Dedicated to m4sean for his awesome and nagging comments to get me to update. Haha. XD

3.

Power of the Soulless

Sianna winced as an orange, sticky substance was applied to her injured arm. The mashed up herb had been mixed with something that attacked her nose hairs, intensifying her headache and renewing her desire to throw up.

"Stop whinin', Sianna," a thick set, young woman said, her voice a huff as if talking to a child.

Sianna glared at her with hazy eyes still dilated from last night's alcohol. Her head was resting on the Leitnant's table, wounded arm spread out for Kem, one of the town's sage's apprentices, to mend.

The young healer rolled her eyes. "Please, Sianna. You thought pouring wine over your wounds was a good idea? That's why you woke up with your arm itchin' this mornin'."

Sianna tried to say "shut up" but it came out as a groan. Kem answered by slamming her mortar and pestle next to her head. She might as well have hit her with it.

"Kem. Please mind my table. It is dragon bone, you know." The Leitnant's voice streaked across the room. "Indeed, Sianna. What possessed you to pour wine in your wounds when Kem would have gladly tended to your injuries?"

Sianna rolled her eyes to look at her. How was the Leitnant up and perfectly fine after last night? She had drunk more than any of them. Half the soldiers woke up still drunk, something the Leitnant chewed them out for. They were all still part of the Guard and had responsibilities. Never mind it was her idea for them all to drink last night.

Her headache spiked as she recalled Aldermeck's lecture, personally reserved for her. "You may be a Leitnant now, Rayoss, so you cannot mope around as you are. Come. I summoned Kem to my office to treat your arm properly."

Sianna shoved herself off the table and slumped on her seat. "You could've told me that last night before I did it, Lei-uh, Meryl. We weren't drunk yet."

Aldermeck came up to her with a smile. "It was your day, Sianna. You were allowed to do as you pleased."

Again Sianna groaned.

The Leitnant reached over Kem's hunched figure that was bandaging Sianna's arm-drawing more hisses from her as she did-and pulled out several rolled up parchments. She took them next to the lit fireplace to read.

"Your Rhokin is to arrive later on this afternoon," she said to Sianna without looking up from the papers in her hand.

This time Sianna's grunt wasn't because of her hangover.

"There," Kem said, wiping her hands on her stained apron.

The young lady began to pack her brown pouches of herbs, measuring spoons, and other materials in her satchel as Sianna flexed her hand. A warming sensation trailed down her fingers, originating from her treated wounds. It relaxed her, pulling a smile on her face.

"You're welcome," Kem said.

Sianna grinned at her. "Thank you, Kem."

The sage-in-training held out a calloused palm and lifted her blonde eyebrows.

She turned to Aldermeck.

"She did treat your wounds, Sianna. Pay the girl," she answered.

"Of course," Sianna grumbled and picked out her money pouch secured behind her armor piece.

"Thank you, ser." Kem smiled and pocketed the money.

"Yeah. Now you call me ser," she grumbled as she plopped back on the cluttered table.

"Mind my documents, Sianna," Aldermeck said.

"Don't forget to keep the bandage dry and change it every day. Let me know how it fairs at the end of the week." Sianna heard Kem say before the young woman took her exit.

"There is more I need to tell you about your Rhokin, Sianna," Aldermeck said from her seat. "Join me by the fire."

Sianna lifted her head to see her Leitnant still absorbed in her letters or whatever it was she always seemed to be reading. She stood up to walk towards the fireplace but Aldermeck's sitting figure momentarily split into three versions and it halted her pacing.

"I thought you had explained to me what I needed to know about my Rhokin already," Sianna said as she continued her walk and joined the Leitnant. The fire's warmth comforted her.

"Not entirely. I was eager to get to the tavern." Aldermeck smiled, placing her papers to the side. "Sianna, do you know how Rhokins came to be?"

She eyed the crackling fire, its smell and sound triggering past thoughts she thought she had submerged. "Yes," Sianna said. "King Oric's wizard is the one that created them back then and continues to create them now. The magickal beasts, the Magus, have never stopped attacking since they first appeared."

"Yes, we all know that story. What I am asking is do you know how it is that the Rhokin come to be?"

"The magick?" Sianna looked at her.

She giggled. "No. No one but that wizard knows how to do that. I am talking about their appearance upon their creation. They do not grow up to look like they do. They were born, you could say, looking exactly as they do now."

She returned her sight to the fire. She had never wondered about such information, but now that she had it, it just gave the Rhokins a more unnatural appearance. Sianna shook her head.

"They hardly age, if it can be they do at all," Aldermeck continued. "I doubt I've seen Deneck with any white hairs. Rhokins do not feel the severity of climate changes. They are stronger and faster than us and immune to most magick. In fact, they have their own magick themselves, but"-she rested her laced hands on her lap-"they also bleed like us. They feel pain. They weep. They laugh, eat, and sleep like us. Learn like us."

She paused and eyed Sianna. "That is what I wanted to tell you, Sianna. Your Rhokin is not a slave. He is your partner. I know you see me ordering Deneck to do mundane tasks, but that is because there is nothing else to do in this quiet little town. When we were stationed near Lessithar Citadel, we were more active as partners in battle."

