"You said you have important information about the Seven Sinister Sins, remember?" Nevi asked as he regarded the man in front of him.
"Did I?" the Yxal asked in return; a clueless expression could be seen on his face as he let his blue eyes wander through the crowded hall. His handsome facial features reflected his amazement as he regarded the Aetherwyrms spread across the vast room. Dozens of them could be found there; some were huge, but there were also numerous smaller ones. Whelps, who could not be much older than a few months. The size of the Aetherwyrms was not the only attribute they differed in; the colour of their scales differed from individual to individual. Various colour variants, such as bronze, brown and even copper.
The adult Aetherwyrms stood on four legs; their necks were long but not as long as their tails. Massive wings came out of their backs. Some wyrms had them folded, while others always had their wings outstretched.
"Yes, you did," Nevi replied with a frown decorating his face. "That's the very reason I invited you here. To tell my mother the information you promised to have."
The Yxal regarded them, guessing that the largest of them must be about fifty feet tall. "You said you were one of them," he replied, ignoring what the auburn-haired man had just said.
"I am," Nevi replied, following the Yxal as he walked towards the scaled creatures. "Unlike my brethren, I chose to appear in a form that looks more similar to the mortal races that inhabit Xevas."
He had to walk faster to keep up with the Yxal and his brethren that came with him. The red-haired Yxal eventually stopped not far from the most significant individual in the hall, a matriarch with copper, almost golden scales. She tilted her head once she realised the presence of the Yxal band; her amber eyes wandered from individual to individual.
"Who did you bring this time, Nevendras?" the dragon's deep and resonant voice asked in Aethernal, her native language. Her eyes wandered to Nevi, and curiosity and annoyance could be seen in them. "I hope you didn't bring more strays this time."
Nevi ignored his mother's sharp tone as his gaze wandered to the Yxal, regarding him from head to toe once again. The Yxal had fair skin, and its horns were pointed upwards at an angle of almost eighty degrees. He was pretty muscular beneath the black leather armour he wore. He was much taller than his brethren that came with him, nearly an entire head.
"This is Sonder of the Shadowfell Clan. He told me he got important information about the Seven Sinister Sins," Nevi replied in Aethernal. As expected, none of the Yxals understood a word he and his mother were saying. Only his kin were able to understand and speak Aethernal.
"How often must I tell you to stay away from mortals? They cannot be trusted. It seems you need a reminder that the mortals freed the Sinister Sins from the prison we locked them in," the matriarch replied, regarding her son with narrowed eyes.
"Not all mortals are frauds, Mother. You still believe the mortals want to leave Xevas in ruins, but not all do. I can't deny there are warmongers among the mortal races that want nothing but to conquer their enemies and bring as much death as possible. But there are enough mortals who know how dangerous the Sinister Sins are and what happens if they rise to power again. Sonder wants to prevent that from happening again, so he offers to help us. He has information that helps us track down the hiding places of the worshippers of the Sinister Sins," Nevi explained sincerely.
His mother regarded him for a few more moments before her gaze wandered to the Yxal, who was regarding her with a neutral expression on his face. Usually, mortals were reverent in Khrysanthia's presence, but this Yxal was bold enough to regard her as an equal. He would not bow to her or pay her the necessary respect she deserved.
"Creatures who have the honour to meet me usually bring gifts and bow before me," Khrysanthia said to Sonder in perfect, accent-free Dragda.
"The information I have is sufficient enough," Sonder replied impassively.
"Then say what you want to say or leave," Khrysanthia replied impatiently.
"It's pretty bold of you to expect me to give you the information without getting something in return," Sonder replied, stepping closer to the massive wyrm.
The matriarch rolled her eyes. "And what do you possibly want?" she asked, looking at the item the Yxal had just taken out of his belt pocket. It was a blackened skull with crimson crystals in its eye sockets.
"There is one item in your vault of treasures which I desire," Sonder replied.
"How do you know of the content of our vault?" Nevi asked, a frown could be seen on his face. His heterochromatic blue and green eyes reflected suspicion.
Sonder didn't answer his question as he continued. "I know you possess a weapon that permanently marks the creatures it wounds. A weapon also known as Eternal Agony."
Nevi tilted his head, raising an eyebrow. "How do you know of this weapon?"
