Avarice Twilight

by R. A Davidson

  "Looks like my illusions are ineffective. If you wish, we can engage in a more intimate manner," Lord Chevalier says with a sadistic smile.

  Lord Chevalier draws his rapier, but somehow Aryn is already in front of him.

  I look where Aryn was just moments before and see a small area where the stage is cracked. Aryn grabs Lord Chevalier's arm from drawing his rapier. He then kicks Lord Chevalier's knee, folding his leg in half. Lord Chevalier lets out a blood-curdling scream of agony as he falls.

  Aryn holds Lord Chevalier up by his arm… then proceeds to punch Lord Chevalier in the gut.

  The impact from the strike echoes throughout the stands as Aryn's fist almost disappears in Lord Chevalier's body. Lord Chevalier falls to the ground, spitting up blood.

  Aryn makes a spear with his hand and goes to strike Lord Chevalier's chest. I feel an ominous feeling from Aryn.

  "Don't kill him Aryn!" I scream.

  7

  BARIN

  Just before Aryn’s hand reaches Chevalier's heart, he stops. His movements just now were strange. The sudden halt was as though something restricted him.

  "It would seem you have lost, Chevalier," Regin says.

  Regin has made his way down from the balcony. The other teachers emerge behind him from the entrance. I can feel weird energy coming from Regin; it's not killing intent, but it's obvious he means to do harm.

  I make my way down the steps, accompanied by Asteria. We make our way into the stage and I walk over to Aryn.

  When I kneel to check on him, I can see why he stopped his attack. Not just his muscles, but his whole body appears to be frozen. His muscles are taut with tension, his body is still in the action of moving. I check for a heartbeat; it's still beating. It can't be…

  "You're an Arcane user," I say, looking at Regin.

  He raises his eyes at my statement. "That is correct. I have complete mastery over the time of living beings," he states.

  I've never met someone who can freely manipulate someone's time, but I don't think it is impossible to have stasis magic to that extent. Arcane magicians possess special magic only they can perform, or they have mastered a type of magic beyond our knowledge. I've encountered a few Arcane users, so I know the capabilities Regin may possess.

  "I am afraid since Aryn tried to kill one of our teachers, he will have to be punished by the Academy," Regin announces.

  I guess they weren't expecting Aryn to be able to beat this Chevalier guy.

  I step in front of Aryn. "If you try to do anything to Aryn, don't you think it would be fair to release him from your magic?" I ask Regin.

  The teachers start laughing.

  Regin steps forward. "If you can show me magic that can equal me, then I will release your brother and give him a fair trial," Headmaster declares.

  I'm pissed now.… are they looking down on me? The teachers may be some of the strongest in Avalon, but I'll show them just how small their view of the world is.

  I raise my hand towards Regin; most likely, he will stop my first attack.

  Before I can begin my spell, I feel a sharp pain. I look down and see Chevalier has stabbed my side.

  I stagger back after he pulls his rapier out of my stomach.

  "That's for what your bastard of a brother did," he sneers.

  He turns into dust; I should've paid attention. I look up at the teachers, who seem rather pleased with Chevalier's actions. Do they intend to make a fool of me without any repercussions?

  "To you, who would try to deny me, and for those who try to mock me. I give upon you my sword that falls from the heavens. A sword that never misses and screams with my anger," I incant. I lift my hand to the sky, uttering, "Claiomh Solais."

  The sky turns black; storms instantly form, bringing booming thunder that bellows throughout the city.

  Chevalier starts to run from the stage, as if he is aware that his demise is near.

  "Cease this spell!" Headmaster demands.

  Through the dark clouds, they can see the crackling flashes of light. The teachers are guarded, anticipating the attack; they don't seem to realize the spell has already begun.

  Before Chevalier can leave the arena, a blinding white light flashes down, striking him. Just for a brief moment, you can hear Chevalier scream in agony… then silence. The light disappears, and where Chevalier stood is only scorched ground.

  "Let me heal you," Asteria says as she runs up to me.

