Think of your morals as your cloak of honour, Aldeheid. If you're not proud to wear it, then perhaps you need to reevaluate yourself. Those were some of the many wise words Aldeheid remembered from his master.
And when they'd returned to earth, he found himself pondering them. They'd been riding alongside a river since they'd passed through the thin space, its gurgling the only thing fillinf the silence. Night was about to fall, but it didn't look like they were stopping to make camp anytime soon. Kitaya had mentioned something about a village further down the river and he guessed they would ride until they got there.
And since the quiet of the night loaned him no distraction, he found himself getting lost in his own mind. Thinking of the Bastion, and his training there with his mentor.
Many days Mellidius preached of honour, and with good reason. T'was and admirable quality, doing what was right, but there was one problem with it. The definition of right.
Aldeheid wanted himself a man of honour, but because of his past transgressions, his mind rejected the thought. Honourable magicians didn't kill capes. They bore them on their shoulders and wore them with pride.
"Mellidius was always trying to shove his pseudo intellectualism down everyone's throats. Good and evil, right and wrong. Those things are subjective, and their definitions can change subtly or drastically depending on who you ask."
That was Kitaya's take on it when he asked her. He found some of her actions and viewpoints on the eccentric side, and wondered what kind of life she'd lived to have shaped her so. She seemed so drastically different from Mellidius.
"It sounds as though you're not too fond of him," Aldeheid said.
Kitaya shrugged and twirled her spear over her hand. "For all his faults, Mellidius is a good magician, and an excellent diplomat. But we had our disagreements. He found me too reckless and stubborn. I found him too prudent and docile."
"I can't exactly... disagree with the reckless bit."
"I didn't expect you to. Other people see it as me being reckless. But I trust my gut and it hasn't led me wrong yet."
Aldeheid eyed her spear. The glowing red lines in its blade seemed to pulse in time to her swings. "How did you manage to get your hands on such a weapon?"
"I beat the life out of your beloved mentor for the right to wield it." She waved the spear at him and grinned.
His eyebrows shot up. "Truly?"
"Truly. It only took me about a hundred tries." She frowned thoughtfully. "And I damn near died, but a win is a win."
Aldeheid could imagine her rubbing that win in Mellidius' face. She seemed like the type.
"It's called the Behemoth," she explained. "The spear that pierces the skies of Magika. T'was the weapon of Kon's third ruler. Now it belongs to the people of Kon, and I am its wielder."
"It sounds like quite the prestigious honour."
"I suppose." She paused to jump off her horse and walk alongside it. "We'll have to slow down, angel eyes. I feel a bit of saddle sore coming on."
He smiled down at her, one eyebrow raised. "Were you my cape, you could ride upon my shoulders. You'd need not worry about saddle sore."
She snorted. "If I were your cape, I'd be dead, angel eyes."
Aldeheid flinched at the bite of her words. "That was low, even for you, kitten." There was more of an edge to his voice than he intended. And by the snide smile gracing her face, she knew she'd gotten under his skin.
"Kitten hm? Fine. Just remember that this kitten has claws and teeth. You know, you could just own your truth, then I wouldn't be able to use it to get under your skin." She made a dramatic gesture with her spear. "Aldeheid, the Cape Killer."
He exhaled a long hot breath. "Strong words from you, Kitaya the Unwanted. I'm guessing there is something wrong with you as well, considering you're unbonded and the magicians at the Bastion rejected you."
She fell silent for a moment, and cast her gaze up at the darkening sky. "Except there is nothing wrong with me. Quite the opposite actually. I worked great with all the magicians, even taught them a few things. Where most capes would fall exhausted after so many spells, I could endure and endure."
By the gods. She could endure... Could she endure his magic as well? He bit the inside of his cheek. No, no more cape trials. He needed to get the thought out of his head. "But then why would no one choose you? You sound like the perfect cape."
"Really now? I'm flattered," she said. "It's not that I was never chosen, it's that I never cared for any of the magicians at the Bastion. I can't say for sure who started the whole " Unwanted " rumor, but I believe Claudia had something to do with it. She never seemed very fond of me."
That would be a grave understatement where he was concerned. Claudia despised the ground he walked on.
"So, are you going to tell me your story, angel eyes? How did you manage to kill so many capes? Were they lined off for you?"
Aldeheid cringed at her questions, and stayed quiet for a long while. He wished she wasn't so curious about his past. That was a part of him he wanted to leave behind, and forget. Except, he couldn't. It kept haunting his sleeping and waking moments.
