User:Salome/Deathbane/Chapter 01

Chapter 1
The street was almost deserted in the hour before dawn. Most people still huddling in their beds, clutching to the last vestige of sleep and warmth before having to start their day. Thus no one was able to explain later what had reduced the front of the curiosity shop to splinters and it would take longer still for people to recognise the bloody lump of flesh left impaled to one of the doors, to be the remnants of the shops former owner, Mr Lao. In fact the only witness to the event was Mr Lao’s prized Phoenix, with its distinctive rainbow colourings, and like any wise creature, it fled. The terrified bird flew above the small cramped homes of the disenfranchised Kaineng masses. Onwards, over scattered temples and centres of commerce, in its plight to escape humanity and leave the terror behind.

Keana had come to one resolute conclusion, she hated boats! She hated the way they lurched and heaved, the way they creaked in an alarming manner, even the way they smelled grated on her nerves. Standing on the bow of the ship she watched as the surrounding dock bustled with activity and yearned for the boat to moor its lines faster. The sooner she could be off this thing the better in her books.

A sudden delighted laugh, pulled Keana’s attention away from the surrounding Mecca and forced her to focus her gaze upon another thing which was grating on her nerves, her traveling companion. Ignis, standing in the crow’s nest and giggling with delight, was trying to coax a very disheveled bird down from the top of the mast, seemingly completely ambivalent to the bone-breaking drop beneath her. Keana’s stomach lurched just watching her.

''“Will you come down from there already and leave that bloody bird alone? You know if you fall it will be me that Sal blames, not you!”''

The sudden shout seemed to take Ignis by surprise, her arms flailed wildly as she tried to grab the support railing, while her feet slid out from under her, causing her to topple over the side of the crows nest, towards the planks far below. Keana screamed and closed her eyes waiting to hear the inevitable thud. After several moments and no thud, Keana risked opening her eyes and there standing before her was Ignis, unsuccessfully trying to hide a grin.

In her most innocent voice Ignis asked, “Okay, I’m down. What did you want exactly?”

To which Keana responded with a resounding slap.

''“What the hell was that? You could have been killed!”'' Keana screeched

Holding her cheek with one hand, Ignis pulled back her other hand to answer Keana’s question in kind, only to find her wrist held gently yet quite firmly in place. Spinning to face her wrists captor she aimed a well-placed knee at her captors midriff. Only to find it somehow blocked.

''“One thinks that your current course of action may be somewhat unwise. May I advise that you stop”''

Glaring up into Zareb’s deep brown eyes, Ignis felt her anger ebb

“Let me go! Keana knows by now that I’m perfectly proficient in Aeromancy and that I was completely safe! She’s not my big sister and I’m not a child anymore and she has no reason to treat me as one!”

“No reason?!” Keana Snapped, “Almost giving me heart failure, just so you could play a stupid prank… I should slap you again just on principal.”

Ignis drew herself up, or as much as she could with one hand still held firmly by the tall imposing figure of Zareb and the other hand still cradling her burning cheek.

“You try it and ill slap you so hard even you wont be able to heal it!”

“Just try it lady and I’ll guarantee that you'll regret it for a long time!” Keana snapped back.

A subtle cough behind Zareb cut off whatever Ignis was about to reply. Releasing Ignis’s wrist and stepping silently to one side, the three companions turned to face the new arrival. The captain of the rather optimistically named “Sea Swift”, which had been their home and transportation for the past month, stood before them. He was a weasel of a man, with small vermin like features and ever searching eyes. His current hunched posture and the constant wringing of his hands now only served to accentuate this image.

“My Lord, My ladies; as you can see we’ve arrived in Kaineng, as I told Lord Talin I would see to, thus may I enquire as to the rest of my payment?” The captain announced rather self importantly.

''“Not one moment before we are safely on the docks Master Joran! Until our feet are on solid ground you still have not fulfilled your end of the bargain.”'' Keana replied primly.

The little man hesitated and opened his mouth as if to protest, but Zareb took advantage of the momentary silence.

