"Come on in Althar." Jarren posed akin to the devil with his hand gestured for Althar's entrance. His steps slow and deliberate before taking a seat opposite to the pair. One with a look of disinterest and the other faint intrigue. "Althar? What is it that would push you so for an audience with us?"
Jarren was the first to ask, his tone flat devoid of any emotion. He exhaled a quick short breathe, his fists clenched. His body seemed to tense around the two, not out of fear but wariness. He felt something insidious hung around the two.
The sense gnawing in his heart the moment he came across the two. He was sure that the two were playing with him. "It's about the letter you received. With the sub-par state of security in Caerthalas, it would be in the favor that I question about the contents of the letter. I hope that you can understand."
His question met with playful smirks before a response was issued. "Of course Althar, however I do have to urge you that there is nothing wrong with the letter. Just some babbles from a friend of ours is all." Her tone laced with fervor aimed with the intent of unnerving Althar and with his shifts, it seemed to work.
"As much as I respect your privacy, I'm forced to inspect the letter." He persisted, the two pleased with his relentlessness. "You see the issue about the letter is that I discarded it. However I do assure you that nothing wrong will befall your king should he play his cards right." Althar was met with fake smiles he could see through.
It was clear that the pair had no intention of masking what the felt for the king, their apathy dripping through their words. Althar was stumped. 'I can't just ask the two to hand the remains as well but this need won't be easily dealt with either.' Now stuck between fear and duty, he made his choice.
He could hear the chirping of birds around them and in the distant her the murmurs of Evermead. The air in the carriage felt thick, almost threatening to choke him alive.
As much as he wanted to calm down, peace seemed to elude him with each attempt. "I know that it would be pointless to ask for the remains therefore I'm urging the two of you to brief me about your flow of information."
"However I won't be too nosy." He added on with the fear of coming as overbearing to the two. Rather than snarky comments or outrages, he was met with smiles that he was growing all the more wary of than any weapon aimed at him. "Of course, it would be a shame to have the king to pass away." Such words sent a shiver down Althar's spine.
He cleared his throat meant to ease the unspoken tension hanging in the air like a guillotine meant to chop his head should he misspeak. And yet the edge of the badge never left him. "Do you have anything else Althar?" Callista posed cutting through the tension like butter with a hot knife. "That will be all." Althar's tone now rough as he rose to his feet and alighted the carriage.
The two watched his frame leave before the door slammed shut. "It would most certainly be a shame to have the king leave Caerthalas so soon." Callista's words rang through, almost mocking Jarren. "Don't you think that it would be too much for Guinevere to face Caerthalas so soon."
His tone light as if the situation was already settled. "Die or not, who cares about some random king. I'm here for my- I mean Clomere's toy." Recalling Callista's words back then, he couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "From a child to a toy, my how far you've fallen from mercy."
Callista shot up in protest. "I'm not like Clomere before you say it. And besides with eternity at our hands, I'm sure that we have time for change." The streets the two had heard from afar filled with live and vigor were now dead silent. "Have fun with the king, I'll be busy with other important matters."
...
"My king, they have arrived." A voice, grim and heavy posed as the source made a respectful bow to the man seated on the throne. "So soon?" The so called king posed, his tone calm and composed as he rose to his feet. "Should I see it as an honor or a threat to have these two in my kingdom." The king muttered to himself sinking into his seat.
"My king..." His subordinate hesitantly spoke. "It would be best for you to come to an understanding with the pair. They hold a lot of weight in the ruling of Redfall." A faint mocking laughter followed. "An understanding? Look what happened to the dwarves after an understanding with Redfall. They are nothing more than a vassal for resources for Redfall."
His tone agitated at the mention of understanding. "I would rather be forced to go into a war than serve children!" With his research, he was both bothered and irritated with the fact that the ruler of Guinevere was no older than twenty five. Jarren and Callista being in the same range as well. 'For these monsters to be so potent at such young ages, it's clear that there's more to it.'
Any theories he had about the rise of the three were met with faults or dead ends. 'To be so powerful to the point of lifting an entire kingdom...' His mind fell into dread recalling the scene of Callista lifting Othare. 'But the glyphs she used at the time, it's clear that these three have learnt some form of technique to allow them to be so powerful.'
From the intelligence he had managed to get from Reuthar, he wasn't sure whether Atherion was incompetent or just as lost as he was. He recalled the unseen array Jarren and Callista used, the agent that fell into madness before passing or the relationship between the pair and their families.