"The weapon's existence is no secret," Sonder replied, his eyes still locked on Nevi's mother. "The cleaver was created by the Crucible King and cursed by the gods as the Crucible King's youngest son used it to strike down his older brother to claim his father's throne."
"These are just stories. The Crucible King never existed, nor did any god curse any weapon forged by mortals," Nevi argued.
"I know the cleaver exists, and you hide it in your vault. The cleaver belongs to my people, and I want it back. It's my family's legacy, and you have no right to possess it," Sonder spoke, still looking at the matriarch of the Aetherwyrms.
"Even if that weapon exists, why should we hand you a weapon that has been cursed for a reason?"
"Because it was wrongly stolen from us. I will grant you the information you desire if I receive the weapon. I'm even willing to give you more than you deserve. Another Yxal might have demanded the axe without giving something in return, but I'm willing to do so."
"You are in no position to demand anything," Nevi's mother replied, moving closer to the Yxal leader, who didn't flinch when her snout was right before him. Not even her hot breath seemed to disturb him.
"That's why I offer you information in return," Sonder replied coldly. Her significant size did not bother him, nor did the fact that she could devour him with one bite. If she was threatening him, he did not seem to be impressed.
"Tell me what you know, and then I consider how to reward you," Khrysanthia replied, pulling her head back to stare down at him from above again.
"I know about the whereabouts and intentions of the Chosen of the Sin of Wrath," Sonder replied. Nevi could be wrong, but he had the impression that he could see the ghost of a smile on Sonder's lips.
"He wants to retrieve Eternal Agony as well and use it to get rid of the enemies of his masters. It's best if you give me the cleaver; it's much safer with me since the Chosen knows its location just as I do," Sonder explained.
Nevi couldn't take his eyes off the black skull, whose gems were shimmering much brighter than before. "You said you know his location. Where is he, and who is he?"
The smirk on Sonder's lips became much broader until it reached from one ear to the other. "He is right there in front of you," the Yxal shouted as he threw the skull in the air and split it with a short swing of a dagger which he had just pulled from his belt.
The shockwave created by the exploding skull knocked Nevi away; he hit his head on something, his vision blurred, and the noises around him were drowned out by the peeping sound that haunted his inner ears. He had no idea how much time had passed when the peeping became quieter, and his vision slowly returned. The back of his head was hurting, and his back was aching as he got up. He let his gaze wander to gather his bearings.
His eyes widened in shock as he caught sight of his surroundings. A dreadful feeling plagued him as he saw the corpses, guts and body parts spilt all over the floor. Lots of his brethren had perished, but there were also Yxal corpses that were either torn apart or burned to crips. More corpses were buried beneath pieces of debris, the hall's ceiling and its walls were heavily damaged, and huge chunks had been blown out. He spotted the humiliated corpses of whelps and elder wyrms. They were not only blown but also cut to pieces. A massacre must have happened here while Nevi had been unable to do anything.
There wasn't any fighting in the hall at this very moment, but he could hear fighting noises coming from the East. He followed the noises through the massive hole in the eastern wall. He didn't need to wait too long for the first Yxals. They didn't belong to those who had accompanied Sonder, so Nevi assumed Sonder must have led more people into the temple.
He had never expected Sonder to betray his trust. After everything they had gone through to stop the Chosen of the Sin of Envy, he would have never expected him to thrust a knife into his back. He had never been so deceived by a person as by Sonder. They had followed the tracks of Alaric the Envious for over a year, and they had lost good people in their pursuit. The fight against Alaric had been close. They had almost died and suffered wounds that had taken long to heal. They had gone thick and thin together, but Sonder still turned against him.
Why did he do that? What was his goal? Was all he did and said only pretended? Had he planned to betray his trust from the very beginning?
There were so many questions in his head, and he was unsure if he would ever receive answers. He was uncertain if he wanted answers or if those would make a difference. He had a bad feeling that answers would make it only worse. But now was not the time to get answers. He had to stop Sonder and his brethren before it was too late.
Too many members of his clan were already dead; he must prevent more from dying. He had to get rid of those two Yxals first, and then he had to find Sonder. He was not a fan of killing people, but he had no choice in this situation. The Yxals were keen on killing him, leaving him no other option.
They dodged the sword swing of the first by ducking beneath it, performing a swift uppercut within the same movement. A loud crack, followed by a painful cry, reached the Aetherwyrm's ears right after his fist connected with the Yxal's jaw. Lighting jumped from Nevi's fist over to his enemy's body, causing him to twitch for a few moments and making him unable to react to Nevi's successful counter.
