The town of Daaden was quiet, with only a scant few people awake, mostly drunkards and whores plying their trade. Even those eventually went asleep, with the wall watch his only company.
With the town growing quie, Parcival crept between the houses, following a well trodden path. Over nearly two months, he had walked this path many times.
Just like every night, a short burly man stepped from the shadows near the front gate, rasing a hand.
"Halt, who goes there," the gruff man asked.
Parcival didn't even flinch. "It's me, Jayton. How's your night going Greg?" Parcival asked, in a friendly tone..
"Ohh, Jay it's just you… My night is going well, I suppose. Out painting again?" Greg asked, his posture relaxing, his spear resting casually on his shoulder.
Parcival nodded excitedly, patting his easel and pack..
"It's a bit cloudy right now, but I'm hoping the clouds will clear enough to give me a full view of both moons. I'm trying to do a painting each night up until the summer solstice tomorrow evening," Parcival said.
Greg let out a wistful sigh. "That could be quite beautiful. My wife's birthday is coming up. I don't suppose you would be willing to sell a painting once you're done? My wife would love something like that in our kitchen," Greg asked.
Parcival laughed.
"Of course. Of course. Once im done, you'll be the first person I come to," Parcival said.
"That would be great. Now on with you, I can't let the captain catch me slacking off," Greg said.
Parcival laughed, slinging his pack as he walked past.
He had to force back a devious smile. What a gullible idiot. People like Greg were pathetic, easy to manipulate.
Parcival couldn't wait for this farce to be over. This was dragging on and he didn't want to stay in this shit hole of a town any longer than necessary. Mostly because the risk of being discovered in a small place like this was rather high.
For guards of a small town way out in the boonies, some like that captain were more thorough than expected. That inquisitive bastard of a captain seemed to suspect something, he just couldn't prove it. Over the past weeks, the captain had been quite nosey. The man had searched his bottles of paint, brush and easel several times, finding nothing out of order. The captain even had him tailed for a week or two, finding nothing but the life of a mundane, boring painter.
To sell the ruse, Parcival even had a few detailed paintings of the moons he had actually completed himself.
Parcival was by his very nature, incredibly distrustful of everyone. He knew just how sneaky and deceitful people could be, after all, he was one such person.
If the guards had been more observant, they would have realized that some of red paint wasn't in fact paint, but blood, human blood.
Reaching the first of his three destinations, Parcival paused, glancing around the quiet alley. Once he was sure he hadn't been followed, he started pulling out his painting supplies.
In the dark, shadowy alley, he lay all his supplies in front of him, pulling a set of innocuous spectacles from his cloak. With the glasses on, the blank wall of the house glowed dimly, the hidden fractals embedded onto the wall lighting up.
A smile tugged at his lips. The wall appeared completely blank until he put the special glasses on. It was a complex fractal pattern, painted with blood, the pattern seeming to draw him in the more he stared at it.
Parcival had to forcibly shake off the effect. No time to get distracted. This was one of three separate fractals, each part of a larger work. He had no idea how it actually worked, but it had to be perfect.
Uncapping several of his paints, he gently unscrewed to top of his yellow. The paint container had a hidden compartment, filled with a fine glittering dust. It was crushed nexus powder, which he measured, and dumped into the container of blood. After gently mixing, he dipped his brush in and set to work.
Each stroke of his brush left a bloody streak on the wall, a bloody streak that vanished seconds later. The mixture was purposely designed so only he could see with his special glasses. Even in the dark of night, the wall lit up in his vision.
It was a remarkable interaction, the markings fading to invisibility when mixed with the crushed nexus crystal. Over the next hour, he added the final touches on the expanded fractal.
Parcival didn't know how it worked, but had been forced to memorize its shape. With the first complete, he headed to the second, then the third, finishing the final touch ups on the fractals.
Months of work were finally coming to an end. Hopefully, the risk was worth the reward. With the fractals complete, Parcival headed towards the centre of the working. This was perhaps the riskiest part of the plan.
