Heleion Archives

23rd of September, 65th of the Neo-Dawn Era. Abrandrioth, Buymir Heimrad, Naireanth.

“So what’s the job this time?” Elianisstria asked in her serene, tender voice while leaning closer to Yngvar. Her alabaster breasts peeked out from her hoshigawan-inspired dress, her dark hair knotted in a bun of similar inspiration. Her dark eyes pulsed with an infernal light, alluring him as his face got closer to hers.

“Honestly, not sure yet. Besides the usual retrieval of some ancient relic.” He said while pulling away from her, lifting his half-full mug of golden mead.

“How typical of you.” She said, taking a sip from her wine as her eyes scanned through the crowd, inspecting each person within seconds as if searching for someone to seduce.

“So who’s the contact of yours? At least I hope you know them.” She added, turning to him.

“It is a dwarven noble. But as per her wish, I won’t say her name.” He said as his hands caressed her exposed right thigh closest to him. "Now I wonder why?" Her hands locked around his, stopping him just as he was about to slip into her panties.

“That I know not why. Nor do I care to be honest. The pay is good so I’m fine with it.” He said, then his face turned towards the crowd, lighting up as he recognized the figure approaching them, dancing between the thick crowd elegantly. At least as elegantly as a dwarf can with their short, bulky stature.

“Excuse me for being late. But recently there are more eyes fixated on me than I would prefer it otherwise.” The dwarf lady bowed down while apologizing for her tardiness to their meeting at the Frozen Sand Inn.

“Then let us not waste anymore time.” Yngvar added, offering a kind smile that melted the hearts of ladies, except for Elianisstria, who was quite used to it already, even though strange, annoying feelings rose within her every time he did this in a crowd, be it large or small.

“Agreed.” The dwarf lady draped in bland dark robes said. Her face, while a bit rough, was graceful as a refined diamond, veiled under shadows. Elianisstria grew some respect for her as she remained unfazed by Yngvar's charming expression.

“So, the job. To be quick, I want you to enter the Nameless Ruins in the south eastern border of the mountain and retrieve The Wishing Eye before… an acquaintance of mine does so.” She started her explanation, then stopped for a moment before finishing, her eyes hardly visible, adorned with a somber look.

 “Also recently I learned he hired a small contingent of Black Roses so as compensation, the pay has been raised to double.” Then she added, handing them an envelope that bulged quite heavily, the notes with the Queen's heavenly visage printed on them clearly visible through the thick paper.

“We will not fail you.” Yngvar said, and the dwarven lady bowed before vanishing wordlessly. He and Elianisstria looked around at the exit, making sure the coast was clear before she disappeared into the busy streets of the city. They waited for a moment, finishing their drinks before leaving their table, which was strategically positioned far from the window, to find a more private space for their planning.

**

“One never gets used to this.” Elianisstria said, stepping over the cadaver of an ancient warrior that had moved a few moments ago. Its head rolled away after she severed it with her specialty—an astral blade that formed around one of her arms, or sometimes both. The transparent arcane blades, with bluish-white edges, quickly dissipated into nothingness as footsteps approached, reaching her ears.

For a moment, she contemplated whether to hide in one of the tombs on the sides of the long path. However, in the end, she chose to remain and, in the worst case, confront the group of three individuals as she sensed each of them.

“Ereveusal, what are you doing here?” A high elven Vordriar called out to her as soon as they spotted her standing over the decayed corpses. Her slim silvery eyebrow raised on her emotionless, gorgeous elven face, displaying a questioning look in her azure-blue eyes, matching the collars of her blouses, which peaked out from her open jacket's neck, reaching high towards her perfect, angular jawline.

“I was on my way to change post with one at the landing point.” She replied seamlessly, her faux umbral elven face remaining calm, oozing with a sinister allure.

“Good, I was just heading there myself.” After a moment of silence, the high elf showed contemplation on her own alluring face, framed by two platinum white strands perfectly flowing down onto her chest, with the rest covering her jacket's scaled, multiple layered shoulders. She turned around and ordered her two Sisters—an orcish Stygian Hirdriar with gleaming emerald skin and fiery greenish eyes, and a merfolk Vordriar with skin as blue as the clear waters of the ocean, small fish scales on her cheeks, and gills on her frail neck embraced by her collars.

“Come, better to start as soon we can.” The high elf, Heikarith, walked past her, and she followed after, for a moment considering taking out the high elf before continuing on. But she decided against it, as the other two were still within earshot, and probably also had detection spells cast, she concluded within herself.

The two reached their destinations, another plateau high above a small valley within the southern range of the Arkadien Mountains, running around as a natural border for Naireanth. The rough cacophony of multiple waterfalls filled the place as they flowed down into the Happron River, running through the mountain into Scoh, a bit south from their current location.

“Sorry about this sisters.” Elianisstria reached for her holster, quickly pulling the wand pistol out. Her mana flowed into it in a millisecond, the runes on the trigger glowing in a light blue hue. The first bullet passed through Heikarith and tore through her body without damaging either her or her sleek, dark uniform. It continued straight towards the Sraudornian Vordriar called Hallah. She let out a soft groan as the ethereal bullet entered through her uniform and light coffee-brown body, possessing athletic features and small breasts.

