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2024-10-29 19:42:56"Perhaps I should escort you back to your house." Frey commented.
This time, he surveyed the girl with a more attentive gaze. She was frail and thin, and her face would have been ordinary if not for her large dark eyes. She wrapped herself in the velvet cloak that Frey himself had lent her, clutched the bundle of what she had bought in the village to her chest, and then raised her face to give the dark hero a shy smile that lent beauty to that countenance. pale and famished.
"I'd appreciate it, if it's not too much trouble."
"It's not a bother at all." he replied. "Maybe those ruffians are still lurking out there."
“I doubt that. They seemed to be very afraid of you.”
"Let me help you carry those herbs, then."
“The lady she told me exactly what she had to buy. They are to alleviate the effects of frostbite. I will feel calmer if I carry them.”
Frey shrugged, and they went outside; the cold was so intense that his breaths formed clouds of vapor.
In the night sky, the Shadowy Mountains loomed like giants, and the moonlight reflected off the snowdrifts that capped them, so that they looked like islands suspended in the sky, floating above a sea of shadows.
They made their way through the grimy hamlet of shacks that surrounded the town's central plaza. In the distance, Frey saw lights and heard the lowing of cattle and the muffled pounding of horses' hooves. They were heading towards a camp where other people were arriving.
Gaunt, sunken-cheeked soldiers in tattered robes bearing the much-faded figure of a grinning wolf escorted carts drawn by skinny oxen. Tired drivers, dressed in peasant clothes, looked at him as they passed. Next to them sat women, tightly wrapped in shawls, their heads covered by a kerchief that almost hid their faces. Sometimes a child would peek out of the back of a car to watch them.
"What's going on?" Frei asked. “It seems that a whole town is on a journey.” The girl looked at the carts, then turned her eyes to him.
“We are the people of Baron Garfield Von Deyl. We follow him into exile, into the Theocracy. With the new ways imposed by the emperor of the Kaleth Empire, the Baron was stripped of his peerage.”
Frey paused to look to the east, and saw that there were more carts, coming down the road, and behind them came stragglers on foot, limping and clutching poor sacks as if they contained gold. He shook his head in bewilderment.
"You must have gone to the White Water Pass, on the southwestern border of the Kingdom of Lothal, I heard that it is the only safe land path between the Kingdom and the Theocracy." he commented he. He and Elysia had used their superior athletic abilities to traverse the foot of the mountain. “We are well into the cold season for such a large group to transit this area. The first blizzards must be coming up there by now. This place would only be safe during the summer. Also, on the other side of the Shadow Mountains are the Westerlands, so you will have to travel between the mountain ridges without descending into the Westerlands until you reach the great wall that separates the Theocracy from that land full of beings hostile to the Westerlands. humans."
“Our lord has only been given until the end of the year to leave the Empire and he only had permission from the Duke of Riverheim to transit his lands for a month. The other dukes of the Kingdom have not allowed a noble of the Empire to transit his land.” She turned and started to move into the circle the carriages had formed to get some protection from the wind. “We got going in plenty of time, but a series of accidents slowed down our progress. On the way up to the mountains we got caught in an avalanche, and we lost a lot of people.” She paused, as if she remembered some personal misfortune. “Some say that it is a Curse imposed by a powerful witch in the service of the Emperor, and that the baron is unable to dispel. They say the Witch is one of the young emperor's mistresses and possibly the future empress."
Frey followed her as she nodded, the information she was gathering was magnificent; the next time he made his periodic report he would add this information.
There were some pots on the fires, and a large cauldron from which steam was coming out. The girl pointed to this last pot.
“The cauldron of the lady. She will be waiting for the herbs.”
"Is your lady also a witch?" asked Frey, and she looked at him seriously.
“No, good sir. She is a sorceress descended from a lineage of respectable magic users. She is the baron's adviser on matters of magic."
The girl moved toward the steps of a wagon filled with arcane signs. She started to ascend, but she stopped to face Frey.
"Thanks for your help". she said she.
She bowed deeply in thanks, handed the crimson cloak back to Frey, and then turned and opened the door. Frey placed a hand on her shoulder and held her gently.
"One moment". she asked her. "What's your name?"
“Krisvel”. she replied. "And you?"
"Frey."
The girl smiled again before disappearing inside the wagon, and Frey stared at the closed door, slightly dazed. Then, feeling like he was walking on air, he returned to the village.
