The sun had risen, casting a warm glow over Marconni's estate. The manicured lawns and intricately designed gardens seemed to move in the morning breeze.
Two guards, their faces etched with a mix of boredom and vigilance, blocked their way. "Halt!" one of them barked spotting them. "You cannot enter." He said stepping forward to block their path.
"We're here to see Marconni." Sharone told him.
"Marconni is occupied with guests at the moment."the guard told them.
" Please turn back. If theres any information,tell me and I'll deliver it to him."
" We won't take long." Lin said with a smile.
Sharone took a step forward,her expression unreadable, stepped forward.
"It's not something we can share with you. Just have business with him and let us through." she said, her voice low and authoritative.
The other guard at the gate , a burly man with a sneer, scoffed and walked toward them. "And what business could that be that makes you so adamant on staying. Do pray tell?You look like trouble to me."
He reached out a hand, intending to detain them.
Before his fingers could touch Lin, a surge of gravity, invisible yet potent, slammed into the guards, pinning them to the ground.
The other guards who were inside the premises rushed towards them but before they could take three steps, Sharone moved. There was a flash of red, and the guards collapsed to the ground,blood pooling under them. Sharone appeared at the step at the door to the building.
"Youry a vampire?" one of the fallen guards gasped, his voice muffled by the earth pressing down on him. "Are you with them?"
Lin raised her hand and swung it down. There was the sound of bones crunching and the guards didn't move again. Lin released her spell and skipped to join Sharone at the gate and together they entered.
From the window Korvus observed as the two women walked in. Marconni himself was cowering in a corner.
" I never expected you to come to me princess. Makes my job a whole lot easier." He said.
Marconni then lunged forward.
" P-please. You have to save me. I'll give you anything you want just-" but Korvus immediately swatter him away sending him flying into the wall.
" Don't touch me with your filthy hands,swine. I don't take orders from a pig like you. The only reason we let you live is because you were a good pawn and now you've outlived your usefulness." He signaled the other vampires with him.
" Take care of the elf. The princess is mine. Even if you all were to gang up in her you'd lose in an instant. Even I'm not sure I can win again her" he said with a smirk.
The other vampires bowed and grabbed Marconni by the arms and dragged him off.
Lin and Sharone navigated the grand halls of Marconni's manor, their footsteps echoing off the marble floors. They had received valuable information from Felix, and now they were determined to put it to use.
As they turned a corner, a group of guards emerged from a nearby room, their swords drawn. Lin and Sharone exchanged a brief glance before springing into action.
Lin unleashed a blast of wind sending the guards stumbling backward. She used her hellberd to block an attack from behind and turned using the hellberd to push him back following up with a swift kick, her boot connecting with a guard's neck and sending his head crashing into the wall. She glanced at the route they had just come from and saw more guards coming at them. She spun the hellberd and charged at them.
Sharone, meanwhile, had manifested her blood scythe and was wielding it with deadly precision. She sliced through the guards with ease, her movements a blur of red.
As the last guard fell, Lin and Sharone shot forward moving swiftly through the corridor sparing no time for rest.
"According to Felix, there's a large dungeon beneath the mansion," Lin said, "That's probably where Marconni is keeping the people he intends to sell as slaves, as well as that new drug, Glamour ,that's been circulating on the black market"
Sharone's gaze turned thoughtful. "This is what Kojo was thinking when he assigned us here."
Lin's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"For the sake of efficiency, we should split up."I'll go find Marconni. You, on the other hand, will head down to the dungeon and free the prisoners. See if you can secure any trace of Glamour or information that can help us in our roles as the Moonshadow."
Lin nodded, a plan forming in her mind. "Agreed. Let's meet up at the courtyard in 30 minutes."
Sharone nodded.
They split up at an intersection .Lin took off down the corridor while Sharone took the stairs, her scythe at the ready.
As they parted ways, the manor seemed to grow quieter, the shadows deepening into dark, menacing pools.
Lin descended into the depths of the manor, her senses on high alert. By spreading her arcana and sending it's reaction to the ambient energy around, she could feel the weight of the dungeon beneath her.
She moved swiftly,enhancing her speed with wind magic,her footsteps silent on the cold stone floor.. There were more guards but she opted to not engage them as that would slow her down. She moved past them faster than they could blink. The only sign that she had passed through was a small breeze that blew.
"Is it just me or did something just move past us?" One guard asked.
"It's just you." Another guard said.
" Man I wish it was always cool down here."
" Yeah,you wish." Replied another and they laughed.
" what's all the commotion going on top side?"
" Who knows. Our orders were to stay here and guard the dungeon."
" Still are you sure no one moved past us?"
" Give it a rest Frank."
Even from the distance she'd covered Lin could still hear their loud voices and obnoxious laughter.
Finally, she reached the entrance to the dungeon, a massive iron door adorned with intricate locks and wards. Lin's eyes gleamed with determination as she raised her hand, her magic surging forth to shatter the locks and send the door crashing open.
With a deep breath, Lin stepped forward, into the darkness of the dungeon.
She was surprised to see the grotesque scene. There was blood on the ground as well as the dismantled bodies of people who were wearing.....who used to wear black cloaks. She noticed the heads of one of them. It was a man pale skin and had fangs.
" A vampire?" Lin whispered. Her ears twitched and she jumped out of the way as a large cage fell at were she stood a few seconds ago.
" Ow many. I wanted to take you out as quickly as possible. Guess I need to work on my assasination skills huh?" A female voice spoke from the shadows.
" Who's there?" Lin called out.
She reacted. Several blades shot out of the shadows around her. She spun her hellberd around and deflected each and every one of them sending sparks into the air but they were flexible,like while and would only rebound back at her. She spread her senses around the dungeon and found the source of the attack. She dispersed the attack with a whirlwind and swung her weapon sending a wind blade towards her assailant. There was a loud clang as if the attack had hit metal.
" Hey,what gives? You can't just attack someone out of nowhere." The voice said from a different place.
Lin quickly turned to face that direction.
" You're one to talk." She said as beads of sweat formed on her forehead.
" Hmm. You seem interesting enough. You're going to be my opponent." The voice said as footsteps approached.Lin spun around and swung her hellberd blocking an attack. She noticed that something had wrapped around her weapon.
" A bandage?" She wondered out loud. She looked up to see a woman wrapped in bandages and a tattered cape with long black hair step out of the shadows. With a quick movement she pulled the hellberd out of Lin's grip and closed the distance between them in the split second Lin made to take back her weapon. Weaver grabbed her by the forehead and slammed her into the ground, pulverized the stone floor and shaking the dungeon.
" You're gonna be my new toy. " She said bringing her face closer to Lins.
" I hope you don't break before I'm satisfied." She said licking her cheek.