Heleion Archives

4th of November, 105 of the Neo-Dawn Era.

            “Sister!” Fridryl twitched in the sofa resting in a really, really deep slumber. Her head hunched down, flattening her blouse collars while she was a strangely cute snore escaped her. Most of her covered in a soft blanket with a single enchantment of low-grade heat woven into it. Stacks of books balanced themselves on the table not too far from her, seemingly afraid to fell on her. Amidst all this a faint feminine voice echoed within her mind.

“Sister Fridryl.” The previous silken, kind voice turned harsh as it screamed in to her mind, waking her up. The books fear evaporated as she accidentally hit them with her elbow. “Ouch.” She yelped as the rain of books fell on top of her, hoping to bury her in a mound of knowledge, so to speak.

“Yes – I am awake!” Her mental voice echoed through the link, still sounding a bit tired as she levitated the books off of herself.

“What is it?” Then she asked while straightening her blouse as she shot up from the sofa.

“They stroke again.” At those words she stopped in her stretching and a grim frown settled on her alluring visage.

“I’ll be there.” She grabbed her issued coat and headed out as the information of the location flowed into her mind.

**

“Where is the body?” As soon as she stepped in, she noticed that only her Sisters and some Bahamuthians were present taking photographs of the single apartment building. Just like with the previous cases, there were no signs of intrusion. No signs of struggle as if the killer just walked in and charmed the victim.

“Just in case we delivered it to the coroners – maybe this time they find something that may dissolve after a certain set of time.” Birthingriar said with a somber look as he smoked at the window.

“Should have awakened me.” Fridryl said feeling a bit frustrated.

“I know, but I got here just half an hour ago with orders already set.” Birthingriar apologized while staring out as the sun slowly set on the horizon.

“I see. Who was the victim this time?” Fridryil asked as arcane energies framed her eyes, pouring out from the whites.

“Melisandre, a single umbral elf working as a clerk in one of our local banks.” Birthingriar stretched his right arm out and sheets of papers appeared in his hand.

“So like the third and second victim someone with no family, a job that may lead to them working late.” Fridryl murmured as the papers teleported into her hands.

“Yep. And just like with those two. no one saw a thing. Not even her arriving home unlike with the last victim.” Birthingriar said as he flicked the cigarette out the window while conjuring a small devouring spark.

“What state was she in?” Fridryl asked as the outline was a blurry mass of arcane mist while the killer’s for the first time had a feminine contours.

“This one was hung up like butchered animals in a slaughterhouse.” Birthingriar stated a bit coldly.

“One last thing, our fellow got confident. Or very, very sloppy in their work.” Birthingriar said as he motioned towards the bedroom on the right.

Fridryl followed after her and her sharp elven brows contorted at the sight.

“That may explain how they or she got inside – how no neighbor heard anything, or how there are no signs of struggle or intrusion.” He said in a low whisper while Fridryl stood frozen as her whole being shook. Right beside the victim’s clothes, a stack of Black Rose Vordriar uniform stood.

**

“So they got the body this time. What a shame.” Bayarmchiur said with a bit of disappointment woven carefully into her tone. The reports from Fridryl just appeared on her table after she just got woken up from her sleep too. At first, she was a bit ecstatic hearing about another victim from the same killer, in such a short time.

“Well, can’t do much about it. Hopefully we get our hands on the killer.” She muttered to herself as she got up and left the coroner’s room to fetch a coffee for herself. For a moment she stopped at the door, staring at the dark sample at her desk, with questions and uncertain answers coursing through her mind constantly.

“First coffee.” Then she reminded herself to get some refreshening beverage before she continues her research on the strange gelatin.

Before she would enter the kitchen area, she stopped in her tracks. Faint footsteps rushing behind her made her swiftly turn around, but only the eerily empty corridor greeted her. While the building wasn’t completely empty at these hours, every other Hellian was already home resting for the next day.

“Probably just my pre-caffeinated mind.” Her arcane energies poured into the corridor and the coroner’s room, trying to sense any presence. Sensing nothing, she shrugged and entered the kitchen.

“Ah, truly a blessing from the Lord of Tastes.” As the sweetened sour drink poured into her mouth, down her throat she let out a sigh mixed with a compliment to the northern God of Hearth and Goods patron to gourmets, chefs, waiters and waitresses and even farmers and merchants who deal in food.

After finishing her coffee, feeling renewed completely to throw her curious mind against the mystery of the gelatin, she headed back to her post whistling through the way back.

“NrhnnHnnchmr.” She carefully flinched open the door, then within two steps they locked their arms around her torso, while the other clamped a soaked rag over her mouth and nose. Her muffled whimpers lessened gradually as power – both magical and physical faded from her. The odorless poison quickly worked its way into her, even affected her arcane points as she went completely limp and silent in their arms.

Then the door slowly creaked closed behind them, followed by the sound of Bayarmchiur dropped to the marble floor.

“It is fascinating, isn’t it?” They walked swiftly, yet also calmly to the corpse container and pulled out the previous victim’s holder.  Bayarmchiur’s eyes popped as she recognized Ryang’s face as the soratanese vordriar stood guard quite a few times at the stairs up leading down here.

“Took me quite a few decades to perfect it. But with the aid of my Lord, I could perfect it to not consume the skin.” She said turning to the terrified Bayarmchiur with a cold smile.