♦ ♦ ♦
"Re crazy?" Elysia asked angrily. “Now it turns out that you want us to travel with an exiled baron of the Empire and the rabble that form his retinue. Have you forgotten that I just killed my owner to free myself from serving a noble?”
Frey turned to make sure no one was looking at them, though he decided that it wasn't very likely that anyone would. He and the cat girl drank their beers in the darkest corner of the tavern. A few drunks were sprawled across the trestle tables, and cat girl's sulky glances kept casual onlookers away. Thus, Frey bowed with an air of conspiracy.
“You have not forgotten why we have come here. Certain? It's not because he's worried that other agents sent by his previous owner might find us."
"Yes, I know." Elysia reminded herself that practically the only way to keep her freedom was to be together with Frey. "But…"
“We will explore the shadowy mountains, and they will travel through it. It will be safer to travel accompanied, it is the most sensible.”
Elysia gave him a menacing look. “Are you implying that you are afraid of some danger that may arise along the way?”
Frey shook his head.
“How bold of you. The answer is no. All I'm saying is that it will make the journey more comfortable for us, and that they could pay us for the effort if we can persuade the baron to hire us as adventurers, remember, we are Platinum rank. According to the guild we are capable of facing A rank or lower enemies, but I am sure that I myself am capable of facing enemies of the highest difficulty, SSS rank, with enough preparation, the rat demon we met in the sewers was SS rank”
Elysia perked up at the mention of money. “Deep down, she is a greedy one.” Frei thought. Elysia seemed to consider the matter for a second, but then she shook her head.
"Nope. That baron is not going to get his hands on our gold. The treasure is ours, yours and mine.” Hunching over, she looked around her with paranoid tension.
With a chuckle, Frey let out a short laugh “Ha, our gold? That sounds like we'll split it equally; most of the treasure is mine, as I will bear most of the fighting.”
Frey felt like laughing. There was nothing better than seeing someone affected by gold fever.
Bitterly, Elysia looked directly at Frey. “Whatever, but Frey, we don't even know if there is any treasure. All we have to guide us are the ramblings of a senile terrain explorer who claims to have seen the lost treasure of an old dwarven stronghold. The old man couldn't even remember his own name."
"The old man was a dwarf, and for your information catgirl, dwarfs never forget where they keep his gold."
“If you are so sure. Just answer me this question: why didn't the dwarf go back to look for the treasure himself? He has had many years to do it.”
“For sensible economic caution…”
"By stinginess, you mean." I reproach Elysia.
“Whatever you want to call it, cat girl. The treasure keeper crippled him, and he never found anyone he could trust."
"And why is he telling you all of a sudden?"
"Are you implying that I'm not trustworthy, cat girl?"
"Nope. I think he wanted to get rid of us, that he wanted you to get out of his tavern. It seems to me that he invented that implausible story about the biggest treasure in the world guarded by the biggest troll in existence because he knew you would believe it; I knew that would put a hundred leagues between you and his establishment.”
Frey's body tensed, and he growled angrily. He knew that Elysia's words were reasonable. But he refused to go back on his word.
“I'm not that stupid, cat girl. The dwarf swore it was true upon the beards of all his ancestors."
"And I suppose" answered Elysia after uttering a groan. "That no dwarf has ever broken an oath or falsely sworn."
“Well, on rare occasions, yes,” Frey admitted. "But I believe this one."
Elysia realized that it would do no good to continue the subject. Furthermore, she prayed to any god who would hear her prayers that the story was true.
"It's like a man in love." Elysia thought. "Unable to see the weaknesses of her beloved because of the wall of illusions he has built around her."
Frey stroked his chin with his eyes fixed on infinity, lost in contemplation of the treasure kept by the troll, after a few moments, Frey decided to play the last card he had left.
"It would mean not having to walk." Frey said with a confident and presumptuous air.
"What?" Elysia growled.
“If the baron hires us, we can ride in a carriage. You're always complaining that your feet hurt. This is your chance to give them a break. Think about it". he added she temptingly. "We'll get paid and your feet won't hurt."
Elysia seemed to consider it once more.
“I see that I will have no peace unless I follow your plans. I will do it on one condition.”
"Which?"
“That our objective is not mentioned at all; to nobody."
Frey nodded, and Elysia raised an immaculate eyebrow to look at him with a cunning expression.
"Don't think I don't know why you want to travel with the baron so much."
"What do you mean?"
"You've fallen in love with that little girl you left here with a while ago, haven't you?"
