Nina and Avreel he walked on carrying Rose close to his chest. She was so light it was almost frightening; the energy she had expended had taken a toll on her body in more ways than one. “How far must we travel before I can get us away from his place?”

“It’s almost a two day strong walk; with Rose as weak as she is it may take three days or more. We have to cross several caverns and an underground ocean before we reach the astral fade.” Avreel replied as she cast her gaze back to Liostro. “And we’re not out of the woods just yet, patrols stop at the edge of the water.”

“What’s the astral fade?” He replied inquisitively, noting that Nina had the same look on her face.

“It is a wondrous sight my friends! It is a place of thought and memory. It is the home of the gods themselves, at least what’s left of them anyway. The heavens and the hells are linked to us through the astral fade. I cannot describe it more than that; you have to see it yourselves.” Avreel continued walking as she talked. “If the gods hadn’t sacrificed themselves to save us we would have been scattered to the astral fade and the continents wouldn’t have survived the way they did.”

“There’s more than one?” Rose asked curiously from her perch in Liostro’s arms. “I had heard but I did not know for sure.”

“Yes, beyond the sandbox you call a home there are several other lands. I’ve not been to any of them unfortunately but I know they’re there.” Avreel winked back at them and grinned. “You’ll see.”

~~~~

The walking was a blur to her along with everything else so time passed in sporadic bursts and vague memories. Though she felt bad for burdening Liostro with her weight she was enjoying the feeling of being so close to him. Her head rested on his armored shoulder somewhat uncomfortably and she let her thoughts drift in and out as she gained and lost consciousness several times. Sleep was fitful with the moving and shifting as they traveled from cavern to cavern. She vaguely remembered Avreel requesting that they remain quiet while traveling through this particular set of caverns but she didn’t know why. As she drifted between dreams and reality Rose realized something was not quite right with her. “Liostro.”