While violence had its uses, unlike his sister, Kian despised resorting to it. While there was some sort of grotesque beauty in the savagery of ripping someone apart limb from limb, it was just so… Messy. Mortals were nothing more than sacks of blood, bile, bone, and viscera practically begging for something to come and butcher them. True, they did have value as beings looking for something to inspire and excite them. And Kian was more than happy to facilitate their need to prostrate themselves in front of him in the hopes they would draw his favor. Even something as simple as a single glance from him was enough for these simple creatures. For some it was the touch of his fingertips on their cheek, for others it was allowing them to look upon his perfect form in all its radiant splendor; and Kian drank it in like the finest wine. 

Although his near fatal encounter with Alarric had stripped away all but the smallest fragment of his divinity, Kian was still able to draw power from the mortals that worshiped him. While he was no longer able to decimate entire cities with the wave of a hand, it didn’t take much for him to bend the minds of those around him to believe he was nothing more than a beautiful benefactor of the arts. While he longed for the days of being able to walk in the open amongst his devoted worshippers, he knew doing so would signal to Alarric that he had survived. That the power hungry incarnation of perverted divinity had not consumed every last bit of him. 

Not being able to rely solely on his ability to loosen the tongues of those around him, he found himself forced to deal with the less than scrupulous denizens of one of Kiantelle’s seedier areas. Unfortunately, given his far more than comely appearance and his elegant clothing, he wasn’t surprised when he encountered a group of idiotic mortals looking for an easy mark.

“Looks like you took a wrong turn back there, pretty boy. An unarmed person flaunting his wealth like that should have known better than to stray from the main road. There is a bit of good news though… you won’t be able to make that same mistake again after tonight.”

Kian looked at the three armed men blocking his path and the four who had come up behind him. He glanced briefly at the surrounding area, ensuring that there weren’t any others in sight.

“If you’re lookin’ for a guard, pretty boy, you won’t find one. They don’t patrol down this way… The people aren’t worth their time, you see. Not enough coin to line their pockets.”

Kian looked at the man who was speaking with a raised eyebrow before letting out a small chuckle.

“Oh, I’m afraid you misunderstood. I wasn’t looking for guards or any kind of assistance; quite the contrary. I was ensuring that we are alone so no one can witness what’s about to happen.”

The man laughed through his nose and was about to say something, instead he let out a wet gurgle from the gaping hole that was now his throat. He hadn’t even seen the red headed man move. One second he was standing in front of the man about 10 feet away, the next he felt a muscular hand grip his throat and tear it open. 

When the closest man to Kian saw their friend’s lifeless body hit the ground, he moved in to swing his handaxe at the taller man’s head. Kian reached up and grabbed the man’s wrist and squeezed. The sounds of bones snapping and tendons tearing was followed by the WHUMP of Kian embedding the man’s own axe in his face.

Two of the men that had been behind him at the start turned to flee. Kian sighed loudly and pulled the axe that was embedded in the human’s skull free, before tossing it with a great deal of force. He let his divine powers spark to life again, as he instantaneously closed the gap between himself and the other fleeing man. Kian thrust his hand forward and had to refrain from recoiling in revulsion as his hand wrapped around the man’s spinal cord. He gave it a firm tug and was treated to the most gruesome ripping sound he had ever heard.

The other two men who he was now standing behind turned just one second too late. Kian had shifted his position again so that he was now able to place each of his bloodied hands on their faces, before letting his divinity burn hot and letting that raw power flow into their bodies. Screams of agony were quickly cut short as the white flames reduced their bodies to cinders in seconds. The last man remaining had fallen to his knees and was looking up at Kian with a look of absolute terror. Kian walked forward slowly, drinking in the look of horrified awe on the mortal's face. In the brief moment before Kian ripped his head from his body with a single hand, the god was able to bask in the glow of a new worshiper.

With his reason for being in the poorer section of Kiantelle proving to be a worthless waste of time, he made his way towards the trade district. While being in the open amongst so many mortals was more likely to draw unwanted attention, he figured he might have better luck from people whose sole business was something he very much needed right now: information. He had always disliked having to deal with his sister’s ‘Ravens’ when she was alive so long ago, but now he absolutely despised them. To the outside world, the Ravens appeared to be nothing more than a merchant guild known for its penchant to involve themselves with trade matters that came from the royal houses. Behind the scenes, however, the organization was a group of petty thugs specializing in blackmail, extortion, and various other non-violent crimes. While those enterprises brought them a great deal of coin, their most profitable business was, and had always been, information brokering. 

Livia had been the goddess of shadow and secrets, and she had used her considerable talents to prop herself up as the enigmatic head of the organization she had started. Before being consumed by Alarric, Livia was quite likely the most influential person in the mortal realm bar none. She had secrets that could shatter kingdoms and start or stop a countless number of wars. She could, and often did, choose which nobles to place into positions of power, even in the distant kingdoms of the elves or the dragonkin. And even with all that at her fingertips, it was never enough for her. She always seemed to be trying to find some bit of information that she didn’t have access to. 

While they may not hold even a fraction of power that his sister had held so many years ago, the Ravens were still the best way to obtain information… if one can afford their extremely exorbitant rates. While acquiring the means to afford their services wasn’t necessarily difficult for Kian, spending that kind of money was a good way to have that same shadowy organization take a much deeper look at him and how he had acquired his wealth in the first place.

