“That would be a Priest.” I say.
“There are many Priests in this town. You have to be more specific.”
“I wish I could but I wasn’t given much information but have you heard of the Blood Brethren?” His face becomes grim and I sit up straight. “You know of them, don’t you?” He sighs; turning to the window that is open pulling in the fresh cool air of winter; several snowflakes slowly gleam against the crescent moon. It is a beautiful sight. He rises from his seat and closes the wooden shutters and I watch his hesitating movements, he appeared almost scared. “You can trust me you know that, right?” He turns to me and nods after some time.
“They’ve only recently come to town but there has been several strange things going on since they arrived, first it started with the random disappearances of young women, than it went to aggressive and violent uproars around the town then suddenly…” he trails off. I incline my head to the side waiting for him to go on.
“What?” I urge.
“Demons started rising out of the shadows, savage animals I think they were large wolves in size. Attacked several people; however the strangest part was how these demons appeared as men and women with incredible strength and speed.” His voice is quiet as he reflects back into the recent events that I know will be useful to this investigation. “Homes and businesses were set alight and many haven’t been properly buried. The weirdest part is how the church that arranges the burials is so insistent on carrying out the ceremonies.”
“That is strange.” I whisper. “I’m sure there are others who can perform the burial.”
“Not anymore. They all left town; several other churches have been abandoned while those of the Military have been guarding the Brethren. Even before the other churches left they were still so insistent.” I scowl at the new information, why would the Military need to protect a church?
“There’s more to them than meets the eye.” whispers a voice.
“Did you say something Max?” I ask. He shakes his head and I glance around me. It wasn’t once but twice now I’ve heard that voice. I’m starting to think I’m crazy. I brush it off. “Do you know where the church is?”
“On a cliff at the edge of town.” he says. “It isn’t hard to miss.” I nod and stand. I grasp my helmet and motion to leave. “Wait. You can’t possibly go into that creepy place with just your sword.”
“I don’t see why not.” I say.
“Wait here, I’ll be back.” he says before he scuttles off into the shadows of his den.
I sit patiently; waiting and take a glimpse at the glass of a large vase the dark glass outlines my features with surprising detail. I see my black silver streaked hair, my mismatched eyes of black and dark blue under my silver arched eyebrows where my silver strands of hair fall on either side of my high cheekbones and slightly narrow jaw-line. My small plump red lips remain the same as always just a different shade more crimson. There are two navy blue marks on my cheeks and a seven-point star on my forehead, which sadly is not a tattoo—it wasn’t over baring as it sat calmly upon my coffee colored skin.
5:Church
© 2014—All rights reserved by author
The impending disgust I have with my reflection causes me to turn my back on the image of myself in the crooked-sharp glass. How could I not? I don’t like how I look since that battle, I can’t even transform resulting in my crossed over appearance. Max returns. He places a black cloth on the table and I gaze at it unsure of what exactly I am looking at it. He unravels it and I gasp in surprise before exclaiming, “No way!”
“I thought you might need these after the last battle, since, I saw the result. Sadly, I can’t do anything about It.” he states in reference to my appearance. Max is an inventor not a miracle worker but I give him an appreciative gaze and place a hand over his.
“It’s perfect, thank you.” He blushes and I giggle.
He doesn’t seem to notice and I remove my hand and walk over to where the weapons lay. What else is there to look for, to do when it is all over? Everything that gave you the bit of strength to fight that gave you the courage to stand before an army of twisted men knowing that you’ll be nothing more than another victim? What do I do? I kill. Without hesitation, I however, only kill those I know are among the twisted and free. Without remorse nor regret knowing that they cannot hurt anyone, even when they are dead, my soul still battles theirs until they are completely erased from existence.
I was angry for my loss but now as I glimpse at the sight of what just might save me I feel a pit of emptiness forming. It often comes when I know that I have to go beyond the limit. To kill or not to kill is the question, isn’t it? Yet there are some that will without hesitation. I stare at my arsenal and nod. “I’ll infiltrate and I’ll neutralize.” I say and he nods.
“Just try not to lose yourself.” In other words: “do not lose yourself to your inner demon”.
*.*.*
I stand on the cliff of a distant mountain and feel free. Up here where the sky is the limit, I feel more of an animal than I ever thought I could be. The ragged mountain overlooks the apostolic sin. Yet I have no right to talk of sin when I’ve committed my own, still, I fight I have no idea why when my anger burnt itself out years ago. I guess if I can’t do what I can do, than who will? A question I know is fairly ironic nonetheless I gaze upon the armed men in uniform. War a horrible outcome of greed.
Hitherto, they just like the humans fear what they cannot control. Fear what they cannot predict and above all fear what they do not understand. I am that embodiment of fear that they so desperately try to govern and I inflict it without hesitation. I only hope that Varden will never see this side of me. It is far from ladylike might I say. A battlefield isn’t something that picks who walks on it nor does it pick who suffers. My faceplate outlines the trees, the grave sites, head stones, men and women.
