Upon arriving at Inky's nest, Hadorix decided the nest should be moved to his warehouse. When he was ready to leave, he desired to leave no allies behind, and the spider babies were far too small to be able to keep up. He opened the door to his warehouse, and he and Inky began to move the babies to the warehouse. Hadorix shapeshifted back into a human and began to explore the warehouse. It was massive, with 5 different floors. Hadorix started his examination with the gear of the vampire king. The robe the king wore was jet black with red runes inscribed across it. It looked nothing like the robes the other vampires wore.
· Equipped vampiric king's leathers (Full Set) increased defense. Increased strength. Increased agility. Increased life leech.
· Equipped vampiric king's chainmail (Full Set) increased defense. Increased strength. Increased agility. Increased life leech.
· Equipped vampiric king's throwing daggers (5 sets).
· Gained vampiric king's mace.
· Gained vampiric king's throwing axe. (2)
· Gained vampiric king's great axe.
· Equipped king's vampire robe. Stealth abilities increased. Defense increased. Strength increased. Charisma increased.
Hadorix was ecstatic. He had again gained amazing gear. The vampiric King's chainmail even had a slot for a battle axe on the back. He would be able to carry Tree Slayer with him. With that thought in mind, Hadorix removed the handle of the vampiric king's great axe and shrank the handle of Tree Slayer. He then placed his handle in the head of the vampiric king's great axe and grew the handle again to fit the new head. He then moved to the Death Knights gear. The Death Knights wore plate mail of extremely high quality. Hadorix gave a set with all the weapons and shield to Zed to equip. This would protect him well. The rest of the gear he moved to the pile with the rest of the gear he had thus far acquired.
· Lost vampiric king's great axe.
· Equipped Tree Slayer (Vampiric Kings Great axe blade).
· Gained Kings guard plate mail (Full Set)
· Gained Kings guard mace.
· Gained Kings guard longsword.
· Gained Kings guard axe (2)
· Gained Kings guard throwing daggers (1 set)
· Gained Kings guard kite shield.
· Gained Death Knight Femur. (2)
This was a significant gain. Hadorix had yet to go through the rings the king wore, the items from the king's room or the rest of the warehouse. Thinking of the rings, Hadorix went through them next. He had no easy way of knowing what they did, so he equipped all 4.
· Equipped Kings signet. Increased Charisma and defense.
· Equipped ring of strength. Increased strength.
· Equipped ring of agility. Increased agility.
· Equipped spire of the vampire king. Access granted.
Hadorix opened the spire of the vampire king and entered alone. Inside he was surprised to find a vast library with a study area. There were thousands of books. Hadorix would have to return later to examine them all. Hadorix returned to the warehouse.
He then spoke to Maximus and Zed. "In your exploration of this warehouse, have either of you found food or water?"
Zed replied, "The second floor is fully stocked with food and water. It would be enough to last us a year or more. The king must have carried supplies for his servants just in case. The third floor is a freezer full of blood packs. The fifth floor is locked. I don't know what lies there."
Hadorix replied, "Maximus, how do we get out of this town?"
Maximus replied, "The city will be on lockdown. It is a miracle you have made it this far. I have no clue how we are going to get out of this one."
Hadorix contemplated this for a bit. He now knew he had enough food to last a year or longer in the warehouse. He had promised the kings successor that he would pay a visit to them in a month. Hadorix decided to allow the others to train in the warehouse for the month. Now that he had no need to hide his druid abilities, he summoned Monk. Monk would also train with Zed and Maximus for the month. Hadorix shapeshifted back into the form of a spider and left the warehouse. He began the slow trip back to the palace.
Once Hadorix arrived back in the cells, it did not take him long to find a foot to ride on. Guards were now patrolling the area of the cells constantly. They hoped Maximus or Hadorix would return. Little did they know they were in fact aiding Hadorix in his travels. At the end of his shift, the guard carried Hadorix halfway through the town toward the palace. Hadorix jumped off when his path diverted from the direction the palace lies in. He then proceeded to crawl toward the palace.