Another thunderous blow hit the Yxal in the stomach this time, causing him to spit a large amount of blood out as lighting went through his body. The lightning strike must have caused several arteries and blood vessels to burst. The Yxal was too shocked by the powerful punches to be able to defend himself properly. A forceful swing aimed at the Yxal's chin was enough to force him to the ground. Nevi could not tell if the Yxal was dead or just knocked out, but he did not have the time to check on him or care if the Yxal was still alive. He was too hurt and angry to care.
The other Yxal was no problem for him either. It was a female who was pretty upset about her brethren's fate, but all her anger didn't help her against Nevi. On the contrary, her fury made her swings much wilder but less precise, making it much easier for Nevi to avoid them. In the end, he managed to grab her and smash her head against the closest wall, not noticing the blood that was flowing out of the back of her head as her body collapsed. He hated that he had to do it, but they left him no choice.
For some reason he could not explain, he was already breathing heavily as if he had fought for hours. His arms were hurting as if he had been punching for quite a while; his head was hurting. He felt unwell and much weaker than he usually did. Something was not quite right. He could not believe he was already in this state of exhaustion after only fighting those two Yxals. There was no way he had needed more than two minutes to deal with them, so he was more than just surprised and shocked at how his body was behaving.
He didn't check on the Yxals, having decided it was more important to check on his brethren for now. He followed the short tunnel, which had been created by the explosion, and arrived in a much smaller room than the hall he had been in before.
His eyes narrowed, and his anger rose as he spotted the familiar creature on the opposite side. Sonder towered above a bronze-scaled whelp lying on the floor; one of its wings had been torn apart. Around it, the separated body parts of other whelps were scattered. Sonder had not hesitated to butcher the youngest members of Nevi's clan.
"YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" Nevi roared out angrily; lighting was crackling between his fingers.
The grin on Sonder's lips was foul and mischievous, and his eyes had a crimson glow instead of their natural blueish colour. In his hands, he carried an axe Nevi was very familiar with. It was the same axe he had retrieved from the Crucible King after ending his reign of tyranny dozens of years ago. Sonder held Eternal Agony in his right hand; its double-edged head was not far from the hatchling's neck. He would have killed the whelp already if Nevi hadn't caught his attention.
The axe's blade was as black as tar and greenish glowing runes had been carved into the blade and handle. The double-edged axe was massive and looked heavy. It was almost six feet long, and the span of each blade was at least twenty inches. Its pommel was a black skull with red glowing eyes, similar to the one Sonder had caused to explode.
"I will end your miserable life here and now, bastard" Nevi hissed as he lifted his fists.
The mischievous grin on Sonder's lips reached from one ear to the other; his eyes reflected anticipation. He was looking forward to this fight. "I have always wondered how powerful you are. I knew you were stronger than the average mortal creature, but I would have never guessed that you belonged to those considered immortal. Or not so immortal as I have proven by now. Your kind just lives very long, don't they? You bleed, and you can die like every other creature in this world."
"Why are you doing this?" Nevi asked shortly. He couldn't come up with a justifiable and comprehensible reason. There was none.
"I have my reasons," Sunder replied, raising his axe above his head. "Maybe I will tell you right before I kill you. I wonder how powerful an Aetherwyrm is in their chosen mortal form."
"I will show you how powerful I am when I bash your ugly fuckface in," Nevi spat back.
"I almost feared you were dead. Fortunately, you are not. It would have been too bad if I wouldn't have been granted the opportunity to kill you with my own hands."
"You will do no more killing, not under my watch," Nevi shouted back at him.
"Are you sure about that?" Sonder asked provocatively, swinging his axe before Nevi could do something. The whelp's whimpering cries of agony stopped as its big head was separated from its tiny body.
Another furious roar escaped Nevi's lips as he sprinted towards the man he had once considered a comrade; the crackling lightning around his clenched fists had gotten much more intense. He swung his fists as Sonder swung his weapon, avoiding the axe slash through quick movement. Sonder was not as fast as Nevi, earning him a powerful punch to the chest. Unfortunately, Sonder had chosen to wear leather armour today instead of the usual black steel armour. He had thought this attack through to the last detail. The leather armour didn't conduct the electricity very well, but the punch was still strong enough to have an effect.
