Chapter 76: Speak

Chapter 76: Speak

For once, time seemed to crawl for Arwin. He and Lillia had found the house that Rodrick indicated on his map without too much difficulty, but waiting for Tix to actually show up was agony.

He sat inside the house while Lillia lurked in the alleys just beyond it, watching for Tix. There was no way to know exactly when she would show up, and Arwin was pretty sure that his face would raise at least a little suspicion if she spotted him.

If they wanted to properly get the jump on Tix, they needed her inside. She was a warrior, so Arwin doubted that he’d have long to take her out if he wanted to make sure she couldn’t call for help.

After some discussion with Lillia, they’d come up with a strategy that Arwin felt was about as reliable as they were going to get. There was no way to keep Tix from calling for help – even if he could kill her in a single blow, there was no point.

Arwin didn’t just need Tix dead. He needed answers, and that meant she had to be able to speak. And, if she could speak, she’d have a chance to cry out for help. There was only one way they could realistically think of that would keep Tix from calling out the moment she came under attack.

She needs to think she’s in control. Tix was definitely a warrior of some sort. If she’s convinced that I can’t put up a fight or I’m not strong enough to defeat her, she’s unlikely to go running for help. Her reputation would be ruined.

I can’t rely on that for long, but it’ll be enough. It has to be.

Unfortunately, before any plans could come into fruition, Arwin still had to wait for Tix to actually show up. The fact that he couldn’t even see Lillia was making things worse. He knew she was just outside, waiting for an unsuspecting Tix to pass by, but that didn’t make him any less tense.

Seconds felt like minutes as they ground by. He could have sworn the hours had passed thrice over already, but still the house was silent. Arwin’s hands were clammy – not out of fear, but out of anticipation. The temptation to summon Verdant Blaze was strong, but he resisted it.

Arwin didn’t call on any of his weapons or armor. He needed to look exactly the same as Tix had first seen him. Anything else could completely ruin their plan. If all went well, she’d deduce that Arwin had been the one with the shadow magic and wouldn’t even know there was a second person with him.

But, until Lillia ran into Tix, there was absolutely nothing Arwin could do other than stew in his thoughts and wait. He was pretty sure she should have passed by now.

Maybe Rodrick’s estimates were a little off, or she swapped something up today. I’m not sure if –

A startled curse from outside the building was the only warning Arwin got. He nearly tripped over himself as a woman stumbled through the door, propelled forward by a tendril of shadow that started to dissipate even as she spun, a sword flying free of its sheath.

Arwin slammed the door shut, his body moving before his mind had even processed that their plan had started in true.

“You!” Tix exclaimed, the tip of her blade dipping slightly in surprise. “What the hell is your problem?”

“You know what my problem is,” Arwin growled. “What the hell did you do to my smith?”

“Your smith? I don’t know what you’re talking about. I never even met the guy.”

“That’s a lie,” Arwin said, letting anger enter his voice as his lips pulled back. It wasn’t difficult to fake the rage, considering almost all of it was completely genuine. “He told me you met. A few days later, his forge goes up in a ball of fire – and you’re the only one that met him.”

“Look – what was your name again?”

“Arwin.”

“Right. Look, Arwin. I never met your smith. It looks like you’re in grief, so I’ll let you off this once. Get out of my way, or I’m going to cut you down where you stand.”

Arwin shook his head. “You’re lying. Again. I know the Iron Hounds are the ones that destroyed the smithy, Tix. If you don’t talk to me here and now, then I’m going to take the information to someone that will.”

The only thing that saved him was his instinct born from years of battle. His hands shot up, protecting his neck, and Tix’s sword carved into the back of his forearms, splattering blood across the ground.

By the time Arwin lowered his hands, she’d vanished again. Arwin spun, jumping to the side. A screech rang out as her sword bit into the side of his armor. Energy poured out of Arwin as the armor activated, sending a whip of [Soul Flame] streaking through the air.

Arwin didn’t see it connect, but he heard Tix hiss in pain. He didn’t have any time to gauge how effective the injury had been, though. Another blow carved across his back, digging deep into his armor but failing to penetrate it.

“Just die already!” Tix’s voice demanded – and a flicker of ironic amusement struck Arwin. She was trying to be just as quiet as he was. They both thought they were the hunter and the other the prey.

There was only one way to find out who was right.

Arwin couldn’t tell where Tix was going to come from, but she’d already tried attacking him from behind several times. Her buff made her considerably faster than anything he could hit, so there was only one option left to him.

He spun, raising his hands once more. As he’d predicted, Tix’s blade slammed into his forearms deep enough to strike bone – but not enough to cut through it. And, in the brief instant that Tix was standing still to execute the strike, Arwin used [Arsenal] to banish his helmet and yanked his hands up, taking the sword in his forearms with it.

Tix’s grip on the blade was too great to pull the blade free of her hands, but he caught her by enough surprise to move it up just a few inches and worsen the wound in his arms. Tix didn’t try to resist, and it wasn’t a surprise.

When an opponent helped you injure them, there wasn’t a reason to oppose it. After all, moving the sword even closer to your own throat wasn’t a move that would benefit anyone – other than Arwin.

With a roar and before Tix could pull the sword back to strike at him again, Arwin bit down on the blade. There was a brief moment of resistance as the item desperately tried to hold its form.

It was more resistance than anything else had ever given him, and it was just long enough for Tix to voice a surprised, “What the fu–”

The blade shattered. Power pumped through Arwin’s body and his fist shot out, slamming into the side of Tix’s head. She tumbled back, the fragments of the blade clattering down as she rolled, slamming into the stone wall with a thud.

Arwin dropped his hands, ignoring the blood that dripped down them and onto the ground as he closed the distance between Tix. She tried to stumble to her feet, but the dazed look in her eyes told Arwin that she’d hit her head against the wall.

His hand shot out, wrapping around her neck as he activated [Scourge] and lifted Tix into the air. Pain pumped through his arms from the deep wounds, but it didn’t even come close to distracting him from the ache in his heart.

“Who worked with you?” Arwin demanded, his helmet re-forming around his face as Tix nose-to-nose with the mask. “Tell me their goddamn names, Tix.”

“How?” Tix wheezed, trying and failing to draw in air. Even if she wanted to call for help now, Arwin’s tight grip wouldn’t let her. “What are you? How can you be alive?”

Guess she didn’t put two and two together. Can’t really blame Tix when she’s getting the life choked out of her.

“Last chance,” Arwin said. “Names, Tix. I don’t care if it’s every person in your guild or just two of them. I want to know names, and I want to know why.”

“Gods, I’ll tell you! Just let go of me! I’m going to suffocate. I told you I was just following orders,” Tix begged, pulling fruitlessly at his blood-slicked hand. With the power of [Scourge] strengthening his hand and no blade to cut him with, there was nothing she could do but comply.

Following orders isn’t an excuse. You knew what you were doing. Coward.

Arwin loosened his hold by just enough to let Tix speak.

“Then speak.”