Aldermeck's smile was one Sianna had never seen on her. It was a reminiscent one, but it also held something more.

"We would fight the beasts together. Of course I was fully armed in Armadura back then. Down here in Jabel we are not attacked enough to have body Armadura sent to us. We have to do with our Armadura enchanted swords and sparse shields."

Anger momentarily stung Sianna's throat. Armadura. Fabricated armor that was, for the most part, magick proof. Weapons made from Armadura could hurt most magickal creatures as well, giving normal humans like herself a greater fighting chance against such beasts.

Armadura is a newer creation from the king's wizard, but even so, Sianna felt like its existence should nullify the use of Rhokins. Clad the entire Guard in Armadura and there would soon be no need for them. Unfortunately, Armadura was quite costly and the enchantment only lasted for a few of time's turns, so it was mostly distributed to the areas where attacks were greater in number.

Sianna sighed.

Aldermeck stood up and looking down at her said, "What I am saying, Sianna, is treat him as your partner. The more time you spend with him, the faster his own magick will awaken. Each Rhokin possesses some form of magick. It is how they are able to battle with the Magus creatures. Treat him well. He will be your shield."

My shield?

The room's door banged open and a frantic Tiel ran in. His face was red from probably both the cold and his run from the look of his heaving chest.

"Leitnant!" he called and rushed over to her. "There's a strange Magus attacking the town. It's not like any we have seen!"

A Magus? Sianna thought, bolting to her feet.

It was the general term used to name beasts of the magickal kind, universal across the kingdom. Some of the creatures did have specific names, usually given by the people they attack. Frost belluas, harpy-like creatures the size of vultures that liked to slurp the eyes out of people, and frost lichens, hunchbacked creatures that looked like horned, walking fur, were the usual Magus that would attack Jabel, sparse as the encounters were. The people of Jabel weren't creative in their name calling, but the fact Tiel called the beast attacking a "strange Magus" made Sianna nervous.

It seemed to do the same to Aldermeck. Her soft face turned into a hard scowl. She picked up both her and Sianna's sheathed swords from the table. She tossed Sianna's to her and strapped her own to her belt.

"Arm, Leitnant Rayoss," she growled as she marched across the room, plucking her cape from its hanger. "Tiel, lead us to it."

"Yes, Leitnant!" the young soldier said and followed her outside.

Sianna's headache lifted when the cold hit her, but frantic thoughts overtook her instead. Tiel didn't look harmed. Did it just appear? Are the others fighting it right now? She scowled. Lycin better be there as well. Even though this isn't his town, we're still all assigned to the same region.

Her throat was dry as she drew in icy wind. Her running had distorted everything passing by her into a white blur meaning Tiel was leading them to the outskirts of the town.

Good. Less casualties. Hopefully it was caught before it entered the village.

They halted and Sianna found her hunch was correct; they were at the edge of Jabel. The endless white of the ground was occasionally disturbed by small, black branches from bare bushes. Snowcapped mountains loomed in the horizon, giving everything a serene and quiet look...if it wasn't for the towering Magus.

It was as tall as a giant, standing on two wolf-like legs. The orange skin that clung to it was like a satin sheet over its bones; the creature seemed to have no muscles. The Magus' head sat upon an elongated and bony neck that contracted with its breathing.

Three Guard uniforms, one blue, were fending the beast back. Sianna was sure some of the soldiers stayed inside the village as crowd control. The others were probably on the opposite side of the town, unaware of the situation. Sianna recognized the only Rhokin on scene as Deneck.

"Elkren! Yero!" Aldermeck called to the other two soldiers. "Stand back!"

The Magus shifted its round eyes at Sianna and the others, acknowledging their presence with a roar. It was unlike any she ever heard. It was a sharp cry that held a rapid vibrato. Each second Sianna heard it encouraged her to claw her ears off.

"...return...Lycin and Calera...Sianna, flank...Deneck..."

Sianna heard Aldermeck's voice in snippets, but she understood what had been said. The others were to find Lycin and Calera for reinforcements while she and Aldermeck flanked the monster to aid Deneck.

"Stay by its side and just edge it towards Deneck. He will take care of the rest." This time the Leitnant's orders rang clear in her ears.

She drew her sword and ran towards the beast, missing a swipe of its claws Deneck had parried away from him. Sianna grunted even though she knew he hadn't meant to do that. At the same time she was impressed he had been able to redirect such a massive limb. She took her place by the Magus' left side, careful to avoid it's stomping feet and flailing talons.

Deneck hopped from the ground up to the creature's left hand and ran up to its shoulder, dodging its other hand's swipes at him. He pulled back his black-bladed sword until it was parallel to the ground and plunged it as far as it would go into the base of the Magus' long neck. He placed both hands on the hilt and drew it down.

The sword glided through the orange skin and golden blood drenched down like molten riches. Peeking between the glistening liquid were black bones that shone like wet onyx. When Deneck reached the creature's elbow, he sliced right and then left. In a swirl of glinting blood, the Magus' lower arm fell to the white ground, the hot gore putrefying the snow into green steam.

