A light breeze gusted through the deathly quiet camp, tousling Archivualds long greyish silver hair. Gripping his ax tightly, Archivuald glared at Parcival, the coward hiding behind a terrified woman with a dagger to her throat. Parcival was grievously injured, having his right arm cut off at the wrist with a blood-soaked strip of fabric tied tightly around his arm to stem the bleeding..
The other two bandits stood back to back with Parcival next to the crackling fire, throwing furtive glances at each other. One of the bandits looked just like his former self, probably through the expertise of a flesh shaper. As for why somone would want to steal his appearance, and the appearances of Yurlan and Tanur, Archivuald had no idea.
What he did know was that these assholes had slaughtered an entire caravan, probably committing other atrocities he didn't even know about as well. One in particular needed to have his other arm, and maybe both legs chopped off. Parcival then deserved to be eaten alive by Foxy for good measure.
Archivuald's only hesitation was the fact that Parcival was holding a poor woman hostage, holding a dagger to her throat, his eyes manic. Archivuald was a tough spot, but he couldn't hold back for fear of her being injured or killed. His heart bled for the maid who he had already killed with the other bandits, collateral damage from using the eye of the dark god. It was regrettable, but he hadn't had much choice. Archivuald had needed to cut down their numbers, and that was his only way.
He felt bad about killing the poor woman, but he would do his best to save the other.
"Stay back, or i'll cut her throat!" Parcival shouted.
In response to Parcival's pain filled shouting, Archivauld made the first move. Funneling essence into one of his holy emblems, he raised his palm, and a gale force wind shot out.
His newest emblem, which he named wind cutter, tore up the ground in a widening cone, carving furrows into the dirt as it rapidly closed the gap. All four people would be caught in the blast, the attack much larger than he expected.
Archviauld tried to stop the attack, but one couldn't take back a loosed arrow. His heart raced, as the bandit who wore his old face stepped forward, slamming his ax into the ground. There was a burst of golden essence, as a thick copse of trees sprouted from the ground between them.
His knight tier wind cutter ability tore chunks off the rapidly growing trees, slashing through the forest like a deranged woodcutter. By the time it reached the other side, it was nothing more than a fierce wind that buffeted the bandits and their captive.
Moving on the tail end of his attack, Archviuald gripped the haft of his ax, leaping forwards, dodging between the gouged trees, meeting his doppelgänger head on. The third bandit had already turned to face Foxy, keeping her at bay with a long spear, while Parcival was frantically dragging his captive towards the building.
Archivauld wanted to chase, but his opponent wouldn't just let him do what he wanted. Their axes clashed, sparks flying as they faced off.
It had been quite some time since Archivuald fought someone other than monsters in close quarters combat. Even so, Paster Landed had drilled these movement's into his bones.
They both swung their axes in wide, overarching swings, each clash throwing up spark.
Unlike the carefully manicured sparring fields back home, he used every weapon at his disposal.
Axes locked, he released his two handed grip, using his long reach to claw the other man's face.
Blood flew as his razor claws cut four deep furrows from forehead to chin. The imposter staggered back, blood filling one eye, as he grimaced from the pain.
Archivuald didn't give the man any breathing room, pushing on the attack, using the ingrained technique drilled into him from years in the order. His axe work was by no means masterful, but he was both stronger, faster and had more reach than his human opponent. His frigid aura also played a role, rapidly freezing the air, and covering the ground in a thin layer of ice.
It felt quite odd fighting someone who looked just like himself, or in this case, his old self.
Archivuald would have definitely tried to capture the man, to interrogate him, if not for the fact Parcival was already out of sight around the building. The bastard was no doubt trying to escape, using the other two bandits as a distraction while he fled. Archivuald wouldn't let that happen.
He attacked with brutal savagery, taking a deep cut on his thigh to throw his enemy off balance. Staggering back, his copycat slipped on the ice, opening himself up.
The injury hurt like hell, but it wasn't enough to stop his ax from lodging into the side of the mans neck. Before the imposters body had even hit the ground, Archivuald was already on the move, going after Parcival. With a glance, he noted that foxing was still circling her opponent. It was a game of cat and mouse, the fox-like monster circling just out of reach, testing the spearman's defenses.