It was that kind of scrutiny that he had been trying to avoid when he went looking for information in less savory areas of the city. He should have known that his search would inevitably lead him back to them, as it so often had in the past. He also knew that after this encounter he’d likely have to use a great deal more of his resources to ensure his secrets remained his own.

After entering a small shop that catered to the refined and exquisite tastes of nobility, he waited for a moment for the customers finishing their purchases to leave, before walking up to the counter. Kian reached into his enchanted coin purse and withdrew a large silver coin emblazoned with a raven. He set it on the countertop and forced a smile onto his face. The man studied Kian’s face for a moment before returning his forced smile. His eyes flicked downward briefly towards the coin before focusing on maintaining eye contact with Kian.

“What can we do for you today, sir?” 

“I’m looking to have this appraised. I’m trying to figure out what secrets it may hold. I am ready to pay whatever you think is fair to learn more information.”

“You don’t look like the type who can afford such things. Perhaps you’d have better luck at the shop across the way?”

Ugh… not only was he being forced to carry on this stupid charade of entendre and double speak, now he was being told that they had increased their already ridiculous prices?! It took everything in him not to reach into the man’s chest and show him his own beating heart. He laughed softly at himself as he realized that even thinking such things was something his twin would have done. Instead of being like her and letting his anger get the better of him, he merely widened his smile and pulled out a very large, and very full, coin purse and set it in front of the man next to his coin. The man’s eyebrows briefly shot up in surprise before returning to normal.

“My apologies. I meant no offense. It’s hard to tell the truly discerning clientele from the simpletons. Now then, let me take a look at this coin of yours.”

The man picked up a pair of runed spectacles and placed them on his nose, before reaching down and grabbing the coin off the countertop. He pressed a small silver button behind the counter and the sounds from outside were immediately muted. He made a show to look from the coin briefly before sparing a glance in Kian’s direction, waiting expectantly for Kian to tell him what he was looking for.

“A red headed woman in the distant village near the edge of the Everdark forest in the kingdom of Lissonna. I’ve heard that she was using some sort of divine magic to kill several people. I need to know everything. Down to the smallest detail.”

“It seems that the spirit of Avarrus is shining upon you today, friend. I just heard something about that just a few hours ago. Given the great distance, however, I’m not sure how accurate the information is.”

Kian rolled his eyes dramatically and reached into his enchanted coin purse and pulled out a second smaller leather pouch filled with various jewels and coins. He knew that he was likely showing his desperation in hearing this bit of information, but he was also making it known that he was willing to pay for information that was proven true beyond a shadow of a doubt. The man made a show of stroking the stubble on his chin to feign him trying to remember something and smiled warmly at Kian. The tall redhead merely cocked an eyebrow and folded his arms over his chest in irritation.

"The woman showed up in the local tavern with a second very tall muscular woman. A blonde half-elf who’s facial features looked surprisingly similar to the daughter of the elven whore who used to work there. The redhead was somewhere between 5’1 and 5’6, the reports are too varied to know for sure. She had blue eyes and skin that would light up brilliantly before she killed each of the men.”

“What about the men she killed, who were they?”

“The tavern owner Hanri Aveson and three men who were actually wanted in Lissonna City for murdering a guard and several citizens. The reports claim the redheaded woman was demanding information about the whereabouts of the men who had attacked the half-elven woman.”

Kian’s breath hitched and his pulse started to race. There could be absolutely no doubt. It was Eronica. All the facts lined up too perfectly to just be coincidence. But how? Why? The real questions that burned in his mind showed through on his face as he sighed in irritation and tensed his jaw. The man cocked his eyebrow at Kian’s expression but said nothing. Kian retrieved a third leather pouch and set it next to the other two.

“To stop inquiring minds from looking too deeply into their clientele’s personal history.”

The man nodded, and with that, Kian turned on his heel and walked out of the shop. He drifted aimlessly through the trade district for a few minutes until he came to a less busy side street. Ducking into a small shadowed alley he rested his back against the stone wall and closed his eyes.

Images of Alarric’s gore-streaked maw tearing into the chest of his youngest sister filled his mind. His red hair was stained an even darker crimson from the fountain of blood that sprayed from the gaping wound. The blue in his eyes had gone so dark it looked almost black. He had stopped for a moment and glanced over at a badly wounded Kian, a piece of viscera dropping from his chin to the stone floor below. He stared for a few seconds before returning to his meal. An aura appeared around the divine creature that seemed to draw in all the surrounding light and consume it until it had faded into nothingness. Kian watched in horror as that same bright energy flowed freely from his sister’s corpse into the thing that was still consuming her flesh. He had been able to feel the small remnants of the spark of divinity within his body pulling against him, being drawn towards Alarric. He had summoned up every last ounce of his power that he could muster and thought of somewhere, anywhere besides that cursed temple.

Kian opened his eyes and saw with dismay that his body had started glowing faintly. He exhaled slowly. and pictured the perfectly sculpted body of his divine form that artists could never fully capture. His breathing calmed and his heartbeat returned to normal as the image of perfection filled his mind.

So, if Eronica was indeed alive… Did that mean his other siblings might be as well? While he was grateful for the confirmation the information broker had given him, he was left with more questions than he had started with. Perhaps it was time to travel southward with his twin and see if they couldn’t find the answers for themselves.

Roseofblades

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