It was already past midnight, the witching hour as some called it. To throw the guards off, he was staying in two places. One he made sure they knew about, while the other, he was secretly coming to. An abandoned building on the edge of town, that was threatening to collapse.
Glancing around, Parcival slid a key into the lock, stepping into the small house.
It smelled of dust and decay, with only him having entered the place in probably a year. Locking the door, he headed into the basement, his every step making the floorboards creak loudly.
Once deep inside the house, his flint sparked as he lit a lantern. Humming to himself, he descended the creaky stairs, the sharp tang of blood heavy on the air.
The basement was mostly empty, except for a sole occupant. Battered and bruised, she was completely naked except a gag, with cuts along her supple body where he bled her to renew his paint supply. She flinched as he entered, swaying from where she hung by her arms against the wall.
After weeks of suffering, she didn't dare meet his eyes, cowering as he approached.
Parcival picked up a box from the table, walking over to pause in front of her.
Holding the heavy box in one hand, he traced a finger down one of her bruised cheeks, making her flinch.
Parcival smiled.
"Our time together has been fun, but sadly, it has come to an end," Parcival said.
Bloody tears streamed down her cheeks as she let out a muffled sob through her gag, feebly struggling to free herself.
He chuckled at the futility. She was much too weak from lack of food and water to escape her bonds.
"Your defiance is commendable, the pleasure has been all mine," Parcival said. It really had been. She had taken much longer to break than many of the others he had enjoyed. Sadly, it was time to let her go. It was his master's orders after all. He could always find another play thing to amuse himself later.
With that, he opened the box, revealing the large Nexus crystal humming within.
It was primed and ready to go, making his captive recoil as the nexus oozed the stench of blood.
The Nexus just needed one more offering. Parcival hesitated for only a moment.
If he went through with this, there was no going back. His 'Master' had many plans, most of which he wasn't privy of.
Parcival still knew much too little about his hidden master, and couldn't act just yet. If he wanted to seize control of the mans clearly extensive network of spies, and connections, he would need to bide his time.
That was a long term project. In the meantime, he would play along. Until he could flay the asshole alive, and take everything he owned. The thought made him smile.
With cold eyes, he slipped his knife from it's sheath. His prisoner flailed admirably, letting out muffled screams as she tried to escape but it was futile. his knife flashed, opening her throat in a shower of blood. Hot blood spattered him, covering the walls and the floor, most of it gushing into the box.
In seconds, the box was filled to the brim, as the woman floundered like a fish.
Having her die so quickly was almost regretful. It wasn't every day he found such a delectable specimen. He quickly shook off the thought. He had work to do, and he could always find another. It wasn't long before she bled out, an end to her life. Like a hungry sponge, the nexus rapidly drank up the blood. Finally satiated, the Nexus glowed, hovering into the air, smelling of copper as it released waves of essence that crashed over him.
He could feel the waves of essence as they expanded outward, connecting to the fractal framework he painted into the buildings around the town.
Parcival dropped the box quickly, stepping back, as the waves of essence grew stronger, the nexus trembling in mid air. Like a heartbeat, it pulsed, and the air twisted.
Right in front of his eyes, a rift opened, a gateway darker than night, cutting a hole in reality. Parcival quickly fell to one knee, remembering the words his master had told him. Showing even the barest hint of disrespect to their client could get him killed, or worse.
It was just in time, as the abyssal lord waiting on the other side finally stepped through. The temperature rapidly dropped, his breath misting as its ominous presence washed over him. The chill wasn't quite as bad as Archie, but still it made him shiver.
The monster stepped into view with a swirl of ash and snow, a palpable sense of darkness swirling around him. With dusky grey skin, its head scraped the ceiling, forcing the monster to slouch. Its eyes and hair were grey, bordering on silver, it's claws looking sharp enough to flay him alive with a single swing. This monster almost seemed like a similar species to Archie, though it lacked the same presence. Almost as if it was lesser somehow.
Even so, he kept his head lowered, his 'Masters' warnings echoing in his mind.
Parcival had to be careful, as any slight could get him killed.
The monster glanced around the dank basement, giving the woman's corpse and himself a dismissive once over.