Sonder was thunderstruck for merely two seconds, but this short moment was enough for Nevi to land another punch, this time to Sonder's jaw. The Yxal's jaw didn't break, but his head was thrown back at least, and a painful noise escaped his lips at the same time. Sonder staggered backwards; surprise was reflected in his eyes, but it quickly turned to anger. "You are quicker than I thought," he admitted. "It would have been boring if this fight would have been one-sided. I like it when they fight back," he replied right before he spat a tooth out. He didn't hesitate to swing his axe at Nevi, who jumped to the side to avoid getting hit.
"You will regret underestimating me, whoreson" Nevi spat as he swung his fists again, but Sonder dodged his attacks this time.
"NO! YOU ARE THE ONE WHO WILL REGRET FACING ME!" Sonder shouted as his axe slashed through the air again, barely missing the Aetherwyrm, who managed to duck beneath it at the very last moment. That had been too close for Nevi's liking. Sonder's movement was suddenly much faster than before; he avoided all of Nevi's punches, and his axe came dangerously close to Nevi's head twice as they attempted to hit each other. The auburn-haired man also had the impression that the colour of the Yxal's eyes had become much redder.
He appeared to be much angrier than before; Nevi even got the impression that it only made him angrier whenever Sonder missed, or Nevi almost hit him. The angrier he got, the faster his movement became. Nevi adapted his attack pattern, hitting Sonder twice but only on the chest; this time, Sonder wasn't thunderstruck. On the contrary, the two hits didn't bother the Yxal in the slightest.
Nevi's arms hurt like he had carried heavy weights for hours. His breathing was much faster, and his lungs were aching. His heart was beating much faster, his neck was hurting, and so was his head. Once again, he felt exhausted but couldn't understand why he felt this way. He was an experienced fighter; never had a fight exhausted him so much after only a short time. He had barely started, and he was close to needing a break. He was not supposed to feel this way.
Sonder's response came faster than expected. A straight jab to the face, breaking Nevi's nose, and a swift but forceful kick to Nevi's belly caused him to tumble backwards. Before he could pull himself together, Sonder had already landed the next hit, which was so forceful that it made Nevi spin around and lose his balance. He didn't have a chance to recover as Sonder pulled his feet off the ground.
A hiss of pain escaped the auburn-haired man's lips as he hit the ground; his ears were ringing, and his head was hurting just like his back. Once again, Sonder didn't grant him the chance to pull himself together, putting his foot on his chest to prevent him from getting up.
The ringing in Nevi's ears diminished, but the pain still lingered. What didn't linger was the expression on Sonder's face. It changed from pure anger to triumph to disappointment within seconds. "I had expected more of you," the Yxal admitted as he slowly brought his axe closer to Nevi's face. The sharp left blade almost touched Nevi's cheek, threatening to cut it, but Sonder pulled the axe away before it could do so.
Sonder's eyes went from Nevi to the ominous weapon whose dreadful aura was more potent than before, but Sonder's right foot remained on the Aetherwyrm's chest; the other pinned his right arm down. "The legends say Eternal Agony leaves wounds that never heal and always hurt. I have the desire to leave you alive to find out if the axe does indeed cause such wounds. Unfortunately, my orders are clear. I must kill every last of you pathetic scaled creatures."
He lowered his axe again, bringing the edge close to Nevi's neck. "I have always despised you. At least I no longer have to suffer your company. You were the most pathetic friend I ever had."
Malice was radiated by Sonder's now blood-red eyes as he pulled his axe from Nevi's neck, raising it high enough to be able to execute a strike swift and strong enough to separate Nevi's head. There was nothing Nevi could do at this very moment. He felt drained and exhausted despite not having fought for too long. Whatever the Yxals had done, it had worsened since he had engaged Sonder in combat. He had never felt so weak and helpless before. As if someone had drained him of all his strength. He had no reserves left to mobilise. He couldn't gather the remains of his strength to fight back.
The axe's head was racing towards Nevi's neck, but before it could reach him, a purple ray hit it, alternating its course. Instead of chopping off Nevi's head, the axe went into the floor only a few inches from his left cheek.
"Who the fuck are you?" Sonder asked as he turned his head to look at the newcomer. It took much more effort than expected for Nevi to turn his head to look in the same direction. The woman he saw was initially unfamiliar to him, but then he recognised those familiar eyes.
