"Then we've made our choice. Prepare what you'll need to take, because tomorrow night, we're taking Odensby back for ourselves!" Anders flicked his arm out, gesturing for the others to return to their homes promptly. Cheers erupted from the small crowd before quickly scattering to return to their homes to do as instructed and get some rest. "I hope you know what you're doing," Unni muttered to him. "I do; I promise," he smiled, patting her shoulder.
The other creatures also reached their destinations, and each recipient around the continent responded accordingly. However, the lone creature that had departed last from Valdis finally reached its destination. Still, since Coltend was such a populated country, it only traveled under the cover of night. The difficulty of this only increased when it arrived at the well-guarded Coltend Castle.
A hooded figure was in the aviary that night, awaiting a response from his master, when finally, the creature arrived through the main window. He went to the beast and removed the parchment from the pouch.
I've set the pieces in motion. Do not disappoint me, the hooded figure read. "I will not disappoint you, my lord," the figure said to the creature. It screeched quietly before flying off to deliver the reply as its wings glistened in the moonlight.
So, the time has finally come, has it?He will likely be here soon. I must prepare the way for his arrival, the figure thought as he watched the creature soaring into the night sky.
Meanwhile, in Valdis, a few days had passed since Athar had first begun his training. He'd been making decent progress, though the dark circles beneath his eyes signified his dedication to this new ability. He sat upright against the wall on his bed, with a stack of books neatly organized on the small table beside it.
It's been nearly four days, and I've nearly finished Efer's book. Although, I still haven't figured out where the fuck that dripping sound is coming from, he thought as he flipped through to the far end of the book in his hand.
After reading a few pages, he realized he couldn't focus on anything properly, as another dripping noise came from just outside his door. He desperately tried to shun the thought from his mind, quieting it. After many hours of trying and failing, he finally got out of bed. He put on his clothes and grabbed a candle from his bedside table, aimlessly walking down the halls to see if the dripping would come after him.
What if it's a monster on the loose? I don't know if my master would appreciate me accidentally killing one of his beasts, even though I'm not sure I even could, he thought, listening for the sound again.
His palms began to sweat, adrenaline coursed through his veins, and his heart rate rapidly increased. He immediately became more aware of his surroundings as he walked without a distinct direction to follow, and after a few minutes, he heard it again.
Drip.
Fuck me, there it is, again! Alright, calm down and keep moving forward. Don't look back right now. Wait for an opportunity, he continued walking, pretending not to notice the sound that had reached his ears.
The library. That's where I'll face it, he thought, turning down the halls he had come to know over the past few years, and began making his way towards his now-favorite room in the whole citadel.
Drip.
He walked into the library and knelt in the center, as though he were about to practice even though he had already spent most of the day doing so. He pulled out the flask of deathmold solution and set it to his left, pretending he didn't just hear it again. He began to cycle through a handful of exercises to give whatever creature was following him a false sense of security.
Steady. Just keep doing what you're doing. Let it come in closer, he took a deep breath as violet mana swirled into his hand.
Drip.Drip.
Just a little more, you bastard, he thought, continuing to condense his spell.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
With the third droplet hitting the ground, he quickly turned to face whatever it was and released as powerful an Exar as he could, as a burst of mana tore through the air towards his target. The shadowy figure lept to another part of the study, prompting him to fire off another blast, but it dodged those as well, leaving craters behind where its claws had dug into the thick, metallic walls.
"Damn you!" Athar shouted, firing off another blast before taking a swig from the vial the Masked One had left him. With a grunt of exertion and blackened eyes, he drew more mana from the Underworld, letting it swirl into a large nebula that coated his entire forearm. "I've got you now, you piece of shit!" he shouted, extending his fingers outward to cast a Kyr spell.
The bolt of violet lightning shot out from his fingertips, making the hair on his arms and head stand on end. It soared through the air to its target, tearing through it as it went with a crackling boom. It reached its target and struck it in the shoulder, causing it to fall to the ground.
Desperately, Athar rushed toward the creature, its gaping maw releasing a gut-wrenching screech as it writhed in pain. It noticed he was coming and quickly got to its clawed feet to defend itself, but it was too late. Athar grabbed it by a fold in its scale-like flesh and slammed his forehead into the bridge of its nose. It hardly flinched from the pain, but he did it again, this time snapping a handful of teeth and drawing more black blood from it.
"What the fuck do you want from me?" Athar shouted before headbutting it again, knocking its head back. Karak snarled and glared at him, but knew he wasn't there to kill his master's pet. "I was sent here to watch you, Athar," the daemon raised clawed hands, hoping it would stop the next headbutt from landing.
Athar halted and glared at the creature in disbelief. "You sure he didn't send you here to kill me, you slimy fuck? Then why the hell were you just sneaking around like that? Answer me!" he jostled the creature.