Twilightfall Read online

  Viktor Zólyomi:

  Rider of the Black Horse

  Part III: Twilightfall

  http://www.rideroftheblackhorse.co.uk

  Disclaimer: All names and occurrences in this story are entirely fictional. Any similarity with actual people or places is purely coincidental. Story, characters, and artwork concept (map and cover art) are copyright Dr. Viktor Zólyomi, 2011, all rights reserved. All graphics (map and cover art) are copyright Juliana O. S. Medeiros, 2011, all rights reserved. The character Irea was adapted in this story with permission from creator Juliana O. S. Medeiros. Kindle edition published in 2012.

  For my mentor Jeno and my beloved Juliana,

  and for the song Two Seconds To Live

  1

  Contents

  Prologue

  In a world where no-one cares

  The chess player

  Dance of fire

  Tranquility

  The bounty hunter

  Among the Planes

  Lizard trap

  Bad karma

  Ghaubel

  The artifact

  For old times' sake

  Payback's a bitch

  The Great Library

  The Dreamer's fall

  The fighter and the mage

  Brotherly duel

  Out of options

  Girltalk

  Army of darkness

  Dangerous artifact

  Siege

  Two seconds

  Endgame

  Twilightfall

  Epilogue

  Cast of characters

  Prologue

  Chaos

  Port Mor'peri, present day (6 days and 2 hours before Twilightfall)

  Port Mor'peri... The one and only noteworthy settlement in all of Mor'peri. I never thought I'd see this damn place again. When was it that I was here? Four years ago? Maybe five? I don't remember exactly.

  Either way, I have business here, and had to come. After this journey, I should be glad I got here at all.

  The journey took eighteen days, and seven people vanished from the ship in that time. Whatever happened to them remains a mystery. After the third man went missing, the captain ordered everyone to stay in their cabins at night, and his officers constantly patrolled the deck. Despite all that, four more people vanished by the time we reached Mor'peri.

  Most of the passengers were very tense and were more than happy to get off the ship. A few of them remained very calm. Such as that night elf woman. She spent most of her time on the deck, standing by the railing and staring into the distance. She wore a black hooded cloak, but beneath it I could see her wearing a strange black armor. Sometimes she didn't wear the hood and I could see her face. She was strikingly beautiful, despite her pale skin which was so typical of night elves. Her long curled black hair made a stark contrast with her skin, and made her look all the more beautiful. She seemed slightly troubled, and on occasion, sad.

  It was strange to see her on board. Me, I came to Port Mor'peri on business, but most of the passengers were fleeing the war. But I am sure that she, too, came for some personal reason. Night elves don't run from war. They mostly revel in it. In this war especially, although they take no part in it. At least not yet...

  I guess many experienced it as something that came without warning, but some of us saw the signs of it. First, the Supreme Council disappeared. In time, news spread that they were in fact assassinated by the man who had been inciting rebellion throughout Ess'yer for almost a year. A man called Jason Vogan. Word came that he died during the assassination, and all the commoners that rallied behind his cause now looked upon him as a heroic martyr. Who could blame them? The Council was rotten to the core. No-one mourned them. Neither did I.

  But that was just the beginning, Then we heard of the fall of Re'Cas. What happened there after the assassination of the Council? I have no idea. All I know is that the mages are gone. Gatestown was destroyed just two days after the fall of the Council, and the Gateway was left unguarded and uncared for. I heard rumors in time that those who dared to go through the Gateway never came back again.

  Then the uprisings started. The Enforcers tried to keep them at bay somehow, but they couldn't keep things under control. After a week long absence following the fall of the Council, the Commander of the Enforcers, Eric Shyrn finally showed his face. He never bothered to explain why he had been away, but he tried his best to restore order. He proclaimed himself the new elven Supreme Councilor, as the previously named successor to Sewareld Worriil's position. He demanded that all militia follow his every command, but only the Enforcers obeyed him. He was never popular, but the way he tried to restore order with an iron fist made people hate him even more. Eventually, he completely lost control over the uprisings.

