Ducking his head so as not to smack it on the top of the door frame, Archivuald stepped outside into the flickering firelight. He was more than a bit relieved to no longer be stuck hunched over the confines of the small building. His unreasonably tall monster form had many advantages, but as it turned out, houses were not built for people of his current stature. Behind him, two teenagers, a boy and a girl hesitantly followed, their breath misting as they breathed the frigid air radiating from his body.
Both kids look in a bad way, with Jervony having a black eye nearly sealing his eye shut as well as some bruising across his torso. Estacia looked even more roughed up, with her face and arms covered with dark purple bruising. Archivauld's eyes darted about the quiet camp scanning for threats, while their attention was on something else.
Estacia gasped as she took in the carnage around the fire, with Jervony's eyes opening wide. Their shock was to be expected. There were at least eight dead, though some were not visible. There was a surprising lack of blood, with most of the corpses' lifeless husks, looking like a rumpled sock left too long in the sun. It was a side effect of having their life essence sucked from their bodies by his Eye of the Dark God.
Not even Foxy, with her insatiable appetite, had wanted to eat those wholly unappetizing corpses.
"You weren't lying, you really did kill them all…" Estacia said, her voice trailing off as she stared with morbid fascination.
"It wasn't just me, Foxy helped too," Archivauld replied, as if that made it any better..
"You have mentioned them before. Just where is this Foxy?" Estacia asked, her teeth chattering as she looked around the deathly quiet camp.
Archivauld pointed to their right, about ten meters away, to the far corner of the building. "She is right there, hiding. Foxy… Come out, and don't attack them, they are our friends," Archivuald said.
There was a low growl, a sound that made the two huddle together and they stared wide eyed at the shadows. Stepping from the darkness in the building's shadows, Foxy bared her teeth, eying the two like they were a midday snack.
Reaching shoulder height of the average human on all fours, she was all lean, with corded muscle underneath thick greyish black fur. Foxy had two fluffy tails that swayed behind her, a long, thin snout like a fox, with tall and wide ears.
Her eyes were like a cats, split vertically, with a dark purple sclera. Archivuald could see her clearly with his excellent night vision, but Estacia and Jervony would likely have trouble piercing the constant shadowy gloom that shrouded her form. Knowing just how quick Foxy could move, Archivuald put himself between the two teenagers and foxy.
Foxy eyed the two closely, licking her lips. Archivauld adopted a scolding tone as he stared her down. "No… Foxy. They are not dinner, they are friends," Archivuald said.
Foxy cocked her head, giving him a hurt look as if to say, but i'm so hungry.
Archivuald snorted in derision. "You are not hungry, you are just a glutton. Now, I will have not hear any more of this. You will not eat, or hurt a hair on their heads," Archivuald said sternly.
Foxy's ears slumped in dejection, looking like a scolded pup. Foxy gave a dejected soft snap at the air, as if to say, I just want a taste.
"No… Not even a small bite," Archivuald.
Her tails slumped, as foxy lay down, staring past him at the meals on legs.
"Alex?" Estacia said.
"Yea, what is it Estacia?" Archivuald asked, staring foxy down to make sure she understood how serious he was.
"Not for nothing, but why is there a juvenile Nightingale here and how in the blazes did you tame it?" Estacia asked.
Archivuald gave the girl hiding behind him a shrug. "She is not tame. Foxy is a wild monster. I met her about two months ago, and she has been following me around since then. I couldn't even tell you why, perhaps it's just a monster thing," Archivuald replied.
His response didn't seem to give the two any comfort, the opposite, in fact. His words seemed to freak them out.
"That's not comforting at all," Estacia said, her voice cracking slightly.
"Foxy is wild, but she does listen to me. She will not attack either of you while im around," Archivuald replied. Despite his words, Jervony looked ready to bolt back into the house, with Estacia on the edge of running as well.
Archivuald could only sigh.
"I know you are scared, but there is nothing to fear. While I'm here, Foxy will not attack you, in fact she will protect you," Archivuald replied, giving the monster in question another glare.
Foxy let out what could only be a huff as if to say, why would I protect them, they are food. Despite her defiance, Foxy relaxed her posture. Archivuald let out a long suffering sigh.
Why did everything have to be so Nether blasting difficult?
He waved a clawed hand towards the stable. "Estacia, i'm going to need another favor. One of your maids survived, and is hiding inside that stable. I'm going to need you to convince her to come out and join us," Archviauld said.
"I think I can do that," Estacia replied hesitantly.
"I will go as well," Jervony said hurriedly, his eyes locked firmly on Foxy, as if terrified she would attack if he looked away.
Archivuald nodded.
"Do what you can. Also, see if you can find some tack for the horses. It will be a lot faster to get back to stronghold with mounts," Archivuald said.
