Orlo: The Bloodied Borough

Orlo hated drakes with passion.

He didn’t like the half-assed Original Humans, who acquired the chance to become a True Dragon but botched their blessing because of their attachment to humanity. The blessing resulted in a scaled human, concentrated on their arms and feet, like a natural gauntlet and greaves. They lacked the ability to fly, which was an insult to most avians like him as the drakes claimed to be a relative of the Ruler of the Skies.

Their torso and their head were very humanlike, with the only difference being the color of their skin which matched the color of their scales; reds, blues, pinks -- bright colors that shine with the reflection of the sun.

It was appalling.

But those were reasons why he didn’t like the race, not the reason why he hated them. His recent loathing for the part-humans came from a single drake, his boss. This is because of a single encoded missive he received in the middle of the night.

The plan must go on. It doesn’t matter if he is protected by The Barrier Master; find a way to acquire or kill him.

I̶t̵ ̶h̴a̵s̵ ̷a̵l̸s̷o̶ ̸c̵o̷m̵e̷ ̴t̷o̶ ̸o̷u̸r̵ ̵a̶t̶t̷e̷n̷t̵i̴o̴n̷ ̸t̶h̸a̴t̸ ̷ṯ̵̴̷̷̴̕ḣ̸̴̶̸̷̜ẽ̴̴̴̴̸͖ ̴̶̸̸̴̞̂c̷̵̷̶̶͇̽ủ̷̸̸̷̸͙r̷̸̶̵̶̤̾ş̸̶̸̸̵͐e̵̶̸̸̶̫͗d̸̶̶̴̷̡̎ ̵̷̶̴̵͙̈e̶̷̶̴̴͔͆y̸̶̸̴̴͇͛e̶̶̶̶̴̗̊s̵̷̸̷̵͖̅ ̴h̴a̷d̵ ̸l̶e̴f̷t̴ ̵t̷h̶e̶ ̴c̴o̷m̴p̸a̶n̷y̴ ̷o̷f̶ ̸T̴h̴e̵ ̶S̴t̸o̶r̵y̷t̴e̷l̴l̵e̷r̵;̶ ̴i̷t̶ ̷i̵s̵ ̶p̴o̶s̷s̶i̷b̴l̷e̴ ̴t̵h̵a̶t̷ ̵ṯ̵̴̷̷̴̕ḣ̸̴̶̸̷̜ẽ̴̴̴̴̸͖ ̴̶̸̸̴̞̂c̷̵̷̶̶͇̽ủ̷̸̸̷̸͙r̷̸̶̵̶̤̾ş̸̶̸̸̵͐e̵̶̸̸̶̫͗d̸̶̶̴̷̡̎ ̵̷̶̴̵͙̈e̶̷̶̴̴͔͆y̸̶̸̴̴͇͛e̶̶̶̶̴̗̊s̵̷̸̷̵͖̅ ̸i̴s̷ ̶h̸e̸a̶d̷i̷n̵g̸ ̷i̶n̸ ̶y̴o̷u̶r̸ ̴d̷i̴r̴e̷c̵t̶i̷o̷n̷ ̷t̵o̵ ̵p̷r̵o̵c̸u̶r̵e̶ ̴s̶o̴m̶e̶ ̶b̴o̶o̵k̸s̶ ̸f̵r̷o̶m̷ ̴t̷h̷e̸ ̵w̸o̸r̶l̷d̶ ̴t̵r̶a̴v̶e̴l̷e̶r̵

I am sending help but she might not arrive there in time so you must initiate the plan NOW.

The surging tides are coming and we must eliminate all variables .

Orlo could not understand some part of the message; he kept reading the part again and again, but still couldn’t make horns and tails out of it. He assumed that the encoding had a problem, but the message was clear; acquire or kill the world traveler NOW. The missive also stated that the world traveler was a male but they didn’t bother to tell him how they managed to acquire the information. Any additional information would have helped but they just expected an Imperator like him to do the job well.

He had Vienna and Balrow scout the city as he made some plans on how to deal with their target without confronting The Barrier Master. He knew that the world traveler would be required to fill residency papers in the Merc Hall so he made his plans around that.

