Chapter 11

Lotus Bloom

On a quiet night, in the typical town of Portia, a man staggered to his horse carriage. He was obviously drunk. It might be surprising that Lord Fahin, the most influential man in the town would travel alone at the dead of night. The truth however, was far from that. Most of his personal guards concealed themselves in the shadows and amongst the crowd. Perhaps Fahin does not desire to advertise his status, or perhaps he knew of the dangers involved.
Closing the door behind him, the coachman reeled his reins. The horses heeded and started off, pulling the carriage with it. Fahin sunk into his seat, enjoying the after effects of alcohol until the carriage came to an abrupt stop. It took him several seconds, but Fahin threw himself out of the carriage to investigate. The horses had stopped moving and his coachman was missing.
Cursing, Fahin got on and took up the reins himself. He would deal with his missing coachman tomorrow. His home was not far from where he was now, but it would be easier to ride a horse then walk on foot.
To his dismay, the beast refused to move. Lord Fahin tried kicking, whipping even yelling but his ride was scared stiff. Without much warning his horse dashed into the alley. Cursing once again, Lord Fahin stormed into the alley. He cared not for a single thing. He would find the horse and kill personally just to make an example out of it.
Not too far deep into the alley, Lord Fahin found something disturbing. He found his horse as well as his coachman, but both were murdered and dismembered. A gory pile of remains was before him and immediately sensing danger, Lord Fahin raised his hand to signal his men.
A section of eight man appeared along side him from nowhere, each peering their surroundings with much caution. In front of them, a black cat stepped out of the rubbish pile. Four of his vanguards stayed behind while the rest went fore to investigate. The feline appeared harmless enough, until it's eyes started to growl red and it's paw grew into monstrous claws. It's head also swollen into an unnatural size and it let out a feral glee. One of the four guards fell to floor, fear had gotten a hold of him.
Yet for those behind him, feline looked nothing more than a street cat. It was their mistake to let down their guard. Two of the guards who stayed with Lord Fahin went fore to help their team mates. Unknowingly, they set off a mine beneath them. A wall of flame burst out from the ground, incinerating all six vanguards.
Confirming the threat, more henchmen appear from the shadows to aid their employer. It was easy to see that all of his underlings were battle-hardened and well trained, none of them flinched at the sight of the charred bodies but instead were vividly scanning for the enemy.
The next moment another explosive went off, collapsing the side wall of the alley and cutting off Fahin from most of his man and blocking any route of retreat. Phobia appeared and landed slowly in front of Lord Fahin. She put on a grin as the Fahin's vanguards charged at her.
With unbelieving agility, she wove through her enemies like a neat snitch on a cloth. And on each opponent, she left her mark.
“Lord Fahin, have you been alarmed?” Phobia said as she rose to her full height in front of the merchant.
“Have the black hand finally came to get me?” Lord Fahin replied, apparently still calm.
“Not, my king sent his regards to you, probably the last.” Phobia smiled, and before Fahin could react, she stuck her stinger into his chest, where his heart was.
“You...” Lord Fahin muttered as blood gushed out from his mouth. Not wishing to hear any more response, Phobia took out her iron butterfly and slit his throat. Lord Fahin was no more.
Finishing the job, Phobia snapped off and discarded her blood stained needle before disappearing into the shadows.

“The war between our desert forces and King Rudifus' Migruid army was more than just a mere war of military might.” Lord Kurosawa explained
“In between are many smaller towns which initially allied themselves to neither of the sides. Each of these towns are important strategic asserts that can tilt the balance of power between the two sides. King Rudifus raced to gain control of as many towns as he could, those not in favour of him were subsequently be eliminated as a means to deny us.” Kurosawa continued on his mission briefing.
“Sir Kurosawa, I don't understand. Given the Migruid Kingdom's size and might, why why bother with small insignificant towns?” Xiven asked, the rest of the room stared at him, as if he was being rude.
“Even the mightiest army is feeble without food, armor and weapons. Each of the towns pays a tribute. Is it with these that the Migruid army can stand on it's feet. Underestimate not every single grain of sand in an hourglass Xiven.” Kurosawa replied.
“So meaning Oryius was...” Chron budged in.
“Yes. Losing Oryius was a major blow to us. Your Chief Eyslick had been a firm supporter of us since the start.” Kurosawa continued on, looking weary. The whole room seems to gloom with him.
“No worries Kurosawa, right now me and Chron are here, and we'll do all we can to support your cause.”
“Very well. Xiven, your next mission will be at one of the towns allied to Rudifus, The Daetrals Port. Conduct a surveillance of it's military strength there and report back to me. Further instructions will be handed down. “ Kurosawa dished out his orders, like a general at war. “Sector forty-three, Team Lancaster are to support Xiven in his mission.” One of the person around the table nodded in acknowledgement. “Xiven, I believe you'll find the appropriate equipping at our armoury.”
