Heleion Archives

“Clear.” Claraste stood amongst the doll like corpses of the Black Roses who managed the main golem-engine of the Pale Specter Station, her cold eyes wandered on their snow silvery blood melding into the white metallic scenery of the spacious room. On the elevated floors, Yeva stated with cold indifference as the thin, snow silvery blood of her Sisters seemingly retreated off her sword’s blade just like villagers ran from an approaching wild dragon with raging flames in its maw.

While as a spy it wasn’t the first time Claraste used tactics like this – it still left a bitter taste in her mouth. Killing was a last resort she was willing to use, for the most part she preferred going for incapacitation and binding. But time was not on her side this time. She had to hurry before Adelia discovered her little trick of swapping places with Ainumil.

Thankfully with the new, upgraded faux visage developed by their artificers she was capable of keeping track of Ainumil. For a moment, she closed her soft lids over her crimson eyes and the darkness swiftly dissipated as she watched from an overhead view as Adelia and one another Einherjier with her wrapped the sealing tape around the battered Ainumil who showed little to no resistance while still trying to indicate that she was not Claraste. As the scene faded, she exhaled but still went through the programs supernatural speed.

Without saying any further word she went to the nearest console and started going through the golem-system of the Void Station made with a weapon of mass destruction. In a way it was a first in terms of magicraft weapons capable of leveling cities, but only in the way that it was the first that was sent into the Void Between Worlds in which their enormous blue planet floated seemingly aimless.

There were numerous other magicraft weapons with such capabilities that even her own country developed during the Great War. For example there was a large cannon that shot out large spherical objects which inside was inscribed with ancient runes, hieroglyphs found in the cursed ruins of the Great Golden Desert of once Shalaion. A weapon she saw in use, saw the aftereffects of desiccated corpses that resembled those left out in the sun for eons, with tortured grimaces frozen on them for all eternity.

But at least that weapon had the weakness of needing to be moved around, which itself was easily noticeable thanks to the advancement of surveying techniques and such. This, people could easily say the wrath of gods smite upon them though she knew that Haldoreen would not hide the fact it was her and the Draunneth Alliance. She knew, she saw the madness in her eyes and she saw what she was capable of as she looked upon the blackened, frozen corpses she left behind after the Albionan Royal Host managed to take back the than ghost city of Apelmeer that struggled even now to go back to the prosperity it once enjoyed.

She quivered with anger as she recalled her mission there during the war, sneaking through the city and mapping out the battle stations of the Snow-Scaled Host and the Black Rose Order who holed up in the ruined city. Finding its citizens either still under the rubble or loaded up into trucks to be carried off into mass-graves or burnt into ash. The horrible stench still lingered in her nose that permeated the city even after they took it back that itself took them half a year at least.

As she went through the system – her fingers moved with an unnatural speed, tapping the flat, blackened mirror surface with cubicles with letters and numbers within – while actively pouring her mana to activate her eidetic memory into which she saved the vast amount of information Ainumil wrote for the past decade or more.

From the arcane points of her arms a thread grew and slithered out from her body connecting to the two charmed Skjaldmaeriors under her control. Midway through the mana formed into inscriptions as she shared her knowledge with the two while also commanding them to move to the consoles on the elevated parts of the spacious engine room.

As soon as the thread connected to their arcane points located in their heads, the two rushed and started typing then grabbed each a corpse and placed their soft, cold palms on the empty, black mirror screens that lit up for a millisecond while on the screens a green arrow appeared in approval and recognition.

At the center a large glass apparatus like structure contained a gloomy dark stone with strange, previously unseen colored crystals on it hovered in the center, engulfed in arcane energies. Energies that in their state of calmness started converging towards the metallic tube that headed down into the floor and into the weapon of mass destruction that was located into the bottom part of the gigantic void station floating in the mesosphere of Heleion.

Alarms rang up suddenly and Claraste calmly looked away from the console for a moment. Then she looked back and stared at the mirror-screen in front of her where a cubicle appeared with the text: Do you wish to close the ramp? with a yes or no option beneath it. After four security checks the alarms’ intensity grew, and a soothing female voice ordered all to leave the Void Station within the next half an hour.

