Castle Gangrene
The Next Day
Rays of sunlight sifted through the curtains of the large throne room windows and illuminated the empty table that now took up the center of the currently empty room. Hurried footsteps could be heard echoing down the hall outside, approaching the room before stopping in front of the doors. Several seconds later the doors were flung open as the first member of Bismarck's personal guards barged in panting, obviously winded from running all the way to the room. Taking note of the empty room, the figure let of a groan of anger and frustration before muttering to himself.
"Wanted to make a good impression Scott, but nobody's here. At least I'm not late" he said before making his way to one of the curtains and pulling it back, letting sunlight in and using using the window as a makeshift mirror to examine himself; he was tall -as expected from a dark elf- at a height of six foot nine inches with a lithe build gotten from his years of hunting in the forests of his homeland, a picture of speed and agility. His dark skin was covered with a thin layer of sweat which he wiped off using a handkerchief which he returned to his pocket.
Adjusting his collar and rearranging his disheveled hair back to its original state, he sauntered to the table and took a seat, placing his legs on top of the table and crossing them, trying to project a relaxed image despite the fact that he was nervous deep down. He had recently joined the Invicta- the personal guards of each leader of the Bismarck family, and he wasn't going to give them a reason to kick him out.
He waited in the room for several minutes before his pointed ears twitched as they picked up the sound of heavy footsteps approaching the room before the doors swung open to reveal his only friend among Bismarck's personal guards; Muri Thunder. Wearing his usual scowl, Muri's eyes scanned the room looking for any other members of the guards before his eyes landed on Scott sitting at the table. Muri relaxed visibly heading to the table and taking his seat next to Scott, folding his hand over his bare, scarred muscular chest and his scowl plastered on his face as he wished he was anywhere but here.
Both of them waited in silence for what seemed like hours before they heard heavy footsteps, heavier than Muri's and they instinctively knew who it was; the only member of Bismarck's personal guards that all of them feared, Beli-Ola. The doors swung open and he walked in dressed in a simple loose white shirt, black trousers and a pair of hunting boots. His slitted eyes scanned the room for anyone who didn't belong there before he took a deep breath in, tasting the air for anyone who was hiding in the room. Satisfied that all was as it should be, he walked towards the table and sat down opposite Muri and Scott on his customized chair, his eyes glaring at the two of them seemingly staring into their deepest beings.
Sitting in silence, both Muri and Scott had beads of sweat running down their face as they tried to maintain eye contact with Beli-Ola, but none of them could match his gaze. Gathering enough courage to talk, he cleared his throat and tried to give off a calm demeanor before speaking; "Beli, what's going on? Why'd the boss man call for us? And where are the others?" he asked before crossing his legs trying to seem as carefree as possible. Beli-Ola stared at Scott with his cold slitted eyes before answering, "Lord Bismarck requested only the two of you because he has a task for you Necro. Think of it as your initiation mission into the Invicta."
Hearing this, Scott suddenly had an apprehensive look on his face as he wiped away a small bead of sweat that ran down his face. He had been dreading this day ever since he had found out about the initiation. Each member of the Invicta was required to perform a feat that put them above everyone, from single handedly slaying dragons to conquering new territory for Aeternum, or even discovering new applications of magic. Necro had yet to perform a deed that would allow the others accept him as one of them. Intrigued, he pressed for more information while trying to come off as nonchalant as possible.
"You've got me intrigued Beli. So what's the great and mighty Lord Bismarck need me for?" he asked with a mocking tone in his voice, "Does he need someone to clean up his mess or is there something that he couldn't handle?" he said as he crossed his legs and began to relax, leaning backwards. Beli-Ola stared at him for a few seconds before letting out a light chuckle, "You'll have to ask him yourself. Afterall he is right behind you" he said with a small smile on his face.
"What?" Necro said as his face paled at Beli-Ola's words, trying to get his feet off the table, only for a shadowy tentacle to wrap itself around his neck, chocking him as he was lifted into the air. He futilely clawed at the tentacle around his neck, even going as far as to produce a dagger from his sleeve and started hacking at the tentacle, only to stare in shock as the dagger broke as it came in contact with the tentacle. He struggled for a few seconds before remembering that he was able to use magic.
