12. Skin
Skin
T he Night King Xelroth Vex swept out of the darkness of the cavern.
He was covered in black armor from head to toe that gleamed like an oil slick as the magic within it flowed over its surface.
His beautiful face was completely obscured by a helmet that left only a slit for his red eyes.
Vex’s laughter was low yet caused the hair on the neck of all who heard him to rise.
“You think your adventure is over? You think the fight is won? And victory is within your grasp?” Vex asked. “ No . You are just at the beginning–”
“No, no, that’s not right! Not right at all!” Rhalyf shook his head violently.
“Not right? This is my game! My story!” Finley protested, annoyance flickering over his face as he, Gemma and Rhalyf walked back to Tyrael. “I’m just giving you a preview! Not looking for feedback–”
“I thought you wanted your game to be accurate ?” Rhalyf lifted an elegant eyebrow at him.
“He’s got you there, Finley!” Gemma laughed.
Finley’s mouth opened and shut with an audible click.
He did . He prided himself on his accuracy.
He could have pointed out that Rhalyf was using second-hand sources to understand Vex and Kindreth society just like he was.
They both were making educated guesses. No one had seen Vex in millennia.
And the ins and outs of Kindreth society were being viewed through a negative lens by most of the chroniclers.
None of them were Kindreth. There were no primary sources.
Yet when Rhalyf spoke about the Kindreth and the Night King he did so with authority.
In fact, the more Rhalyf opened up about these things, the more authority he exuded about them.
If it were someone else, Finley would have suspected they were simply being a blaggard, wanting to appear an expert, but Rhalyf…
he was arrogant. He liked to hear the sound of his own voice.
He thought himself very intelligent and likely far more than most people in whatever room he was in. Yet… Yet…
There’s the ring of truth in what he says.
And the more he talks, it’s like the more he wants to talk.
It’s as if he’s been holding back all this discussion about the Kindreth and Vex for ages and I’ve finally allowed him to release it, Finley thought.
I kind of understand the feeling. While Declan, Gemma, Shonda and Michael have always been supportive of my interests in Kindreth history, they don’t have a passion for it like I do. And like Rhalyf seems to.
Finley pushed his glasses up his noses. “Well, it’s not as if anyone present will have ever seen Vex or have heard him speak so I’m using creative license to–to make it–”
“Dramatic?” Gemma offered.
“Yes.” Finley nodded. “Exactly. Dramatic.”
“It’s not what he said that’s the problem though I’m not quite sure if you have the vocal range to–but obviously you must work with what you have!” That last part was added when Finley narrowed his eyes dangerously at Rhalyf.
“I don’t know, you managed to sound like a hungry caterpillar, Rhalyf,” Gemma teased.
Rhalyf lifted his chin. “Yes, well, of course. Magic, you know.” That had Rhalyf looking at Finley out of the corner of his eye. “I could offer to add some effects to your voice, Finley, if you wanted. To make it more authentic and spine chilling. Only if you desired it, of course.”
Finley stood up straighter. He remembered how jealous he’d been of Rhalyf’s effortless use of magic earlier in the day.
He was still a little jealous, but he was starting to see the Aravae as something other than the two-dimensional being he had before.
He had been genuinely kind to the Hope children.
It had warned Finley’s heart and made him reward Rhalyf with some of the information he’d wanted.
“You mean you’d assist me with magic?” Finley asked.
“Yes. Why not? I’ll be there after all. Why not make it more exciting?” Rhalyf shrugged his shoulders.
Rhalyf had shed the Gran transformation once they’d left Hope and were far enough down the white stone road to Tyrael that no one could see them from its walls.
He was once more his Aravae self. In fact, he looked more elfy than ever.
Finley could swear that his pointed ears were more prominent and more… well, pointy .
Rhalyf tossed his dark bronze hair over his shoulders, shaking it like an actor in an old Pantene commercial.
It was lustrous and soft looking. Finley had to admit that.
And as seemed to be Rhalyf’s wont, his clothing seemed to want to slide right off his lithe yet muscular frame.
His green tunic was pushed so far off his shoulders that it showed more of his chest than it hid.
“I think that Vex sweeping out of the darkness in like–like Sauron armor in The Lord of the Rings sounds awesome, Finley!” Gemma said loyally.
“It is awesome,” Finley sniffed.
Rhalyf sighed. “If Vex was another kind of creature altogether than maybe , but think about who he is and what he is and who he’s up against. He’s facing off against your player characters who have just defeated one of his lieutenants, yes?”