She already had two bleeding gashes on her face, neither enough to slow her relentless assault. Archivauld had faith in foxy to prevail.
Ignoring the stabbing pain in his thigh, he ran after Parcival, the distant cries of the maid letting him hone in on the man's position. Anxiety burned in his chest as he spotted a small stable on the other side of the building he hadn't noticed before.
Judging by the disgruntled screaming, Parcival was inside, no doubt getting a horse. Archivuald put on all the speed he could muster, reaching the open door stable at a full sprint.
He arrived just in time to be bowled over by a thousand pounds of runaway horse. Archviauld was thrown ass over teakettle, knocked back as the horse blew past, with Parcival clutching on it's back for dear life.
Feeling like he had just been hit by a cart, Archivauld scrambled unsteadily back to his feet, gritting his teeth from the pain as he reroiented himself.
It only took a few seconds to find Parcival.
The man had just reached the gate, which should take him vital seconds to open. Archviuald tried to put on all the speed he could muster, but his body refused to listen. Being bowled over by that horse really did a number on him.
He was going to be sore as hell tomorrow, but for now he did his best to ignore the pain. Up head, Parcival leapt from the horse, somehow throwing the latch for the gate one handed.
Pushing with all of his might, Parcival managed to get the large doors to partially open.
Noo!!
Anger burned in Archivauld's chest as he tried his best to catch his fleeing enemy. Despite his efforts, he wouldn't make it in time. Desperate, Archviauld raised his hand mid limp, the air howling as he released his wind cutter again..
The attack moved quickly, but he was over fifty meters away, giving Parcival the precious moments he needed to slip out the gate.
The gate shuttered as new grooves were carved into the upright poles, his wind cutter emblem not nearly enough to knock the gate down. Archivauld swore.
It took him precious seconds to reach the open gate. He arrived just in time to see Parcival atop a horse near the tree line, the horse running at full tilt into the darkness.
Archivuald slid to a stop, kicking the swaying door. He gritted his teeth, pacing back and forth, knowing he couldn't catch up to a horse running at full speed. Even if he weren't injured, he couldn't catch a freaking horse…
That rotten, no good, despicable, piece of garbage. A litany of curses filled his mind. How did that bastard get away? Archviauld really hoped the horse tripped and Parcival broke his neck on the fall. Or maybe a monster would smell the blood and get him?
He grit his teeth. It was unlikely, but it couldn't happen to a better person.
His angry tirade was derailed as there was a terrified whinny from the stables behind him. Frowning he turned. .
Ohh, right, there were more horses. He could always saddle one, and pursue, but then, who would deal with the maid, and Estacia? There was also someone named Jervony, if the kid Stacy mentioned was still even alive. Archivauld really wanted to go after Parcival, but couldn't just leave. He had other obligations. Namely his sort of ally. Foxy might be friendly to him, but she wasn't all to picky when it came to eating people.
Even if he did catch Parcival, he might return only to find foxy had indiscriminately killed everyone in the hideout. It was not a pleasant thought. Knowing he had to stay didn't make him any happier about it.
The fact Parcival had gotten away yet again made him want to rip his hair out. He kicked the partially ajar door yet again, doing little aside from sending a stab of pain up his leg.
Swearing up a storm, he turned, stomping back into the compound. The fire was still burning brightly as he rounded the building, noting foxy standing in the doorway of the stable. He walked over, remembering that Parcival had dragged that poor woman into the stable when he fled.
As he approached, he conjured a holy orb, careful to not let it touch his own hand. Foxy didn't even flinch this time as the orb of golden energy shot forward and melted into her body. She let out a content growl, the sound seeming to agitating the horses. The maid must have heard it too, as he could hear her panicked breathing from where he stood. Foxy lolled out her tongue in a very dog-like fashion. If not for the blood covering her face, it would have been incredibly cute. He then glanced down at himself, covered in blood and gore. He supposed he didn't look much better.
Just how was he going to save these people without scaring the hells out of them? Going into his human form was an option, but he had other considerations. Namely the fact that Parcival had called him the real Archivauld, and that maid had heard it.