The Magus roared and Sianna felt like her ears would explode off her skull. Her breath left her when the beast's heel jabbed her in the chest and stomach. Sianna scrapped across the snow and ice, their frosty touches shredding her leather armor and chinking her chainmail. She struggled up, her wounded arm throbbing with hot pain, and raced back to her spot.

"Sianna, ser!" Deneck said when she came back. He looked like a golden statue. "Do not allow the beast's feet to cross this line."

He carved a long stripe in the snow with the tip of his sword. It was multiple yards away from the staggering Magus. Sianna could see Aldermeck taunting it with her sword, swiping and hacking at its legs. She realized she was drawing it away from Deneck so he was able to talk to Sianna as he was now.

"Remember," Deneck said and shot off back to the beast.

She stepped over the line and stood a few feet next to it in order to maintain it within her peripheral vision while she kept sight on the Magus itself. She saw Deneck draw the creature away from Aldermeck. It jabbed at him with his only hand, seemingly enraged at what he did to its other arm.

Deneck met its attack with a swing of his sword. Little suns flecked off his blade as the two forces clashed together. The Rhokin kicked the giant clawed hand up, jumped in the air to meet it, and impaled it down to the ground with his sword. Sianna knew that wouldn't hold long and Deneck apparently did too.

He hopped to its shoulder again, ducking its head that snapped at him. He placed a hand on its neck, repeating the process a few more times as he dashed around the creature's torso. Sianna wasn't sure but his touches seemed to summon a green light under his palm.

The Rhokin was running down the beast's jagged spine when it freed its hand. It straightened from its hunch, throwing Deneck off. He crashed onto a patch of ice. The cracking sound resonated like the piercing snap of a whip.

In its search for its opponent, the Magus saw Sianna. It charged at her, oozing a trail of gold behind it. Sianna knew she couldn't defeat it, but she could buy Deneck time.

I also have to keep it from crossing the line.

She inhaled and stepped forward to meet it.

"Wait, Sianna!" Deneck called out to her.

She stopped and looked at him. He was on one knee, his gloved palm on the ground. Sianna recognized his stance. She had only seen it once before, but she remembered what happened after that. Sianna turned around and ran away from the Magus.

A wet explosion sounded behind her, followed by a second-long pull by a strong and invisible force. She stopped and turned around, knowing it was done. The Magus no longer had a head. Its body collapsed forward like a coat and Sianna realized it didn't have a spine either. It seemed to have been plucked out of its back. The surrounding skin was shredded in a way that suggested it had not been painless.

"Sianna! Are you alright?" Aldermeck said as she came into view. "I saw you were thrown across the snow."

Sianna inhaled deeply and noted if she felt any sharp pains in her sides. "I think I'm okay, but I'll probably have a huge bruise for a while."

Deneck joined them. The only part of him that wasn't gold in color anymore was his skin. He offered both of them a kind smile.

"Are the two of you alright?" he asked.

Aldermeck gave him a playful shove. "I thought you were going to encase it in a field of your magick. What was the point of us keeping it between the lines you drew?"

Deneck shook his head. "I apologize. I had not absorbed enough of its blood to make a full body seal. I figured doing away with its head and spine would suffice."

This was the second time Sianna had seen Deneck use his Rhokin magick. The best way she could describe it is that he pulls things into nonexistence. Whatever he touches will simply disappear, and he is capable of disposing entire bodies at once. It all comes with a price though. Deneck must absorb his opponents blood in order to activate the seal within him that allows him to use his magick. The more blood he absorbs, the more of his opponent he can obliterate.

Aldermeck sighed. "We have a huge corpse to deal with, but at least the threat is dead."

Sianna saw the worry that flashed through the Leitnant's eyes as she gripped the hilt of her sword tighter. "Where the hell were Lycin and that Calera of his?" The bitterness was back in her voice.

Sianna bit her lip, staring at the orange and gold body in front of her. At least no one died, but how strange-

"Calera! Where were you and Lycin? I sent some of my men to bring you!" the Leitnant's voice was a harsh as the surrounding ice.

Sianna turned around to see the eerie Rhokin walk up to them. She shivered and looked away from the skeleton girl.

Aldermeck sighed. "What is the point of Lycin sending you here? You don't even talk."

"Apologies."

The word caused her and Sianna to snap their attention at the female Rhokin. Even Deneck gaped at her with his mouth open.

"Lycin allowed me to speak," she continued. Her voice was full and rich like a queen's. "He is currently attending to our new recruit."

Calera's unblinking eyes singed into Sianna's brown ones. She felt her body give up. Her chest exploded with pain and her arm blistered with agony.

"Your Rhokin has arrived, Sianna," Calera said in her beautiful voice.

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Author's Note: Eeep! Sorry for the late update. Holiday time + me getting sick = bad. Um. Yes, I realize that didn't make sense.

Anyways, Calathus has a new cover! I hope you like it.

Thanks for reading, as always! :D

Drawing: Bloody Deneck by Ciphertext! So...bloody.