The Beastslayer — 39

In the process of learning how to illustrate my own stories but until then I use some AI concepts

‘I don’t know who that is,’ said Essen, raising an eyebrow. ‘I am quite certain you were standing here alone when I came.’

‘Oh. Well…’ I smiled. I tried to sound indifferent but I was cursing under my breath. Melinir, the idiot! He abandoned me and here I remained standing alone like a clown. ‘You’re back in one piece,’ I continued in a calm tone.

He smiled. Why was he smiling? Why did it feel as if sometimes he could read my mind. That grin of his, the silence keeping me agitated. Why was I agitated?

‘I see you are alone. Did the vampires throw you out? They were polite enough not to kill you.’ I grinned.

‘They are here,’ he answered.

‘The vampires are here?’ I spat. ‘You’ve convinced them to come?’ How? How did he manage it? It was a fact that the assassins and the vampires did not get along. How did an arrogant beastslayer manage to convince the intelligent vampires to join the assassins?

‘Something wrong?’ he asked.

‘I don’t see them!’ Were they hiding? The assassins looked calm. Would they not draw their weapons at the sight of the vampires?

‘They are here.’ He smiled. Oh, that stupid smug smile of his!

‘Where? How many..’

‘Twenty.’

‘Twenty?’ I barked. My mind jumped back to my meeting with the vampires. Were there even twenty of them sitting at that table? There must have been. Otherwise how could they afford to spare twenty? The elderly would surely not come. As for that one bold vampire… ‘Who did you speak with?’

‘How so?’

‘It’s just…,’ I sighed.

‘You still have my question to answer,’ he added.

‘I beg your pardon?’

‘I answered yours, now you’ll answer mine.’

‘I told you what I am.’

‘No, you only told me your occupation.’

There was nowhere to run. Dith was standing by a tree surrounded by a group of young assassins. Melinir was talking to the girl I had seen before with the beastslayer (of course, now she was in sight) and Beliana was…arm wrestling…with an assassin three times her size.

‘All right,’ I sighed. ‘If you insist, I’ll…’

‘Gather along, lads!’ Dith shouted.

‘Oh, we need to go,’ I said. Essen grinned. Was this how he expressed his irritation?

Dith explained it all clearly, looking up at the sky from time to time.

The plan was simple. We were going leave a group outside, enter the cave, and search the cave. He believed he had already killed most of the wizard’s army of hounds but we did not know how many were left. The cave was a challenge having many tunnels and only one exit. We needed to pretend we are outnumbered, lure the hounds out, and the group outside would ambush them. Then we would all go back in and finish any remaining ones together with the wizard.

In what moment did my mission stop and become Dith’s? It all seemed his problem now, giving orders, planning it all. Not that I minded. But I hadn’t forgotten the wizard’s personal grudge against me.

‘Let’s go!’ shouted Dith. He’d almost lost his voice.

We headed to the cave. I walked aside Dith. His back was straight, his eyes fixated on the road ahead, and his hand rested on the pommel of his sword. I could not help myself from asking.

‘What happened between you and…the scum?’

His jaw twitched.

There were rangers walking ahead and behind us checking the road. A few assassins remained at the city border. Branches stirred above us. The vampires were following.

‘The scum killed many,’ Dith whispered. ‘Including…’ he mumbled the last words.

‘Including who?’

‘Including my wife!’ his whisper was more of a shout. I stopped walking. He did not. He even hurried his steps, leaving me behind. The wizard had killed Dith’s wife? This was not a quest to stop an evil wizard from expanding his power. This was revenge. The thought was unsettling.

I walked on my own for a while. At what point did Dith’s wife and the wizard’s path cross?

‘I know what you are,’ his sweet, rough voice decided to intrude.

‘Really?’ I chuckled.

‘When you abandoned me on your couch, I took the liberty of looking through some of your books.’ He walked at my side and for a moment it felt as if we were strolling through a royal garden.

‘Ah…that explains the stained bookshelves. A beastslayer with a cultivated mind, interesting…’ I laughed, though my heart was beating fast. Did he know? He could not know. No. Impossible. Would he even know which book to read?

I slowed my pace. Others passed me by.

There was silence. I looked at Essen. He had slowed his pace to match mine. He was smiling. Why would he smile? If he knew the truth?

‘The tale of the wizard Bes’An was written beautifully but the part with the brothers Etisne and Kridok appealed to me the most.’

My throat suddenly felt dry. I coughed. He did not glance my way.

Of course, everyone knew the story of Bes’An who had created a demon that turned on him. But Essen was more focused on the demon’s children. Etisne and Kridok. The necromancer and the assassin. The ones who infected Enlina’s world. They brought bloodthirsty creatures, cruel, child-killing assassins and tormented undead monsters. Their purpose was to infest the world with darkness, blood and pain, making this world yet another one of their homes. Etisne and Kridok were only the beginning. Their children continued doing their legacy…some more than others.

‘You haven’t drawn your sword,’ I said, my hand already resting on a dagger’s hilt, grip tightening.

‘Why would I?’ he said.

I loosened my grip. Was I no threat to him?

‘So, what do you call yourself in general?’

‘Pardon me?’ What was he trying to achieve?

He faced me smiling. He knew. He clearly knew. ‘You can’t tell people you’re a thief and a murderer all the time.’ Did he mean I should say that I am a …?

‘Adventurer,’ I spat.

‘Adventurer…’ he paused, grinning. ‘Cute.’

‘Cute? And I assume, a beastslayer sounds better to you?’

‘I’m just as much of a beastslayer as you are an adventurer.’

I stopped walking. He passed me by silently.

What did he mean by that? He was a beastslayer. He called himself a beastslayer. Was he not?

I stood there as the rest of the group passed. It took me a few moments to let out the steam, the cold breeze telling me to calm myself. Why was he playing such a stupid game? He was a beastslayer but he was not. He knew what I was but he did not say it. Did he think he was better? Did he believe he could afford playing such games with me? I could have almost punched him. Damn him!

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