Dragon Frost (7 page)

The
strangest part about this is it is not exactly—normal—per say. I
kneel, my scale covered fingers are a different texture to that of
the ash that mimics the colour of my biological uniform, my
biological “malfunction”. There is, a warmth, radiating from the
wood, I’m aware that the fire only has recently out burnt itself
but the heat is somewhat intense. Not that I’m bothered; the fire
would have done me no harm. The fact that it’s still so intense,
does.

Bodies
lay around me scorched and motionless. 
There’s something off about this
place.
 My train of
thought halts when I hear soft movement of feet emanating from the
adjacent house, of the street where I stand. I approach the source,
the tatter of feet I heard echoes in the ruined house, some part of
the roof caved in creating a natural filter of
skylight. 
This house would have been nice before it was
destroyed.
 The dark
brown wooden floorboards are covered in dust and ash. The white and
calcined walls are lined in frames of paintings where at the far
end is a scorched fireplace. I stop. Hearing quick movement of
footsteps, once again, this time it was loud enough to cause the
ash and dirt stuck between the still stable wooden floorboards to
leak. 
Someone’s up there.

I move to
the blood stained staircase and stop, the light from the window,
reveals walls streaked in blood, char and ash where burnt bodies
hung around, idly. The scorch marks were stained in strips along
the pale walls, the window I stand beside, bathes in yellow and
brown of glass is evidently shattered and
broken. 
There is something wrong, with this
sight,
 I conclude.
Hearing the sound of the same footsteps pulls me back to reality
where I rush up the stairs and come to a wide hall.

Bodies
are everywhere and I pull out my knives. I scan the hall for sign
of any movement. There a figure moves across the doorway at the end
of the hall, impassive as a painting. I move towards it, nothing
odd seemed to radiate from it, no demonic presence, no spiritual
entitlement, nothing. Stepping past and around the several bodies
that lay at my feet. I notice now, there are the same streaks in
the hall, in the visible rooms from the previous staircase, I had
ascended. The sight of it is strange, feeling almost disorientated,
I force my sight back to the room where I approach only to hear
heavy footsteps. I turn to face it. “Lifet?”

“
I’m
proud to know. You remember me.” he teases with sincerity in his
eyes, I move my hand to where my knives sit clipped around my
narrow waist. He holds up his hands as he approaches me. “I mean
you no harm, I’m merely here for the same reason you are.” he
utters. I regard him suspiciously before, dropping my hand and
turning from him.

“
What
reason is that?”

“
The
Blood Brethren,” I stop walking towards the far room and glance at
him from over my shoulder. A twinkling look glasses his eyes and he
seems to be entranced in a game of cat and mouse that I don’t feel
like playing.

“
How do
you know of the ‘Blood Brethren’?” I ask.

“
I’m an
Assassin it’s my job to know, may I?” he questions as he moves past
me, gesturing for himself to walk on ahead, I nod, if he is going
to be killed first why not? I still don’t trust him but with
everything that’s going on, who can I trust?

“
What did
you mean when you said: “Varden was your target”?”

“
He was
and still 
is
 the
person I’ve been sent to kill; I’m just putting that on hold for
now.” he admits as he leads the way, we enter the empty room and I
stare at it confused. 
Didn’t I see someone walk past? I’m sure I
did,
 I try and
consult myself. 
I don’t like the idea that odd things are happening more
frequently, now.

“
Than
what about 
the package
,
isn’t that what you were after?” I ask.

“
I still
am.” he retorts and I glare, he returns my gaze firmly. “The
problem is though how you’re pulled into all of this
is.”

“
I was
merely sent on a mission nothing more.”

“
So I
see.” he says and doesn’t question.

“
I can
kill you
 now
 if I want.” I threaten.

“
True but
you’ll kill me sooner if I inflict harm on the Courier, correct?”
he deliberates and I stare at his words, it’s only been a few
moments and he acts as though he knows me. Well it didn’t help I
threatened him twice in two days. Why he’s here is something, I’m
still questioning. He’s tricky both in skill and
wit. 
He
may be more of a formidable for than I can
imagine. 
He
stops.