“Sounds good.” Xiven acknowledged.
“Chron, you'll stay behind as the main force to push forward when orders are given down. Sector thirty-nine, Team Eyehawk and Team GranBlasto are also to join in the force.”
“Yes Sir.” Another man at the table acknowledged his orders and quickly head out of the room.
“So Kurosawa, when can I leave?” Xiven asked.
“The forces need some preparation, your support team would also need another three weeks to be ready.” Kurosawa answered.
“Three weeks? Its just surveillance, let me go alone. I'll be able to move much quicker anyway.”
“I'm afraid I cannot allow that, we don't work as individuals.”
“I can finish the job alone within three weeks. And chances of me getting caught when I'm alone are much lower. “
“I'm still saying no Xiven, you're too important. ”
“How about this, I'll spy on them alone, but take no positive action and report every action back to you. I'll call for backup when I really need them.”
Kurosawa frowned.
“I'll take that as a yes.” Xiven said, before heading out of the room.”
“Wait Xiven.” Kurosawa finally spoke up. “How long would you take to complete the mission yourself?”
“If I leave tonight, four days, max.”
The young lord fished into his pocket and tossed a necklace to Xiven. “Then take this. It's a communication device.”
Xiven grinned and left the room.

Don't fail again Phobia. Her king's words rang in her ears. “Yes... father.” Phobia muttered to herself. I saved you the last time, I won't do it again.
Your next target is him. Get him to join us, if not, kill him. She clutched onto a signet with a lotus etched onto it. Her opponent was rumored to be highly powerful. Unfortunately this time she no longer had her king's backing.
If not above most, Phobia's strength lies in her stealth. She can easily slipped by any patrol, border guards, blood thirsty beasts without breaking a sweat. She was determined to find her target before him finds her.
The night sky was clear, with a full moon hanging right above, it was not easy to remain hidden. Phobia slide down the sands. The days in the desert were scorching hot while the nights were chilly. The sand beasts littered the area but they would not touch her. After all she wielded the same magic that created them.
Phobia continued on her search, but to no avail. Yet she believed in her king's magic, it had not failed her before. Her opponent was definitely in the area.
The lotus signet in her hands glowed and without much warning, a shining lance impaled into the ground next to her, almost like a lightning strike. She absolutely had no time to react, but it seemed whoever threw the lance missed on purpose.
On the huge rock in front of her, a man stood up. A mask concealed the majority of his features and his hair was short and silver, almost akin to the moon. He wore a fitting sleeveless black rode with multiple leather straps on several positions. On his chest was a lotus signet, almost identical to the one Phobia was holding.
“Servant of the black hand, I would not miss again.” He spoke.
“I came here not to fight, SilverLotus. ” Phobia replied. The man was surprised, but not taken aback. This lass knew of nothing she was talking about. “I bring invitation from my king, to be part of our cause. Would you accept or reject?”
Silver smirked. He found SilverLotus an intriguing name and it would be what his name for now. After all, he could not remember most of his ancient name.
“I reject. I serve no one.” Silver answered, with a look of menace of his face.
“I'm afraid denial means death, Eerie SilverLotus.” Phobia replied while drawing out her stingers and going into an attacking stance.
SilverLotus grinned. Obviously this lass was ten thousand years too early to beat him, it would be easy meat. He could read her every move like a book.
“Before anything, I wanna ask, are you tracking that mask wielder?” Phobia asked.
“Perhaps. “ Silver replied before promptly disappearing from her sight before appearing behind her with sword by her neck. “And tell your king, next time before you go around giving people nicknames, find out about their strength first.” Phobia's eyes widened in surprise. For a that brief moment there she lost track of her target and the next thing she knew, her life on hanging by a thread. She could already be dead by now, but her opponent was playing her.
Using her wrist guard to push the sword down, Phobia twisted her body and shot out the needle from the stinger at Silver's vital organs and pushed herself a distance away from him. Her aiming was on but much to her dismay, Silver's sword glowed and molted itself into a shield, guarding the light bender and blocking off the needle.
“You don't seem too friendly, lass.” Said Silver, who was still not serious. Phobia discarded her remaining needle before shooting out a new pair from her wrist guard. Her needles were only meant for one use, as she was expected to kill in a single strike. But now it seemed that can no longer be accomplished.
Silver's shield dissolved into the air, becoming thousands of small light particles. Without much delay, he conjured and hurled another lance towards Phobia, who barely dodged. Subsequently Lotus appeared behind slashed her with a blade. She tried blocked it with her wrist guard but the blade ate through the frail iron.