"I get it now." Kitaya was looking at him, one eyebrow quirked like she had it all figured out. "You twist that earring or rub your cheek whenever you're upset."
Aldeheid dropped his hand from his ear, not remembering when he'd began toying with the bauble.
"I understand that your spellcasting is wanton, but what exactly about it is so detrimental to capes?" Kitaya asked.
"Because I pull too much magic from them. And I have no idea how to stop myself so the capes suffer because of it." He caught himself reaching for his earring again and opted to ball his fist instead.
Kitaya gave a long low whistle and they lapsed into silence. Although she was just a silhouette against the night, Aldeheid could imagine she was pondering what he'd said. And no doubt, she thought much less of him, the cape-killing failure.
"Had I been in your predicament, I would've given up ages ago," she finally said. "Forget a cape, I'd just use ether stones."
"Every cape needs a magician, kitten. And every magician a cape." He avoided her gaze. "Isn't that the be all and end all for us immortals? To be bonded?"
"And who exactly drilled that nonsense into your head? Being bonded isn't--" she paused and her footfalls ceased.
Aldeheid pulled on the stallion's reins and squinted back at her in the dark. "Trouble?"
"Indeed. Get off the horse and get some ether stones out." With the light from the stones, she tied the horses together and commanded them to stay. "Hurry, angel eyes."
They took off into the night, the shadows blurring pass them and their footfalls ringing out like a drumbeat. After a while, they mingled with the sounds of shouts and screams. Kitaya began slowing down as soon as the lights from the village came into view.
The cluster of wood and thatch houses sat in a clearing on the river's bend. Muted light from tall torches illuminated patched of plants and a small dock with boat moored to its post.
Aldeheid ran past Kitaya and skidded to a stop amongst the bushes that bordered the entrance. "What are you doing? These people are in trouble!" he whisper-screamed.
She knelt beside him. "Assess the situation first angel eyes. The humans' business isn't always our business." She took him by the arm, and they skirted the village until they found the source of the commotion.
The few denizens were gathered in the center of the dozen houses that made up village. Standing amongst them was a group of large burly men, armed to the teeth with swords and crossbows. They kept the villagers at bay as their companions ransacked the houses.
"Bandits," Aldeheid growled. He'd seen people of that ilk trying to ransack the villages back in the valley, but luckily, the Bastion was there to scare them away. He went to intervene, but Kitaya yanked him back down. Just as he opened his mouth to lament, someone emerged from one of the buildings. His jaw dropped. "Is that...?"
"This is it?" the strange man said, as he looked at the meager haul the bandits pulled from the houses. He brushed dust from his immaculate white cape and paced by the villagers. Most of them made it a point to avoid his eyes or angle their bodies away.
"You all have been putting out less and less over these past few months." He stopped in front of a young girl with short hair that glowed red in the firelight. "I wonder who's to blame for that? "Kurin?" He cupped the girls chin, but she refused to meet his eyes.
The magician said a few pretty words and a fire ignited in his free hand, causing the humans to inch away.
Aldeheid tensed, but Kitaya squeezed his hand hard to stop him from reaching for his ether stones. He ground his teeth together and stomped down his annoyance. She probably had good reason for not letting him intervene.
"These wood and thatch houses burn so quickly, and so easily," the magician was saying. "And fire can be so difficult to control."
"Tomorrow," Kurin said. "We'll have more supplies for you tomorrow."
"That's what I like to hear." He diminished the fire and turned to his human accomplices. "I'll let the rest of you finish here." And with that, he teleported away.
Aldeheid's fists were clenched so tightly that his hands were cramping. What kind of magician preyed on humans?
"Maybe we should take something else," one of the bandits said, as he prowled up to the young girl. He cupped her chin and her brown eyes went wide with fear.
A muted whistle echoed through the trees, its suddenness making Aldeheid jump. He only caught the glint of Kitaya's spear as it sped through the air. It hit the bandit in the dead center of his chest and sent him flying into a nearby house.
The villagers and bandits stood still, staring at the body pinned to the wall of the home. Their expressions ranged from shock to fear.
Aldeheid swiveled his head and found the spot Kitaya had occupied empty. She was wading through the bushes, her strides long and slow. Her dagger was in hand, the blade glinting in the low light from the torches.
Aldeheid flew from the bushes with his sword drawn. Knowing Kitaya, she probably wouldn't need his help but he was not going to pass up the opportunity to bash a bandit's skull with his fist.