  Suddenly, I feel killing intent from the teachers.

  "Bleeding Binds," one of the teachers chants.

  Asteria seizes up and collapses to the ground. She starts screaming in pain as her body contorts.

  The Princess comes running onto the stage. "What is happening here? What are you doing to Asteria!?" Isla questions.

  The Princess runs over to Asteria. Kneeling on the ground, she begins inspecting her. The only thing the Princess can do is cast enchantments on Asteria, in hopes to strengthen her body.

  I doubt The Princess can do much to ease the effects of the spell; each of the teachers are most likely elite magicians in their own rights. Well, Regin is a magus who can use arcane magic; he'll be the biggest annoyance to deal with.

  Regin steps forward. "Avalon Academy is a place for those we deem worthy. Not only did your brother try to go against our decisions, but you also killed one of our teachers. For that, the two of you will be punished severely," he states.

  The teachers take offensive positions.

  Shit… now I have to fight them all by myself. Why did Aryn ask to come here?

  "Princess, if you would, I would appreciate some help. If you can't muster the strength, at least get Asteria and yourself way from here," I instruct the Princess.

  She doesn't respond.

  I glance over at The Princess, but her gaze is fixed solely on the teachers. She's surprisingly giving off a decent murderous aura.

  "I don't suppose there’s any way we can forget any transgressions between us?" I ask.

  The teachers start cackling; Regin raises his hand to hush them. Another teacher steps forward; this time, it's a mid-aged woman. She gets closer and closer, and for some reason, I'm unable to move.

  The teachers vanish, and so do Asteria, The Princess and Aryn. I'm in a field of tall grass; there's not a single landmark in sight. I'm clearly not in the arena anymore, don't even know if I'm in Avalon anymore. Did that woman transport me to a distant land?

  "Barin, come here," a voice calls out.

  I know that voice… it's been forever since I've heard her. I turn around. "Mother," I respond.

  My mother is standing in front of me; my father is next to her, and they've aged.

  "We're waiting for you," Aryn says, standing next to them.

  I see… this is a dream. Something like this could never be mine anymore. This must be dream magic, a rather powerful one at that. There's only one way out of this dream for me. I lift my hand…

  "Blazing Rose," I chant.

  A ball of fire shoots towards my parents and Aryn, engulfing them in flames.

  "Why would you do this to us!?" they cry out.

  I know they aren't being harmed; they aren't even real. Even if they were my parents, Blazing Rose is a spell I made for mercy, not pain. The flames feel like a warm hug embracing you, and the last thing you see is a field of roses. This is the only gift I could ever give them—a peaceful death—to this unattainable dream.

  The dream dissipates; I'm back in the arena.

  "Crescent Blade," I chant.

  The teacher who used the dream spell is decapitated by a slash of wind. The teachers step back as her head hits the ground. They look at the body, eyes wide with shock.

  "Make no mistake, I can kill you all at any time," I state.

  I turn to make my way towards Asteria and The Princess; I'd like to have the possibility of help if the situation worsens.

  I take a step, but I don't feel the ground beneath my foot. I fall forward and hit the ground. I look down to s
ee that my left leg is missing below my knee.

  "I can stop your time anytime I want. While your time is frozen, the other teachers can attack you in any way they please, and you will not be aware of it," Headmaster states. "Make no mistake, we can kill you at any time."

  I pick myself up and burn the wound to stop further blood loss.

  I look over at Asteria; it seems The Princess's enchantments have helped with her pain. I raise my hand towards them to cast a spell; I need to get them out of the arena. My hand is gone… melted to the bone from some sort of corrosion magic.

  "Princess, take Asteria and get out of here before they decide to do anything to the two of you," I remark.

  The Princess doesn't respond.

  I look over to see she has been pinned down by one of the teachers.

  "We will not harm either of them. They are quite extraordinary and will prove to be valuable additions to the academy," Regin states. "Though they will need some tampering done to their minds."

