"I will be going into retreat for a bit. I need you to do two things for me while I'm gone." Jack said with an authoritative tone, as he looked deeply at Boss Crag. The flame of his eyes jumped about, as he spoke.
"Only two things? Alright, what's it?" Boss Crag asked as it let the burners, and the strong acidic smoke coil into the air.
"Well, of course, I want the trading company to be in your control. Honestly, this goes without saying, but I want this to be completed before I get back."
"Alright."
"And lastly, Things will be happening around the kingdom, and I want you to promise me you will protect, at least, this capital city. You don't have to protect the whole kingdom, but at least this capital. Have all of your people to move here, and then protect it. Just don't show yourself until the last moment. You will be my trump card. People may think I am a pushover, but they will think twice if it's me and you."
[An Emperor Rank push over? These words don't even go in the same sentence... Is he luring out his enemies?] Crag thought quickly.
"Sure. If it's just this City. No problems." Crag's laugh bellowed as he took in the smoke that felt so warm and sweet to him.
Jack also took in some smoke, a slight warm feeling stirred.
"Crag... I'm going to let you in on some insider information."
"Oh?" Crag's curiosity was roused.
"I believe war is coming. When... I don't know, but it is coming. I only hope that it will not come, until I have left my retreat."
"How long are you planning on retreating for?" Crag wondered aloud.
"Six months, maybe a year. It depends on how long it will take me to work out a new spell I am working on..."
"A new spell? Something more powerful that The Angel of Death?!" Crag sat up straight, even to this day he felt a certain kind of way when referring to this spell.
"It will be powerful... Insanely... Something I don't believe this world has ever seen."
"What are We talking here? Like a bigger Angel of death... Or like... Lich King levels of ridiculousness?" Crag licked his lips, as much as he feared the reaper, he also loved power.
"This spell will be a support type spell. It's not for attacking, and it's not for defending."
Crag was instantly stunned... A full minute passed, until he finally opened his mouth, "Not used for attacking or defending...? Does it enhance a spell?" Crag wasn't a fool; his rock armor spell was a support spell.
"Not quite. Let's just say... That if what I want works... I will then be able to do anything I want when I want, depending on time and power."
"Anything?"
"If I can make it happen... Wish me luck." Jack began to laugh.
"Shouldn't I be praying for your success instead?" Crag laughed too and commented.
"Hahaha, sure. According to some old prophecy and a lunatic, I am the Undead God of Light. Can you believe that?" Jack laughed a bit harder.
Crag's laughter abruptly stopped. Jack soon noticed that he was the only one laughing, "What's wrong?"
Crag looked oddly at Jack, "...My daddy used to spin yarns about the tells and exploits of the gods... He would entertain me and my three sisters. Do ya know the last story he told me before he passed?"
"...I'm afraid to ask..." Jack felt the emotions in Crag's voice. Crag always struck him as a tough guy and this... This was unexpected.
"His last story that he told... He only told it to me... Said as the new boss, I should know. He said that gods were at one-time mortals, and mortals could become gods. He told me in a 'once upon a time' story that there was a Vampire... Yeah... A Vampire of all things... This Vampire worked hard and was an amazing expert. Blood Magic, he had! Strange stuff, but that little Vampire worked and worked and reached the apex of the underworld, and became a big Vampire. He conquered the realm well before the Lich King was even a thought to his greatest of grandparent's eyes. He was Alucard... The Blood God of the Vampires. God of the Underworld."
[Alacard???? Like the son of Dracula? or is he Dracula... This is getting too weird!] Jack commented in his mind.
Crag continued, "He ruled with a small pantheon, including the Spider Goddess his wife, the Jackal God, and a whole bunch of others... Daddy told me that they met with a terrible war. Kill 'in almost all of 'em. The Blood God, Alucard saved his wife the Spider Goddess, at the hour of destruction... She disappeared, and no one knows where she went. The Blood God wrote one last message... Now my Daddy... Well, My Daddy told me that one of Our ancestors was there that day. How much I believe any of this is... Well... I don't know... But I've always held it close to my heart because it was Daddy's stories, ya know..." Crag pulled a cloth handkerchief from his suit's breast pocket and wiped a tear that formed at his right eye.
[I never took Crag as an emotional man... But I can understand... I didn't have a dad... But I had mom...] Jack sighed in his mind, and continued to listen.
Crag hardened his voice to continued again, "Daddy said Our ancestor seen the Blood Gods last message... His last message wrote in blood said."
Crag cleared his throat, as it seemed he tried to mimic his old man, "In death I die, in blood I write. The gods are not now. The gods are later. Another will come, and he will wash the worlds in blood and light."
Jack sat up straighter when he heard the word 'light.'
"Now Daddy finished telling me this... He said that one day that more gods would come. Mortals that would ascend, and become gods."
"Did... Did he say why it was like that?" Jack asked this was what he wanted to know. Exactly what was the purpose of the gods. This was all super new to him. He just wanted to run a kingdom...
Crag shook his head, as he dabbed his left eye. He folded his handkerchief and placed in back into his suit's pocket.
"Nah, he didn't say why there were gods... He never said how to become a god neither. I figured destiny makes that kind of thing happen." Crag said, before he took a deep breath of burnt offering, then gave a hard look at Jack.
"I think you should take this prophecy and this supposed lunatic serious." Crag said with a sharp look.
Jack was slightly shocked. He always knew Crag to be a well-grounded man. A realist, even! And here he was telling him to take what Jack considered to be "hocus pocus fortune cookie stuff" serious?
Crag felt Jack's silence, and spoke again, "Look... I'm not saying you're going to become a god, but I am saying there is such a thing as having fate. Don't ask me how to become a god. I don't know, but ya was told a prophecy that included you and what you call a lunatic might just be a prophet. Where there's smoke there's fire."
Jack decided to not say what the prophecy Emily had told him, that was their business, after all, so he spoke, "Alright... I'll give it some thought."
"What's there to think? Just let it happen if it does, just don't forget me when you are sitting on high." Crag finally laughed and slapped his leg, lightening the mood greatly.
"Sure."
"I always thought washing the world in blood and light was meaning another Vampire was going to become a god, but thinking about it now... Sounds like you are going to be killing a lot! I guess I'll have to nickname you 'Witchy, the Undead Disaster!' Crag laughed again.
[Undead Disaster? Am I the disaster that will befall Neolith? If so, then Emily is their sacrificial sheep to spare their kingdom???] Jack quickly thought back to the conversation from earlier.
"Alright, I've spent enough time here. I'm going to get going. Be easy these few days, and remember the two promises I asked."
"Don't even mention it. It's what I should do, while under you." Crag said while waving his hand.
Jack left the room and made it to just outside his Library. He began to message everyone.
[Leslie, I'm going into retreat. I'll be out in about half a year to a year.] Jack messaged.
[I'll miss you.] was Leslie's only reply.
[I'll miss you, too.]
[Lucius, I'm going into retreat. Make sure to take care of Jordan and his disciple. Also, do me a favor and release that Emily has become my Consort. It would be best if this news made it to everywhere. We need to make sure to pull Neolith onto Our pirate ship, as soon as possible.]
[Will do. See you soon.] Lucius messaged.
[Emily...]