Avarice Twilight

by R. A Davidson

  AVARICE TWILIGHT

  ASKELADD

  R.A DAVIDSON

  Copyright © 2021 by R.A Davidson

  All rights reserved.

  ( NOTE: This book is a work of fiction. )

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the authors’, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. It is not to be shared, sold or distributed in any way except from the authors. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it to the author and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.

  Contents

  Follow Me

  Lore

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Follow Me

  FACEBOOK

  INSTAGRAM

  Lore

  Eight thousand years ago, on a continent scattered with warring tribes, beings from above descended, bringing with them unfathomable power. The powers the beings brought were those that could control the very laws of nature. The beings gave the tribes the fundamental aspects to govern fire, water, the wind, and the earth. It was observed that with each generation born, the powers were strengthened and evolved into a vast spectrum of abilities.

  During the following centuries, the more powerful tribes consumed the land and its people, eventually forming kingdoms. The people had come to revere the beings from the sky and the gifts they bestowed. Those beings were now the idols of worship, eventually becoming the center for religion. Soon the term "magic" became the accepted name for the abilities.

  Five hundred years after the celestial beings descended, another force emerged from the shadows. These beings were jealous and filled with rage for the love they did not receive. So, these beings forced upon the people a power to rival the holy saviors. These powers had unimaginable effects but at the cost of incomparable misery. These beings would become known as devils and their abilities as curses.

  The celestial beings and the devils did not just affect the world of men by granting magic, for their arrival gave birth to new races. It is accepted that certain tribes were infused with the very essence of the celestials and devils, thus creating races in accordance with the otherworldly influences.

  1

  ARYN

  As the cart makes it to the top of the hill, we can see the city of Avalon. "This place is bigger in person, Barin,” I remark, facing Barin. He nods with an annoyed look upon his face. "Would it really hurt you to talk more?" I sneer.

  He glances at me with half-opened eyes. "Well, my ears tend to ache when you talk from time to time," he comments bitterly. “So can you be quiet and just ride?”

  Most people wouldn't guess we are brothers solely based on our appearances and demeanor, but he is my one and only older brother.

  I do stand almost a head over him and, if described by most, have more of an endearing personality. Barin’s told me I resemble our mother more than he does, but I don't remember her, so I can't say.

  Barin throws my bag towards me. "Aryn, stop daydreaming like a dumbass; we're at the gates."

  I look out to see a towering wall made of cold and unyielding stone. A wall that could shadow most castles surrounds the entire capital. The scars from attempted sieges on the capital are preeminent. The large iron gates open as we near. I feel a sense of unease as they screech to a stop.

  The driver turns back. "Pardon the stench; the outer blocks are for those of use with weak magic," he states, sounding a bit disgusted. "This area is full of filth.”

  The oppression of those who are weaker is nothing new. I've heard Avalon has rather harsh regulations with regards to magical aptitude.

  I look out the cart to see the state of the outer blocks.

  The first thing I see is a dead body lying in an alley. People are passing by as if it weren’t even there. Every face I look at is filled with agony, sadness, and hate. Even the best building I've seen so far is rotting, and the feeling of murderous intent on our cart is evident. This is the life of those who are subjugated by others who can freely impose their own will.

  "Get in before someone tries to get you," Barin says as he pulls me in.

  Barin’s looking at me like an elder does when scolding a kid. "Not like we haven't seen even worse on our way here, Aryn," he comments.

  I sigh. “You're right. Just suppose it's a sad sight."

  Barin looks at me. “It's just the two of us; no need to act like you care." he coldly says.

  After some time, we arrive at yet another gate. The wall around it isn’t as intimidating as the main wall, but it’s decently guarded for some reason.

  The carriage comes to a sudden halt.

  "Far as I can take you two. You will have to walk from here on," the driver informs us.

  Barin and I take our bags and make our way to the gate entrance. I slow down though… I can feel magic coming from this wall, a magic barrier if I were to guess. Strange that this one has so much security compared to the wall meant to protect the entire city.

  "Do you think you can just walk in here, lad?" a voice calls out.

  We're stopped by a guard, a rather fat guard, if I do say. He makes his way to us, with a pretty arrogant strut for such a portly frame.

  "Not just any soul is allowed to pass into the inner blocks, especially two suspicious ones," the guard states.

  I go to speak when Barin steps forward. "We're here to apply to Avalon Academy," he informs him.

