Heleion Archives

12th of February, 98th of the Neo-Dawn Era. Somewhere in the western peaks of the Eptirrion Mountain Range.

            The last of the winter storms raged within the western peaks of the Eptirrion Mountain Range that spans around the nation of Naireanth. Usually during middle of Februarys, these storms assault the top of the peaks, blanketing them in silvery alabaster snow that lasts till the next winter.

On one such peak, a folk-made plateau was crafted into a large, rectangle shaped landing pad, with a ward erected around it, currently assaulted by the storm. The platform itself hanged over a deep chasm with no end in sight, even during the calmer days. On the platform itself, Black Roses patrolled the boundaries, including the smaller landing pads connected to the main one with ascending stairs, numbering two on the left and right.

Besides the Black Roses themselves, crates filled up some of the space, placed between painted white lines running between the boundaries and the center of the main platform.  Staring at the center itself, a several meters long, thick adramantyr door guarded by four Drengriars, each more beautiful than the other. The door itself led into the small complex filled with not their own artificers. The complex itself originally did belong to them, but as ages passed, they rented it out to others, including the Void-Gazers, a group of artificers focused on what the Void shares occasionally with Heleion.

“What do you think the Void graced us to have this kind of security warranted?” Ljuboryna, a dark elven Drengriar asked as she puffed out a cloud of smoke, quickly blown away by the storm as it floated beyond the ward.

Her beret stood its ground, sitting atop her shoulder length, thick platinum white feathered hair. Her jet black fringes opened up like curving curtains, almost blending in with her glistening smooth, light obsidian face, covering the edges of her almond-shaped, amethyst eyes. In the center a small, delicate nose elves tend to possess, below it a bow-shaped, alluring lip with the pitch black end of the cigarette wedged between.

“Does it matter? Our shifts here are finally over. Can’t wait to sleep in my bed once again.” Erhigal, her orcish Sister said, even though she barely resembled one now. As with all kin of her within the Black Rose, their brutish features had been practically erased by the Concoction.

Instead of a large, bulky nose she once had, it changed into a small, dainty one. Her monolid eyes, one of their most common feature besides the tusks, remained as was. The only changed that occurred is that the bland yellowish green hue turned into a more intense orange with hints of soft green. Her long parted hair cascading onto her right shoulder, while the other side had been braided, became thicker, its scarlet ebony hue more intense in its dark hues. All in all, she resembled a tall, pale elf with tusks and monolid eyes.

Their newly designed uniform glinted in the light shone on the platforms. The new Vigrieth Type-V single breasted jacket for Drengriars discarded the asymmetrical zipper and the old multilayered neck, for a simpler, smoother look.

Including the edges, as the folded down design of the previous generations had been replaced with a more rolled down appearance similar to some shirts and blouses, with a slight curve at the tips, towards the chest. A not so universal change in their uniform was the added Yehiornid fur at the edges of the jacket neck, the sleeve ends and at the hip, the Frost Modification as they tend to refer to these versions.

Besides these, the same shoulder strap stands over the soft scaled texture of the shoulders, and a utility belt had been added.

On the bottom a thick, skintight dragonid leather pant slid into the heightened combat boots whose bottom enveloped the feet were decorated with rose vine patterns with the thorns resembling sharp dragon scales.

“Another already?” Ljuboryna asked as she noticed her Sister reach into her pouch attached to the jacket’s utility belt, pulling out her pack of cigarettes.

“Yeah, it was a long and tiresome day. While I’m grateful for all these things artificers provided us through the years, they can still be a pain in my arse sometimes.” Erhigal said as the black filter of the cigarette touched her right tusk protruding out from under her lower lip.

“They’re finally here.” Ljuboryna said as the golem engine of a Flottirion echoed through the roar of the storm. Her sharp eyes noticed its bluish white light part the white shadows as it approached slowly between the jagged walls.

The two of them slowly backed away from the edge as the Flottirion hovered above. It slowly descended down. While the two’s attention focused on it, their fellow Sisters at the edges were grabbed by shadowy figures one by one. Their necks snapped softly, muted completely by the raging storm. The ones on the other side of the crates met a somewhat better fate, shot by silenced wand pistols, with most of the mana bullet’s inscriptions swallowed by their uniform’s protective enchantments and the material itself. The ones at the door stood still, unaware of what’s going down in a sense, right in front of them.

Said four at the entrance noticed a sphere rolling towards them too late. A lightning jolt shot at the four, trying to pierce through their thick, enchanted uniforms with little success. It only led to them hit the snowy ground twitching, fading into the world of dreams.