Her head bounced once as her thick, light chestnut-brown medium-length hair, cut in a sharp angular bob, parted in the center, resting on the metallic ramp of the large Flottirion facing the entrance. The other vordriar, Tyrairith, a snaelv elf, quickly aimed her stave rifle at Gonvisque, but it was still too late as she collapsed unconscious onto the old, murky marble floor. Her long ivory-white hair spread out on her uniform, while her side fringe remained still, hiding her right frosty eye.

“At least, if you are lucky you may come with us at the end of all this.” She said practically to herself as she grabbed Heikarith and dragged her inside the Flottirion parked on the right, where Tyrairith rested.

Within two minutes, she had dragged the last, Hallah, inside and placed her on the right. She watched the trio peacefully dream with their heads lumped on each other’s shoulders. Then, she took out a roll of silver sealing tape from her borrowed pouch and, with a smirk on her faux face, ripped it open after making sure no one was heading towards them.

**

“And then what?” Elianisstria asked while embracing Yngvar from behind, fully naked. Her arms looped across under his armpits, adorned with runic tattoos with faint arcane residue leading to their glowing pulse, while her hands stopped at his abdomen adorned with numerous scars, including one caused by punctuation.

“Well, stay there for a while to make sure no one discovers the guards missing. Then this path will lead towards the center according to Einarion’s notes.” He continued while his attention was on the map and notes left behind by the snaelv elven explorer who mapped out most of the massive labyrinthian system of the Nameless Ruins, including the vault that may house the relic.

“And you? Heading alone inside with numerous patrols along the path?” Elianisstria asked, her voice carrying hints of worry while her soft hair gently caressed his shoulders, his sewn-off missing horns scraping his skin as she buried her face into his scapula.

“Yes, but this is not my first rodeo as they say in Eoran.” He turned around while tenderly caressing her cheeks, their lips locked together as their tongues intertwined for several minutes. “If worse comes to worst, I will signal to you as usual.” His eyes pointed at the two small stones embedded with mana crystals imbued with certain inscriptions.

“Fine. But then after I’m sure no one comes to check on the landing platform, let’s meet here.” She pointed at an intersection a few corridors away from the vault, a bit towards the eastern section that was said to be haunted by dangerous specters.

“Are you sure?” He asked.

“Yep, knowing them they won’t go to unnecessary lengths, so they’ll probably approach the vault from this path.” She said while drawing her index finger across the parchment of the sketched map.

“Just make sure no one sees you coming.” He said while embracing her from behind, his hot breath spreading across her left shoulder arousing her. “I won’t. Now, where were we?” Then she pushed him onto the bed, crawling on top of him with a lustrous smirk on her devilish elven face.

**

“Next time Vujice, you won’t take a mission in some old ruin.” As her steps echoed through the wide corridor, hardened menacing shadows forming on all sides while a dim darkness occupied the crypts, Vujica, a naurdian vordriar, vowed to never join a mission like this. Her tresses of deep, rich chocolate-brown hair fell in soft layers, framing her stunning face adorned with deep-set intense pink eyes, shivering as she swiftly turned around with her sword and wand pistol aimed forward to the empty dark space.

“Just your mind playing tricks.” She murmured to herself while sheathing her sword away, turning around. Then, before she could continue on with her patrol, a fist not so gently crashed into her face. She let out a soft grunt as she fell unconscious into Yngvar’s arms. He looked around for a second before dragging her into the darkness. After a series of clicks and tearing sounds, Yngvar stepped forth from the darkness, fixing his fedora.

He continued delving deeper into the ruins, taking a bit of a detour as he headed to the intersection. He ducked into the shadows two turns later as footsteps signaled a patrol coming towards him. “Poor Luzie, she has to put up with that stinking dwarf,” a soratanese hirdriar said as they passed by, the rest of their conversation becoming distant rather quickly as they hurried in the same direction Yngvar left Vujica bound and sealed with tape.

His steps muffled as he rushed out from the crypt, his body shifting sharply to the right as he continued his way. He hid three more times as patrols closed in the same path. He started wondering whether it was a good idea to meet up in the intersection. Contrary to her experience, Elianisstria may have been wrong about the Black Roses in this case.

With the amount they have cleared out, it appears that they cleared the path leading to it, and possibly even the intersection itself. There were no remains of undead lying in the labyrinthian corridor or even in the small rooms built along the way. As the patrol consisting of a blonde naurdian and a dark elf passed, their presence and footsteps became distant. Yngvar once more rushed out and towards the meeting point.

“Hey, there stop!” An authoritative voice belonging to an elven stygian with black as the shiniest obsidian skin, long horns that curved over her platinum white hair flowing seamlessly down her Vigrieth Type-IV issued jacket, and crimson red devilish eyes. For a moment, his gaze fixated on her, mesmerized by her beauty, before he managed to break free from her charm and started sprinting while ducking down to evade the mana bullets tearing towards him.

The number of footsteps coming from behind increased gradually as he took turn after turn, reaching a dead end in the end. His attention shifted from up and down, left and right, searching for any hidden latch or button to get out of this situation. Then when the footsteps were close enough, he lifted his arms up above his head while he turned around.

“Secure him.” The stygian ordered the two of her Sisters. They bent his arms behind, quickly cuffing them. The tearing of sealing tape indicated they had no intention to hear him, so he kept his mouth shut as they applied the gag quite roughly.

 “Call for Luzie, tell her we have an uninvited guest.” She ordered the soratanese Sister of hers while they escorted the secured Yngvar away. A few grunts escaped his sealed mouth as they pushed him forward with eyes gleaming with a certain excitement.