He supposed he could kill the maid, but that was much to callus for his liking. What a mess…. He exhaled sharply. First things first. The terrified woman hiding inside the stable seemed fine for the time being. His biggest concern was that there might be more bandits hiding inside the house.
They had gotten the ones outside, but perhaps there were others?
Archivauld let out another sigh. "Can you stay here and watch over the stable," Archviuald asked.
Foxy licked her lips, taking an excited step forwards.
"No… I don't mean kill and eat everything in there," Archivuald said.
She gave him a confused look as if to say, why not? He sighed.
"Because, we need them alive," Archviauld said.
He could have sworn she actually pouted at his response. Not what you would expect from a savage man eating monster.
Archivauld could only shake his head as he walked towards the building at the center of the compound. The front door was locked, so he let himself in with a few well placed swings of his ax. He could have went and found the keys on one of the corpses, but there was something comforting about hacking it to pieces.
Not very subtle, but there was no reason to be sneaky. Anyone still around would already know of his presence after hearing the battle outside. After some rough persuasion, the door fell inward with a crash, so mangled it could be used for kindling.
There was something satisfying about the petty vandalism. The door opened to a hallway, with stairs on the right, opening up into a sparsely furnished living room on the left.
Archviuald ducked as he entered, his hair brushing against the roof as he cautiously walked inside. He listened intently, the creak of floorboards under his weight and the scrape of his claws on wood the only sounds. The building was musty, dust covering most of the furniture, as if it hadn't been lived in in decades. There were only a few things, like the table and the chairs that looked recently used.
Even the hearth looked like it hadn't been lit in ages.
His eyes, piercing through the darkness, locked on what must be the pantry door. He could hear some heavy breathing from inside, and smell the stench of sweat and blood heavy on the air.
Cautiously, he made his way over, reaching out, and grasping the nob. Surprisingly, the door was actually unlocked.
He twisted the nob, and threw it open, his ax raised to cut down the bandit inside. There was a muffled shriek of terror, as a boy, in his early teens, frantically struggled to free himself from his bindings. Archivauld frantically stopped his ax, the blade narrowly stopping before it struck the kids head. It must have seemed like death itself had come for the poor kid, as Archviuald loomed above him, the boy no doubt able to take in some of his monstrous visage in the ambient firelight coming from the open door.
"Calm down, I'm not going to hurt you," Archivuald said, in what he hoped was a soothing tone. The kid didn't calm at all, thrashing around madly. Even so, Archivuald reached to remove the kids gag, and immediately regretted it.
The kid screamed bloody murder.
"Get away! Noo! Get away! Back monster, don't eat me. Pleasee, don't eat me!" the boy shouted, frantically struggling, his eyes wide with terror.
Archivauld could only sigh again. He supposed that's what he got for coming in like that. How was he supposed to reason with someone scared shitless? Perhaps he should go get Estacia, maybe she could calm him down?
"Wait here, i'll be back," Archivuald grumbled, his words going unheard as the kid babbled hysterically. Turning, he made his way towards the stairs, stepping over the remains of the door and cautiously ascending the narrow staircase.
There were only two rooms on the top floor, one of them empty, with the door partially ajar. Taking a quick peek under the bed and inside the closet of the empty room to make sure there were no bandits hiding inside, he crossed the hall.
This time, he decided to be a bit more tactful. His long bony knuckles rang loudly at he knocked on the door.
"Estacia, it's me, Alex," Archivuald said, his voice calm.
There was a long pause before a soft feminine voice replied.
"What's going on out there Alex? Why was Jervony screaming?" Estacia asked.
Archivuald let out a tired breath. "That's going to take some explaining…. First things first, i'm going to break down the door, don't freak out and start screaming alright, i'm not going to hurt you," Archivuald said.
"Freak out? Why would I freak out?" Estacia asked.
"You will see. Just stand back, and i'll break down the door. Please, just don't freak out, im not going to hurt you," Archivuald said.
"Alright, I'm out of the way," Estacia replied.
The door was sturdy, but Archviuald was persistent, and even had some practice after the first one. He went for the hinges, cutting away the wood where it was nailed to the frame.