A smile curved onto her dark lips as another message got added, warning all personnel that an enemy was aboard. She knew that her little trick got discovered, and prayed one last time that at least it got discovered too late – for them – as she reached for her silenced wand pistol and fired into the console for extra good measures. She gave her next command to the Yeva and Lorenaith. Stepping out into the wide and tall corridor, the trio readied their weapons noticing the fast approaching group of Einherjiers equipped with drauclar plates and rapid mana guns.

**

Adelia stood still in front of the locked gate where Ainumil’s wrapped corpse floated further and further away in the cold embrace of the Void Between Worlds. By the time the alarms ear-piercing ringing echoed through the whole void station, the once great mind and inventor of previously mentioned station was too far away to be even seen as Adelia’s blood boiled with rage.

Yet on the outside she appeared calm, collected while her chest puffed out periodically as she calmed herself down. “What are your orders, Sister?” The raven black haired aurygian Einherjier asked her in a firm yet also somewhat meek tone.

Her skin was seemingly appeared to be a fusion of flesh and molten gold, her eyes shimmered with a wicked amber flame, her horns protruding from beneath her thick fringe would have reached high if not for its gentle curve.

Adelia looked at her calmly with a pensive expression as she slowly got filled with a murderous rage directed at Claraste. Then the soothing voice informed them of the shell of the magicraft weapon of mass destruction remained closed even as the weapon itself was preparing a spell that currently only three people could cast by themselves – one being Lythienne herself.

“Sister?” As the countdown began, Adelia stood pondering which got broken by the other Einherjier that accompanied her – a young feyfolk of the summerborn kin with long, wavy hair of vibrant red shade that reminisced Adelia of the late summer nights of the north. Her intense azure blue pupils stared at her, awaiting the orders while her supple lips trembled a little as deep down, she wanted to just get off this metallic prison floating in the Void Between Worlds.

“Evacuate!” The disembodied voice of Haldoreen echoed in their minds. For a moment they looked surprised at the dark metallic ceiling adorned with frescoes of the divine realm of Myelia. “Exalted Sister, are you sure?” Adelia tapped her left temple with her index and middle finger glued together, engulfed in arcane energies that now seeped into her mind while connecting to the aethereal line that connected them.

“I am. The survival of us, our Sisters is above some pesky agent who probably heads towards one of the hangars.” As Haldoreen said those words with conviction, Adelia realized it too as her murderous rage turned into murderous calmness.

“What about the teleportation circle?” She asked as it flashed into her mind like some momentary divine revelation that filled her with mild uncertainty.

“Have you forgot? Per the protocol it has been shut down already.” For a short moment Haldoreen went silent before her disembodied voice gave the command to her. “Head to the western hangar.”

**

Haldoreen stood in the corner bathed in the warm light of glowstones embedded into the ceiling. The two einherjiers looked a bit terrified, anxious as the countdown reached the 25th mark, while Haldoreen herself remained calm, collected and her gaze wandered between left and right. With each turn of her head, the long, singular tresses framing her face dangled, caressed her sharp cheek.

“Didn’t I already told you two, as long as you see me no reason to worry.” Haldoreen said calmly and as kindly as it was possible when she noticed the anxious expressions of the two. “We’ll be off in a hot minute.”

Haldoreen was in this regard like most of the old guard of the Black Rose and Snow-Scaled Host. Growing up in a world constantly raging war against demons, devils, fiends neutered those feelings, and then the following centuries spent in war after war dulled it even more. And then on top of that, the guilt of the survivor seeded firmly in each and every one of them.

Her right lid rolled over her eye, her pinkie finger engulfed in arcane energies resembling a frosty mist, pushed against it and coursed into her eye, into the arcane point of her head. In the far distance, and a few levels below where the Golem-Engine was located, a single spherical eye of ice appeared.

“A thorough one.” She said feeling somewhat relieved but also mourningly as through the eye she gazed upon the damaged consoles, and the fallen Sisters of hers whom many she knew from the days of the Great War where they served on the aerial dreadnought of hers before she offered them a job up here – enticing them with sweet lies.

As she released the pinkie finger from her right lid, she turned and looked at the two einherjier’s waiting with quiet anxiety. First her gaze lingered on the tall, naurdian with long chestnut brunette hair with a long tail cascading straight down to her back, then onto the other a winterborn feyfolk with skin as pale white as hers, and with well-kept silken hair of vibrant light blue shade that reminisced her of the ice covering the lakes of Naireanth during the long winters. Her pale lips pressed together in a thin, hard line.