"No," Frey mumbled. "What made you think that?"
Elysia let out a boisterous laugh that woke several drowsy drunks.
"If not, why has he made you nervous?" she questioned her triumphantly.
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Elysia knocked on the wagon door, which she was told belonged to the baron's master-at-arms. She was alone mainly because her partner, Frey, was in charge of maintaining his armor and giving his sword a perfect edge."Ahead". said a voice.Opening the door, her nose was assaulted by the smell of bear grease, so she reached for the hilt of the sword.Five men were gathered inside the wagon, and she recognized three of them: they were the hunters she had met the night before. The other two were a young man, richly dressed and with delicate features, with short hair in the style of a noble warrior, and a tall, powerfully built man clad in furs. The latter was tanned and appeared to be in his thirties, although his hair was silvery gray. He carried a quiver of black-tailed arrows slung across his back, and close to his hand was a long, sturdy bow. The men she didn't know, Elysia, bore a certain family resemblance."That's the bitch." Lars said through his missing teeth, and the two strang
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The crossbow bolt whistled through the air and stabbed quiveringly into the earth before the steed's hooves. Frey struggled to control the animal, which reared. At times like this he was glad to have ranks of skill in Riding."Come no closer, stranger, or we will fill you with arrows, white flag or no white flag." His voice was rough but powerful. It was clear that its owner used it to give orders and have them obeyed. Frey struggled with the mount and managed to control it."I am a messenger to Garfield Von Deyl, Baron of the Northern Fringe of the Gray Mountains." Frei yelled. “He has no intention of causing you any harm. We just want to shelter from the elements and refresh supplies.”“Well, you can't do it here! Tell your Baron Garfield that if he is so peaceful, he can continue on his way. This is Aken, and we are not interested in any dealings with the nobles of any country. We are a free and independent city, we do not bow down to anyone.”Frey studied the man shouting at him f
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“I think I have found the inspiration for a new work.” declared Manfred Von Deyl enthusiastically. "The delightful story the hunter told last night will be the core of the plot."Elysia looked at him doubtfully. They advanced along the western flank of the caravan, keeping between the chariots and the ominous mountains.“Perhaps the hunter's story is more than just a tale, Manfred. Many ancient legends contain real facts.”"Of course! Of course! Who better to know than me? I think I will title this work Where the legends walk. Think about it: powerful spells that make the earth rumble, and the metallic sheen of legendary weapons gleaming in the haunted light of the moon. Imagine the figure of the god of the dead who remains unbeatable in the midst of battles."Looking at those accursed elevations, it was very easy for Elysia to imagine such things. Of all the people following Baron Von Deyl, only three people dared to enter the hills. During the day, Dr. Stock and Mrs. Winter searched
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Frey looked at Krisvel, although his cheeks were in shadow, he saw a tear shine. Their faces were very close to each other. Behind them, the wisps of mist rising from the river's surface had thickened rapidly, and they could barely see the water. Krisvel moved closer to the powerful figure of Frey."If he hadn't come this far, he wouldn't have met you."They kissed awkwardly, tentatively, barely touching lips. Then, Frey bent down to take her long hair in her hands. They leaned toward each other again, embracing more greedily as the second kiss deepened. Passionate, hands began to travel and explore the other's body over the thick layer of cloth that covered Krisvel's body and the robust plate armor that Frey possessed.They leaned in too far, and Krisvel gave a little exclamation as they fell from the trunk of the tree and sprawled on the soft, damp earth."My armor and cloak are muddy." Frei said.“Perhaps it would be better if you took it
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As the first light of morning appeared, Elysia watched warily as Frey inspected the rubble of the ancient stone arch. The stench of stale air and rotting bones rising from within nauseated him. She turned to look down the mountain, where the surviving outcasts were setting up funeral pyres from the remains of the chariots to cremate the dead. Nobody wanted to bury them so close to the mountains.Elysia heard Frey growl with fierce satisfaction, and she turned around again. Frey was expertly running his hand over the broken stones, on the surface of which the engraved runes formed a faint web, and then he raised his eyes and gave her a wild smile.“There is no doubt, catgirl; the runestones that guarded the entrance were split from the outside.”Elysia looked at him as suspicion washed over him. She felt enormous fear.“Looks like someone has given the Von Deyl Curse a hand.” she whispered.♦ ♦ &diam