'What could have Jarren told Callista to have her turn on her own father? Am I overthinking this or is it nothing more than just the hunger for power?' He had seen men who had ruined themselves with the lunacy of power and to be above the game and yet they all failed. 'It could be but if so then this would put Jarren as the main cause for all of this madness.'
He furrowed his brows recalling that he had done everything to do with Jarren. From his background, his elementals and his parents with which his results were nil. He shifted in his chair, his subordinate still kneeling across the table. "You can leave." He finally spoke before wishing to go back to his records. The sounds of footsteps could be heard before he was left alone in his room.
He too was in Evermead, just masked in secrecy of the populace given that he didn't have his main brigade here. His mind drifted to the time of the fateful night. When he heard about the death of everyone close to him while he was busy wasted in his room. The soft words of his mother, the stern orders from his fathers and the game his siblings played for the throne.
And yet amidst all the chaos he was the one that managed to come out. His state was that of distress followed by anger however there was no one to direct his anger at. With the mass deaths of his family as wells as the elites, it was hard to say who exactly it was and his only lead of finding Crimson had gone cold months ago.
He was now nothing more than a shell of his own father. As much as he detested his watch, restraining his hedonistic lifestyle at the time, he couldn't help but admit that he had become what he hated. 'I promise that I will avenge you.' He swore in his heart as he poured a cold glass of old wine. His taste for wine hadn't evaporated unlike his more pleasure driven throes.
'Old habits die hard.' He gave a faint chuckle as the wine trickled down his throat, his mind feeling the tug of the wine.
...
"A pleasure to meet you two Jarren Velros and Callista Vaewlyn." The head butler mused, his beard gray with his frame adorned in formal black and white attire. Behind him a row of servants lined up with their figures bowed. The carriages began to be hailed away, Althar watching the two before he was off the grounds.
'Should we bother with that one?' Callista asked in his mind. 'I'm certain that he would play a key role. It's just a matter of time.' Jarren echoed back in Callista's head as the two made their way into manor. The first thing that stuck to them was the design, a blend of modernity with the sleek glasses and chic walls with malcore arrays all over.
The head butler led the way, his tone calm with his hands clasped behind his back. "The meeting with the king will occur in two days. I hope that you two don't mind the wait." His tone low and laced with respect, the two didn't bother with him. "Or course, we don't mind." Callista posed blankly as a tour began of the place.
A few hours later, the two were done as they crashed in the main lounge. "It's not a shabby place I'll say." Callista lazily mused with her frame resting on the lounging chair facing a nearby pool. Not far from her a bar was stationed, two bar tenders busy with their drinks. "So it death or assimilation?" Jarren said out of the blue that took the tenders by surprise.
Their motions halted however the pair paid them no mind. "I'm still lost on that. How about a bit of both. We have the two and I choose, what do you think?" A sip was her response followed with a snark. "Since when did you get so comfortable with your fangs or I'll cull them for you." Still she didn't bother backing down.
"It's clear that you can't make a proper decision with her. Your sentiment of her still blinds you till this moment. It would be far better for me to call the shots." A sigh escaped his lips followed with a chuckle. "Maybe I'm blind, or maybe you're way too greedy." She let out a theatrical sigh, her mouth opening wider open.
"How dare you call me greedy? I'm right and you know it. This baseless accusation of me being greedy should be retracted at once." Jarren watched her act, a pleased smile forming on his face. "Well I may have misspoke with greedy, the word I was looking for was...opportunistic." She now sat upright placing down her drink she had yet to take a sip of.
"Opportunistic? I'm working with what I have. Not that you are in the right as well Jarren. A monster with philosophies and sadism wrapped up as a horror. I'm still lost whether to be with you or to leave you too." His eyes softened as he took a sip of his wine, his body unwinding from the beverage.
He could hear the faint whirls of the water, the heartbeat of the tenders and the faint hum Callista gave. "You say so much about you leaving me and yet here you are. I don't have you wrapped around my leg darling. You could leave at any time that you so wish." Her retort was sharp, her edge sharper.
"And risk being another novelty that you can keep on your shelf of memory? I lose either way with you so there's no need to fight you. I know this unlike Guinevere but unlike Clomere I know that you want something more of your league. Something that pushes back not out of blind resistance but measured steps."
After this she took a sip as if to pat herself on the back. Rather than a smile to affirm her, a laugh was her response. "So close only for you to fall with your last words. It's more than just measured resistance, it's something that you might personally struggle with." His words final as he refused to elaborate. With a click of her tongue, she took another sip of her drink.