“
Something’s here.” he urges and I take my stance. He’s
right something is here and it’s not happy.

“
Have any
idea what it is?”

“
I’m not
going to wait to find out.” he says as he moves towards the
chimney, snatching a white clothed item from within the fire place.
“It was nice talking to you.” Like that he slips down between the
wooden floorboards—the aftermath of when roves cave in, they split
the floor in unlikely ways with the aid of fearsome flames. I
scowl, 
he is evasive.

“
Kalverya . . .”
 My name echoes in my ears. I clench my teeth, holding
it forcefully closed knowing that my words won’t throw off these
enemies. 
“Kalverya . . .”
 It coos again and I reach for my sword, the only
weapon that is able to incinerate them with a single strike. This
is the second of my primary weapons, my crossbow is lost has been
lost to me, the moment I had lost my abilities.

The sight
of the demons is nothing but vivid yet transparent outlines, their
forms are not even here. The room where I stand is, tainted blood
red with black streaks; the ground under my feet is now that of mud
but sullied with coagulated blood that hasn’t completely
solidified. I lift my boot to see that the slime sticks to my
soles. Knowing this the fight will be dirty but I’ll come out
clean.
 If I’m careful, I won’t be injured.
 I tell
myself. 
“Kalverya . . .”
 they call once more and I pull out my
Prevail.

“
Want to
dance?” I mock, their forms become less translucent. I launch
myself at the horde. “Let’s dance!” I slice down the first once
with ease, it’s form is carved into, two, before disappearing. The
hissing sound resonates all around me, their teeth bared as their
weapon forged limbs taunt me. Only the Nefaliem can cross through
worlds, through the worlds of heaven and hell without their souls
sucked dry from their bodies. I sliver the next one down, his head
rolls along the earth, blades are slashed towards me and I block
before spinning around, my heels knock their heads to the side
where I leap and kick the same demon, a second time. It stumbles
back, I run sliding along the earth I slice their legs as I slip
between their supports.

Down it
falls, slowly. It is a quick rhythmic pace I dance, with the
demons. Yet the adrenaline that flooded my system, heightens my
senses, even the ones I suppress. Every movement they made, seemed
far slower to me than I can imagine. Taking down the next once
closes to me, I plunge my blade in his torso before pulling it out
and slicing his neck. I kick and slice several with my forearm
blade and others with my double edged blade, their bodies
disintegrate and wither away. Once, the weaker of demons were
defeated, I turn my attention, to the demon clothed in black
armour, its face consumed in a black helmet.

It
charges at me. Its heavy feet stomp towards me as it races towards
me, its large shoulder clashes against my form and I’m sent back.
My back collides with the wall of the room before I tumble through
the blood stained bricks and into the street below that winds my
lungs from under the impact. I roll to the side once I calmed
myself; the blade of the demon is plunged into the ground where I
once laid. I stand on my feet once more and eye the demon. His head
tilts to the side he forces the blade from the ground with the
loud 
C-L-A-N-G!
 I take my stance and circle him where he watches me
like a hawk.

He spins
his blade before it clashes with mine. The sound rings through my
ears as I see its black face plate glow red. It was fast. There one
moment gone the next but I know what I saw. It forces me back and I
step out of the way before it can manage to cut me. I step around
it and glare at it. “Die already.” I mutter and shed its armour
from its body with my blade before I find its weak point; I send my
blade within its chest and force it to its knees. My blade slowly
is consumed in a black colour of gore before the body of my enemy
disintegrates. The world around me returns and I find myself
standing in an empty but dead street. “Bloody demons,” I curse and
sheath my blade and return back to Varden.

By the
time I return, I see Mina has already opened up to Varden. Their
gazes turn to me as I impede not too far from them. “Is everything
all right?” he asks and I glance back at where I came from and
frown.