He had no doubt this woman was his older sister, Valkoraya, who had come to his aid in an unusual form.
"A woman?" Sonder asked with a puzzled look before looking back at Nevi. "I thought you were the only one of your clan who walks around in their mortal forms. You lied to me, but it doesn't matter now. Whoever she is, I will slaughter her the same way as I will slaughter you."
His gaze went to the woman who had just arrived in the room next to Valkoraya. It was a horned woman with dark grey, almost black skin and long white hair. The sclerae of her eyes were black, but her pupils were glowing greyish-white . She had four horns; the two bigger ones were bent upwards, coming out of her forehead, and the small horns were positioned laterally behind the large ones but pointing downwards.
"A member of a lesser clan. Just because you belong to my kind doesn't mean I will spare you. I will kill you if you get in my way."
"I won't allow that," Valkoraya replied, lighting crackling between her fingers.
"You are not strong enough to stop me," Sonder replied with a grin as he pointed his axe at her.
"I'm not alone," Nevi's sister replied.
The grin on Sonder's lips became broader as he spotted the Aetherwyrms joining the room. Neither was fully grown and had reached adulthood, but at least they weren't as small as whelps. The younglings had to be protected at any cost; they were not fit to fight foes as dangerous as these Yxals. They had to be evacuated; their survival was of utmost importance. The clan had to survive by any means.
"Neither am I," Sonder announced, his eyes were shining in the darkest shade of red. Dozens of Yxals appeared to his side. They were ready to kill, just like their leader.
There was nothing Nevi could do to protect his brethren. He was too weak and still had no clue why he felt that way. He could only guess the exploding black skull had something to do with him. He had stood right next to Sonder when the explosion hit him and knocked him away. Something might have been released into the air when Sonder cut the skull in two. Perhaps some sort of poison.
Nevi was only sure about one thing: Another bloodshed was unavoidable.
Nevi woke up with a start; he needed a few moments to realise where he was. The solid wooden ceiling made him remember that he was still in the same small room he had rented in the Shining Star for the night. He put a hand on his chest, over his racing heart, which didn't seem to slow down. Another nightmare had troubled him during his sleep, and it even had been so vivid it caused him to wake up with sweat covering his forehead. His hands were sweaty as well, and he was feeling unwell, but the feeling quickly diminished.
The nightmares haunting him had become more frequent within the past weeks. He couldn't explain why. He hadn't had so many nightmares in decades. It had suddenly started months ago, and he couldn't determine the trigger.
He was glad that he woke up earlier this time. This time, he didn't have to witness his siblings and brethren being cut to pieces by the man he once considered a friend. He was spared the horrible view of his mother's chopped-off head or his father's split skull. Neither did he have to see again how Eternal Agony marked his sister for eternity and cut her betrothed in two. He would never forget Valkoraya's devastated cries or the fearful screams as younglings tried to escape Sonder's wrathful swings.
No one but Valkoraya and him had survived the massacre. Sonder and his minions had killed every member of Nevi's clan except for two. It was a miracle that he and Valkoraya had escaped alive. He couldn't remember how they did it; that was the only detail he couldn't recall. They had made it out somehow.
No matter how often Nevi told himself that Sonder couldn't hurt him anymore, the nightmares didn't stop occurring. Sometimes, he had two nightmares in three nights, but he also had phases where he didn't get any nightmares for four or five days. They came irregularly.
Despite Sonder being dead in the ground, his flesh being already rotten from his slowly decaying bones, he still didn't leave Nevi at peace. The betrayer's face and his cursed axe keep returning to his mind. No matter how hard Nevi tried to forget him and the things he did, he couldn't. He wished he could just snap his fingers and erase those painful memories. Unfortunately, he couldn't do that. And he did not have the slightest idea of how to make the nightmare stop. He feared he would have to relive that day until the end of time. He couldn't even say his immortality was a curse in this case because he didn't want to die. He just wanted the nightmares and memories to be gone.
He hoped the nightmares would vanish once he stopped the Seven Sinister Sins. If he could stop them in the first place. He went to Umbral with high hopes but left with great disappointment. After Sonder the Sunderer, the person who disappointed him the most was Helen Featherwind, or Helen the Holy, as she called herself these days. She no longer was the same woman he knew dozens of years ago. She changed so much.