  The revolts threw Ess'yer into total and absolute chaos. Eventually, everyone slowly forgot who they were fighting against, and they allowed ancient racial differences to arise once again. Not much later, war was raging all over the continent. Ordhiar launched an all out assault on Delamar and the war that ended between them a thousand years ago started all over again. The dwarves and the trolls blamed each other for the fall of the Council and their ancient rivalry started anew. For ages prior to the Great War they were involved in a bitter rivalry, contesting the territories of the great mountains to the west, and now they were at each other's throats again. The elves stayed neutral in all of this. They locked down their northern borders and blatantly refused to aid Delamar against the orcs. As for the Enforcers...

  Delamar's Barons demanded that the Enforcers help them fight the orcs. But the Enforcers had members of all races among their number, even orcs. So it came as no surprise that Shyrn refused to aid Delamar and declared that the Enforcers would remain neutral in the conflict. When he did that, the human members of the Enforcers deserted him. Eventually, so did all the orcs, and the trolls, and the dwarves. Shyrn was left with only his elven followers. Most of them night elves. And he did nothing. He just watched as war raged across the majority of Ess'yer.

  Everyone knew what he was doing. He was waiting. Biding his time. Waiting for all the waring factions to weaken enough such that in the end, he could have the last laugh. He and his followers watched and reveled in the chaos knowing that their time would come.

  While Shyrn just stood and watched the chaos spread, people were dying. Over time, the commoners slowly lost their courage and enthusiasm to fight, and started to long for the days when the Council provided a relative sense of safety. But it was too late. It was all out war, and they had to fight to survive. Or run, if they could.

  After the elves locked down their borders, the only place to run to was Mor'peri. Not many dared the journey however. Few ships ever travel to Mor'peri, and the so-called forgotten continent is known to be a harsh, desolate land, where survival can be difficult. It is still the only corner of Arghard where they could live in peace. I suppose they could have gone to Draconia, but I doubt they would have wanted to become the Dragon Queen's slaves.

  So the few that dared, traveled to Mor'peri, if they could. Like the passengers that came along on this ship, which came from Port Mor'peri and docked in a makeshift port at the foot of the Uldath mountains, dangerously close to the battlefields where the dwarves and trolls have been killing each other for a year. Yet the refugees dared the risks of this journey, knowing well that the alternative is to stay in a land ravaged by war. Excluding the seven who most likely ended up in the sea, they eventually made it here. They all looked relieved to arrive, but she, the night elf woman who was so calm during the whole journey, seemed extremely troubled now.

  I spotted her as I got off the ship. She was among the first to walk off the ramp, but instead of entering town, she just walked to the side of the pier
and stared into the distance, towards Ess'yer. She looked far more troubled than ever, and I could see it in her eyes that she was expecting something bad to happen.

  I couldn't help but stare at her curiously. I've been watching her for many long minutes now, and suddenly she turns towards me. She sees me looking at her, and then she turns her gaze back to the water. I shall go to her, and try to ask her if she needs any help. I may have things to do, but it can wait a little, and she seems to be in trouble. She might need the help of a skilled mercenary. In her case, I might even be willing to work for free.

  Just this once.

  `Sunrise is beautiful in Port Mor'peri, isn't it?' I ask her.

  `I guess.' she replies.

  `Have you been here before?'

  `No. Not in this city.'

  `I was here a few years ago once. The place hasn't changed a lot. I can show you around if you wish.'

  `Thanks, but I'll stay here for a while.'

  `Waiting for someone?'

  She turns to me and eyes me suspiciously. Then she turns back to the water.

  `You should go.' she says.

  `If that's your wish...'

  She nods.

  `Farewell then!' I tell her. `I wish you a pleasant time in Mor'peri!'

  I turn around and head off on my business. I guess she doesn't want my help. A pity...

  As I walk a few steps, I suddenly hear a growling sound from behind me.