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Elysia ducked just as an arrow splintered the wood of the parapet before her. She bent down to pick up a crossbow from the hand of the guard who had been killed when an arrow pierced her neck. From her He groped for a bolt and struggled to load the weapon with it; finally, she got it.She jumped to her feet. Fire arrows flashed overhead like shooting stars, and from behind her came the smell of burning. Elysia looked down from the parapet, and she saw the goblin wolf riders surrounding the camp like a pack of beasts rounding up a herd of sheep. She saw the green skin of the horsemen gleam in the light of the flaming arrows, which also highlighted the yellow of their eyes and fangs."There must be hundreds of them." Elysia thought, and she mentally thanked Frey for the presence of the moat, the stakes, and the wooden wall that her partner had made them build. At the time, it had seemed like an unnecessary effort to them, and Frey was cursed by everyone; but now the cons
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The corpulent corpse of Dieter lay in the doorway of the Baron's bedroom with one side of his head caved in. Elysia imagined she would bolt out the door in a rage when a prepared enemy struck her from the side.She leaped like a lioness over the body, rolling to the ground before standing up and looking around the room. The old baron lay in bed with a knife through his heart, his blood soaking the bandages on his chest and the sheets.The catgirl glared at the chair Manfred was sitting on. He had the sword stained with blood."The curse has been fulfilled at last." the playwright stated in a strained voice, which also contained a high-pitched note of hysteria.He looked up, and Elysia shivered because Manfred's face seemed like a mask, as if something strange was looking at her from inside her."I knew it was my destiny to end the curse." declared Manfred as if making a comment to pass the time. “I knew it from the moment I killed my mother.
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“Take the sword!” Elysia yelled at him.But the stunned Frey was in no condition to heed the advice, and besides, he wanted to spill blood. He took an unsteady step toward Oleg, who was standing where he had left him, howling as he clutched his nose. Then, hearing Frey's staggering footsteps, she looked up and let out a tremendous bellow of anger and pain. He rushed toward his foe, crouching low and arms outstretched, intending to once again ensnare the dark hero in a deadly embrace. Frey remained where he was as the monster charged into a thunderous race towards him, as unstoppable as a runaway horse-drawn chariot.Elysia didn't want to look… The mutant was big enough to crush Frey, but she couldn't look away in horror.Oleg reached where Frey was. His massive arms began to close, but at the last second Frey ducked and dove between the monster's legs, then spun around and lashed out with the chain, which wrapped around the mutant's ankle. Fre
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"Ulber?" I ask. Ulber Roger?"Do not call me that way!" The man's voice approached the scream. "Address me as 'Sir'.""Do you know this idiot?" Frei asked.Elysia nodded. Ulber Roger was a philosophy friend of Elysia's owner before the catgirl had murdered her mistress and escaped from her. He had been a quiet young man, very studious and could always be found in libraries according to his mistress. He had probably never exchanged more than a dozen words with her in the two years he had been friends with her mistress. He also remembered that Roger had vanished. There was a bit of a scandal… something to do with some missing library books, and he also remembered that some Inquisitors had shown interest."Stop!" Roger yelled at him in his thin, irritating voice. "You are my prisoners and you will do as I command for the remainder of your wretched lives."“Will we do as you bid us for the rest of our worthless lives?” Elysia looked
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Elysia noticed that all the patrons were looking at the innkeeper strangely, as if he had spoken at the wrong time, or said something they had never expected him to say. But she dismissed that thought. Maybe they were just scared. Who wouldn't be with a servant of the Dark Powers housed in the castle that overlooked the town?“He is wicked like a dragon with a toothache. Isn't that right, Helmut?"The peasant the innkeeper had just spoken to froze in place like a rat staring at a snake."Isn't that right, Helmut?" the innkeeper repeated."It's not so bad," replied the farmer. "Considering how evil warlocks are.""Why don't you storm the castle?" Frey asked, and Elysia thought that if the dark hero couldn't guess the answer from the beaten-dog looks of those louts he was more stupid than he looked."Because the monster is there, sir" replied the farmer at the same time that he dragged his feet and looked at the floor again."The
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The idea must occur to readers of these pages from time to time that my companion and I were under the influence of some curse.Without any effort on our part, and without any desire on my part, we managed to meet all manner of worshipers of the Dark Ones. I myself often suspected that we were really doomed to oppose his plans without ever understanding why; but such speculation never bothered the Dark Hero.Frey took all such events as they came, with a groan and a resigned shrug, and dismissed any such speculation as that of a useless and vain philosopher.However, I have thought long and hard on the matter, and I have the feeling that if there is a power in this world that opposes the servants of evil, perhaps it was the one who sometimes guided our steps and even protected us. What is certain is that we often stumbled upon some of the most outrageous and malevolent schemes perpetrated by the most unlikely of evildoers...Elysia, 'The Adventures of the