“Master Joran, if you could come this way please, I would appreciate your help in organising the unloading of our baggage”

Joran looked forlornly at the two women and then, shrugging his shoulders in resignation, allowed Zareb to lead him towards the Cabins.

''“Their was no cause for that, you could have paid him now. We are virtually there.”'' Ignis muttered sullenly, still rubbing her cheek.

A sudden icy tingle ran through her body, washing the pain away. Stubbornly she kept her hand where it was, if Keana wasn’t going to at least warn her, then Ignis certainly wouldn’t thank her for any healing.

''“Oh do stop pouting, and take that hand down. We both know your cheek doesn’t hurt anymore. What do you say to us finding some lodgings while Zareb gets our baggage organised?”''

Sullenly pulling her hand down and giving Keana one last glare for good measure, Ignis gave a curt nod and marched towards where the gangplank was just being eased down onto the dock. Suppressing a sigh, Keana followed after her.

The docks were packed with people; hawkers crying their wares; dock workers shouting oaths at one another; street urchins asking for any spare coppers and taking more from those not wary enough; Carriages of lords and ladies of the realm slowly progressing through the throng with the occasional shout from the driver for people to get out of the way; weary travelers gazing at their new and exotic surroundings; all in all it made for a cacophony of sound and colours which was quite overwhelming to the senses.

“Maybe we should wait for Zareb; we might lose him in all this.” Keana bellowed above the noise.

“Oh you worry too much Kea, come on!”

Grabbing Keana’s hand, Ignis dived into the crowd laughing, pulling Keana with her. Ignis ran to the first merchant displaying fine silks, virtually dragging Keana behind.

“Really Ignis, we’ve just arrived and we have urgent business to attend to, we really shouldn’t be delaying ourselves with silks.” Keana said half-heartedly while she routed through the silks to find a fabric to her liking.

The owner of the shop eyed them both with an oily smile, taking in there foreign yet well cut and expensive clothing. ''“That’s the finest silks you’ll find in Kaineng City, my ladies. Even the emperor himself…”''

The abrupt finish to the shop keeper’s sentence drew Ignis’s attention, ''“You were saying? The Emperor himself, what? Are you okay?”''

The shopkeeper remained silent, a look of abject terror painting his face. It was then that Keana noticed that the greatest majority of the crowd had stopped moving and were all staring in the same direction. Following their line of sight, she saw what had caused the peoples terror. What only could be described as a rip was forming in the sky to the north of the square. Expanding quickly, the rip resolved itself into a massive spherical void pulsing as if it had a heartbeat. A shrill scream escaped from a woman in the square and it was with that one piercing sound that the spell of silence was broken and chaos ensued. People scattered, using every route possible to flee from the ominous encroaching void.

Keana saw Imperial guards trampled under the feet of the fleeing masses and people pushed into the choppy waters of the bay, many never returning to the surface, trapped beneath and between boats suddenly setting sail for the open seas. A sudden pulse of air rushed from the void, knocking many to their knees and yet still people staggered to their feet and ran to escape.

Zareb was suddenly beside Ignis with the very tatty bird cradled in his arm. ''“It is as the Seer said! The sky itself torn asunder! We are too late.”'' He shouted above the mass of screams.

A bolt of light shot to earth from the very heart of the void, sending stone, debris and those unfortunate enough to be in its path, flying, the aftershock knocking those remaining on there feet to the ground. Within the crater, a pulsing light remained, slowly resolving into a tall thin figure rapped in black cloth

A sneer marred the man’s flawless. yet almost gaunt, features as he surveyed the carnage around him. An almost animalistic growl emanated from him, which somehow seemed to mute the cries and moans of the terrified and the injured around him. A noblewoman lay injured a pace from him, her hands outstretched for help, her left leg a bloody ruin of what it once was and her once beautiful face charred. He strode to the woman’s side. A look of terror spreading across her ruined visage, quickly replaced by a look of hope when the man kneeled and gently examined her injuries.

''“The wound is fatal, but I can save you. Do you want me to ease the pain for you?”''

The man’s slowly drawled accent seemed somehow to reverberate in the open space as the woman nodded frantically at him. A white light pulsed from his hand mending her wounds in an instant.