She placed her fingers back and the eyes appeared in all the vast corridors of the Pale Specter Station for a mere second until only one remained hovering above Claraste and her two enthralled Skjaldmaeriors rushing towards the hangar on the western side of the station. “Head to the western hangar.” She gave her order to Adelia before she disconnected from the aethereal link.

The two einherjiers sighed in relief as glowing runes of frosty blue hue appeared under them and the three disappeared leaving behind nothing but whitish blue mist and snow-flakes.

**

The countdown reached the 15 minute mark just as Claraste and her charmed entourage finally reached the western hangar that felt awfully silent – ignoring the loud alarm. She raised her arm and the two stopped in their tracks and the trio stood still like statues while mana flowed into Claraste’s eyes as they lit up with an aethereal glow.

Before her eyes, on the floor she noticed the footsteps on the ground leading to the area where a thin circle ran around. She poured more of her mana into the spell, strengthening it and the edges of her dark lips curled up when a tall, funnel of myriad arcane runes towered in front of her eyes, reaching up and connecting to the ceiling. A single faint outline of an athletic, delicate tall figure appeared in its center.

“Get down!” She yelled too late when she noticed Adelia raising her right arm with her wand pistol aimed at them. Yeva and Lorenaith fell like puppets whose strings had been cut with holes in their foreheads emitting a shadowy mist besides blood and brain juice flowing from them the same snow silvery hue as for their Sisters.

“You know it wasn’t necessary to kill them?” Claraste yelled a bit frustrated as she looked at their corpses for a millisecond.

Adelia slowly walked towards her location in the opening leading into the vast corridor stretching far. “Still such a softie.” As she said those words, her head tilted to the left then she suddenly leapt out from the way of mana bullets that exploded with a dark mist that spread far and wide in the spacious, almost empty hangar.

“I just don’t subscribe to unnecessary killing.” Adelia continued leaping from the dark mist from which feelers lashed at out her, smashing the few crates left behind. Claraste’s disembodied voice spoke to her as the dark elf spy watched her former comrade change her evasion tactic into a more offensive one where she shot through the darkness with light infused mana bullets.

She raised her own silenced wand pistol and aimed at the left thigh of Adelia and after being 110 percent sure, she shot at it. A dark and completely silent mana bullet tore through the darkness and entered seamlessly into the raven black dragonid leather trouser and tight flesh of Adelia making her hiss at the pain. Solid shadows appeared on her leg and spread quickly onto her other binding them together.

In the next moment – as Adelia wrestled to broke free – one last feeler of massive size appeared overhead, shrouding her in shadows before collapsing onto her. The feeler itself burst into a dark fog that swiftly entered all her orifices. “Damn you.” Adelia said amidst suffocating and looked at Claraste who walked through the fading black mist that viciously devoured light entering it.

Malice gleamed in her eyes as she collapsed down to the floor, first onto her bound together knees, then onto her stomach. Her arms reached towards Claraste similar to enduring zombies who got cut in two at their waist, not giving up on their prey even as their second certain doom stood before them. “I guess this is necessary.” The corner of her lips mildly curled up as Claraste reached her and pointed the flat barrel of her small silenced wand pistol at her head.

Her head gently hitting the ground echoed through the hangar, drowned out by the gradually increased thundering of the alarm. “You just don’t get it anymore, don’t you?” Claraste said in a tired, regret filled tone as she grabbed her former comrade, former best friend.

**

On the 21st day of the year 117th of the Neo-Dawn Era, a thunderous roar descended from the skies all over the enormous world of Heleion, clearing the skies over all nations, stopping the storms before a stronger one followed. Many beliefs born on that day regarding the source of it as many remained awfully unaware of the truth for the next two to three hundred years – at least when it came to citizens, folks of the long-lived races.

In the south they believed the Saep the Great Devouring Serpent and Arha the God of the Sun and chief deity of the southern pantheon clashed once more, the roar being Saep as his thick, fluid dark hide got penetrated by the long-spear of Arha.

