End of double chapters.
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Irwin stood atop the highest point in the castle, one that even its current owner does not have access to.
He gazed below, past the leafless trees that signified the coming winter and the moonlit night that glowed silvered light on the rocky mountain range that crawled past the daunting horizon.
He held a glass of red wine in his hand. Although he does not drink alcohol, it would be rude of him to reject Olivette's offer as she might construe it as arrogance on his part.
"I fear the day that the Grand Coven will soon cease to exist." Olivette's words startled Irwin.
"That day may come sooner than you think." He replied, having foreknowledge of what would happen naturally in the next decade.
She hummed, contemplation evident in her eyes. "You speak so confidently… I see. Anastasia has perfected her divinatory methods, perhaps?"
"Well, let's just say that, uh, she's powerful enough to remove the threat within her family." He hinted, causing Olivette's curiosity to heighten. "But that's not why we're here, are we? You're curious about how I know things I know and how far I'm going to take it."
"Yes." she replied with candor.
He gazed at the night sky, clenching his free hand. "I want Dagon dead, but she has something important to me. All your witches have to do is match and bombard the Borrower witches under Dagon's command. In exchange, you will have their spell books and ingredients."
"I sense a condition in that exchange." Olivette said, shedding light to her centuries of expertise.
"Corpses." He said. "I want all the corpses. Even the bits and pieces, as long as it constitutes one corpse."
"Then you have yourself a deal." Her eyes glowed with an ethereal purple light as she held out her hands towards him.
Irwin grabbed her hand and shook it in confidence as he felt a thread of energy pass through her wrist and towards him. He knew it was some kind of magical oath, one that he had with Lady Anastasia and so did not resist.
The energy grasped his own magical power, binding them together, and that would last until both of them were satisfied with the results of their oath.
As the oath took effect, Irwin thought it wise to celebrate as he brought the wine to his lips and tasted the overripe grape juice.
"Ugh, oh, god." He shuddered at the liquid in his mouth, but forced it through his throat.
"Is it not to your liking?" Olivette could barely hide the chuckle underneath her tone.
"What? Nah, it's great. Love me some… wine!"
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Irwin began the day renewed.
Since he had an agreement and a magical oath with Olivette, he decided to spend the night within the confines of the castle and was, therefore, brought to a rather spacious room where he could sleep.
The trio, on the other hand, trekked down the mountain and unto their own abodes, having spent the better half of a week on Hephaestus' hit while he was healing from his torture.
Although Irwin could feel Hephaestus was somewhat tense since the revelation of who's island they will be raiding, the giant and immortal queen had assured the former that they will still accompany him as was agreed upon beforehand.
"Your breakfast, Lord Irwin." He gazed towards the servant, who shook his attention free from his thoughts.
A silver tray was placed upon the patio table as the servant paced back and bowed slightly.
"The High Priestess wishes to inform you that Lady Katja and Lady Barbaro have ascended back to their domicile," the servant informed, "Lord Aeneas and the High Priestess are meeting within the war room to contact the rest of the Coven. Should you wish to join them, please call upon any of the other servants to guide you there."
"Later." Irwin replied, waving the servant off before a thought came into his mind. "Wait. Do you have cell service here? A satellite phone, perhaps?"
"Unfortunately not. The constant blast of magical energy will disrupt any electromagnetic waves not strong enough to resist. We use crystal balls or other such spells for instantaneous communication." The servant informs.
He hid the groan that escaped from his throat with a quick bite of the runny egg in front of him. "I see. Well, oh! If you have any more corpses–be it humans, monsters, or plain animals–give it to me. Alright?"
The servant was clearly perplexed, but nodded nonetheless. After all, it was not his job to think. "Understood. Shall I inform the High Priestess of this?"
"Yeah, she'll understand. Tell everyone too." Irwin waved the servant away. Such a powerful enchantment spell inflicted upon the man had to have some downside on his body, best if it happens when he was far away from Irwin.
Irwin returned to his thoughts once he was left alone.
"Maybe it's time to check on Charlotte…"
He had been putting it off ever since he woke up. The guilt, albeit lesser than those of his original sins, was eating him up.
She had done everything to help him, even going as far as sacrificing herself to give him a chance to escape. Yet, here he was, hemming and hawing if he should check her vitals using the sub-system.
Nervousness erupted out of his body. It was as if he was back in grade school and was waiting for his report card, tense as a rock just to see a bunch of numbers that signified something currently important to him.
"System."
[ Character Sheet | Skill | Supernatural Record | Status | Quest | Trade Store ]
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[Sebastian Archibald Richard Greythorne IV]
▪︎ Physical Health: 99%
▪︎ Stamina: 99%
▪︎ Magik Reserves: +99%
---
▪︎ Physical Effects:
▪︎ Mental Effects:
---
▪︎ Resistance/s: Greater Werewolf Curse; Minor Poisoning; Lesser Spell; Minor Pain
▪︎ Weakness/es:
▪︎ Blessing/s:
▪︎ Curse/s:
▪︎ Mark/s:
…
[Charlotte Patricia Barbaro-Pamphili]
▪︎ Physical Health:19%
▪︎ Stamina: 12%
▪︎ Magik Reserves: -6%
▪︎ Dominator's View: Too Far To Check
---
▪︎ Physical Effects: Starving; Heavily Wounded
▪︎ Mental Effects: Demonic Corruption In Progress; Hallucinating
■■
It was like a bubble of worry had popped inside of him, ridding him of the heavy burden that had plagued his every waking moment.
Even when he was fighting against Katja, all he could think about was that the endgame of this farce would be the destruction of the island and Charlotte's retrieval.
Although he was slightly worried about the demonic corruption effect, he knew that gathering the rest of the forces would not take too long.
"Hang on, Charlotte. Just… hang on." He whispered to the wind.
With a healthier mind in tow, he finished his breakfast and found a servant to guide him towards the war room.
Unlike the rest of the castle, which was filled with extravagant furniture and glamorous decor that would have filled an aristocratic heir of delight, the war room was bereft of anything impractical.
A large earthy platform that had a three-dimensional miniature map of the series of mountain ranges that spans the domain of the Grand Coven, dotted along the mountains were five castles and dozens of crimson lights that signified something Irwin did not know.
Five witches stood around the table, each of them conversing with a serious expression on their faces. They turned towards him once he entered, each offering their own welcome.
"Ah, dear Irwin, right on time." Olivette, wearing a new dress, though this time, the collar had a rather low cut and showed parts of her bosom.
Irwin found amusement in how devious and amateurish her seduction techniques were compared to Dagon. Although he did not say it aloud, in fear of losing the garnered respect and hospitality he had been well-accustomed to.
"The servant said that you're contacting the rest of your forces?" He asked, clearing his throat and focusing his gaze on the map. "How many are there?"
Aeneas answered for them. "41 have already agreed upon returning. 13 Have not yet been contacted. In total, including the forces from the five castles, we have 98 witches at our disposal."
"That seems overkill, is it not?" Another witch spoke up. When she noticed Irwin's curious gaze, she lowered her head somewhat and introduced herself. "I am Illannya, commander of the Coven's defense force."
"Well, Illannya, the dome shield alone will cut a quarter of that 98, so… no, it's not overkill." Irwin replied with a grave tone. "I know it's hard to believe, but know that everything will be worth it once you gain Dagon's resources. I don't need anything, just their corpses."
"Speaking of corpses, the servant tells me that you need them? Why and how many?" Aeneas asked.
"All that you can get," Irwin answered, which perplexed them even more. "I'm going to use it to make a deal with the Host of Heaven."
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