  I don't have much mana left since I used Claiomh Solais. What bit I do have should be conserved until I can see an opening. I don't know how much mana The Princess has after recovering from mana exhaustion; Asteria being unconscious isn't the best either.

  I start to crawl over to Asteria; if I can counter the blood spell used on her, she can heal my wounds.

  A teacher appears in front of me, seemingly from thin air. Regin must have used his arcane magic again; he really is a nuisance.

  The teacher starts kicking me while laughing maniacally. I manage to get on my knees and hit him between the legs. The teacher falls forward, wincing with pain. I strike his throat...

  I'm on my side being kicked by him. I cough up some blood. This Arcane magic is such horse hit.

  "Let go of me!" The Princess demands, struggling to free herself.

  Then the atmosphere changes; the air suddenly feels heavy. The hair on my arms stand up, and I can feel myself start to sweat.

  I look up at the teacher who was kicking me—he’s frozen with fear. All of the teachers’ faces have turned white and covered in sweat; a few of them begin to cry. Two of them fall to the ground to cower like children. One of them passes out, while another teacher pisses herself. Even Regin's face is contorted with fear.

  I know this feeling of dread… it's Aryn murderous aura.

  I look past the teachers. Somehow, Aryn has turned to face us. He's glaring at the teachers' backs with an arm stretched towards Regin. It's been quite some time since I've felt this overbearing presence. I turn towards Asteria and The Princess; both are frozen in fear.

  "The two of you, snap out of it, dammit!" I yell.

  Asteria looks at me, shocked and confused.

  "Heal me right now. We have to calm Aryn," I state

  She's too shocked by Aryn's presence to move and starts to cry.

  Aryn's still affected by Regin's spell, so he can't cause any trouble for the time being. I'm trying to think of different ways to get out of the situation when suddenly, Aryn gets slammed into the ground.

  "Well, that got interesting," someone says.

  A guy comes floating down from the sky. "Hope you won't have any ill feelings," he remarks.

  The mysterious man has a rugged face, with dark and unkempt hair, along with scruffy facial hair. From his complexion and features, it's obvious he isn't from Avalon; maybe from the Adventurer’s Guild?

  "What do you think you are doing here Utrix?" Regin asks the man.

  The man lands and scans the arena. At this point, Aryn's murderous aura is gone and everyone slowly comes back to their sanity.

  "Barin!" Asteria gasps as she runs over to heal me, "What's going on now?" she asks.

  The Utrix guy makes his way over to Regin and the teachers. He and Regin stand face to face, glaring at each other for some time.

  "You have no right to interfere in the way Avalon Academy conducts its business," Regin declares.

  Asteria heals me, then proceeds to check on The Princess. At this point, Utrix has locked his eyes on me. I stand as he makes his way over to me. "I saw what you did…it's no easy feat to take on as many people of their caliber at once," he says, while patting my back.

  He seems to be affiliated with the academy, and, judging from Regin's remarks, it's not on good terms.

  Utrix comes over to check Asteria and The Princess, as I make my way over to Aryn. Something appears to be keeping Aryn pinned on the ground.

  "Why can't I move?" he asks.

  I try to pick Aryn up, but it's as if I'm trying to lift a castle.

  "Has he calmed down?" Utrix asks, walking over with Asteria and The Princess behind him.

  Aryn can stand once the three of them join us. Asteria quickly rushes over to him to check for wounds.

  Utrix makes his way in front of us. "As you can see, Avalon Academy is not home to the best of peoples. Despite the accolades and prestige, they only care about strengthening the academy's political influence," he explains to us.

  So, they only take those who are exemplary and easily controlled as students? I guess in the end, coming here was really a waste of our time.

  "How dare you interfere here, Utrix!" Headmaster snaps. "Wait until His Majesty hears of this."

  The air around Utrix changes; I can feel some killing intent.

  He starts to walk towards the teachers, who take defensive stances. "If The King finds out that you were attacking and torturing kids, then I can guarantee that it will not be my head that will roll," Utrix retaliates.

  Aryn starts to make his way towards Regin, but Utrix grabs him to make him halt.