“Oh may the gods bless you!” The woman sobbed in gratitude and relief…

“and now for my price.” The man whispered.

His flawless face took on a feral cast, his hands elongated and became claw like, before the woman could even scream, he plunged his hand into her chest and ripped her soul from her body, holding the tattered shadowy remnants in his claw. The woman’s body slumped to the ground, unmarred by physical injury. The demon got to it's feet and smiled, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth. The demons smile only falterred when a scythe blossomed from it's chest. Zareb pushed harder and ripped the scythe through the demon, halving the demon from the waist up.

Staggering forwards the demon snarled. “That…was a mistake manchild… you have breathed your last…”

The bloody parts of flesh quickly began to reform and mend. As the demon focused its baleful stare on Zareb. “Any last words insect?”

A pulse of pure white light enveloped the demons head and Zareb turned to see a look of triumph in Keana’s eyes as she shouted. “Eat that monster!”

The headless remnants of the demon fell to the ground.

The void throbbed again and a chain of lightning struck the square, pock marking its marble surface, each strike resolving into another figure. Just as abruptly as it had appeared the void gave one final pulse and blinked out of existence. Twelve dark robbed figures stood in the center of the devastation. Although varied in appearance, each were completely flawless forms of humanity. The one marring factor to their almost other-worldly beauty being their shark-like grins.

“Well this should be fun!” Shouted Ignis as she shot fireball after fireball from her hands.

Zareb whirled to face the coming demons, a red light enveloping him, his form growing larger and horned “Come face the will of Balthazar, hell spawn!”

The remaining citizens in the square either cowered where they lay or shakily pushed themselves to their feet and ran. Those who were not quick enough to get out of the demons way suffered the same fate of the noble lady, their souls reduced to nothing but insubstantial threads of shadow, quickly dissipating into the ether.

A strangled groan behind them alerted Keana to the twitching form of the Noble Lady. Rushing over to the slumped form Keana, kneeled and cradled the woman.

"Are you okay? We thought you were dead. Can you walk? You need to get out of here."

The noble woman's hand shot out and clasped Keana's throat, her soulless eyes fluttered open and she smiled at Keana. Keana tried to scream but the force of the hand on her windpipe stopped her, the lack of air and rising panic evaporating the inner calm she needed, in order to work any of her magics. She looked at the backs of her two companions, who were focused on the slowly approaching demons, and desperately tried to think of someway to get their attention before the life was squeezed out of her. The world before her began to fog as she felt herself slipping into oblivion and she knew that this was the last few fleeting moments of her existence. It was with a somewhat detached sense of shock that Keana suddenly found herself able to breath once more. Looking down at her assailant she realised the hand clasping her throat was no longer attached to the arm of her attacker, it being severed cleanly at the wrist. Quickly trying to regain her wits, Keana forced her damaged throat to work, "Zareb, help!" she croaked.

Wheeling round, without a moments hesitation, Zareb beheaded the soulless form of the noble lady and clasped Keana's hand and pulled her to her feet.

"looks like we have some help" he muttered into her ear as he held her while she steadied herself and regained her senses.

Running to them from a side alley were two men, one short and lithe, the other taller and broader of shoulder. The short one quickly collecting his dagger from the corpse of the noble lady.

"Sorry we're late. The emperor sent us to meet you, but we got somewhat delayed" The shorter one quickly explained.

"Introductions later!" Ignis interrupted, "for now I think we best run. look!"

The demons had taken their times in advancing, making sure to capture those who were too slow or too terrified to make good their escape. Keana noticed several smoking holes in the demons which were quickly healing, evidence of Ignis' efforts. The demons victims however were beginning to stir, even the decapitated noble lady's corpse was once again moving. The demon, which Keana had beheaded, was slowly getting to its feet, while a new head was emerging from the bloody mass of its neck.

"I can wound them, but it's pointless. they just heal and keep coming!" Ignis explained. "We have to get to the emperor and get help!"

Taking one last look at the square and it's now mainly soul-less populace, the five allies ran.