“
Fine,” I
say and the creases on his brow is evidence that he doesn’t believe
my claim instead he turns to Mina and hands her a satchel of
clothes that he’s probably managed to scavenge from around the
homes that haven’t been completely burnt down to the ground. “She’s
coming with us?” I ask.

“
Well,
we 
can’t
 leave
her.” We travel along the road once more, Mina sits behind Varden
on his horse. Their gentle talking filters through the air at
times, they laugh at something Mina whispers to Varden and I scowl.
They were so secretive it annoyed me, so I didn’t speak the whole
journey to the next town. The very same town, where, I was to
investigate the ‘Blood Brethren’. 
I wonder if I’ll run into Lifet or
not during this and if I did whether or not I would enjoy
it.

We arrive
at my assigned town the citizen’s don’t even seem to know about
what had happened in the other town over. That in itself made me
wonder if the town just ignored the smoke and screams of pain or if
the town was brain-washed. I dismount my horse and guide it to the
Inn at the end of the street filled with wagons, coaches, stalls
and people. Tons and tons of people. Varden rides on his horse
carefully weaving through the crowd of people who look up at
us—mainly Me, I see Mina wrap her arms around his waist and I bite
my inner cheek.

“
You
okay?” Varden asks Mina with concern. She smiles up at him
innocently.

“
I’m
fine, just a little uncomfortable in crowds.” I roll my eyes. I’m
uncomfortable in crowds and you don’t see me wrapping my arms
around some guy for some form of support. The cretinous citizens
swarm around us, nosily. I demount my horse and I trudge up the
stairs to the first Inn I saw when we entered the gates. Pushing
open one of the wooden doors, I enter the foyer. The glossy
floorboards under my feet make my light footsteps become noticed by
the Inn manager behind the large oak desk. The Inn is very well
laid out, there are many chairs and wooden tables furnished
throughout the foyer and I find myself before the man as he smiles
at me. “Hello ma’am.”

“
Hello.
Three single rooms please,” I say and he nods signing something
down in the large book with his feathered plume.

“
Your
numbers are on the labels. Enjoy!” he says and I nod.

“
One more
thing,” I begin and he stops. He turns his brown gaze on me. “Do
you have stables?” I ask, “My horses have been pushed hard these
last couple of days, and they are in need of
nourishment.”

“
Around
the back, there’s a stable boy by the name of Malic he’ll be
attending the horses.” he says and I nod making my way back to the
steps of the Inn once more. I see Mina teasing Varden and I fight
the urge to leave her in the streets for the night. She’s
traumatized and trying to find comfort I tell myself. He means
nothing to me, he’s just another courier. 
He’s just a pain in my
neck!

I make my
way down, the steps and towards Varden and Mina. “Our rooms are
ready, here.” I toss Varden the keys, who fumbles to secure them
within his hands and turn away from them. “Stables are around the
back.” I make my way to my room and close the door behind me and I
collapse on the bed. The moment I close my eyes sleep, engulfs me,
in a blissful manner.

I listen
to the song: ‘Heaven’s Fury’ that plays out in the tavern, where a
woman sings with a voice of an angel in a high soprano pitch, I
wasn’t much of a singer but I don’t think I could ever bring myself
to be just that. Heaven’s Fury is a song sung by the general
populous in representation to the royal family and the over throw
of this world gluttony government. My heart wretchedly calls for
adventure and action. I know that, that 
trait
 definitely came from my father who was known
to be a proud warrior. Sadly, a dysfunctional family makes warriors
of its children. I turn my gaze to where Mina sits; as she
continues to devour her food savagely while I bring a cup of ‘Ulen’
tea to my lips. It has the similar taste of Jasmine on Earth but
with a minty taste. I wouldn’t normally have teas or delicacies
with mint but this one seems to calm my nerves and relax my
mind. 
I
need to leave this place and soon. I need to find Him.