  When Aryn goes to punch Utrix, his fist falls to the ground, causing the stage to crack.

  "Who are you?" Aryn asks.

  Utrix laughs. "Oh, I'm just an adventurer. Stopped by on my way to the bar to see whose mana I was feeling," Utrix replies.

  Damn liar; the teachers are far too familiar with him for him to be a random adventurer.

  "Let me go so I can hit him," Aryn demands. "He needs to be hit for what he did to Barin."

  Aryn's pretty serious about hitting Regin; he doesn't intend on killing him, but it won't be a light punch.

  Utrix lets Aryn go. "If you do that, chances are, you will be called before The King for a trial," he informs Aryn.

  Sighing, Aryn turns around and walks back to us.

  "Why don't I take you all somewhere nice, where we can discuss what happened here," Utrix asks, gesturing for us to come with him.

  Aryn walks over to Asteria and puts his hand on her head to reassure her. The two of them walk with Utrix, I start following behind.

  I look at The Princess. "Care to join us?" I ask.

  She looks at the teachers, then back at us. From the look on her face, she's still trying to decide if she wants to go to the academy.

  Aryn walks over and grabs her.

  "Unhand me!" she yells and slaps him.

  Aryn glares at her, then throws her over his shoulder. Aryn gestures for Utrix to lead the way while The Princess yells and kicks to be let go.

  We follow Utrix off the academy's grounds and into the marketplace. The people stare as we walk by, and rightfully so. Not every day you see an elf getting kidnapped.

  Ultrix leads us to Titania's.

  "This place is safe… we can trust the owner," he says, turning to us.

  We enter and are greeted by Titania, who stops for a moment to see the mess that's walked in.

  "Goodness me, what have you brought to my establishment this time Utrix," Titania questions.

  Utrix laughs while going behind the bar. Aryn enters with Asteria and The Princess, who's still on his shoulder. Aryn walks over to a chair and puts The Princess in it. Asteria sit down next to The Princess and examines the room.

  "Why don't you get us some food and drinks while we relax; they can fill us in on everything," Utrix remarks to Titania.

  We sit down as Titania brings food and refreshments.

  "Let us address the bi
ggest issue first. Who are these two little dolls?" Utrix asks.

  Titania and Utrix both stare at the four of us, waiting for one of us to explain what happened. Aryn's eating and I don't feel like explaining, so I look at Asteria and The Princess to explain.

  "My name is Isla Marin Parisa Siofra Aefldene, Princess of Aelfdene," The Princess says with a noble look.

  Aryn claps after her introduction, which annoys The Princess. "It is all your fault that any of us are in this predicament. If you had accepted the fact that you lost, Asteria and I would not have to worry about one of Avalon Academy's possible incursion!" Isla snaps.

  Aryn takes a sip of his ale, then gets up and makes his way over to The Princess. "Firstly, if that match were a real battle, then I would've won due to you running out of mana before killing me," he states. "And if anything, I saved you from the grasp of Regin and the academy. You saw their true colors and heard what Utrix said."

  The Princess stands. "What gives you the right to assume you know anything that would transpire!?" she snaps back.

  Aryn slams the mug down. "They would have made you a pawn for them to use. You don't realize your position. If the academy got you, then they get the high elf princess of another country," Aryn argues.

  Aryn has a point. The Princess would prove to be a decisive piece if the academy ever decided to start an internal power struggle; perhaps that's why Regin wanted obedient students.

  Isla slaps Aryn. "How dare you talk to me like that! I am a—" Aryn grabs her by the neck, picking her off the ground.

  He brings Isla close to his face before dropping her on the ground. "Now, now, there shall be no fighting in my establishment," Titania orders.

  Aryn goes to help The Princess up, but she slaps his hand away. Instead, Asteria helps her up. The three of them then sit back down.

  "Now then, how about you missy?" Titania asks Asteria.

  Asteria introduces herself, then proceeds to explain the events in our stead.

  Once she finishes, we look at Utrix and Titania for a response.