They hadn’t bothered repairing the Guildhall in Bluemoon, its shattered remains a clear reminder of what had happened there recently. They had tidied up around it though, all of the shrapnel from the surrounding area cleared away, so that all of the devastation was gathered in the one spot. Not that it bothered Velvet at all, as she landed from free-fall beside the former hall, the ground reflecting her impact in a shower of dust, Myne settling down gently beside her. Having wings was certainly useful, but Velvet didn’t mind making a flashy entrance, though they had decided against landing with a full sized Light. It might have brought back a few too many memories for some of the residents. Tourin had however deserved what he’d gotten, and if he was still here and tried to get in their way, then Velvet would let him know what she thought of him. She didn’t hate him, just detested him. But then again he wasn’t even worth that much effort.

So Schred was looking for Alice, and openly too. While that name was largely unfamiliar to the group, Laphir knew exactly who he was. The Snake Feral that they had encountered at Tourin’s blockade. Always working alongside Almos, a Wolf Feral like himself, the pair were known to be very competent bounty hunters who occasionally took other jobs to the side when it suited them. They were members of the Fall Haven Guild, and while it was less well known, they had been close friends of Arnold Crispwater, the one of the former captains of the Guild. Given their actions at the blockade and that they were looking for Alice however, Laphir thought that it was quite likely that Arnold was still in fact alive, and Schred and Almos were working for him. They were likely also looking for the group as a whole. There didn’t seem to be any other reason for them to be so openly announcing their search, as from what Laphir knew about their usual methods that was not their norm. And of course neither group knew exactly how to find the other, as they both were in hiding. As Myne hadn’t met Arnold, she couldn’t use her unique shtick to find him either. Yet. There was also a potential downside to the open method Schred was using as well. Their enemy would also be aware of what was going on, their only hope that they didn’t know who Alice was. Most of the Masks would be oblivious, the only exception being Byron. Whose location, unfortunately, was unknown.

Their arrival didn’t go unnoticed, they would have been hard pressed to have been missed, the old men on their rocking chairs on the porch of an adjacent building stopping briefly and watching them. Velvet ambled over to them, smiling sweetly and innocently. She could tell that they remembered her from last time though. That would make it a bit easier.

“He’s not going to be happy to see you’re back,” one of the old men said with a toothy grin.

“If he’s sensible he’ll stay out of our way,” Velvet replied with a smile.

“He’s an idiot.” That was fairly blunt of the old man. “What are you here for then?” the old man then queried.

“We’re looking for the former Captain, or anyone close to him,” Velvet replied. She didn’t think that she needed say much more than that. They weren’t stupid.

“Didn’t he die on his way to the Capital?” he replied, raising an eyebrow.

“Do you really believe that?”

“Of course not. Arnold was never that naive. He’s well aware of what was happening to the Guild.” The old man eyed Velvet up carefully.

“So, are you able to help us out at all?” Velvet asked.

“That depends. Maybe he did die. Maybe he didn’t. But you haven’t told me why you’re looking for him.”

“Someone’s been looking for Alice. Openly. A man named Schred.”

“Little Alice.” The old man looked deep in thought, as if he was watching memories play in his mind. “Is she well? Why did she not come with you?”

“Better than she’s ever been. She’s been repairing some vital wards, and it’s taking longer than anticipated. Shino said to say happy 75th to Richter by the way.”

“He remembered,” one of the other men, assumedly Richter, exclaimed happily.

“Heh.” The first old man grinned. “You seem like you’re on the level, but there isn’t actually much I can help you with. Old Arnold hasn’t been here since he left for his trip, and Schred and Almos haven’t been back since the blockade. I don’t know how they’re expecting you to find them, but you must have a way. If it hadn’t been for Tourin, you’d probably have a lot more success.”

“Perhaps his house will hold a clue?” Myne asked.

“Perhaps. His is the second one on the right, down from the graveyard. Number Forty six. You won’t be the first to have looked through it though. A man was there a few days ago poking around.”

“Not affiliated with the Guild?” Velvet asked.

“No one that we recognize, and we see all people involved with Guild activities. At least we did, till you did a number of the guildhall.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be. The view’s been a lot more interesting since.”

“What did he look like?”

“Tall. Wealthy with raven black hair and a well manicured goatee. Well dressed but practically, like he was a head servant or something.”

Oh crap. That description is a little too familiar.

Velvet scowled. “Was he alone?”

“He had a Rider with him. She had a beautiful Aquamarine Dragon.”

Melody had said that the Mask of Water was back at the capital now. That meant that either they had accomplished what they were looking for, or he was searching by himself now for whatever reason. Either way, it did not bode well.

“Thank you for your help. Hopefully we’ll be able to find a clue in his house. If that man is who we think it is, we have issues.”

“Give our regards to Alice and her partners. Tell her she needs to come back once all this has blown over.” The men all nodded.

“Will do.”