The two nodded, giving Foxy a wide berth as they walked around her to the stable. With that dealt with, Archivuald finally turned his attention to the dead. He couldn't just leave when there was a host of bodies, and the host of unanswered questions filling his mind.
He made his way over to the crackling fire, the stench of death mixing with the sweet smell of Pocky smoke and spilled liquor.
The pungent smell of blood and guts was heavy on the air, bad enough it would have likely made him wretch in his human form. Luckily his monster form didn't seem to mind the stench.
He picked his way between the bodies, most of them not having moved from where they sat when he attacked.
Grave robbing might not be the most honerable thing he had ever done, but these assholes didn't deserve to be treated honorable. Picking his way around the fire, Archivuald rifled through their belongings. He wasn't sure what exactly he was looking for, but perhaps there was something here that could give him an answer as to why these bandits were here.
He would have just written it off as human greed, but something else was at play. Namely the fact that several of the bandits were fakes, with their faces shaped to look like people they were not.
That alone was puzzling. Why were these people pretending to be the Red Star bandits?
Hoping for clues, he rifled through the pockets of the Yurlan fake, and the Tanur fake, finding nothing of import. Some silvers, some jewelry, but nothing to provide clues. The Fake Yurlan had a nice ax, better than his own, but he left it their, for the same reason he let the flesh shaper destroy that beautiful bearded ax he acquired from the real Yurlan.
The low burning fire sputter, dancing as his icy domain fought it in a battle of endurance. All the while, Archivuald slowly made his way around the fire to the corpse of his own imposter.
It was bizarre to look at his face, locked in a rictus of pain, with his eyes dead and lifeless. Having rifled through the man's belongings, Archivauld frowned.
What a waste of pain, did these people have nothing that could point him to the hand in the shadows?
His haul was by no means small, but, he was still frustrated. All he had to show for sacking the dead was seventy or so silver. The jewelry was likely worth even more, but he was going to give it back to Estasia and Jervony.
Despide giving up the lion's share, it was still a hefty sum for sure. sure, but not exactly what he was looking for.
Searching the tents hadn't gleaned much either. These bandits had been surprisingly well stocked with food, liquor, and decent quality weapons. Alot more than you would expect from bandits making a living in the wilderness. It reaffirmed his beliefs that there was a hand in the shadows.
There was no way that Parcival could have come up with all of this just a couple months by himself. As he was walking from the tents past the fire, eyes caught the glint of something metallic in the grass, near a severed hand.
Archivuald had almost forgotten about that. It was Parcival's severed hand, to be more precise. Excitement burned in his chest as he leaned down, and picked up the object, holding the object up to the faint light. It was a hexagon feeling like metal, made of some type of alloy, with intricate fractals inlaid into the surface.
Archivuald was no expert, but this was an essence forged object. How interesting. Just how had Parcival got his hands on something like this? These kinds of things were not exactly commonplace. Found in Lord level and higher rifts, their prices were usually listed at tens of gold, with saint level items going for even more.
Archivuald had once heard of a spear found in a Cardinal tier rift that sold for over five thousand gold. A single weapon with the price tag of a small city.
The thought made his heart beat quicker. The question was, just what did this thing even do? Could it unleash a terrifying attack, or was it just utilitarian?
There was only one way to find out. Careful to point the thing at the far wall, just in case, he sent a hesitant tendril of essence into the fractal framework of the object. The fractals glowed dimply, the inner workings coming alive. Despite essence flowing through the object, nothing seemed to happen.
He thought it might be broken until a deep male voice echoed from the object.
"This better be important Parcival, I am a very busy man," the voice said.
He almost dropped. Archivauld mind reeled as he frantically thought of what to say. This might be the person he was looking for, this was his chance to get some clues.
Just who was this, and how did they know Parcival? Perhaps this was the mastermind behind these bandits?
"Parcival, what is it?" The voice demanded, more annoyed this time.
Deciding he needed to say something, Archivuald tried to emulate Parcivals' voice best he could.
"Sorry to bother you. The prisoner escaped, but we caught her again. Should we cut off an arm or something as a warning?" Archviuald asked, hoping his lie might bear some fruit.
"No, do not dismember the girl. We cannot allow her to die or escape, or we will not have leverage over her grandfather," the voice said.
So, it wasn't the girl they were after, but instead her grandfather.
"Fair enough. That's all," Archivuald said. He wanted to keep the conversation going, but with every word, the person on the other end would have a chance of realizing he wasn't Parcival.
"Wait, let me talk to Shingaku," the voice said.
There was a long pause as Archivuald hesitated. He had no idea who this Shingaku was, but they were likely one of the dead bandits.