Silver's weapons appeared blunt but were in fact sharper than any steel weapons. Phobia's arm might be bleeding from the cut, but she was no where near defeat. Once again, she discarded her remaining needle and replaced it with new needle that was meant for more than a single use. She had a plan.
SilverLotus raised his palm and all the light particles gathered and combined, molting itself into a shape of a bow. With that, Silver shot out an arrow of the same type light. He expected Phobia to dodge or block it, and she did. Once again, he appeared behind her with a blade, aiming for her back.
His slash landed, but in return, Phobia made use of this chance to grab hold on his arm. Phobia went for the heart but missed and cut his arm instead. The two leaped away from each other.
“Eh? Poisoned needle? You sacrificed your blood to land a hit on me. You are that desperate. “ Lotus smirked, not at all bothered at his injury. “I see that you saw through my trick, but thats the past. This is where the fun begins.” Lotus was rather arrogant although he was struck by a poisoned needle, and Phobia would use this to her advantage. She let out a smirk to go along. Once again Silver's blade dissipated into light particles.
Phobia pulled out her iron butterfly and threw it at Silver, reacting, the light bender gathered more light particles, forming a large palm and grabbed that boomerang. The boomerang exploded, shattering the hand. Taken slightly aback, Silver quickly manipulated the shattered pieces, forming a sword and slit the ground between him and the explosion. A wall of light shot up from the ground, blocking off the blast from Silver.
Phobia reached for a second iron butterfly, she lagged for a second, knowing that Silver will attack her again from behind. While Silver did appear behind her, he was surprised to see phobia swinging her stinger at him. There was not enough time for him to form a shield, hence he parried the attack.
Instead of bouncing off, the needle broke off at the force of the parry and the tip was sent flying towards the light bender, leaving behind a cut on his mask and face. The lower part of Silver's mask broke off, revealing his mouth. The light bender was grinning with an insane gee. The two assassins leaped away from each other again.
“Very nice way to make use of a parry, girl.” Lotus praised Phobia. Indeed that was Phobia's shatter strike, in which she used a needle made of a brittle material which will snap off at an appropriate force. It was a risky move which defeated the purpose of a parry but it was perfect against an opponent not holding a shield.
Phobia replaced her broken needle and Silver conjured a katar. The two exchange a couple more clashes before Phobia used her shattering needle again. This time she managed to cut his other arm and his thigh. Although Silver was nowhere near defeat, the poison had taken it's toll and dragged the light bender down. Each progressive attack numbed his control of his limbs until one point where the light bender could no longer move his legs and was down on a knee. Silver was grinning no more.
“It was troublesome taking you out SilverLotus, but this is the end. Instead of letting the poison go to your heart, I would end your life here.” Said Phobia, as she drew out a thin long blade. The blade had no guard and had ancient letterings etched onto it. Clearly it was only meant for stabbing. Phobia channelled power into the steel, part hers and mostly her king's. The blade responded with a blackish glow, hungering for blood.
“Heh.” Silver smirked. While it was hard to see from far, uncountable number of light particles rushed in to form threads attached to Silver's body. It was truly a sight to behold, and simply ingenious. Using his ability to manipulate the light particles, Silver joined them into threads attached his limbs and body, and moved his body with that ability.
Phobia was slightly stuttered, but against the magic of the king and hers combined, it mattered not if her opponent was able to move. Dashing forward, Phobia was met with a sword conjured by Silver. His sword was made entirely out of the same light particles as before, making it a polar opposite of Phobia's blade. To able to move was one thing, but maintaining that same speed as before, that was the strength of SilverLotus.
The two polar opposite blades clashed. Despite having not used a blade for a long time, Phobia was confident in her blading skills. But Silver's mastery of his weapon was on another level altogether.
While the two blades meet, Silver's sword shimmered and molted itself into a whip, bending around Phobia's black blade all the way to her arm. Following closely, the light bender jammed the black steel into the sandy ground without losing grip on Phobia's arm. He conjured a staff with his other hand and slammed it on Phobia's abdomen. She cried out in pain.
Phobia leaped back, leaving behind her blade stuck in the ground but Silver's catch on her was not undone. The whip on her arm continued to grow, extending to her entire arm and soon her whole body. Unhappy with just tying her down, Silver molted his restrain on Phobia further into a huge crucifix.
As a desperate last attempt, Phobia casted her fear spell on SilverLotus, who dispelled it effortlessly. Her opponent simply was not human. There was not a single person who had no fear.
“A fear spell? It that why they call you Phobia? What a joke. Do you not understand this. For creatures born under despair, hopelessness and loneliness, fear has little meaning. You're thousands of years too early to face me, lass.” Silver said, longer grinning but instead solemn. To complete his act, he gather enough particles to form a zweihänder.