“Where are they?” As it parked slowly, the side door opened down, connecting to the platform. To the surprise of the two still oblivious to the situation, the expanded interior was empty. They slowly walked into, not sensing the two hiding at the corners.

The two assailants draped in full body leather suits that even hid their visages, dark, matte metal plates over them sprang into action. They quickly covered their mouths, only letting the two drengriars let out a muffled whimper. Swiftly their hands move over to their foreheads, index and middle finger locked together, enveloped in fiendish energies and runes. Their tips softly touch their smooth foreheads, energies zapping them as they fall to unconsciousness with a soft, muffled yelp.

As the two dragged Ljuboryna and Erhigal outside, a third emerged from the shadows, tall and slender, with feminine outlines protruding through the dark attire. The part covering her head parted like a swarm of locusts leave a completely devoured cadaver, revealing a fair toned naurdian, no older than 45. Vibrant blonde hair knotted into a franchoin style twisted bun at the back with a thick fringe grazing her sharp, linear brows. Below them her intense azure blue eyes glint even in the embrace of shadows, in an almond-shape. A straight, average sized nose fitting perfectly on her visage, below that a cushioned lips enhanced even more so by a blood red lipstick.

“Secure these, and the ones at the crates. Then take care of that four and move the restrained in the Flottirion.” Her melodious, graceful voice echoed as she issued out her commands, the faceless minions following up on them within a blink of an eye.

**

Her footsteps echoed within the long, almost blindingly white corridors of the complex. Hauntingly alluring corpses of Black Roses, artificers, Her own’s including the fiends’ invited to this world impeded the way as She stepped over them, with a scowl contorting her face.

Then after what felt like an eternity thanks to her impatience, She stopped at another, oval gate the hauntingly alluring cadavers were moved already out from the way. Several silent seconds later, the door howled open as the two pieces slid into the walls.

“Finally.” She muttered with annoyance clearly visible on her now.

“Next time, I’ll take more than your precious from you if you make me wait more than four seconds.” She said to the silent figure who fell onto his knees as soon as She loudly stepped in.

The room itself took a half-crescent moon shape at the entrance side. Facing as the door was thick metal wall with arcane crafted glass windows and a door right at the center. Beyond it a large, rectangular room with soft pads covering the ground and walls. In its center a metal coffin laid atop a table, radiant runes carved into its pristine dark surface.

“But this is your lucky day. Our guest takes precedence over punishment.” She walked in, ignoring the muffled whimpers of the two artificers and the three Black Roses who surrendered upon breach.

The youngest of the two artificers was a sraudornian girl with lightly tanned tone, an attractive face with faded mauve hair knotted into a long ponytail falling over her white coat. A long strip of black sealing tape covered her mouth, a second her eyes. In each almost alloy like surface, the lights reflection paired with the reflection of the room and its occupants.

The other, an elderly seossurian folk, a child of autumn. Fair skin with faded green veins popping out from the edges of his creased face. Short, neatly trimmed hair, still possessing its vibrant autumn orange hue, a chubby nose at the center of his elderly face. Black Sealing tape covered his mouth and eyes too.

“That one won’t be needed.” She stopped for a moment, got down to her knees while her palms locked on top of each, elbows shot out to the sides in front of a large adramantyte sarcophagus sealed tightly. Vile energies enveloped her body as she silently muttered a prayer to her vile mistress, then she turned to the seossurian artificer. At her command, the nearest minion took out her silenced wand pistol and brought an end to his long life.

At the sudden exection, the trussed up soratanese Drengriar with long dark hair let out a muffled yelp first being closest to the event. The red headed snaelv elf added her own short, scared muffled yelp, then the winterborn with mid length parted frost blue hair only let out a muffled grunt as if trying to communicate she wasn’t afraid.

Likewise to the artificers, black sealing tape covered their mouths and eyes. But unlike those two, much more enchanted rope had been used to restrain them.

“These can stay.” After the swift execution, four of the minions moved in at the snap of her fingers, and brought out the sarcophagus carefully. One grabbed the last artificer while three moved towards the Drengriars, but She stopped them.

Two more of her minions walked in the padded room with soft steps. They got down on their knees, their hands on their thighs as if entering a trance.

She waved her index finger in the air at which they silently nodded and left the three. They calmed down as the sound of footsteps became distant in the corridor. One by one they leant back relaxed on the wall, their mewling turned softer.

“Don’t worry my dear. We’ll took good care of you.” She turned towards the artificer and said with a wicked smile, before she got shoved into the Flottirion. Her gaze returned to the silent platform one last time.