“But I guess, it is time to hone my craft in some other places. But first, I want them to know.” Then she sent the corpse back to the container’s cold, dark embrace while slowly approaching Bayarm who wanted to scream with every fiber of her being.

“Do not worry. The one I used on the other Roses didn’t hurt them. That one I made to gift the Final Pleasure that He blessed a few with in their sorry lives.” Their hands tenderly caressed her cheeks, while her tone was laced with absence that extended onto their grim expression. A tear flowed down Bayarm’s sharp, left cheek.

**

“Don’t you want to talk about it?” Birthingriar asked after flicking his cigarette out the window of the magicraft car. Fridryl with crossed arms, maintained control on the vehicle through telekinetic control of the wheel.

“What to talk about it? That we were not possibly, but most definitely infiltrated by a demented serial killer?” She said each word with a calm, but clearly angered tone.

“Come on. It probably just wasn’t you. Some of my Brothers and Sisters also got replaced, impersonated by them. We just have to figure out who and when.” Birthingriar said while gently tried to caress her shoulders, but like an irritated pet, she drawn away from his stinking hand.

“Instead of being here. Whatever you want to search for we already haven’t found.” The two were slowly driving down Steinynal Street blanketed by the warm rays of the rising sun. Without saying a word, the car suddenly stopped and Birthingriar who was in a comfortable position lurched suddenly forward.

“My Sisters already looking into that. Plus I have an inkling feeling who got impersonated even if the when is still uncertain.” Fridryl said as she shut the door closed with great force. Then she walked towards the alleyway.

“Wait, what do you mean you already know? Then why not go after them?” Birthingriar’s head was filled with a sudden wave of questions.

“Because they probably changed persona’s. That’s why I said who they were not who they are right now. Now shut up and let me focus on something.” Fridryl crouched down at the far end of the alley. Her fingers drawn across the wet, cold pavement while her mana flowed into them, spreading further out until it encompassed the whole area.

“Shit. Should have come here first.” Then she muttered with frustration while Birthingriar scraped his head in confusion.

“What is it?” He asked no longer able to contain his curiosity.

“Traces of umbral residue. They have been veiled well against our techniques.” She stated coldly, with anger clearly visible on her face.

“But how?” Birthingriar walked to where she stood, and looked down with eyes seeing beyond the natural realm, still saw nothing besides Fridryl’s arcane residue.

“Alchemy. There are certain concoctions that if processed right can veil one’s magic. And whoever it is, they must have a high affinity with night or shadow magic, maybe even mind to erase any possible witness’s memory of them and the victim.” Fridryl walked back and forth as she put things together in her mind. “Still a conjecture. But I believe… no know this is the case.”

“For now I agree. My own conjecture so far had been someone with great martial prowess to overpower our folk while trained well in the ways of subterfuge. Which now seems bollocks if I’m being honest.” Birthingriar said while leaning against the wall, his gaze focused on the morning sky. “So what now?” Then he asked.

“I’ll head back to my headquarters, you do the same. Let’s report to the Thegriths before making any move. Just in case, try not to look with suspicion on your own for now. There is a high chance they are still disguised as one of our own.” Fridryl said as she walked back to the car.

**

“Hrnnrc.” Bayarmchiur senses returned the moment they hanged her upside down in the air above a laid out dark ulyester sheet below them. Her arms ached as they were forcefully bent behind her back, crossed with her hands taped into mittens touching her shoulder blades.

At her footsteps her soft muffled mewling stopped as they walked in still wearing Ryang’s appearance. With a cold look, she looked at Bayarm then walked to the table filled with alchemical concoctions and apparatus. The wide strip of silver sealing tape clutching to her lips and cheeks puffed out as her breathing became heavier and faster.

“Hmn Hrnnm” She grabbed Bayarm’s flowing down dark greyish hair as they stepped in front of her slightly crouched down. Ryang’s cold, emotionless eyes seemingly stared into her eyes, as if searching for something inside of them. With each passing minute, she got closer to her, fear chilling her even more as her hanged upside down body quivered in its bonds. Her dark silken and leathery uniform activated on its own, trying to constantly calm her senses, warm her body to stop the quivering with little to no success.

“Chrrrmh Mrhrn.” Another mewl followed as they let go of Bayarm’s hair then walked back to the table with meticulous movements that amplified her cold, emotionless presence.

With Ryang’s hands on, she grabbed one of the empty perfume bottles and attached it to one end of the apparatus running across half the long table. Their index finger lightly tapped the top of the apparatus and a transparent, shadowy aura ran across the appliance. Then from the part that went behind and under the table, connecting to a large hidden barrel, a fluid eerily familiar to water flowed through the apparatus into the perfume vial.

“Mn gmnn!” Bayarm started twitching and struggling as panic set within her as they approached her with slow, heavy steps under which the sheet and floor creaked in a creeping cacophony. Without saying a word, she grabbed Bayarm’s hair once more, than sprayed the cold fluid into her face. Then a chair glided from the neighboring room and they watched with a cold expression.

After minutes passed by, a sudden intense pain assaulted Bayarm, yet no scream escaped her sealed mouth, only a long muffled moan as with the same swiftness, pained turned to immense pleasure…