A small piece of cloud flew pass the moon. Unnoticeable to the normal eye, Silver's light weapons blinked for that instance. Phobia was quick to pick that up. The source of Silver's power was none other than the moon itself!
Although it was no longer in her hands, Phobia still had connections to her black blade. With a mental command, the blade dispelled all of its magic, causing an explosion. Along with that, a large amount of earth was blown up, leaving the air heavy with dust and sand.
As predicted, without a clear sight of the moon, all of Silver's light weapons faded away. Silver collapsed. So long as he had blood, her poison will work on him.
Pulling out her blade from the earth, Phobia once again, channelled power into it. The blade was getting impatient and she had to kill Silver quickly, before the suspension in the air settles.
“If you really want to kill me, then let me warn you. I'm not in total control here. If he awakens, theres no telling what he'd do.” Silver said, for someone near death, he was exceptionally calm. Phobia did not understand him, neither did she cared. Pointing the blade at his heart, the blade seems to glow with anticipation.
She let it in into it's desire. Within seconds there will be not a trace of SilverLotus left. Much to her dismay, the blade stopped. No, it was stopped. Silver was holding on to the edge of the blade with his hand. The cutting edge of the steel mattered not one bit to the awoken.
With a melancholy expression, SilverLotus' eyes glowed with the same light as the moon. All the poison within his body slowly shifted and concentrated on his left arm before being purged out, leaving behind a black spider tattoo.
“Altar, avatar of moon.” Silver muttered, he had a double tone. Without delay, hundreds of lances made from the moon light rained down, punching through the dust cover and slamming into the ground. The suspension was quickly dispersed revealing the moon. It would seem as if the moon concentrated all of it's shine around Silver, and around him there was no shadow except that of his.
“Break.” Silver muttered once again, this time all of the moon light lances split up into hundreds and thousands of light particle, each almost too small to be seem.
Phobia leaped back. The existence of Altar, the so-call personification of the moon was a myth. She never knew it existed until now. To be able to purge her poison was no easy feat, but to be able to call out Altar, it was no longer possible for her to defeat this person.
She leaped, dodged, ducked and rolled away. Light around her become weapons instantly, each going for her throat. There was no where to run, for there was no shadows to hide in. Compare to the Silver earlier on, now he was merciless and his reach had no limits. Phobia tried to charge at the awakened light bender once but was quickly blocked off by a shield, conjured at the split second just by the thought of its master. She jumped, but he could conjured and send swords flying towards her. While all of this happened, Silver stood where he was, without motion, without expression. He would not had needed to lift a finger to kill her.
Eventually, she was overwhelmed, her body covered in wounds and cuts. To finish his job, Silver once again pinned Phobia up on a crucifix and finally with his own hands, pulled out a longsword from the air. In an instant, he was in front of Phobia. Without hesitation, he pierced his blade through her heart.
Phobia's life was coming to an end, but she had one last shot. She pulled out her blade and slide it across her fingers. Now fed with it's master blood, the blade went into a chaos and emitted a purple-black glow. With the last of her breath, Phobia stabbed the blade into the spider tattoo on Silver's arm and chanted her curse.
”Anarchis corcept. With my blood I call thy, etch the master's final curse! Desinis corpatruis! ”
The tattoo burned with a black flame. Silver released Phobia from his hold. It seems that her curse worked through the last remaining trace of poison left on the spider tattoo, tying their destinies as one. If she was killed, he would not live either and vice versa. Since the moonlight had no intentions of killing it's own user, Phobia's fatal injury was reversed.
Silver stared at the flame on his arm, not at all bothered. But before he could decide on his next move, all of the world around him and her went dark. It was not that type of darkness that came from night time or via dark magic. It simply went dark, almost as if it was natural. After the veil was lifted, Phobia was gone, only leaving behind her blood and foot prints.
The awakened SilverLotus looked into the full moon above, the glow in his eyes died down and his expression returned to normal.
“Now look what you've done, lass.”

Back at Rudifus' castle, the king stand by the window, frowning. Phobia was behind him, by the corner crying. She thanked her king earlier on for his intervention and after that, could no longer control her emotions.
Yes she was completely over powered, but that was to be expected. He observed every moment of the battle and was surprised by Phobia's desperate last resort. Her curse could only be used once, by a lady of chaste. Now that she had wasted it on him, it equates to her losing her chastity. He was partly grateful, and taken a back by Phobia's fierce loyalty to him.
The lass asked for forgiveness, wanted punishment for failure once again, but her unfeeling king was moved. He held her in embrace and promised her vengeance. It was thanks to her that now he knew subject Eerie SilverLotus was no mere human. He wanted him so badly, but the time was not yet to be. Eventually, when the light bender began his descent to madness, he will surrender himself to king Rudifus. The lord of Mirgruid knew it so well he could talk about it in his sleep.