"Crimson flare huh, how ignorant. That was nothing but a bluff. Illusion spells, nothing but parlor tricks." Nathaniel grumbled as he headed to the village, the illusion should have dissipated in the time he had left. Even the weakest of illusion spells were dangerous if casted after the tipping point of an enemy's mentality.
Presenting his guild card to the soldiers whose silver armor illuminated the settling darkness. The armor was different from his, his former military days, theirs adorned by baron Dalton's crest. He walked into the village. The sun had set but the still people walked about. He walked along the road to the adventurers guild.
Other than a few children of the wealthy merchants everyone lived a regular lifestyle of farming, sowing, carpenter or blacksmithing. He got stares but not surprised ones. The people had seen various adventurer's clothes painted red and green with slime goo. His tall stature also evoked of envy and curiosity after all most men were shorter in the village around 5 foot 8.
The first floor of the guild was not full like his first visit. Going to the second, he met Joannah. His state did not surprise her but she was glad he was alive. He was old and weak after all.
" Hi, I would like to sell these to the guild." Nathaniel said as he put up the bag and his guild card on the table. His voice had returned to normal no longer murderous. " Yes, please wait while I appraise them."
'What to do, I can settle into the life of an adventurer but I cannot forget my past. I will first find a way to restore my arm. If not blackberries then there must be a method in some labyrinth somewhere.' He thought.
" Alright, your total comes up to 57 silver coins. Five, thousand scent vines, 2 moon shade flowers. Hides from several no rank monsters, 7 Frostfire rabbits, 10 rose wood rabbits and 1 mornpest. The guild with take 28 silvers 500 copper coins. Thank you for your hunt." Joannah said as she bowed slightly, handing him the coins.
( A/N: Thousand scent vine, is an herb used in hunting for masking scent.)
The pinch of losing half his spoils was not one to be forgotten. " Thanks." Nathaniel took his silver and left.
" HEY! You bastard." Someone shouted at him as he left the guild. The anger plain and threatening to erupt. The people stopped to watch, a man was holding a battered shield and sword whilst pointing the sword at another. The spearman was resting on the magician's shoulder. Rough linen cloth stopped his bleeding from the missing foot.
"You left us, Charles lost his leg because of you!" Leon was mad with rage, never before had he wanted to kill a person this badly. The people cast glances of disdain as Nathaniel. He had run away amidst a fight, how cowardly.
" You should have no taken what does not belong to you. Actions have consequences." Nathaniel's tone was calm as if bored but no attempt to justify his actions. Some ears perked up more at his worlds. Connecting the dots.
Leon was about to charge at Nathaniel.
"You stole someone's loot. How dare you cause a scene!" Adventurer's in the crowd exclaimed. Leon stopped at those words .The people became enlightened of the ordeal at those words. They turned to at Leon. In their hearts, no longer was he a hero seeking justice but a thief, a failed one at that. Such was the fickle nature of the ignorant.
Leon was taken aback by the push back, "Noo!No, thats not..." A tug stopped frantic roars, Elena touched his sleeves pointing at Charles. " Shit!" Kicking the ground, he shot a glare at Nathaniel and left to the cathedral however he swore within himself to take vengeance. The hush voices of criticism weighing on his steps.
Nathaniel walked away, passing through the gathered crowd. This day just kept unloading on him.
He entered the inn, he asked Elizabeth to bring his dinner to his room. The lounge would worsen his mood added with the rancor.
Collapsing on the bed Nathaniel felt drowsiness consume him. Just as he was starting to fall asleep.
" I cannot believe even dead men draw breath." The voice was like an echo in the room, burying itself in his ears like a parasite. Sucking on his consciousness. Nathaniel jumped off the bed, he collapsed to his knees. He could not hear his own thoughts, his heart pounding. He felt like was having a heart attack. His legs shaking.
" Calm down Nathaniel or would you rather I call you Maxwell instead." The voice said sweetly as if enticing him. However, its words made his heart beat faster and faster. He started to have difficulty breathing as he collapsed on the ground.
It was not the abruptness of events that scared him. It was the magic laced into the words. Soul magic, arcane magic. His soul was being swallowed by a pool of black ink. Sinking slowly as tentacles of black ravaged his body ravenously drawing him in deeper.
" You cannot escape, let me savor the taste of your soul. Its crispness and the juices of fear. " Nathaniel started convulsing on the ground, his eyes rolled back, as a waterfall of saliva fell onto the ground.