Kill and Retreat.

Orlo decided to go for the kill as capturing the world traveler would take too much effort; better leave a corpse than smuggle a body outside the city. He knew his plan had a gaping hole in it; that if The Barrier Master decided to stick with the world traveler, they would not have any chance killing the target.

But that’s the only plan he could come up with because of the time constraints; the Ends Forest wasn’t that far and he had to make one on the fly.

“Boss, yer scouts reported that the world traveler just entered the Guild Hall. The Phasol Child is with him but The Barrier Master separated with them before they headed for the building.” Balrow interrupted his thoughts, signalling the start of their mission.

The world traveler and his companions had been touring the city in the early hours of the day, eager to introduce the newcomer to its daylight attractions. It was dusk now and the processing of residency papers should last until the three moons made their appearance in the dark sky.

Orlo was ecstatic at the news, “Good! Send Malik to keep an eye on The Barrier Master and make sure he informs us through our telepathic link if he comes close to our location. Is Vienna ready to intercept the world traveller?”

“Yeah boss, she was preparing her crocodile tears when she left. I must say, boss, yer plan sucks; a crying beauty to lure a young man to his doom? What if he prefers harder muscles or someone with more meat? Ye should have sent me.”

The dwarf complained while waving his Sheperd’s Axe; it was a curious weapon that functions as both melee weapon and energy conductor for his ground elemental spells. Despite Balrow’s physical build, he was more formidable in medium ranged combat.

Orlo increased his distance with the complaining man and replied, “I never said the plan was good and you didn’t speak up when I asked for suggestions. Any young man would run away if a barreled dwarf that stank like the Defiled Forest comes running to them with snot covered face.”

Balrow just grunted an affirmative and they continued their waiting in the deserted slums of The Bloodied Borough.

They weren’t really alone but they might as well be, as the slum residents didn’t care much for outsiders; they kept to themselves and were used to random fights happening in their streets. The blind eye that the guards gave to the area also suited their plans as they didn’t have to bribe any officials.

The plan consisted of Balrow and Vienna starting the fight to gauge the capability of the world traveler. Their resident scout and telepath, Malik, stated the man didn’t have much energy but he was wearing a cloak that looked like an enchanted artifact.

He decided to stay hidden in a roof and go for a sure kill when the battle was at its peak or when the target was in a vulnerable position; he was an assassin before being dragged to whatever Organization his boss belonged to anyway.

The sounds of hurried footsteps on the dark streets echoed with the murmuring of beggars that infected the slums like maggots in a dying carcass. The elven woman with red eyes and aggrieved face appeared on the alleyway, followed by a worried-looking young man.

They were in the middle running when the young man suddenly stopped in his tracks, just before the sabotaged ground that would enclose his feet in thick mud. Vienna was a professional and immediately leapt to a distance as the young man realized their ambush.

Balrow appeared from the side of a house and struck the blunt edge of his shepherd's axe at the ground; it summoned a thick wall of earth that closed the street from outsiders. He immediately followed with a chant that produced ground elemental rocks around him that he hurled at the surprised man.

Their target nimbly dodged the oncoming rocks and replied with a barrage of throwing daggers that appeared from the surrounding space around him. They flew with great force but Balrow managed to block them with a hurriedly summoned flat stone that floated in front of him.

“Ye stone gods! A Weaver of Space! -- Vienna!” The dwarf was as surprised as Orlo but managed to react properly.

Vienna was mumbled while holding her staff that she retrieved from one of the houses. She finished her chant and dozens of arrows made of wind flew towards their enemy. However, the young man negated each arrow with a barrage of daggers which accurately hit the oncoming projectiles.

The elf was not surprised and just finished her follow-up chant that activated the formations in the surrounding walls that enclosed the street; sudden blasts of air appeared from them that made the enemy lose his balance.

Balrow took the chance and struck his axe to the wall beside him. The wall rippled and the ground energy traveled through them and produced a sharp spike once it reached the wall beside the stumbling man.

The attack still missed as the newcomer suddenly got pushed backwards by an unknown force that made him fall into his back towards the dirty streets below. The ground seemed to swallow him whole and he immediately reappeared in the second-floor wall, near the elven woman, with a dagger in hand.