In the central nations of Heleion, the upper echelons of the military believed it was the result of meteorite clashing with their own Void Station, resulting in an explosion never seen before outside of the mythical grade spells so rarely cast while the common folk believed it was Sky-Father simply awakening from his long slumber that was caused by the festering wound inflicted on him by one of the elderly lords of the Abyss. The heads of Albion were the only one who knew it was the result of one of their agents sabotaging a hostile Void Station, but that remained a secret for many centuries to come.

And in the North, the common folk believed it was some kind of sign that heralded the end of winter and a glorious year ahead by none other than The Great Dragon Bhahamuth, First Child of the Ur-Dragon. “Gods, that was loud.” Lythienne said as she stared into the sky from the top of her spire on the Black Rose Isle. The clouds that served as their second layer of protection dissipated while the buildings and windows quivered like never before.

“Is Haldoreen…” She turned back and asked her dark elven secretary who was holding a clam shaped metallic object to her ear connected to a peculiar metallic box inscribed with narienthian runic letters that glowed with a cold blue light in a grid formation. “She just arrived with two of her Einherjiers.”

Lythienne heaved a relaxed sigh as she straightened her outfit, a raven black dragonid leather pelisse like coat-dress with a heightened round neck that circled around her aetherna satin blouse of a deep, vibrant mauve hue of fine curves.

“Tell her to come to my office, report everything. Also arrange a meeting with the envoy after it.” Her enchanting visage appeared tired just as realization hit her. “Myelia help me, this will be a long day.”

**

“My fuckin ears, hells.” The Lady In Red cursed as she stood at the window of the apartment looking at the now clear sky, noticing even the storm dying down that started raging just as she placed a wide strip of silver sealing tape over Zoryne’s lips and cheeks.

“Mmnffmmnmnnnph!” The four captives in the bedroom of Vivika’s apartment let out a cacophony of soft, muffled moans and groans as the building shook for a short moment as the magical force of the Pale Specter Station’s explosion reached the city. “Shush my dears, nothing to worry about.” She pressed her stretched index finger over her rose red lips as she turned back and watched the three bound and gagged Raven Eye agents’ squirming while placed together at the center of the room. Vivika herself still remained on the chair, bound excessively with sealing tape and her own vibrator wedged between her shapely thighs.

“While I’d love to stay, I better leave before reinforcements arrive.” She leaned close to Zoryne who looked defiantly at her, and as it was a custom for her, The Lady In Red pressed her deep, vibrant red lips against Zoryne’s bulging out from behind the gleaming silver tape, leaving her lip mark on it. Even through the somewhat thick strip, Zoryne felt the softness of her lips and the combination of her sweet, peach like scent turned her dark cheeks into the hue of nightshade.

“Take care my lovelies, and hope we meet again in the same vein.” Before she closed the door on them, she turned slightly back and sent a kiss towards the three agents who each diverted their gazes while blushing, their minds confused while Vivika remained twitching as she went through the gods know which climax of hers.

**

“Yeah, I may have forgot to calculate in the explosion.” Claraste said awkwardly as she stood on the snow covered plateau atop one of the tallest peaks of the Eptirrion Range.

“I think that’s the Farathaul Sea… or maybe the Saellissor Sea.” Her crimson eyes squinted as she answered to the Lady In Red as she tried to deduce whether she was on the eastern side or the western side of the mountain range.

Claraste suddenly pulled her head to the right as the disembodied voice of her agitated handler spoke in her head with the volume of banshees. “Don’t raise your voice, I’m not an expert at deducing seas. They all blue and have water. Though the sun seems to descend a bit southwards to us, so we may be at the north eastern side.”

“Yeah, we can spend some time up here. The pod has enough food and drink to last us for a month at least.” She said while turning back to the pod that crashed into the side, emitting a small cloud of smoke. Inside Adelia sat like a well-behaved child – with extensive amount of sealing tape making sure that she won’t escape through magical means at least. “Well, just hurry up. Not a fan of this place if I’m being honest. Thanks.” With that the line between them dissipated and she walked back to the pod.

Hearing her footsteps, Adelia perked up a little using the cold metallic wall for support. “Cnmmmnffmmnmnnn.” A muffled moan came from her as if inquiring about something.

“Don’t worry, rescue is on the way and they may arrive in a week or two.” Claraste said with a cheeky smile that quickly faded as she sat down beside her. “Till then it’s just you and me.”