" Aaahh, your fear is tantalizing. Squirm in fear, let it overcome you, yes, yes just like that, like a child abandoned in the darkness. Let it grow, get lost in that fear, fall deeper." Nathaniel's ears could barely hear the voice but for his soul it could not be more crystal. Waves churned in the pool, the tentacles dragged him down deeper, faster, his arms ripping and jaw gnawing at the tentacles.
The fear brought along memories that haunted him yet biting his lips his mind didn't wander.
A shadow manifested on the wall as it moved from wall to wall in the room. Its hunched back, razor teeth that continuously giggled. It's eyes nothing but white sockets of twirling darkness.
It glanced as Nathaniel's collapsed figure as it contemplated. Shaking its head, it continued to watch as it giggled.
Nathaniel's soul grew weaker as he sank deeper, nothing but the head was left. His body let out blood from his nose, mouth and ears. He was now pale as a corpse, life essence thin like a string about to snap.
" Haaa, play time is over." The voice said with a tone, despondent. It turned serious no longer giggling as a mass of shadows appeared in the room. A hand made up of shadows extended to the Nathaniel's body.
Suddenly the pool of black ink stopped absorbing his body and vanished entirely. "Invigorate." A healing spell, was cast on him. His pale face became rosier. His soul strengthening no longer transparent as if embers flickering.
Nathaniel awoke from the floor, his memories were fragmented but it was slowly coming back to him. He could recall the fear and pain, a different pain, the pain of helplessness.
He thought that he had moved past those days, his life dictated by the strong but their shadow on his life lingered such was the fate of the weak.
He lifted his head up glancing at the shadow, he did not know whether to thank it or kill it. The realizations he had were invaluable. He stood up, shaking still. The fear fresh like baked bread and sat on the bed.
"What do you want?" Nathaniel asked glaring fiercely at the shadow.
" There is no need to be distant, I am your friend hehe. I even gave you such a rare gift." The shadow spoke. Nothing was said and did for several minutes. "Nathaniel or Maxwell, I need your help, you see. Of course if I had just asked you, you would have refused but now we are friends." The shadow said as it moved from wall to wall circling Nathaniel.
" Why don't you show yourself first, then we can talk." Nathaniel said, the was no anger or frustration in his voice. He was a 6 year old child that matured only in a span minutes becoming 30. His thoughts were all over the place but he focused on the entity before him. The whole experience had warned him about pitting his guard down, so what if nobody knew him? They can easily kill him.
The shadows gathered at the center of the apartment, revealing a vampire with ginger hair, ocean blue eyes. Her face long with no dimples. Her build was slim but shadows obscured the rest of her body.
"I'm Rose, so I need you to help us draw out the forces of baron Dalton stationed in this village." Rose looked at him expectantly.
" Why not do it yourself considering your power." Nathaniel was inwardly taken aback by her request however that was one hell of a way to ask for help.
" We, no I could however Rose wants something different this time. Rose is tired of always doing the same thing. Your job is simple really, just lure the solder's into the dungeon of Arneth and Rose will do the rest." Rose said as she twirled in the room.
Nathaniel thought for moment, " Lets say I do it , what do I get out of it?"
" Fixing your arm of course. We will give you Darkstar berries if you help us. And power after all you would not need to be the rat your are now." Rose said as she stepped closer, her eyes stared deeply into his. Within his eyes she could see the indignation, humiliation and anger at his weakness.
Her torture had mainly highlighted one thing and that he was weak, the world would not wait for him to take his revenge or whatever he had planned.
"Alright, I will help you however you must tell me who you are working for, if you can find me so can others." Nathaniel said as he arose from the bed, he stood face first with her. Her slightly pointy ears turned reddish as she saw his face. He was quite good looking however quite lean, he had not yet recovered his body.
"Haaa, you don't have to worry about others finding you I have erased all tracks, the legion of darkness that is all you need to know or else I will take your head where you stand." She looked up into his eyes, the dark brown radiance that had been born in them. It stared back as he contemplated.
" Why baron Dalton though?" He asked.
" Keep it between us, okay." Her personality changes were a wonder. " After annihilating his forces, we will take the lives of his sons, daughters and wives. His old bones will come to know what the weariness of life is, in destitute loneliness. How dare he bite the hand that fed him." Rose said her expressions changing between wrath and smiles of madness.
" What's the plan?" Nathaniel asked.