The sight of the church with soldiers are positioned in a strategic manner, several walk up and down the front of the church entrance while there are some guards situated at the front of the wooden picketed fence where at every fifteen or so meters there is another guard. Some are archers while others are the general foot soldiers. I notice they have a particular change in shift every five hours, I only have just been surveying this place for now twelve hours. I need to make sure that when I infiltrate, I can carry out my mission.
I know that not all churches are bad. This however is corrupt.
Not even our people enjoy other races worshiping us like gods because we aren’t. We may be a lot stronger faster and bestowed with magical and energetic power that doesn’t necessarily mean we are going to make everyone succumb to our wishes. Above all, that action will just irritate me. I don’t like the power hungry kind of people. To me they appear more insecure than anything else. Still, I try not to make the world view us as such even though some still continue to treat me differently.
Not with fear but with praise. That’s what I don’t like. The Nephalem are known to have many abilities that which includes flight, since I can’t transform into my Nephalem form. I’m somewhat flightless but it doesn’t mean I can’t glide. My cloak is; my wings in this form but because I can’t completely transform, I can only use it to glide. It doesn’t make my infiltration missions any easier not that it matters —no point in everything being easy.
The easier it is, the less I try.
I remember when we were in the Kalzan plains, Sparta. The terrain was rough and bare. Not much cover was given and at that time we had to work alongside with the rebel soldiers. They were rough and had the whole caveman appearance. Their colors that of red and gold, their silver battle suited uniforms covered the individual from head to toe but they were still advanced and strong but not as strong as the Nephalem or Nephilim. They were a hundred times stronger than the humans, this was both male and female and the men were the ones I had to fight beside.
At the time, I preferred for Altair or Dante to take that mission but I didn’t have any other choi
ce the Nephalem Order, our worlds Order made it final and I couldn’t go against our planet’s Council. They were the ones that practically ran our world from the smallest trade to the largest or most prominent laws. There were people voted into the Royal Court but the Council hands over its titles to its descendants. There were other ways for people to become a council member by either being granted the title by a member of the royal family or being bestowed the title from a previous council member who doesn’t have any descendants and is either on the verge of death or insists on retiring.
“You take the right, I’ve got the left.” said Kurtz. His silver armor was differentiated by the red dragon printed on his chest above his family crest. I turned and moved down the opposite side of the bend where we sat —waiting on the mountain side. The valley below at the time had the Galatin General a mercenary group that works beside the Covenant but they aren’t exactly a part of the Covenant they were their backbone. They protected the Covenant from assassinations. I was attacked from behind and defeated the large man by using my shield as a weapon. The metal of our world was tougher than steel and did triple the damage.
*.*.*
The moon manages to hide my form enough that I land on the tiles of the roof where I slip through the trap door under the large bell in the bell tower. I am surprised that they didn’t think of putting anyone up here. I don’t linger on it and slip through and down the step ladders. There’s no movement. I know that I’ll have to be careful from here on. I move along the wooden floorboards that creak gently under my feet. I slip behind a large wooden pillar, I wait five seconds, slowly counting it in my head before I move through the rest of the upper part of the church where the marble and stone slowly begins to show as I further move down the church. I hide here and there from the guards that stand and watch the grounds carefully willingly to do their duty. I manage to finally make my way to the ground level, sticking to the shadows as much as I could. I hear voices. “I heard a Knight’s in town.” remarks a woman.
“No need to be worried about him, will skin him alive the moment he steps foot on these grounds.” says the other woman and I roll my eyes under my faceplate. They are really dense.
“Maybe we can have some fun first?” teases the other woman and I slip past them and make my way towards the achieve room. Closing the heavy door behind me carefully, I observe the piles of scrolls and books that are stacked in the massive ceiling high bookshelves. I move towards the light where a kerosene lamp sits on a desk with scattered papers spaced all over the table, an ink pod is confined to the feather quill where I regard what is enscribed on the parchment.
Drawings of men and women with several arms and legs there are pentagrams sketched upon the torso of the men and on the legs of women. I know from the layout of these documents that the plan isn’t good. Hearing the door open—I just entered—I slip around a piece of armor. The statue stands tall and lifeless where I listen to the oncoming footsteps of two men. “Do you think this will work?” asks a man from where I see through the arm of the armored knight. There are two men, one with a long white beard the other has no hair but still appears to be old just like the other. The clothes they were resemble that of Priests.
“Don’t worry my friend, it will work. I’ll make sure of it.”
“Still I don’t trust the rumors.” comments the white bearded man.
“I don’t trust them either but they could be that rumors.” says his friend as they walk towards the desk where I once was. They continue to converse without knowledge of my presence, well for the time being. This rumor makes me wonder if it was what those women said earlier.
“Are you sure? Several of the citizens are fighting back.” he declares his voice full of concern and I wonder if he was really accused of what he is accused.
“Calm yourself Fredrick they’ll be back to submissive dogs the moment we dispose of her!” growls his partner and the other man regards his words questionably.
“Her?” he asks.