Vienna’s heart skipped a beat but instincts guided her body as she released a gush of wind energy that pushed the young man back to the wall; he didn’t disappear this time but he didn’t drop from the wall either. He seemed to be laying down on the wall as if it’s a floor.

Cracks appeared from the walls around him as he summoned more daggers towards the elf. A circular piece of stone was the only thing that saved the shocked woman from the sharp objects.

Vienna hurriedly enchanted her body with abundant wind energy that made her quickly float away from the enemy. The hanging man on the wall didn’t want the elf to get away and he was about chant something when another spike came at him from the streets below.

The man slipped down the wall to avoid the flying stone and calmly continued his chant. The effect of the chant was apparent as the floating elf stumbled to the ground at the sudden increase in gravity and was unable to correct the energy output of her floating spell.

Rain of daggers came from the cracks of space high above the fallen elf but Balrow was quick in enclosing the vulnerable woman in a tomb of stone. The action caused him a glancing injury as he didn’t notice the incoming daggers behind him and was a bit too late in rolling away from the area.

Balrow hurriedly released Vienna from the tomb and they regrouped together while avoiding the unending daggers raining at them from above; thankful that the Weaver of Space is still affected the Rules of Energy or they will have cracks of space that would be too close for comfort.

The young man’s black hair was now sticking in his face due to sweat; ragged breathing and shaking limbs further indicated his exhaustion but the resolve in his onyx eyes seemed stronger than ever.

An assault of gravity suddenly struck the pair of part-humans; the loud slap of their knees and palms hitting the ground, evidence enough of the strong pulling force suddenly applied to their body.

The young man was waiting for the pair to regroup together so he could unleash a strong attack and finish them off at the same time. He summoned a black bow and -- froze.

Orlo didn’t know why the man suddenly stopped, with a look of surprise and despair on his face, but he was an assassin.

He knew that it was his chance.

His quick but silent approach towards the back of the man remained unnoticed; black wings stretched as he glided soundlessly near the man.

His execution was brisk, noiseless, unimpeded, and most importantly of all -- successful.

The young man’s head separated from his body, shocked face still decorating his face; blood spurted from his headless neck as his cloaked body fell to the ground with a light thud.

Silence returned to the enclosed alleyway, red liquid quietly painting the streets; filling the air with the familiar scent of murder and slaughter. Orlo observed the recently made corpse and kneeled in front of it while Balrow and Vienna regained their movement and made their way to him.

“Such a talented young man, shame he became our target. He was kind, agreeing to aid a hysteric woman wailing about her child.” Vienna didn’t feel good from killing the man, but a mission was a mission.

“Yer still too soft Vienna, that will be the end of ye in our line of work.” Balrow reprimanded the elf but silently agreed with her statement.

Orlo just blinked at the corpse in front of him and proceeded giving instructions to their retreat, “Balrow, strip the man off with his items, no point leaving it for the beggars. Vienna contact Mal--”

“Such a pretty head, can I have it?”

The three of them snapped up in attention at the sudden childish voice that filled the quiet streets. There shouldn’t be anyone in the area as they cleared it before the mission but what they saw confused the three of them.

A child with hair longer than her whole body was hugging the lifeless head; rags for clothes covered her body which was stained with blood from the head in her arms. The child seemed to be blind despite her attraction to the head as she was wearing a dirty cloth on top of her eyes.

Orlo stood up and tried to take the head from her, “Child you’re not supposed to be here; leave the head alone. He at least deserves all of his body parts when the authorities discover our body.”

“Ye gods birdman, what do you mean by our body.” Balrow was frowning at the statement of their Avian boss.

The child giggled and stepped away from the approaching feathered man. “Yes little birdy, what do you mean by your bodies. Oh look another corpse popped up.”

Orlo stopped in his tracks at the site of their telepath lying prone on the ground. The demon didn’t seem to have any injuries on his body but the lifeless eyes that was looking at him were proof enough of his death.

“Malik! Ho--” Vienna gasped in confusion but stopped, as the lifeless body suddenly stood up and smiled at them with his black lips.