The group of thieves turned on them and charged with all the coordination of newborn foal.
Aldeheid intercepted one, and their swords clashed, mingling with the sounds of screams and shouts.
The human's arms shook as he fought off Aldeheid's flurry of attacks. When they finally went limp he drove the lion's head pommel into the human's temple. The bandit crumpled to the ground unconscious.
Aldeheid wheeled around to confront the rest but they were in various states of disarray on the ground. Kitaya stood in their midst her chest heaving and lip curled into a snarl. She strode pass him, only stopping to stomp on the neck of the bandit he'd knocked out. The loud crack it caused, made him jump, but she didn't even break her stride.
She walked over to her first victim and tried to pull both him and her spear free from the wall.
The villagers were huddled together, their eyes wide as they stared at the carnage around them.
Aldeheid sheathed his sword and sidled closer to them. "Hello. I'm sorry you had to see that." He gave them the friendliest smile he could muster. "I'm Aldeheid and my friend there is Kitaya. Can you tell us anything about these bandits? Or the magician who was here?"
The villagers silently looked at one another, but one stepped forward - the young girl the magician had called Kurin. A smidge of blood speckled her animal pelt clothing. "This area has been prone to bandit raids for a long time. And we were able to defend ourselves for the most part." She wrung her hands and kept her gaze downcast. "Until that magician showed up. People stopped travelling down the river since then, since before I was even born."
Aldeheid scowled. How could this have been going on for so long without any intervention? "Did you contact a Bastion for help?"
"Yes, but since we've been ransacked regularly, we can't afford the fees they charge for protection." She glanced up at him, her cheeks reddening. "Are you from a Bastion?"
He swore under his breath. "No, but we'll fix this, don't you worry. Isn't that right Kitaya?"
"Hm?" She was still busy trying to free her spear. She held her gauntleted hand out. "Krudi." The spear shook, but didn't come free.
"These people need our help." He gestured towards the villagers. "And we're going to help them."
"For future reference and for the sake of your longevity, I would suggest you don't go about making decisions for me." She pulled on the spear a few more times and winced before clutching her injured shoulder.
"Noted," he said, deadpan.
"Good, now be a dear and summon the box." She turned away from the spear and joined him at the center of the homes.
"Oh, but of course, your Majesty." He pulled the amulet from beneath his gear and chanted the spell. The night sky parted as though the hand of a god had torn through it. And the box fell from the inky void beyond, landing with a thump between them.
"Alright," Kitaya popped the lid and dug through the pile of things inside, coming back up with a velvet pouch. "This pouch of gold coins will go to the person or persons who can free my spear."
The villagers looked at the object in question, then at Kitaya.
"You'll have until I return from killing that lowlife excuse for a magician." She tucked her dagger back into its sheath before pulling out a holster filled with throwing knives and securing it across her body.
Aldeheid smiled. That's what he'd wanted to hear. "We should figure out where he is first."
I know," Kurin spoke up. "They have house not far from here, just at the next riverbend."
"I suspected as much," Kitaya said. "If you want to keep a group of people under your heel, you keep them close and keep them afraid." She pulled more throwing knives from the box and hid them on her person.
Her words sent a chill through Aldeheid, but he couldn't deny the truth in them. "Are you sure you're well enough for another fight?" He seen her down several different elixirs after their fight with the Promethertia, but there was still swelling in her shoulder.
"No. But I'm a little bloodthirsty, and that's usually enough." She rubbed at her injured shoulder. "Plus we need to help these people, isn't that what you said?"
"Thank you so much," Kurin said, her eyes welling with tears. "Is there anything we can do to repay your kindness?"
Aldeheid smiled down at her. It was refreshing to see a face full of hope. "There's no need. We-"
"Actually," Kitaya interjected. "A hot meal and a warm bed would be nice. Also, my horses need to be tended to. Oh, and one more thing." She looked around at the corpses, frowning. "You might want to burn these bodies."
Aldeheid scoffed. After all those poor villagers had been through, she would demand more of them. But he supposed it was a fair trade, and far less than what the Bastions would ask.
"H-horses?" The young girl looked around and jumped when Kitaya released her musical call.
"They'll be here shortly." She shut the box and stared down the river to the south with deadly purpose gleaming in her eyes - a look that would probably scare the piss from weaker folk. "Alright, angel eyes, we have a magician to kill."