“Ikkut Grieffinger the Ghoul,” Finley reminded him with another little sniff as he adjusted the bags he was carrying.
“Quite. A ghoul… hmmmm,” Rhalyf made a sound like he didn’t think a ghoul was appropriate, but one sharp look from Finley had him quickly saying, “My point is that you are trying to show the player characters that though they believe they are all big and bad, they are really lower level players at the moment, correct?”
“Well, yes, in regards to Vex–”
“Exactly. Now, first off, why is Vex wearing armor when he greets them?” Rhalyf asked.
“Well, because… uhm, he expects a fight, I guess,” Finley said, already sensing where he had gone wrong.
“A fight? A fight where your player characters have a snowball’s chance in a volcano of winning?” Both of Rhalyf’s eyebrows lifted.
“I suppose that’s true,” Finley conceded.
“One thing you must understand about Kindreth–and Vex in particular–is that the appearance of things is just as important–actually, nay, more important–than the reality,” Rhalyf explained.
“So he wouldn’t face people like the player characters in armor,” Gemma slowly put together, “because that would make it seem they were more powerful in his eyes than they actually are?”
“Yes!” Rhalyf touched his nose and pointed at her.
“He would be indicating that he thought they were a threat if he wore armor. Especially armor that covered every part of his body! I mean that just screams terror. And Vex never shows fear even–or especially –with people who do pose an actual threat. These player characters do not. He would know that. So he wouldn’t humiliate himself by wearing head to toe armor. ”
Finley frowned. “I see what you mean. So no armor? A little armor? What would he wear?”
Rhalyf beamed, happy to have won his point. “Ah! That’s the next part that struck me about the armor. You see, Kindreth like to show skin –”
“To a fight ?” Finley stared at him in disbelief.
“Absolutely to a fight!” Rhalyf rubbed his hands together eagerly. “Vex would likely be wearing something loose that allowed people to see plenty of flesh.”
“Like a–a short robe or something?” Gemma’s forehead was furrowed. She, too, was having trouble envisioning someone strolling through the dangerous Under Dark in just a slip of silk.
“Yes, something like that. Falling off his shoulders.” Rhalyf’s own tunic was falling off his shoulders showing acres of dark gold skin as if to demonstrate. “I doubt he would even be wearing shoes.”
Finley snorted like a cat might. “Why don’t I just have him walk in with a loincloth then?”
Rhalyf lifted an eyebrow. “That might not be a bad idea.”
“He’s not there to seduce them!” Finley cried, horrified..
“Isn’t he?” Rhalyf asked, winking at him.
“Is he?” Finley asked faintly.
“Oh, yes, he is .” Rhalyf laughed. “You think that the Aravae are all about love and sensuality, but the Kindreth… Well, they make the Aravae seem quite cloistered.”
“Oh.” Finley blinked.
“Seduction and sex are arrows in every Kindreth’s quiver along with murder, blackmail and more. But they are very important tools. Vex uses them constantly,” he said.
Uses? He’s saying that in present tense. He’s saying that like he knows. Like he’s seen it, Finley realized, but his thoughts were derailed as Gemma spoke.
“Would Vex go after one of the player characters romantically?” Gemma’s eyes were huge.
“Just one? How about all of them?” Rhalyf gleefully answered.
She made a swooning gesture. “Oh, wow! So he would–”
“It’s not that kind of game!” Finley flapped his arms wildly at his sides. Both Rhalyf and Gemma looked disappointed. Finley sighed. “Well, I just don’t know if I could respectfully roleplay Vex like that.”
“Vex would find it disrespectful for you not to have people fall at his feet and shed their clothes for him!” Rhalyf countered. “He’s quite beautiful. Or said to be.” The last was added quickly as if Rhalyf realized just how odd it was that he was speaking with such certainty.
“Really?” Gemma blinked huge eyes at him.
But Gemma’s enthusiasm had Rhalyf evidently forgetting his qualms and going on, “Oh, yes, silvery hair like captured starlight that falls in soft waves to his waist. A lean yet muscular physique honed by millennia of sword practice. Large eyes like pools of crimson fire. Skin as white as bone covering delicate yet masculine features–”
“And his voice? His voice is really low and sexy?” Gemma clasped her hands in front of her.
“Melodious. Heart stealing.” Rhalyf nodded sagely. “Skates up your spine like a caress.”
How would he know that?! Finley internally shouted.