The walk to the house was pleasant enough, the sun bathing them in its warmth as they weaved their way up the side of the valley towards the graveyard. The layout was somewhat chaotic, as if urban planning had been an afterthought when the town had expanded up into the final reaches of the rise, probably more out of necessity than desire, as in most cases people didn’t like living beside the dead, preferring to keep them a preferable distance away. Which was odd when you thought about it, as those who had passed on could no longer effect you at all, and were probably the most pleasant neighbours that you could have. The dead had never been known to rise again. But people were often superstitious, or just plain fearful for no good reason. It was an aspect of humanity.

They’d almost reached the house when they were interrupted by the sound of a large group of armed people coming up behind them, moving in a hurry. They turned, moving off to the side of the path, but as they guessed the groups destination was them, as they stopped as they reached them, surrounding them. Dressed in everything from leather to chain to plate, and armed with a variety of weapons, they looked more like bandits than Guild enforcers, which their insignia was trying to imply.

“This area is out of bounds to your type,” a familiar voice stated in his sickly drool, as Tourin appeared from the middle of the group.

“Oh it’s you,” Velvet stated wearily, sighing internally. He really was a waste of a man. “Riders aren’t restrained by petty boundaries, everyone knows that. Perhaps apart from you. However I think you just have a personal vendetta against me.”

“This is a Guild area. Guild members only. I’ll have you leave,” Tourin said, apparently suffering from very selective hearing. And also not aware enough to remind them of their lack of Clan affiliation.

“No.”

“Then we’ll force you to leave.” Tourin stated bluntly.

Velvet shook her head. Looking at the group, she had no clue how he was expecting to be able to do so, with all of his people looking just like normal soldiers. No Ferals or Casters. Fair enough, he had never seen Myne in action, but had he forgotten about her Dragons already? Or he really was just plain stupid.

Velvet looked at him quizzically. “How do you expect to do that?”

“I’m not the man I was...”

Myne didn’t give him the chance to finish speaking, punching him solidly in the face and sending him flying down the slope along with a couple of his men that were unlucky enough to be in trajectory, a cloud of dust and debris billowing into the air as they smashed through the wall of an inconveniently placed building. He deserved that.

Velvet felt uneasy however. Something was off.

The shadows flickered beside her. Velvet reacted instinctively, reinforcements flaring up and her basic shield materializing as she dodged to the side just in time as a blade appeared where she had been standing, impacting with the edge of her shield and causing it to shatter. Velvet scowled. That had never happened before.

“Impressive. Few have managed that.”

A figure appeared holding the blade, an amused yet serious look on his face. Byron. He looked exactly as he had been described. Tall, with closely cropped raven black hair and a well manicured goatee. He was dressed in a simple but practical clothes, like you would associate with a head servant, but of a much wealthier cut. The style that said ignore me, I’m not worth your time. Except that this man was exceedingly dangerous, and his name drew fear. And while he had not partaken of the Demon King’s power, it appeared that he had quite powerful magic of his own.

“We had kinda hoped that you had already left,” Velvet said, as she felt Myne’s sensing magic wash over the area. Better late than never to check for any other potential threats.

“I certainly wasn’t expecting you either to be honest, but I should have guessed,” said Byron calmly. “I was tying up loose ends, however I’m not one to waste an opportunity.” His body flickered, and then he was gone again.

Myne swore.

“We’re at a severe disadvantage here.” She then glared at Tourin’s rabble. “Flee if you value your lives.”

They took the hint, scampering off down the hill.

‘The graveyard?’ queried Light, reading Velvet’s thoughts.

Myne nodded. “My apologies to the dead.”

Wings bursting into existence, Myne launched herself into the air, heading up the hill as Velvet did likewise, trying her best to stick to the middle of the narrow road.

‘To your left,’ Ashling warned as Velvet dived to her right, just managing to avoid Byron blade again. She’d sensed his attack at the same time as well, though the additional warning certainly helped. He was gone again when she risked a quick look in his direction, her entire being tense and on full alert. She felt the impact before she had a chance to look back, a kick from Byron sending her crashing through the wall of the nearby building, pottery falling all around here. She hadn’t sensed that attack at all. Byron was quick, excluding the use of his magic. She got back up and burst onto the street just in time to see Byron dodging off to the side and then disappearing to avoid a pillar of hellfire.

‘She’s half tempted to burn the entire district just so he has nowhere to hide,’ Ashling informed her as she resumed sprinting back up the street.

‘I would be too. The graveyard?’

‘She’s doing that now,’ Ashling answered as a dark glow lit up the sky ahead.

Velvet sent out a pulse of light from herself as she was about to go around the corner, smiling to herself as she heard a muted curse from Byron. That trick certainly had its uses. Almost clear of the buildings but with the graveyard now in sight, she pelted for the clearing that Myne had made and was now standing in, waiting for her. She dodged to the side and pulled up her shield again to avoid another attack from Byron, her shield shattering again as she just managed to avoid the assassins blade. She’d sensed that one though. Did it have something to do with his weapon? Finally reaching the perimeter of the graveyard, she vaulted over the fence and sprinted to the middle of a freshly made clearing of earth, still warm from Myne’s flames. Velvet muttered a quick prayer for the souls of the dead whose headstones had now also passed on as Myne settled down beside her.