  I glance over my shoulder and I stop immediately. Roughly twenty feet away from her, a reptilian looking creature is standing. He's nearly seven feet tall, he wears a set of studded leather armor, and carries a large sword in his right hand. He's not a half-dragon, but he's definitely reptilian. A lizardman, as far as I can tell. I heard of such creatures, but I never actually saw one. They are not native to Arghard, they are extraplanar beings.

  Behind the lizardman are at least thirty other figures. Humans, mostly, and a few orcs, and three other lizardmen. These three are somewhat shorter than the one standing up front. How the Hell did they appear so swiftly, out of nowhere?

  She faces them, and she and the large lizardman stare at each other calmly. She slowly takes her cloak off and begins to fold it vertically. As she finishes folding it, she wraps it around her waist. She doesn't look scared.

  `Get her!' says the lizardman. I harshly interrupt them before they could make a step.

  `Hold it!' I exclaim, and I approach them and draw my swords. `She's with me!'

  `You stay out of this, human!' says the lizardman. `None of your business!'

  `Yes, you should leave.' says the night elf woman.

  `I think I'd rather even the odds here a bit. I'm not about to let these bastards take you alone!' I tell her.

  `She's not a defenseless little girl, you moron!' says the lizardman. `She doesn't need your babysitting. And this is none of your business. Walk away, or you will die. I will not let anyone stand between me and my bounty.'

  `Bounty? You are a bounty hunter?'

  `I don't answer stupid questions. Now move out of the way, I won't say it again!'

  Instead of replying, I charge the lizardman. I strike towards him with both my swords, but he blocks my attacks with his own weapon and then kicks towards me. I jump back, and stand in a defensive stance.

  `Kill them both!' commands the lizardman, and his minions attack us.

  Abandoning the stance I rush forth and strike with both my swords towards the nearest one, a human. He parries the strike of the sword in my left, but the one in my right cuts in his left side. He cries out in pain and presses his left palm on the wound. I strike again and he fails to parry this time. Both my blades strike him, one in the shoulder and one in the stomach. I pull my swords back and he falls, dropping his weapon.

  Almost immediately, three others attack me, two humans and an orc. The orc charges me head on, while the two humans target me from the side. I stand in a defensive stance meant to parry the strike of the orc. As they get close enough, I kick some sand into the eyes of the orc. As he stops in his tracks and starts rubbing his eyes clean, I lower my head and I crouch, and thrust each sword to the left and right, towards the two humans. I get them in the leg. I twist the swords and spin my body clockwise, dragging the swords along. The blade in my right hand cuts into the other leg of the human to my right, and he falls down. The blade in my left hand cuts towards the orc's leg, who just barely sees the threat and jumps backwards to evade my attack. I quickly stand up and turn around. The human who has been on my left is now inches away, and barely do I manage to parry his blow. But with my next attack I cut him in the right arm, and he drops his weapon. I lean close and headbutt him, and he falls down. I quickly stab him in the chest, then turn back to the other human.

  He is on the ground, and as he sees me turn towards him, he tosses his sword towards my chest. I cross my twin blades in front of me and they block the sword and it falls to the ground. I kick it with my right foot such that it jumps upwards, and at the same time I throw my twin blades high up in the air. I grab the fallen human's sword and toss it towards him. It gets him in the chest, pretty much nailing him to the ground, and he groans in pain, then falls silent. I catch my twin blades as they come falling down, and turn towards the orc.

  He is not advancing any more. He is fighting the night elf woman. And the sight of it makes me freeze in my tracks. For she fights like no-one I've ever seen!

  She carries no weapon. The orc is armed with a large mace. Yet she takes him out with ease. As the orc strikes towards her chest from the side, she crouches and kicks towards the orc's knee. The orc groans and falls down, then she arises and kicks the mace out of his hand. She jumps up, bends her knees, and lands on him, planting her knees in the orc's gut. The orc growls in pain, but she punches him in the nose with the bottom of her right palm. Then she pulls him up, and forcefully twist his neck. The orc's neck snaps, and he falls down, dead.

