The building, constructed of sturdy stone blocks, rose proudly against the backdrop of the wintry city. Its architecture even seemed to reflect the grandeur and strength of the knights who call it home.
There was a towering gate, adorned with intricate metalwork seemingly depicting scenes of heroic battles and chivalry, that greeted you. The gate, flanked by torches that cast flickering shadows on the snow-covered ground, led into a spacious courtyard. Here, the sound of horses' hooves on cobblestones mingled with the distant clang of armor being polished and the murmurs of knights engaged in conversation.
The courtyard was bordered by buildings on all sides, each one bearing the unmistakable insignia of the knights - a shield emblazoned with a bold crest, symbolizing honor and valor. Snowflakes danced in the air, settling softly on the roofs and windowsills, lending an ethereal quality to the surroundings.
Tall banners, displaying the colors and symbols of different knightly orders, flapped in the icy breeze, their fabric rippling as if alive. Beyond the courtyard, narrow alleys wound their way through the city, their pathways lined with quaint houses and shops, their rooftops dusted with a pristine layer of snow.
Within the headquarters, the atmosphere was one of solemnity and purpose. The main hall, adorned with tapestries, exuded an air of history and tradition. A great fireplace, crackling with flames, cast a warm glow across the chamber, dispelling the chill of the winter air.
At the far end of the hall, a raised dais served as a platform for the leader of the knights to address their brethren. A massive round table, carved from solid oak and surrounded by intricately carved chairs, dominated the center of the room, serving as a symbol of unity and camaraderie.
As you made your way through the headquarters, you came upon the office of the head knight. Unlike the rest of the building, this office seemed to be a testament to practicality.
The room was expansive, with high ceilings and tall windows that offered panoramic views of the snow-covered city below. Sunlight streamed in through the glass, bathing the space in a warm, golden glow. The walls were adorned with maps and charts, detailing the city's defenses and strategic points of interest.
At the center of the room sat a large wooden desk, strewn with parchments and quills, evidence of the head knight's administrative duties. Behind the desk, a high-backed chair, adorned with the emblem of the knights, commanded attention, its presence a reminder of the authority wielded by its occupant.
Bookshelves lined the walls, filled with tomes on military strategy, history, and the code of chivalry. Armor stood proudly in the corners, a silent testament to the head knight's prowess in battle. A hearth, smaller than the one in the main hall but no less welcoming, crackled merrily in the corner, filling the room with warmth and light.
Sitting in the chair was a rather 'exotic' looking man. He had a head of smooth and neat silver hair, a pair of striking blue eyes, and a sculpted face. He wore a suit of heavy silver armor that fit his frame perfectly. Yet all of that hardly stood out from his most striking feature, sharp and long pointed ears. Furthermore, on the gauntlet of his left hand, there was a silver ring on his ring finger, blending in perfectly with his armor. If one were to pay close attention to it, they would take note of the intricate patterns woven into it.
The man smiled as he looked at the three individuals before him.
"Professor Eugene," the silver-haired man greeted. "Now what brings you to Emberreach?" He glanced at his company. "And with such lovely company."
"Sir Asaun," Professor Eugene gave a slight bow as Victoria and Fiona followed. "Apologies for the short notice on requesting a meeting." Asaun shook his gauntlet hand.
"No, no, it is quite fine," he reassured. "See, I was quite curious as to who Galadriel would send to support us with the Drah'lurahr Cult." His blue eyes scanned over Victoria and Fiona. "I am quite surprised to see a Solkari; your kind are quite rare. And what extraordinary mana control you have. I may be no sorcerer, but us knights have a keen eye."
"Your words are too kind, Sir Asaun," Fiona stated with a small smile. "Though they are much appreciated." Asaun gave the girl a smile as he glanced at Victoria.
"And you are a spawn of Almeric, correct? You look like quite the charming young lady, and I see knowledge behind your striking eyes. I have heard tales of quite the extraordinary young spawn of Almeric at Luminare Academy."