His hesitation, or perhaps his unconvincing impression of Parcival must have tipped him off.
"You are not Parcival are you," asked the other voice.
Archivuald didn't reply, the silence damming.
"Who are you?" the man asked.
"I could ask the same thing of you," Archivuald said, returning to his normal monstrous tamber.
There was a soft flash of light as an unfamiliar face wrought of essence appeared above the object he held.
The strangers split into a wide smile as he looked around giving Archivuald, and the camp and once over. The apparition let out a menacing laugh.
"Well, hello there. I take it you caused all this carnage," the man asked almost casually.
Archivualds eyes narrowed on the apparition, burning the man's features into his mind.
"Yes, I killed them. How about you tell me where you are, and we can talk about it in person," Archivauld replied.
"You can't honestly think I'm that big of an idiot?" the man asked.
Archivuald snorted. "I mean, you put Parcival in charge. Anyone who would trust that man with anything other than latrine duty is not the brightest tool in the drawer," Archivauld said.
"Ohh? You sound like you know Parcival. You know, that troubled man and I had a conversation once, about one of his former crew, who could turn into a monster. The real Archviuald. That wouldn't happen to be you, would it?" the man asked, his lifelike face cracking a wide smiled. .
Archivuald cursed under his breath. He had kept the connection to try to gleam what information he could, but was clear he was losing on the exchange.
He couldn't afford to give up any more crucial information. Dropping the object onto the ground, he raised his ax, the mans laughing voice cutting off as he slammed his ax into it. Their was a loud crunch and an unstable burst of essence as his ax cracked the pendant. He really should have just cut the connection sooner.
Allowing that man to see his face, even his monstrous visage was just to risky. Sure he had got a look of what his enemy looked like, but that could be fake. He felt as though he lost out on the exchange, that man was much too perceptive for his own good. Archivuald had learned some things, but he felt as though his enemy had gleaned more, correctly guessing who he was just by a few clues.
His only saving grace was that his opponent, had no idea what his human form looked like. From now on, he would have to make sure no one could tie his monster form to the human named Alex.
That made him grimace, he really should have told Estacia a different name. Archivauld sighed. A lesson for the future. He still had no idea who that man even was, and regretted killing all the bandits. Having one to interrogate would have been nice. Then again, he doubted they even knew who the big boss was.
Annoyed at himself, he made his way back towards the stables, with Foxy nowhere to be seen. The three saddled horses out front were shifting nervously, tugging at their reins as he approached. Deciding he didn't want them to throw their riders, and bolt, he stopped a good distance away.
Noticing him, Estacia waved.
"Are you all done, Alex?" Estacia asked.
"Yeah, I'm done. Do you think you can get back to the road from here?" Archivauld asked.
"I think we can make our way," Estacia said.
"What about food, and water? Do you need some?" Archivuald asked.
Estacia gave the others a questioning glance.
"You said it's a few days' journey to stronghold? Not starving the whole way, would be nice," Jervony replied.
He nodded. "Wait here. I'll go gather you some travel supplies, maybe i can even find a map," Archivuald replied.
Twenty minutes later, he returned, the fire burning lower, the trio anxiously clutching onto the reins of their horses.
Finding and diving booth food into three packs had been quite a simple, if not time-consuming task.
Having picked the short end of the straw, Estacia was the one who came over to get the three packs.
"Thank you," Estacia said, unable to meet Archivuald's eyes as she picked up all three packs.
"Don't worry about it kid. You three are going to have a testing journey back to the city," Archivauld said.
Estacia bit her lip, glancing at Jervonay and the surprisingly composed maid, then back to Archivuald.
"Thankyou for everything you did for us. I know you and Foxy didn't have to save us, you are monsters after all. " Jervony muttered.
He cracked a toothy smile. "Think nothing of it.. You have been astonishingly level headed this entire ordeal," Archivauld grinned.
Estacia laughed nervously.
"I didn't feel that way at all. I'm honestly terrified. I just know I have to hide it for the sake of Jervony. This is his first time out of the city, you know," Estacia said.
Archivuald nodded.
"Having fear will is good, as long as you don't let it control you. With a friend like you to help him, Jervony will be fine. Be smart, and stay on the trail follow it back to the road and then head south. If you see monsters, don't stop ride like hell. If you keep up a good pace, you might reach stronghold by tomorrow night," Archviuald said.
She nodded unsteadily, hefting the pack he prepared.
"Are you sure you don't want this jewelry as payment?" Estacia asked.
"That expensive Jewelry would be too difficult to palm off. It would draw more attention than its worth. I am content with the seventy silvers I was able to collect from the bandits," Archivuald said, patting the heavy pouch at his hip. Combining his latest haul with the rest, he had about one hundred and ten silvers, just over a gold.