Letting out a choked laugh, he reached inside himself as he had done countless times while thinking about the ways he could escape and neutralize whatever Bismarck was doing. Dread crawled all over his being as he realized something very horrifying; he couldn't feel his magic. More accurately, he couldn't access it no matter how much he tried, something was blocking off his connection to his magic. The other thing was that he could feel his magic reserves being drained. He began to panic as he lost his connection to the one thing that had always been with him through thick and thin.
Losing his composure, he began to thrash around, struggling against the tentacle and flinging his limbs wildly in an attempt to hit Bismarck in order to try to make him loose control of the tentacle in order to let him go, but it was all in vain. As spots started filling Necro's vision, he tried to beg Bismarck to let him go, only for his pleas to fall on deaf ears as the tentacle grew tighter. Just when he thought it was over for him, the tentacle released him and slithered back into the shadows covering Bismarck. Watching him gasp for air on the floor, Bismarck moved towards his throne and sat down, his shadows coiling around him keeping his actual form hidden from everyone. Throughout all of this, neither Beli-Ola nor Muri moved from their seats as they watched the entire debacle with looks of neutrality and fear respectively.
"Necro, I have a mission that your talents can accomplish." Bismarck stated from his throne not minding the fact that Necro still hadn't recovered, "Muri will be there to monitor your progress and retrieve your corpse if necessary." Hearing what his duty was, Muri sat up straighter in his seat, intrigued as to what the mission was. He was growing bored with sitting still in Xerx and maintaining order in the city on Bismarck's behalf. Necro slowly got up from the floor with a hand around his bruised throat, staring at Bismarck with rage in his eyes, but he suppressed it and it was replaced with a questioning look.
Seeing that he had Necro's attention Bismarck gave a light chuckle and continued; "I need both of you to go to an island and retrieve something important for me" he said as Necro slowly got up from the floor. "The island is located a few thousand miles off the coast of Simul, so you'll have to be quick in order to avoid any unnecessary confrontation"
"What is on this island that you need, also, how much force is allowed?" Muri asked as he felt his body begin to itch at the thought of a fight. He knew that eventually he would need to step in when Necro screwed up. "The island is home to a dragonkin that recently managed to evolve into a dragon. I want you to defeat it and collect its magic before it has a chance to get accustomed to its power. Failure is not an option." Bismarck said as Necro managed to get off the floor and unto a chair.
As Muri heard about the presence of a dragon, his body trembled in excitement at the thought of facing off against one of the top predators on the planet, "When do we leave and is it necessary that it stays alive?" Muri asked as he got up and tried to stabilize Necro who looked like he could fall over at any given moment. He blamed Necro's weak physical constitution for his slow recovery and made a mental note to put Necro through several physical training regiments when he got back and if Necro made it back alive.
"You leave as soon as Necro manages to get himself together. Normally, the trip would take you a few months to make the trip and return, but I don't have that time, so I'll send you there myself." Bismarck said as the shadows around him began to gather into a corner in the room, forming a hole which seemed like it was made from liquid darkness. Picking up Necro from the chair, he was motioned to enter the portal by Bismarck's shadowed hand and he complied while slinging Necro over his back and carrying him into the portal.
"And take this with you" Muri turned around and caught the object that came sailing his way, examining it in his hand; it was a pitch-black diamond which seemed to suck all light into it. "When you defeat the dragonkin, you are to plant that in its chest and wait. When it turns red, then you take it out." Muri nodded at the order before walking towards the portal. As he was about to step foot into it, Bismarck's voice rang out, "A word of warning, no matter what you see or hear, do not stray off the path. I'd hate to have to find new bodyguards."
Muri gave a slight pause when he heard that before continuing into the portal carrying Necro on his back. As soon as he entered the portal, the shadows collapsed and made their way back to their master, joining the horde of shadows that coated Bismarck's figure.