The woman at which side he fought, the woman who helped him stop the Seven Sinister Sins again, would have never dared to flirt with him and even try to seduce him while being married to another person. The Helen he once knew had dearly loved her husband Cebast, but the woman he had met two weeks ago no longer seemed to do.
He ran into High Priest Cebast by chance; he had not planned to speak with him in the first place, so he could still talk to him briefly. He had not gotten the impression that Cebast was aware of what his wife was doing behind his back, nor did it seem he had stopped loving Helen. There was no way Cebast knew that his wife was cheating on him. Otherwise, he would have divorced her already. The poor fellow was utterly clueless. Nevi felt terrible for him.
Nevi was never in the position to be cheated on, but he knew how it felt when the person one desired was already spoken for. He had once loved a woman, the most remarkable and kind person he had ever met. But she was promised to another man, so he never got the chance to confess his feelings for her. He could have, but he had seen no point in doing so. After all, she had been a married woman and even bore her husband's children. There was no way she would have left her husband for him.
But he did not have the right to be the one to tell him the truth. He didn't want to be the one to ruin things between them. On the one hand, Cebast deserved to know the truth; on the other hand, it was Helen's responsibility to tell him. Not to mention, Nevi had other things to worry about than the marriage of a man he barely knew. He had known Helen for too long to interfere in her matters.
The vile plans of the Sinister Sins were more concerning than the marriage of a woman he once considered a friend. There were many clues to follow, but it was impossible to look into each of them alone. He needed more allies; unfortunately, Helen had betrayed his trust and let him look like a fool in front of the Nine. Although she had promised to help him, she had spoken out against him. Even though her arguments didn't make much sense, she manipulated the other council members and made them believe that everything Nevi said was nonsense, a coincidence or an outright lie.
She managed to make them think he was an obsessed maniac who was thirsting for revenge. She made them believe he would betray his allies if that would guarantee him his revenge. Nevi didn't have the chance to convince them of the opposite because they were already prejudiced against him. Helen must have spoken to them beforehand. He was dismissed rather quickly and told to never approach the Nine about the Sinister Sins again.
She still had no logical explanation for why she had promised to help him, only to turn against him. He doubted she was in league with the Sinister Sins, so he didn't understand why she had done that. He also doubted she had done this only because he had rejected her. No sane adult person would behave this way only because they got rejected. At least they wouldn't sabotage him in such a vital mission. Not while the stakes were so high.
Nevi could think about it all he wanted, but it was pointless since he wouldn't conclude with the information he had. Not to mention, he doubted it would change much for him. His main priority was to find more allies that were necessary for him to have the chance to stop the Seven Sinister Sins and save the world. He wouldn't be able to achieve that on his own.
The Nine had been his best chance to get powerful and influential allies, but now that this was no longer possible, he had no idea where to start looking. He could go to one of the other still existing kingdoms, but he didn't know where he had the best chances. He didn't know the leaders of the remaining kingdoms at all. Neither did they know him.
He needed more information; fortunately, he already set up a meeting with a person who could give him such. He glanced at the clock on the opposite wall, finding out it was only an hour to midnight. An hour was sufficient enough to reach the meeting spot. He didn't have to get up and go there immediately because he would be there too early, but he still decided to do so. He got up from the bed and put on his trousers and shirt before putting on his armour piece by piece.
He picked up his back from the chair next to his bed, then the big hammer that leaned against the wall and left the room, locking it with the key the owner had given him. It was quiet as Nevi walked through the tavern. Everyone seemed to be sleeping already. No one was in the big main hall. No one could see him leaving the tavern quietly. He walked to the East, ensuring no one was following him as he left the village of Caeluna. He entered the bordering forest and followed a hardly visible beaten path, which he had already walked twice, until he came to a tree with a particular mark carved in its trunk.
He turned his head, making sure no one had followed him. Unlike most surface creatures, he had no problem seeing in the dark. His Aetherwyrm eyes allowed him to clearly recognise everything within a hundred feet radius. He spotted no one, nor did he feel any aura. He assumed no one had followed him, but he couldn't tell for sure.
He had no idea how late it was; he just assumed he would have to wait a little longer till his contact would show up. Fortunately, he didn't have to wait for too long. He turned his head as he heard the soft noises of breaking branches.
"You made it," Nevi said to the creature behind him. Despite his exceptional eyes, he could not recognise the creature's face through the red veil they were wearing. He didn't know much about the creature; its voice made him assume it was a female, and the way she spoke hinted that she might have a forked tongue. Other than that, he knew nothing about his contact.