“Yes, her as in the Knight is female.” retorts his bald companion with a lack of patients. “Have the Ground Troops scout the city for her. I want her found before she causes more trouble.” he demands. The sound of his words made me wonder if I heard him right; he accused me of giving people courage when I’ve only been in the town for several hours.
“But the people…” begins his friend.
“Will cease to grow a back bone once she’s disposed of!” With all this new information I found it odd to understand why they feared my presence than again, my presence isn’t something that can be bargained with. Wave money in the face of Knights and Rangers, they’ll strip you of all the power you once had and rescind you. The other man turned to leave his face was masked with fear for a moment before returning to normal. The other man turns to his pages and begins to work. He instigates muttering things under his breath for a moment before I feel something wrap around my waist. Glancing down I see a black clawed hand.
“Nephalem!” it hisses in my ear.
I’m warped from where I once stood and now on my knees in the center of the room. I so knew something like this was going to happen just when was the question. “So you were here the whole time?” questions the bald head man. “Should have expected that.” he says with his back still turned from me. “Bind her.” he instructs the demon and it grasps my hand firmly. Once my wrists were bound I stare at the man. The hand of the demon still on my shoulder should I try anything.
“I guess it is true.” I accuse loud enough for me to hear, my face indifferent as ever.
“Oh and what is that?” he asks. I have no need to answer and I don’t, he finishes scribbling something down on one of his many pages that I really couldn’t care for.
He turns to me with a devilish smile that I know isn’t close to evil, it’s childish in comparison. He paces towards me, his eyes raking my body and I roll my eyes. He grasps my chin and forces my eyes to meet his. “Tell me; is it wrong to want order and power?” I don’t answer since it is always “yes”. “What have you come here for huh? To investigate this matter? To find evidence of my doing? Before you go crawling back to your Chief.” he taunts and I still remain impassive. If he is going to try and hurt me with words he couldn’t, I have no feelings left to hurt.
“No. To neutralize.”
I head-butt him hard, his nose shatters where blood pours down his face. I grasp the hand of the demon and force it from my shoulder with all my strength and I’m surprised, I am able to fight him off. I send my leg under his where he falls to the ground immediately after, I bring my leg up and force his head to smash back into the stone ground with a loud crack. The demon ceases to move momentarily and I know that he won’t stay down for long. I roll over my shoulder and stand on my feet, seeing the Priest make for the door; I sprint after him after I loop my bound wrists in front of me.
I slither through the door that slowly began to close on its own and stretch my arms over my back, still as I run after the Priest. Pulling out my blade, I slip it in between my wrists and stop. He’s heading down the man church for more guards. I slice the rope and my hands are free. I move towards an open window and disappear into the night. With the scent of his blood in the air it won’t take long to find him, his beating heart is evident in my ears like the fall of spring. It almost made me feel sorry for the man…how scared he was gave me more pleasure than I can say. However, it is only those who force my hand I enjoy the chase of. I scale the walls, careful not to draw attention to myself.
The moment I’m on top of the tiles, the chime of bells fills my ears. They’re calling in reinforcements. I pull my crossbow from my lower back and take aim, the Priest runs through the grave sites desperate to reach the gates, I release and arrow, he falls limp on the ground while several men and women move to where the now dead Priest lies. I turn my gaze scanning the area, I need to find the other and burn the blueprints. I slip back inside through the balcony window. I take out the armed forces within easily and move down
the halls. I remember the scent of the other man; however, there are so many scents to sniff though. I halt.
The sound of a racing heart fills my ears; the scent of the bearded man is strongly orientated around the room adjacent to me. I enter. There he stands with a sword pointed to me. “Don’t come any closer.” The prospect of his blade shaking his face molds in fear and anger at the sight of me is rather amusing than I wonder; am I really that much of a threat or have these boys been playing with fire?
“Or you’ll do what?” He charges at me his blade over his head, I step to the side with ease and knock the blade from his hand and turn my head to the side. This had to be some sort of trick, right? I’ve never taken on an enemy so weak before. A dangerous laugh fills the room and I see that the Priest’s eyes are now glowing; a deadly bright crimson color. I gaze into them momentarily questioning his origins, his heritage but his aura, his scent is that of a Zylarian.
I dodge the next attack where his blade effectively slices the thick wooden pillar with ease. I stare at him. Where on this Earth did he receive that strength from? I drop and avoid the next attack. The blade inches from my scalp I feel something grasp me from behind me. A demon bares its teeth down at me. I stop and bring the hilt of my sword to his side, I head butt him and his grip slacks he steps back.
“I won’t die, Knight. I’ve worked too hard for too long. I won’t let you take what I’ve spent my whole life doing!” he barks with fury and I scowl.
“Maybe you should have thought about that earlier!” I snap. I dodge the black claws of the demon and fight the impulse to rip off its head. I need to kill the Priest before he makes a break for it, as if on cue there he goes out the door and I step under and around to the demon’s exposed side and pull out my curved dagger embedding it in its back where I yank it down the hollows of his spine. The cracking sound of severing bone greets my ears and I fight back the urge to shudder.
A Crimson Tale Page 6