"You are late," it said, its voice a monstrous tamber.
"I'm sorry Lord, getting past the guards took longer than expected," Parcival replied, his tone subservient.
The monster growled softly. "I'll punish you later… Where are we?" It asked.
He grimaced, but responded curtly. "The outer border of the town as requested. Noone suspects a thing," Parcival replied.
"Good…. Even if you are livestock, you are not completely useless.. Now stand aside, my soldiers will be arriving soon," the abyssal lord said.
"Do you wish me to assist in the harvesting?" Parcival asked.
"No, you will stay out of sight, just in case. I intend to go after either the city of Hope or the city of Stronghold next, and we could use a human who can sneak inside,"
"Of course, my lord," Parcival replied, biting back his annoyance.
Parcival sat back and watched while the town of Baarden was raised in a single night.
Contrary to his expectations, the abyssal lord didn't do a damned thing, waiting near the swirling vortex while all of his soldiers sacked the town. It was a masterpiece of efficiency. In under four hours, the entire town was subjugated, with most of its population being marched back into the rift in chains.
It wasn't even daybreak before the town was nothing more than an abandoned ruin, its inhabitants killed or captured. The human's put up a fight, but were overwhelmed and most who put up resistance, slaughtered. Everyone was taken, even the corpses of the few monsters who died in the raid.
Parcival was more than a bit impressed. The monsters lost only five of their own, most killed by the guards. More than expected given the Abyssal lords clear displeasure.
It was honestly quite amusing seeing the pleading looks as the human captives were marched into the rift. The looks of betrayal by the guards who survived knew his facade were just as delectable. He took a perverse joy in seeing Greg's expression as he was dragged bloody and broken into the rift.
When it was finally over with, the abyssal lord paused, with everyone else having left already.
"I will send your master the promised reward. Further Orders will follow soon. If you fail, you will wish to be sacrificed at the altar. However, if you deliver me a city, I will grant whatever you desire," the abyssal lord said.
Parcival kept his expression unreadable until the rift collapsed, leaving him alone in the dank, dark basement. Parcival couldn't help but grin. Subjecting this kind of horror into an entire city made his heart race with excitement. In that kind of chaos, he could fulfil his every desire....….
***********
Archivuald led his horse through the city, which was already bustling with pre solstice festivities. Decorations adorned buildings and stalls, everything from flowers to beautiful floating lights conjured by fractals.
It was quite beautiful, the fragrant scent of grilling meat making his stomach rumble. Several weeks of rations made him excited for a hot meal. A cold ale sounded even more appetizing.
It was a thought that put a pep in his step. He first returned his horse to the guild stables, the horse not so much as giving him a glance as it started chowing down on fresh grain.
He couldn't blame it. The horse had been through quite the hectic few weeks, forced to graze on the trail. He could swear it had lost weight on the trip. Feeling kind of bad, he tipped the stable hand well to give the horse a good brushing.
With that done, he headed back to the guildhall. Business first, then he could relax. Surprisingly, Tanner wasn't there when he arrived.
He shrugged it off. Not like he needed Tanner to go visit the guild master.
With a sigh, he made his way up to her office, knocking on the door.
It was late morning, so she should be in.
"Come in!" came her muffled voice.
Archivuald opened the door, slipping inside the darkly themed room.
Pelas sat behind her ornate dark oak desk, an obsidian mug in the shape of a skull resting beside a tall stack of papers.
"A bit grim, don't you think?" Archivuald asked.
"It comes with the territory. So, how did the job go?" Pelas asked, with narrowed eyes.
Archivuald shrugged off that stare, cracking a wide smile.
"The job is done, and the client is happy," Archivuald said succinctly.
"That's good..." Pelas replied, rocking back in her tall backed black leather chair, drumming her nails on the leather.
"You don't seem pleased," Archivuald said.
"Do you know how much work you dumped on my lap?" Pelas asked dryly.
He raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?" Archivuald asked.
"I'm talking about that head from the abyssal fiend. The inquisition somehow found out about it, and are demanding to join in the investigation," Pelas said.