Hadorix was unlucky in this trip. The wind was not blowing the direction he needed to go, and nor were any of the people walking through the city. It took weeks to finally arrive at the door to the palace. Once there it was easy to ride on the shoe of a servant passing by. Hadorix stayed with the servant. He hoped to get lucky and find out who the king's successor was and where they would be. She soon entered the kitchen. She did not stop to chat; however, she grabbed a plate and took it into the dining hall. Once in the dining hall, Hadorix jumped off and began crawling under the table and up the leg. He may be able to gain significant knowledge from the royals at dinner time each day.
This led to the most uneventful month Hadorix had since he had arrived on Pax. He listened and he read the tome of the spider. Nothing of note was discussed by any of the many people that entered and exited the vast dining hall. When Hadorix was ready to give up, the vampires began to prepare for an event. The tables were moved around and Hadorix moved toward the one placed at the head. This would be where the king's successor would be. Hadorix waited until the lull between when everything was fully setup and prepared and when the guests and food would arrive. Hadorix then shapeshifted back to human form and carved his demands into the table. He then cut his palm and filled the carving in with blood.
His note said, "Now that a successor to the king has been chosen, I demand the following:
· You are to stop hunting me. If you decline, I will kill a member of the royal family each day.
· You are to transform the pit. No longer will the fighters be slaves. They are to be granted their freedom and compensated for their battles.
· Maximus and Zed will no longer be hunted.
· Maximus will run a company in my name to fight in the pit. To that end he will be gifted the level of cells I was housed in. All prisoners currently on that level will be offered employment by Maximus.
· Maximus will also be given the land of Lord Dresden and all titles that he possessed.
· Zed will be granted status as a Lords guard to Maximus.
· You will aid the druids with any request they make.
· The gladiator companies that are created will be allowed to challenge those at the arena controlled by the wolf pack of Casper.
I expect an answer by tomorrow. If none is received, I will be visiting your room.
Hadorix then shapeshifted back into spider form and crawled under the table. He could not wait to hear the response.
Hadorix did not need to wait long. The servants soon entered, and the hall filled with screams. The frightened servants ran out to summon the guards. Soon Hadorix could hear the loud stomping of armored feet. The guards explored the vast hall and even looked under the tables. But Hadorix completely escaped their examinations. They were looking for a human. No one ever imagined he could take the form of a spider. After the hall had been thoroughly searched, the royals were brought in. They read the demands aloud and dismissed the servants and guards. This was to be a private meeting. Hadorix knew none of their names, so he thought of them by numbers.
Royal 1 said, "Dare we ignore the demands?"
Royal 2 replied, "Don't be silly Cauis, he has already managed to kill the king and disappear without a trace. Who knows which of us could be next? I for one have no desire to be slain in my sleep."
Royal 3 chimed in, "To stop living in fear, I would do far more than the small requests that were made. Hell, at this point I would grant him the kingdom if it meant we could live freely. Let us hope he meets with the successor soon. In fact, gather Alexus and show her the demands. She will likely agree with them. We should place a layer of glass over this table and have it brought to her chambers. This will ensure she never forgets the threat or her vow."
Footsteps could be heard leaving the room rapidly. When they returned Hadorix could hear a new voice.
New voice, "I see what you mean. As the king's successor when do you think I will meet with him? I truly would rather settle this tonight. Each day feels like an eternity."
Hadorix dropped to the floor and climbed on the shoe of the one that spoke. He moved higher and into the edge of her robe. He wanted to ensure he would not be seen. The rest of the conversation was more of the same. No one voiced any desire not to uphold the demands. After several hours and many blood packs, the diner dismissed, and the guests returned to their rooms with their guards. Hadorix continued to ride on the inside edge of Alexus's robe. Once she entered her room, he climbed out and shapeshifted back into human form.
Alexus knelt before Hadorix. As the king's successor, she feared for her life.
Hadorix spoke, "Relax Alexus. If I were here to kill you, you would already be dead. Rise, I am no king. I am just a lumberjack. To you I will share my identity. I trust that you will maintain its secrecy. I am heir to the Spiders legacy. Are you willing to meet my demands?"