“Malik, Malik, singing with his thoughts. Malik, Malik, what have you wrought? Malik, Malik, shouldn’t have followed a man, Malik, Malik, shouldn't have pissed off a woman~”

The anomaly of a corpse giggled and sang in a monotonous voice that sent shivers through the three of them. The fear struck them straight to their hearts; Vienna couldn’t remain standing and kneeled on the ground, tears pooling in her eyes.

The other two men were more professional and tried reaching for their weapons but they could no longer find them in their vicinity.

“Who are you and what do you want?!” Orlo narrowed his eyes at the child, trying to calm the rapid beating of his heart.

The child just giggled again at his demands, “Oh no little birdy, I’m the one asking the questions here. WHO DO YOU WORK FOR?”

A sudden urge to answer filled Orlo’s mind and he did his best in keeping his mouth shut, but the figure of his scaled boss still floated in his mind.

“Tut~ tut~ resistance is futile little birdy… hmm. Scales! A drake~ a drake~!” the child just mocked him and proceeded to divulge his thoughts.

“H-how?!” Orlo widened his eyes and he could no longer keep the fear in his heart. It was clawing at his entire being, suffocating him as his eyes blurred because of the tears threatening to escape from his eyes.

“Questions~, questions~ little birdy have too many questions! You don’t even have any satisfying answers to give me.” The child pouted while playing with the head, rotating it in her hands that caused a splatter of blood in the streets.

Vienna was retching on the ground while Balrow was stunned; face, bloodless. Orlo could no longer hear the sound of his own heart because of the cawing of the birds that filled the roofs of their alleyway.

“Little birdy~ little birdy~ your friends are here~ They are hungry! They are hungry!” An innocent smile followed her statement contrasting her bloody appearance.

Bad premonitions filled Orlo's mind and he tried begging at the child, “No! Please!”

“Anything~ Anything~ Kill your friends for me!” She suddenly threw the head at him and he reflexively caught it.

A familiar weight pulled at his arms; it was no longer a head but the black sword he used to decapitate the young man.

Balrow widened his eyes at the sight of the sharp weapon and tried reasoning with him, “Orlo! It’s the child! She is affecting yer mind, ye don’t want to do this!”

He did want to do it; he wanted to cut his neck through the dirty beard. He wanted to, he wished for it, he desired for it, -- he lived for it.

Orlo was about to slash his sword when he felt something break in his mind. He lost control of his faculties from a crippling headache and slumped on the ground like a puppet that had its strings cut.

The child tilted her head and spoke with a curious voice, "Hmm, the telepathic link from the other telepath broke. I guess it couldn't handle the forced coercion."

Gritting his teeth through the nausea, he forced himself to stand up. The urge of violence had receded but it was still there and fearing it would come rushing back, he threw his weapon away in a panicked hurry.

Towards the dazed elf and dwarf.

Orlo wasn't in a good state of mind so the sword's momentum was slow; Balrow was unprepared but managed to clumsily dodge it. He was worried that Vienna would get hit but she stood up, dodged sideways, and caught the sword as it passed by her.

And immediately slashed towards Balrow whose back was turned on her.

Vienna sliced the defenseless neck and the dwarf’s head unceremoniously separated from his body; the blood splashing on Vienna’s face and lifeless eyes. She didn’t wait for the child’s next instruction and and repeatedly stabbed her own stomach.

Orlo was aghast at the sound of the sword as it pushed through the woman’s own soft body.

Squelching sounds chorused with the childlike laughter filled the street; excited cawing of birds aiding in the cacophony.

“Such weak will~! But the crows are still hungry -- hungry! You won’t have a complete corpse after all!”

The child was all innocence: hands on her back, one foot tapping on the ground rhythmically, tilted head and a bashful smile on her bloodied face.

The lines on her blindfold was shining with red; the blood around her reflecting it, making the street glow with a menacing hue.

Orlo lost his mind and laughed hysterically, curling on the ground in a fetal position, clawing hands busily pulling feathers at his limp wings.

The flapping of the crows was the last sound he heard; the converging mass of black, his last memory.

End of Chapter 8