“I have to admit that you two are starting to make me look the fool.” Byron appeared at the edge of the cleared patch, still looking as perfect and primed as he had before, not a drop of sweat nor smear of dust on him. He spun the dagger absently in his right hand as he looked at them, his face serious.

“You’re welcome to take your leave if you wish, and forget that we ever met,” Velvet tried. She didn’t fear him, but she did respect his power and ability.

“I think we all know that this will end in death,” Byron simply stated.

“True,” Myne agreed.

“I have seen your power in action, in its infancy,” Byron said, looking at Myne, “but for you,” he continued, moving his gaze to Velvet, “all I know is that you seriously hurt Sorene, and she still won’t talk about it. That, and your pets can do some funky things.” He then proceeded to pocket the blade somewhere in the folds of his clothes.

“It would appear that for all its usefulness it’s actually been detrimental to me thus far in this fight.” Byron steepled his hands, touching the ridge of his nose, and stared at them intently.

A reinforced fist impacted with Velvet, sending her tumbling across the clearing as Byron appeared between them, blade in hand again as he continued through with his swing, targetting Myne. While she knew that Byron had been up to something, she hadn’t been sure what, so she had been preparing her magic. She yanked hard at the thread of magic that she had stuck to Byron as he had hit her, pulling him slightly off balance, enough to give Myne the edge she needed to avoid his swing. His mirage at the edge of the clearing, an almost perfect distraction, had all but dissipated. For what his was doing, he had to be a Lattice Soul, and a dark aspected one at that. Fitting for what he was and no wonder he was the top of his game.

How dare he try and attack Myne though. Velvet activated all her reinforcements to full, her body glowing as she stood up again.

‘Myne’s feeling exactly the same about his attack on you,’ Ashling informed her with amusement, as Myne’s body was also wreathed in flame. Not quite her Hellfire avatar, but getting close.

‘Time to go on the offensive. We need to be in control here, but we’ll only get one shot.’

‘Relayed.’ confirmed Ashling.

Myne shot straight up as Byron melded with the shadows again, gone from view. They had hoped that without any objects casting shadows in the immediate area he wouldn’t be able to do his tricks, but obviously his effective range was fairly substantial. Velvet sensed his kick just before it impacted, her secondary shield flaring up to take the blow. He hadn’t tried to push her away this time, as he brought the blade out again, intending to use her as a shield against Myne’s flame, but that was exactly what Velvet had hoped he would do. Bringing her main shield round to intercept his blade and stepping back she let herself glow intensely, and stayed that way. Byron’s blade connected with the shield, causing it to crack, but not shatter, his focus skewed by being temporarily blinded. Cursing he dodged back, trying to meld with the shadows, only to discover that there were none. Velvet summoned her scythe, charging at him while he was still trying to adjust to the sudden change in circumstances.

“Today will not be the day it seems.” Byron recovered enough to bring the blade to block her scythe, her weapon shattering as the blade was torn from his hands and flung across the clearing, embedding itself in a gravestone.

Velvet resummoned her scythe, resuming her assault, but Byron seemed able to dodge each attack, if only barely, each attack making a new cut in his clothes.

‘Clear.’ instructed Ashling.

Velvet jumped back as Byron made to dodge her next attack that didn’t come, Myne instead bathing the area that he was in with her flames, the intensity of the heat causing Velvet to grimace.

“Almost,” a smoking shadow beside a headstone simply stated. Myne didn’t hesitate, bathing that entire area in another column of flame.

And then silence.

“Did we get him?” Velvet asked, her blinding light fading.

“He’s escaped,” replied Myne, her flames also dying away. “He’s making his way across the town at the moment. His signature is weak though. We have some time before he’ll be ready to face us again I think.”

Velvet breathed a sigh of relief. Melody was right. He was the most dangerous of the lot.

‘Are those pillars sustainable?’ queried Light as they walked over to the headstone impaled with Byron’s blade.

“They’re very tiring when they’re not directly from my body,” replied Myne, as she stared at the blade. “We destroy it?” she then asked.

Velvet nodded. “I think so. It’s a powerful weapon, but it’s wreathed in darkness, and something tells me that it’s connected to the Demon King. I think we’d be endangering ourselves if we took it.”

“Okay.”

Pouring her magic into her boot, Myne brought it down on the hilt of the blade. A piercing scream tore through the graveyard as the blade cleanly snapped in two, a black mass of energy flooding out from it as the blade disintegrated away, and rushing into Myne.

Myne promptly collapsed, unconscious.

mogust

It seems that if it isn't one thing it's another with them. Now they have officially met Byron tho, and both parties have lived to meet another day.

Thanks for reading :)