"Why is that a problem? I thought you discreetly handed the head over to someone who couldn't be traced back to you?" Archivuald asked.
"I did, but it's not just some run of the mill inquisitors getting involved. The Silent Chapter are heading the investigation, under the leadership of Imand Nulcan. That one is a true Zealot, who doesn't take no for an answer. To make things worse, has the disturbing ability to rip memories from the mind," Pelas said.
"It's just a head. Surely he cat rip out her memories nearly a month after her death," Archivuald asked, hesitantly.
Pelas shrugged.
"I don't know, but Imand seems insistent. There is also Verdan, from the knight's Templar, who is just as determined, though he is being more tactful with his approach," Pelas said.
"I take it you are worried this is going to come back on you? Perhaps they will look into more of your shady dealings?" Archivuald asked.
Pelas grunted.
"This coming from a wanted fugitive with a bounty on his head. If my crimes are uncovered, yours will soon follow," Pelas drawled.
Archivuald cleared his throat. "So, how do we stop this from happening? I would rather neither of us run into any such hardship. After all, this is going quite well for the both of us," Archivuald said.
Pelas slowly nodded. She took a deep calming breath, slowly letting it out.
"The person I gave the head to can only keep his mouth shut for so long. He will eventually have to give the masks something," Pelas said, thoughtfully.
Archivuald tapped the half of his ax.
"We could kill him?" Archivuald suggested.
"I thought of that, but no, it was too risky with so many eyes on him. Plus, he is quite useful. I think we need to help him. We need a sufficient diversion to distract both the Templars and the Silent Chapter," Pelas offered.
Archivuald hesitated as he pondered just how much he should reveal. Pelas was a no good, two-timing backstabbing criminal. She was greedy, self serving, and ruthless. Many undesirable traits that also made her somewhat predictable. As long as he kept being valuable to the Black Heart guild, she would be unlikely to stab him in the back.
With that in mind, his thoughts drifted back to his interrogation of Felcia.
Revealing the reason why the abyssal friends were in the mortal realm might be just the thing they needed.
He took a deep breath.
"Remember how I told you I had a little chat with the fiend before I killed her?" Archivuald asked.
"I recall," Pelas replied, eyes narrowed.
"Well, I may have left out a few details. Namely, that she divulged why they have been taking whole towns. More importantly, she explained how they are getting here. They are sacrificing all those people in some sort of perverse blood ritual, to form Nexus hearts. With those, they can create a rift that helps them enter our world," Archivauld said.
Pelas rubbed her temples, seeming to have gotten a headache from his speel.
"Is that all?" Pelas asked.
He hesitated, before forging on.
"No, supposedly, the abyssal fiend tribes are forced to do the blood rituals to enter our world. From the way Felcia told it, the Abyssal lords don't need sacrifices. They can enter our realm on a whim," Archivuald said.
Pelas frowned, her brows furrowed, deep in thought. She sighed.
"You have given me much to consider.. This should be enough to get the inquisition off our backs for a while," Pelas said.
"What about the Cult? Surely they are interested as well?" Archivuald asked.
Pelas cracked a smile.
"Of course they are.. The lady of Darkness herself has requested to have a meeting with you," Pelas said.
Archivauld hesitated. "Please tell me you said no," Archivuald asked, already knowing the answer.
She chuckled.
"I did, but after I reveal the information you told me today, I bet she will insist," Pelas replied.
Archivuald grimaced.
Well, shit!. Archivuald really didn't want to have a meeting face to face with the world's most famous assassin. Noone knew what she actually looked like, or even her name for that matter, but no one could refute her power.
The lady of darkness had ruled the Cult from the shadows for only the Dark god knew how long.
"How long until she wants to meet?" Archivuald asked.
Pelas shrugged.
"No idea. The lady of Darkness doesn't announce herself. On the bright side, she is unlikely to be in the city. I get the feeling that the letter she sent was through a proxy rather than delivered personally," Pelas said.
Archivuald sighed. So much for being able to just relax. How could one let down their guard knowing a master assassin might be breathing down their neck? Another damned problem to deal with. Why did things always have to be so complicated?