  "So, you two think you're good enough for the most prestigious school there is?" the guard inquires. He steps so close I can smell ale and meat on his breath. "Well, if the two of you get accepted, you can stay, but if I see one of you again, I'm gonna have to question ya."

  I can tell he's a man who abuses his powers for his pleasures; and I’d bet he gets pleasure from inflicting pain. You can always tell the ones who do… they’ve got a certain twinkle in their eye.

  I give him my friendliest smile as we walk through the gates.

  “We should just follow this road to get to Avalon Academy,” Barin decides.

  As Barin and I make our way towards the academy, I realize living conditions get better the closer towards the center we get. The houses become much more extensive and grandiose. The stores start to display more valuable merchandise; shit… even the clothes the people are wearing start to look like something royalty may wear. It would seem the most wealthy and powerful families live closest toward the center.

  After an hour of walking, I see the royal castle, Castle Aine. The blue tower tops reach the sky. The outside is an ashen color… not entirely white, though. The gold accents all aro
und are apparent, even from this distance. It’s what one would expect from the castle in a prestigious kingdom.

  Barin stops. “We should find an inn to stay for a few days, on the chance we don’t get accepted," he remarks.

  “While you do that, I'll make my way around the town," I reply.

  I can feel Barin staring at me. I refuse to look though… it’s less dangerous to not make eye contact when he's this way.

  “Just don't be yourself too much, for my sake," he implores.

  I jog away. “No promises!" I yell back.

  He may think I’m just goofing off, but there’s a reason for me wanting to. My main objective is to find as much information about this city as I can. One of the quickest ways to die is to be caught unaware, and being in an unknown place makes it worse.

  After a short jog, I end up in the market. The tantalizing aroma radiating from the food vendors distracts me from my jog. I walk over to the one that smells the best; the food that’s being sold doesn’t look appetizing at all. I have no idea what I buy, but it tastes good once I get the courage to take a bite.

  The vendor seems to be chatty, so I ask if there are any important places around and about Avalon's laws. The vendor explained to me that in Avalon, three powers control the city. The royal family makes up the governing body and decides the laws. The military protects the city and enforces the laws. Then there's the merchant guild, which regulates all trade in the city.

  I just so happen to still be hungry, so I buy more food. He stops talking and gestures for more money.

  The vendor goes on to talk about the three associations with the most influence after the ones mentioned earlier. The Church of the Celestials, which sways the mass with religious scripts. The Magus Institute takes in the most exceptional magic users to further advance the implications of magic. Arguably the most influential is Avalon Academy, which shapes future leaders and powerful magicians.

  I say my goodbyes and continue on.

  I make my way through the market, observing the people and the social interactions. I stop paying attention to where I am walking and bump into something.

  "I am so sorry, sir; please do not tell the mister I disturbed your walk."

  I look down and see a feeble girl in a pale blue dress.

  I glance past her and see a group of people in pale blue standing around a store. A man with a big hat and little mustache makes his way out as the group parts.

  "I am so sorry, my young sir. Did this dirty beast make a mess of your day?" he asks while bowing.

  "It's fine; I walked into her," I reply.

  The man turns to the kid and slaps her. "You filthy waste of air; if you did not have so little magic, I would have fed you to beasts by now," he berates.

  He turns to me and takes my hand. "My gracious sir, my name is Whelvin Urst, my sincerest apology for this," he brown noses.

  He vigorously shakes my hand. This Whelvin guy has a thin face with small and beady eyes, almost like a rodent.

  "If it would please you." Whelvin wraps his arm around my shoulders. "I would like to give you a discount on one of the stocks in my selection," he whispers in my ear. "I'm sure a strong guy like you would like your own love toy."

  I push him aside. "Hate to waste your time, but there's only one other person whose life I want to worry about at the moment."

  "Such a shame." Whelvin sighs and turns towards the girl. "Activate."

  The girl collapses, screaming; it would seem she's under a slave contract. Whelvin looks at me as if he thinks I'll change my mind.

  I walk away from the shop as onlookers laugh. I have more important issues at the moment, but I'll remember Whelvin.

  After walking the main roads, I decide to roam the alleys. It's almost dusk when I hear the screams of a woman in the next alley. I head over, assuming the worst when I see two women and five guys when I get there.

  Unfortunately, one of the lasses is half dead and being robbed of any valuables. The other is pinned against the wall by one of the guys; her face filled with despair as a blade is pressed against her neck.

  As I approach, I notice the symbol used during past rebellions on one of the guy’s neck. As the powerful oppress the weak, so do the weak attack the strong.