After nearly a minute, the door crashed open. Both the room and the hallway were dark, but there was enough light filtering in the window to make out some of his monstrous features.
Estacia inhaled sharply.
"Alex?" Estacia asked, her voice wavering.
"Ya?" Archivauld replied calmly, not moving from where he loomed in the doorway.
"Don't mean to go back on a promise, but you standing there is kind of freaking me out," Estacia replied, a tremor is her voice.
"That's okay, take your time. As i said, i'm here to help," Archviuald replied.
She took a very hesitant step to the side, as if afraid he would pounce.
"Your. You're a monster," Estacia said hesitantly.
"A friendly monster," Archivauld correctly.
"Since when are monsters friendly?" Estacia asked, bewildered.
Archivauld shrugged. "Not usually, but I'm the exception," Archivuald replied.
"And what about the bandits," Estacia asked, suddenly alarmed.
He waved a hand dismissively, "Foxy and I killed most of them. Only one got away," Archivuald replied.
"You killed them all?" Estacia asked, taking a fearful step back, her eyes wide as she leaned against the far wall.
Archivauld let out another in a long like of tired sighs.
"Yes. But let me say this again. Neither myself, or Foxy is going to hurt, or eat you," Archivuald replied.
"Foxy is a monster, too?" Estacia asked, hesitantly.
"Yes, though she can't talk like myself," Archivuald replied. He decided not to mention the fact Foxy would eat her unless told otherwise.
Estacia's expression went through a series of emotions, from concern, to fear, to disbelief, then resignation. It was a lot to thrust on a kid, but he didn't have the luxury of taking things slowly.
She took a deep breath.
"I guess I will have to trust you. I suppose if you wanted to kill and eat me, there is not much I could do about it," Estacia said.
"Very reasonable of you. I don't suppose you would be willing to convince Jervony to behave?" Archivuald asked.
She took a deep calming breath, slowly nodding.
"This isn't a ploy to get us to trust you, only to betray us is it?" Estacia asked.
"No, that sounds like a lot of work. To what end anyway? What could you possibly have that a monster like myself would want?" Archviuald asked.
Standing a little straighter, Estacia nodded to herself.
"Fair point, but then, why are you helping us anyway? As you said, what do you gain from freeing us?" Estacia replied
Archivuald smiled, a gesture that made her flinch.
"If I am being honest, I had no idea these bandits even took prisoners. I merely ran into what I presume is your former caravan and was outraged by the savagry inflicted. After seeing what they did, I decided to intervene," Archviuald replied.
She laughed nervously.
"I suppose that's a good enough reason," Estacia replied.
He nodded. "I didn't expect to have to deal with captives, but I suppose I have some time, come, lets go get Jervony,," Archivauld said, gesturing her to follow.
"You are quite reasonable for a monster," Estacia said.
"You are also quite reasonable, and well spoken, considering you are just a kid," Archivuald retorted.
"You could say it's a product of my upbringing. A monster probably wouldn't understand," Estacia replied.
"You would be surprised.." Archivauld said.
The making of a smile tugged at her lips as she hesitantly followed him down the stairs. He led her to the base of the stairs, gesturing into the room where Jervony was still tied up in the closet.
"He's in the closet, i'll wait over here," Archivuald said, standing by the smashed down door.
The room was cast with long shadows, the flickering fire light coming through the door from outside giving the humans some visibility.
Estacia inched passed him along the wall as if terrified to touch him, before rushing into the other room.
Archivuald could hear her, frantically tugging at the knots of the rope securing Jervony's wrists.
"Jervony, it's me, Stacy," she said.
"Stacy, what are you doing here? You need to go, there is a monster in here, it almost killed me" Jervony said.
"I know, now stop struggling. That monster is how I escaped," Estacia replied.
"What do you mean it freed you? Are you crazy, that thing almost killed me," Jervony replied, in a frantic tone.
Estacia let out an audible sigh.
"Just shut up and follow my lead," Estacia said.
"But.."
"I said shut it…" Estacia ordered.
Archivuald couldn't help but smile.
Perhaps this wasn't going to be as difficult as he thought?