"It hasss been sssome time sssince lassst we met," the Veiled Stranger replied, keeping her distance from Nevi. As she always did.
"I'm afraid I'll have to use your services again."
"Asss long asss you have sssufficent payment, I don't mind," the woman said in return.
"I have," Nevi responded, taking a small pouch from his belt. He threw it at her, noticing the long red nails on her right hand as she caught it effortlessly. He didn't need to see her eyes to know they must be widened as she recognised what was inside.
"Alirium dussst. It isss only a sssmall amount but ssstill enough to make ussse of it," the Veiled Stranger hissed. "The thingsss one can do with only a sssmall amount..." She didn't provide any further information.
"I hope you have useful information for me. Otherwise, I want the pouch back."
"I'm sssure the information I have will pleassse you."
Nevi nodded at her, signalling her to go on. The Veiled Stranger didn't let him wait, nor did she beat around the bush. "Ceressstusss Grimflare isss ssstill locked in hisss prissson. No one made any attemptsss to free him, but there wasss one perssson who visssited the place."
"Who is it?" the Aetherwyrm asked without hesitation. His curious glance rested on the veiled woman, although nothing about her could give additional information. He could not look into her eyes to see if she was telling the truth. All the pieces of information she had given him so far had turned out to be accurate, so he had no reason to doubt her.
"Sssomeone we know very well. Sssomeone who isss related to one of the two creaturesss whose flesssh wasss turned to ssstone," The Veiled Stranger replied.
"It was Superion, right?" Nevi had found out that Superion was outside Tenaria. That was why he had not been with the council when Nevi spoke to the Nine. His presence wouldn't have made the outcome any different. He was glad Superion had not been there. Being humiliated by Helen had already been bad enough; Superion's arrogant glances and the mocking grin on his lips would have only made things worse. He couldn't stand the self-proclaimed Chosen of Light. He never did. At least not the person Solarion the Dazzler had turned him into through his shitty parenting.
Nevi was not surprised as the Veiled Stranger confirmed his assumption. "He did. He left flowersss and then met two creaturesss before the Broken Ssspire."
"Who did he meet?" Nevi asked curiously. He had no guess who Superion could have possibly met.
"A half-blood and a Tenarian Ssseargent."
"Tell me what you know about them and what you gathered from their meeting," Nevi tried his best to not sound demanding. Sometimes, he did without wanting to or being aware of it.
"The woman goesss by the name of Dravina Bloodsssong. Her father wasss a Yxal who raped her mother, a Crimssson Sssylph who wasss hisss prisssoner. Her mother eventually found a way to essscape, ssslaugthered the Yxal and then butchered the entire clan with the help of her people. Her mother returned to the Sssanguine Vale, where ssshe gave birth to Dravina, raisssed her and trained her to be a powerful Blood Sage. Dravina isss neither popular among the Yxalsss nor the Crimssson Ssslyphsss, neither race acceptsss her for what ssshe isss, ssso ssshe wandersss around and sssurvivesss on her own," the veiled woman explained.
"How did Superion get to know her? I thought he hated the Yxal race."
The Veiled Stranger shrugged. "That isss sssomething I do not know...yet. Perhapsss I will one day."
"What can you tell me of the Tenarian?"
"He goesss by the name Sssergeant Crownwell; there isss only a little that I know of him. I have not heard of that name till a year ago. He led a missssion outssside Tenaria more than half a year ago and wasss the only member that sssafely returned to Tenaria. The ressst of hisss group wasssn't ssso lucky. Asss far asss I know, except for him, only one member sssurvived. Ssshe isss the daughter of an old friend of yoursss."
"You mean Helen the Holy, right?" Nevi could only assume it was her since Helen had told him she was worried about her daughter, who left Tenaria.
Nevi could see the woman nodding her head slightly. "Exactly. Celessste Featherwind wasss prisssoner to a Yxal called Cruxia Darkborne. They were near the Wessstern border of Dragdom asss a conflict between the Yxals and another group ended in a bloodssshed. The group took them to Umbryssssia, where I lossst their trail. Thisss dark place isss too dangerousss even for the likesss of me nor doesss any of my informantsss dare to go down into the depthssss of thisss forsssaken place."