Alexus rose and replied, "The requests you have made are achievable. However, I feel you are far more ambitious than your demands, after all the Spider was once King here. I am in fact one of his descendants. I have a proposition for you. I propose that we are wed. The power you have already gained will help to secure my throne. My royal bloodline will secure yours. Rather than merely an ally you will being to a coven. Instead of a Lords Guard, your Zed and Maximus can become Kings Guards. I also wish for my father's coffin to be returned, as well as the spire where he gathered the knowledge of our ancestors. If you can not return the spire, as your wife, I wish to be granted access."
Hadorix was taken aback from this knowledge and proposition. He had assumed that the Spider was a living being. Never had he imagined that the weapons to be used against vampires belonged to a vampire King. Marriage to a vampire? Would that not go against everything the Druid order stood for? After all the Great Tree had tasked him with eliminating the undead. This is not a decision Hadorix could make lightly.
Hadorix replied, "The coffin will be returned, but as to the spire, it will be the foundation of my own vast library. I may be inclined to grant access to you, if you are willing to fully unlock the warehouse that I claimed from your father. As to the proposal of marrying you, What exactly would that entail? I am after all still human."
Alexus said, "I would be grateful for access to the library in the spire. I would be more grateful for access to the study in the spire. Is there anything I can do to convince you to allow me access? I cannot open the fifth floor of the warehouse for you. The fifth floor is the prison we call Melatonin. It is named Melatonin as all the beings in said prison are in a state similar to sleep that they cannot be woken from. Only the king knows how to revive them or to induce this state in another being. There are many vampires and other dangerous beings there. As the king is now dead, your only options for the +secrets of that place reside in the books in the study of the spire. There you will find the past kings personal notes. As to our marriage, I am no fool. I know this would be a business arrangement of sorts. We would of course be expected to produce children, I assure this is possible between vampires and other races. With your power it should produce rather strong offspring. Even our teenagers are after all Grade F supers in strength. I would not prevent you from seeking love should you ever find it. However, do not forget your responsibilities here should that be the case."'
Hadorix had considered the marriage proposal while they spoke. He followed the Great Tree due to being captured by The Great Tree. He did not truly have any loyalty. Hadorix controlled The Mystic Orchard. Hadorix is the Archdruid. He saved the people. If things went south with the Great Tree, the marriage would give all of his people a second option.
Hadorix replied, "Once I have had the opportunity to examine the contents of the spire, and you prove to me that you have held up your end of our bargain, I will discuss the spire with you again. I will agree to the marriage on the condition that I have access to the throne and obtain the soulstone for the city."
Alexus was enthralled with the outcome of this bargain. Never had she imagined Hadorix would accept such a preposterous proposition.
· Quest completed, escape the hunt for the Kings killer.
· Reward received; the spiders lair lies under the palace of the vampire king. Access is granted from the lowest level. Your crown will reveal the path.
Hadorix spoke again, "Now that such formalities are out of the way, I have a few more questions. Do you know where the spiders tomb is located and where are we? Have you ever heard of a town called Anvilmar?"
Alexus replied, "No one knows where the spiders tomb is, or for that matter if he is even dead, though if you truly wield the fangs of the spider, he must be dead. As for Anvil mar? I have heard that it is a dead town to the far east. Though none from here have ever ventured that far. My information comes from slaves and death knights that were hired as guards. As to our wedding we will need to make the announcement tomorrow morning. Your presence will of course be required. I do not know how you know of the thrones soulstone, yet if you are able to take it, it will belong to you."
With that, Hadorix turned and exited the room. Alexus quickly spoke to the guards to avoid conflict. A formal announcement was made the following morning of the marriage and the changes Alexus agreed to. Hadorix returned to his previous cell and summoned the door to the warehouse so that Maximus and Zed could return. In his absence, they had done a great amount of cleaning and organizing. The bottom floor had now become an armory. All of the gains Hadorix had made were openly on display.
Hadorix relayed all the information he had gained to Maximus. As Hadorix now had his dimensional storage space, Hadorix gifted the warehouse to Maximus with the warning of what resided on the fifth floor. Hadorix told Maximus he would try to find a way to create a portal between the warehouse and the spire so that Hadorix could return to Maximus when needed. He then returned to the palace. As a soon to be King, Hadorix no longer had a reason to hide. He intended to venture to the lower depths of the castle as that is where the crown seemed to lead. He was determined to find the secrets of the Spider.