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Demonic Knight, part 15
The desire to kill reverberated through Jasmine's brain, and the darkness rooted in her soul threatened to overtake her completely. Madness bubbled through her veins, and bloodlust flooded her as if she were a drug; her carnage gave him ecstatic pleasure. She wanted to find the black-armored warrior and kill him, for of all the enemies she had faced, he was the most powerful: a worthy offering indeed to the god of Wrath. At the last second, when she was about to brush aside his sword and kill him, her fate, in the form of her own idiotic followers of hers, had intervened to separate them. She wanted to find him again and finish the fight.And then she saw the girl. As if against her will, she gazed at the frightened little face that peeked out from where she was hiding. He knew what he had to do, because it was time to end this once and for all, to take the first step on the path that would end in eternal life, to take advantage of the opportunity offered to him of a glorious
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Demonic Knight, part 14
Jasmine watched as the great cannon blasted the third breach in the city wall, then decided enough was enough. They had to save powder for the next fortification they came to, and the gaps were big enough for their soldiers to squeeze through. The defenders were tired and bewildered, so the time had come. She signaled to the bugler, and he sounded the advance blast. Marching to the beat of the human-skinned drums, the beastmen sprang into motion.Jasmine felt the thirst for blood rise within her, and with it, her desire to offer souls to the god of Wrath. She that night she would make him a great offering.♦ ♦ ♦Elysia watched as the tide of beastmen surged across the grounds, and archers began firing from the ramparts. They chose their targets calmly, methodically, and efficiently, and fired. Arrows pierced the darkness, piercing chests, throats, and bestial eyes. As the infernal drums beat, the relentless bloodthirsty beastmen continued to adva
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Elysia watched the clouds overhead, racing across the sky like a mass that twisted and undulated in a strong wind. The color of the forest had changed from a light green to a darker, more ominous hue; she seemed as if the trees, like everything else, were waiting.She was standing on the parapet at the top of the wooden wall, and she was looking across the fields, straining to catch any sign of movement in the undergrowth. By her calculations, it was the end of the afternoon. Next to her was Frey, who was looking at his sword with disinterest. Every ten paces along the wall there was an archer, one of the woodcutters, men who could hit an ox's eye from two hundred paces, and measuring the distance between them and the line of trees, Elysia realized. realized that this was a slaughterhouse. Any attackers would get bogged down in the plowed fields and be easy targets for archers.She tried to let that thought reassure her, but she couldn't. Night in the woods was not lik
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Elysia looked up at the ornate golden hammer that gleamed in the early morning light streaming through the open door of the temple. The runes etched into the Hammer's head reminded him of the ones adorning the blade of her own sword, but that didn't surprise him too much. Her sword had been the most prized possession of an Order of paladins and it seemed only fitting that the sword be engraved with holy signs.There were few people present; only some old women who were sitting cross-legged on the floor and praying. The babies with their mothers were outside, getting the cool while they could, and Elysia guessed the air might be unbreathable in there with the doors closed.The temple was a simple sanctuary with a simple altar, except for the presence of the Hammer, which was used to bless marriages and contracts. The Father, The Mother and The Son were not very popular deities there, since most of the woodcutters looked to Belial, Lord of the Forests and God of the Eart
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Kat hurried toward the base of the watchtower because she felt the need to be alone. She had grown tired of sitting by the large central bonfire, and not even Frey's presence reassured her. She felt very alone in the midst of all those busy adults; in reality, there was no one with whom she could talk, and for the first time she realized that she no longer knew anyone in this world and that she had no place in it. Her flames reminded him too much of the Kleinsdorf fires. The ladder barely creaked under her bare feet as she climbed toward the trapdoor with the agility of a monkey.Elysia was sitting alone, and she was looking into the darkness. She had long since set the sun like a bloodstain on the horizon; the moon had risen through the sky, its silvery light bathing the surroundings. A gentle breeze cooled Kat's cheeks and made the forest whisper and murmur ominously. Elysia watched him mesmerized, lost in her own thoughts, and she hurried across the tower and sat down besi