"You don't happen to know what the mission was about?" Nevi asked, rubbing his chin with interest.
"Unfortunately, I do not," the Veiled Stranger admitted.
Celeste Featherwind could have helpful information. She must know what the mission was about. It must be a mission of great importance if Tenaria sends out a group to deal with something or someone, Nevi thought.
"Why was Superion meeting with Crownwell and Dravina?"
"I am obssserving Crownwell ever ssssince he left Tenaria after returning from the missssion. He isss not ssso untraceable asss he thinksss he isss. It wasss easssy for my informantsss to find him. They reported everything he did."
"And what did he do?" Nevi asked, raising one of his eyebrows. His interest was much more than awakened. He was craving for more information.
"He got rid of every sssingle member of hisss group that didn't die by Yxal hand. Instead of helping thossse that were lucky to essscape, he ended them. Asss if he did not want them to give any knowledge to their enemies or any perssson that are not ssssupposssed to know about the missssssion."
Nevi was flashed by that. He didn't want to believe Crownwell was tasked to eliminate his own people, nor could he devise a reason why no one should know about this mission. Perhaps it was not the mission but the potential information the group members possessed. They could have information about Tenaria itself or information only soldiers of Tenaria were allowed to have. Information about the military, the exact strength of the army, or where their troops were stationed. Perhaps even information about future campaigns or missions. They could possess several pieces of information which could harm Tenaria if their enemies managed to retrieve them.
Nevertheless, that didn't justify killing them one by one in Nevi's eyes. Superion must be pretty paranoid if he ordered the elimination of Crownwell's group. He doubted that any of the other members of the Nine came up with that heinous idea. It had to be Superion who gave Crownwell that order.
Nevi decided he should save Celeste. Unless he would get the opportunity to stop one of the Sinister Sins' many schemes to regain power and eventually control over Xevas. He had to remember that stopping the Seven Sinister Sins was paramount. Saving one woman's life was not as important as preventing the Sins' return. Even if it was the daughter of an old friend. At least for now, he had no opportunity to foil the Seven's plans. So he could go after Crownwell unless the Veiled Stranger had information about such an opportunity.
"This means that Crownwell wants to get rid of Celeste Featherwind as well."
"He is travelling to Umbryssssia with Dravina. Meanwhile, Celessste and the group of ssstrangersss travel to the Eassst. Unfortunately, I don't know why they travel there or who they are."
"So, Crownwell looks for Celeste Featherwind in Umbyrissia while she travels to the East. If they meet on their way, there is no way Crownwell can take her out while these strangers are with her. They must have a hiding place in Umbyrissia, so Crownwell might consider waiting until Celeste returns. If she does in the first place. Too bad you don't know who the group of strangers are."
"Thessse ssstrangers consssissst of variousss racesss. A ssshared goal mussst hold them together. I know their leader is an Anxoyal that goesss by the name Rion. If that isss to any help," the Veiled Stranger replied.
A thoughtful look could be seen on Nevi's face as he leaned against the tree trunk, considering the information he had received. The name Rion didn't help him in the slightest. It could be a short form for any Tenarian name. Many Tenarian names for males ended with 'Rion'. He couldn't do much with that information as long as he didn't have the leader's exact name. "Do you have any new information about the Sins?"
The Veiled Stranger shook her head. "I do not."
"Last time we met, you told me that a new Chosen hides in the heart of Tenaria. I went to Umbral, but I didn't find anyone acting out of the ordinary. There was no one I met whose behaviour could be influenced by the Seven Sinister Sins."
"You didn't look thoroughly enough," the mysterious woman replied.
"Perhaps you are right. I was banished from Umbral before I could search for that creature more thoroughly. I might have a way to do so, but I will look into Superion's plans first. I need to find Celeste Featherwind before Crownwell does. Perhaps her knowledge helps me, although I doubt Superion has something to do with the Sinister Sins. He killed too many of their Chosen to be on their side.
Nevertheless, I'm curious about what she knows and what Superion plans. He got rid of one Yxal Clan already, and I'm afraid he will do the same with the next. But that's none of my concerns for now. Stopping a warmonger is one thing; saving the whole world is on a whole different level. Superion might become a threat in the future, but he won't be as dangerous as the Seven Sinister Sins," Nevi said.
"I hope your judgment can be trusssted," the strange woman replied.
Nevi chuckled. "I hope so, too."