  The two guys looting the dead body start to fight over something one of them found. The disruption draws the other three's attention; I should take this moment to make a move.

  I run into the group and pull the other girl away. She's frozen with shock.

  "Hey, brat!" the man in the middle shouts. "Why don’t you leave before my boys kill you too."

  He steps forward while grinning. Another ugly fucker.

  I step in front of the girl. "Plan on doing the same to her as well?" I ask, pointing to the dead girl.

  "No, we plan to play with her for a while, isn't that right guys?" the man says, to get a rise out of the group.

  They all join in on a little chuckle.

  I glance at the girl behind me; she seems to be around my age… rather cute as well. She's in no state to try and run from here. I'll probably have to carry her.

  "If you can speak, can you tell me if you want help?" I ask her.

  She starts crying and shakes her head yes.

  I look back at the men. “Well, it seems like I have to subdue your group," I inform them.

  They all pull short swords as they step forward, and the designated leader steps up. "We may not have much magic, but from what I feel… neither do you."

  I slide my left foot forward and bring my right hand up to my chin, letting my left hand stay in front of me to guard.

  He grins even wider, revealing stained teeth. "Wouldn't someone use magic when they're outnumbered?” he asks. “That is how most people fight...why I do believe that we'll kill you slowly."

  He approaches me. No hesitation in his pace… he's used to killing. He has too many openings, though, so he's not an experienced fighter.

  He attacks, a simple diagonal slash. The attack's so simple that I shouldn’t expect a feint.

  "If you move, I'll hit the girl!" he gleefully exclaims.

  I step forward and bring my left arm up, letting his wrist hit my forearm and slide away. Using his momentum, I strike his chin with the palm of my hand to stun him. I grab his sword hand and swing it over my head to point his elbow towards me. Without wasting time, I strike his elbow. His arm breaks and gets folded in half.

  The man falls to his knees in pain, but before he can wail, I kick his neck. The crack echoes in the alley.

  I turn to face the girl. "Can you close your eyes, please?" I ask her. "This isn't something you want to see."

  As night nears, I find myself on the main road with a cute girl in my arms. I would say this has ended in a good night for me. Unfortunately, there's more blood than I’d prefer. I was hoping to avoid any conflict; I should be glad it was just a small bunch.

  I glance down at the girl. Her eyes are still closed for some reason; she's shaking too.

  I stop walking to stare at the signs with no idea where the fuck I’m going. “Could you tell me where to take you?” I ask the girl.

  She opens her eyes; I smile at her, and she cries. I look down at her, wondering what to say.

  "Sorry if I'm not the best thing to see when you look up," I say with a nervous smile.

  "No, thank you for saving me," she responds. Her voice is soft, not surprising after what she's seen.

  After a bit of talking, she directs me towards her house, or should I say mansion.

  "Didn't realize I'd be meeting someone important my first day here," I remark as I put her down. She keeps her arm around me. "You can let go now." She slowly unwraps her arm.

  "Thank you, thank you so much," she sputters through tears.

  I put my hand on the top of her head. "Don't worry about anything bad for the time being," I say, wiping her tears.

  I just now see her eyes are as purple as a jewel. Taking the time to gaze at her, I'd definitely say she's p
retty; her hair is ever such a vibrant red and wavy… like a fiery flame, dancing in the wind. Her skin is just the right golden tone as if it was kissed by the sun.

  “Will I see you again?" she asks. Her eyes are so innocent as she stares at me. “I would like to repay you somehow for what you did.”

  I smile and start to head towards the center.

  After the eventful day, I’d like to lie in bed and get some rest…hopefully the place Barin finds has a bar.

  "My name is Asteria. I pray I can meet you again!" she calls out.

  I stop and turn back. "I’m Aryn Askeladd," I reply.

  I smile as I go to look for Barin.

  2

  BARIN

  I stand and watch as Aryn goes running down the road. Sometimes he’s adept at acting like a fool, but I know better that he does make calculations here and there. I’ve tried being the best brother and influence on him that I could, however he seems to try his damndest to piss me off sometimes. I’m the only family he has and he’s my only; I’ll continue to support him like he does for me.

  I make my way down the road looking for a decent inn; hopefully I can find an affordable one, after the trip Aryn and I have been on… we don’t have a surplus of coin. The only issue I have at the moment is the amount of people around. I’ll have to get used to being in a large crowd again as I try to push a mass of people.