  Immediately she is attacked by one of the humans. She kicks towards his gut, and the human bends over in pain. She traps his head under her left armpit, and with a sudden and forceful move she snaps his neck. Another human charges her, but she kicks the sword from his hand. Then she punches him in the nose, and the human is staggered. She jumps close to him, and grabs him.

  She... she simply lifts the guy up in the air and slams him downwards, busting his back right onto her bent right knee. I hear a snapping sound, and then a scream of pain from the human's mouth. I think she just broke his fucking back! Wow! This woman is a walking death machine! And the way she fights... is simply beautiful!

  One of the shorter lizardmen attacks her now, and she takes up a defensive stance. Maybe I should help her out.

  I rush forwards with a battlecry and attack the lizardman with both swords. I see from the corner of my eye that the night elf woman did not expect any assistance, but this is not the time to argue over it.

  The lizardman evades my attacks and then strikes towards me with a large curved sword. I barely manage to parry the attack. Before I could counterattack, the night elf woman comes and attacks the lizardman with a sweeping kick to the ankle. The lizardman staggers, and he is left vulnerable. I lunge forward and sink my swords into his body, one in the gut, one in the chest. He failed to parry or evade!

  I pull the swords back. The lizardman stumbles further back, but he doesn't fall yet.

  The night elf woman lunges after him, and punches him in the nose. Then she kicks him in the gut with a standing spinning kick, and as he falls back she jumps up in the air and kicks him right square in the face. He falls down, on his back. Those wounds will kill him soon.

  The night elf woman glances around. An angry frown spreads across her face, and I glance around, too. We have been surrounded! I don't see a way to break out, and we have little space left to maneuver.

  `Well, this looks unpleasant.' I tell her. `But you fight well. We can take them! Let's finish the rest!'

  She turns to me.

  `Stay down!' she says,
and then she reaches for something in her neck.

  A moment later, total darkness falls on me.

  `What the Hell?!'

  I can't see a damn thing! Did she do that?

  I stand in a defensive stance, holding my twin blades in front of me. Suddenly I hear a scream, and a body falling on the ground. I turn towards the voice, but nothing comes. Then I hear another scream, and another. I hear angry cries, and I hear sounds of combat. I hear her kicks and punches, I hear their screams. I hear slashing sounds, I hear death throes, and I hear the angry shouting of the tall lizardman.

  `Kill her! Kill her!' he screams, but all he gets in response from his minions are wails of agony.

  The darkness finally vanishes. I look around and... What I see is unbelievable... The lizardman's minions are laying all over the ground, dead or dying. Severe wounds litter their bodies, some are mutilated, and there is blood all over the ground. Their wounds seem like they were caused by sharp claws.

  I spot the night elf woman. She is completely unharmed, her hands are covered with the blood of the lizardman's minions. She is now facing the lizardman, their eyes locked on each other fiercely.

  Some long moments later, the lizardman lowers his weapon.

  `It's not over, bitch! I will find you!' he says, and then he touches a ring on his right hand. A moment later, he vanishes without a trace, like he teleported away. I guess that explains how they arrived so suddenly and unexpectedly.

  Sheathing my swords, I turn towards her. She seems alright, and I begin to wonder if she is in fact a night elf, or something else. Suddenly, I recall some rumors I had heard in Ess'yer, and I begin to suspect who she is.

  `Are you alright?' I ask her, slowly.

  `Yes.' she replies, turning to me. `I'm fine.'

  She takes the folded cloak off her waist and unfolds it, then puts it around her shoulders again.

  `Who are you?' she asks.

  `I'm Richard. Richard Dane.' I tell her.

  `You are a good man, Richard...' she says. `It was selfless of you to help me. Now try to save yourself. Save yourself from the nightmares, and forget what you saw. Forget everything. It will be better that way.'