Estacia frowned.
"But that's just pocket money. Even with all the jewelry you gave back, it is not near enough to repay the debt we owe you," Estacia said.
Archviauld sighed dropping his voice.
"How about this, kid. As payment, I need you to keep my name a secret. I need you to talk with Jervony, as well as your maid, and convince them to never share my name. You can reveal everything else you learned, just don't share my name," Archivuald said.
Estacia thought about it for a second, then nodded.
"Consider it done Alex. Thank you again," Estacia said, offering him a deep bow of gratitude.
It was a genuine show of thanks, making his heart swell.
Carrying the full pack, she walked back to the group, and the three mounted, riding their horses out the open gate. Standing in the gateway, he watched them ride down the road. He noticed Estacia throw him one final glance before they disappeared into the forest. He hadn't known them long, but he felt responsible for them.
With the three out of sight, he set off, with Foxy leaping down from atop the nearby wall where she had been hiding.
Archviuald would have buried the bandits, but he wanted to leave them for the proper authorities to come investigate. Perhaps they could gleam something he had missed.
With Foxy matching him at a casual gate, they headed towards the treeline parallel to the trail. He supposed he could have told them he was going to escort them back to the city, but decided it was best not to.
The three didn't even need to know they had two monsters protecting them from the savage wildlife.
It was quite a bit out of his way, backtracking the way he had initially come, but it couldn't be helped.
The maid was the only one of the three who had an emblem, and it couldn't even help in combat. They had pilfered a few weapons, but they were untrained and unprepared to brave the wild expanse by themselves.
His assumptions were of course correct. By the time it was early morning the next day, both he and Foxy had killed six monsters, and scared off a few others. It was looking to be another eventful second day until the thunder of steel capped hooves signaled the end to his self imposed escort mission.
A platoon of forty soldiers, with half in the vibrant colours of inquisitorial garb, and the other half some nobles' house colours rode into view. A templar rode at the lead of the inquisitors, with both himself and his massive war horse covered head to toe in resplendent lamellar armor.
Just as imposing was the rugged faced nobleman riding at the head of what Archviauld assumed were his own personal soldiers. He was decked in exquisite leather armor, each piece covered in dense fractals that made the head spin to look at.
His distinctive face was scarred from battle, his piercing gaze locked on the three ahead of them.
Archivuald would have to be born in a cave not to recognize one of the most prestigious rift walkers in the inner expanse.
It was Sampson Ivalian, guild master of the sinners guild, and stormwarden of the eastern expanse. A one man army, known for conjuring bolts of lightning so powerful they could mimic the real deal.
That man didn't need soldiers to back him up, said to be close to awakening his first phantasmal tier emblem.
To think they would send this kind of firepower to recover the two teenagers. Just who were Jervony and Estacia? Archivuald had wanted to ask, but had been to smart enough not to. The less they knew about him, and he knew about them, the better.
Archivuald had no desire to get himself entangled in the troubling schemes of rich, and powerful nobles. At Least not while he was still just a bug in comparison to people like Sampson Ivalian. That reminded him, he should probably get going while the getting was good.
He still had five copper tier rifts to clear, though his enthusiasm for said rifts was not as great as it had been before. His bounty from clearing that knight tier rift had whetted his appetite, making him burn for stronger monsters and their much more potent essence stones.
Despite his feeling having changed, Archivuald had struck a bargain with Pelas and couldn't go back on his word just because he ran into a roadblock or two. He might be a criminal, and a grave robber, but at least he was an honest one.
Careful not to rip it with his curved claws, Archviuald pulled out his map from the pouch at his side, carefully examining it. After orienting himself, putting the midday sun to his right, he set off.
Estacia and Jervony were in good hands, no longer his concern. He hoped Estacia would hold to her word, but there was nothing could do about it now. The maid was his biggest concern, having heard Parcival call him Archviauld. He could have killed her, to get rid of that potential threat, but despite being a monster, he hadn't cast aside all of his morality.
As for the hand that hid in the shadows, and Parcival, those were problems he would have looked into. Parcival was badly wounded, missing a hand. When he returned, Archivuald would ask Pelas to make some subtle inquiries, to see if Parcival met with any of the healers known for making under the table deals in the city.
It was unlikely it would amount to a lead, but who knew? If you always assumed your enemy would never make a mistake, you could never capitalize. With the call of distant monsters echoing through the forest, Archviauld took off.
The midsummer sun beat down on him, his frigid domain doing its best to push back the heat as he set an easy jog. With his long stride, it was a pace that would be like a normal run for an average human a pace he could keep up for quite some time. As long as he took breaks to cool down. Despite the cold radiating from his body, the midsummer heat was sweltering on his greyish skin.