"Yes, that would be me," Victoria shamelessly admitted with a smile. Fiona could only send her a dry glance.
"Quite the duo, I look forward to seeing the others that were sent," Asaun said with a smile of anticipation. "But I suppose we should be getting down to business. Professor Eugene, if you would."
"Right, this meeting was requested because of the Drah'lurahr Cult," Asaun paid keen interest as Professor Eugene continued. "We have reason to believe the cult is conspiring with the Vel'ryr empire or that they are one and the same." Asaun hummed as his gaze grew sharp.
"That is quite the leap, Professor," Asaun frowned. "Though I highly doubt you would go about making such claims for no reason."
"His words are true," Victoria spoke up. "Myself and Fiona had encountered a group of mutilated and unconscious cultist members. And there were two things that stood out about the group. Firstly, they all lacked mana. They were not concealing it or keeping it hidden via a magical object; we had checked. And they were all outfitted with Vel'ryr weaponry." She explained.
"I see, that is certainly a lot to take in," Asaun admitted. "However, at most, this proves that those few were Vel'ryrians who had access to their kinds of weaponry."
"Initially, those were our thoughts as well," Fiona stated. "But when we prepared to move the bodies of the cult members, we were stopped. They were Vel'ryr military troops, outfitted with armor and all, and to top it all off, they had a magitech unit." She spat out the word with hate. Asaun's eyes widened; this did change things. Vel'ryr magitech was a complex thing, and there was simply no stealing such vast technology.
"Yet that is not the worst of it. Though it is a mere theory, there might be something bigger at play," Professor Eugene stated, Asaun's brows furrowed.
"Please, continue."
"The Drah'lurahr Cult has been destroying village after village. Though we have recently noted that they had also kidnapped a number of said villagers," Professor Eugene started. "It is extremely far-fetched, but we believe these cultists plan on implementing these kidnapped villagers in a ritual. Rituals have very different outcomes and steps, though considering there are kidnapped individuals, we can assume they will be used as sacrifices."
"Sacrificed? For what purpose?" Asaun questioned. Victoria obliged him with an answer.
"Normally, sacrifices are used to appease demon summonings, as they see the mana within normal beings as appetizing. Yet we fear that it is not as simple as merely summoning a demon." Victoria's gaze grew serious. "We believe they intend on resurrecting a dragon."
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"Tch, this punk was useless too," Mirabella spat out annoyed as she looked at the unconscious cultist whom she gripped by his cloak. She clicked her tongue as she tossed his body aside, it colliding with the snowy ground.
"That may not be the case if you were good at interrogation," leaned against a tree, Agatha gave her input as she gazed over the various unconscious forms of the cultist members.
"It ain't my fault all these idiots keep spouting nonsense about dragons!" Mirabella defended with furrowed brows.
"They are quite the fanatic few," Lucinda murmured as she examined the rifles they were carrying. "But this is definitely Vel'ryr weaponry. And these lot are definitely pure Vel'ryrians."
"What are these Vel'ryr bastards thinking?" Mirabella scoffed with a shake of her head. "They really want to start a war with Verdantis?"
"I do not see the reasoning behind that," Agatha frowned. "Is the Vel'ryr empire merely looking to expand their territory by invading Verdantis?"
"If what Professor Eugene surmised is true, they might be planning to use a resurrected dragon to gain more power," Lucinda started. "Vel'ryr was always ambitious, not content with their own nation; they would seek to rule the whole world. With a dragon, that would not be a far-fetched goal."
"Then this is a much bigger problem than we realized," Agatha frowned with a sigh. "Alas, it would not do us well to dwell here. We must stop as many cultists as we can and hope the knight reinforcements Professor Eugene has called for will be enough to locate the cultists."
"What a pain this turned out to be," Mirabella huffed in annoyance. "So what now?"
"I believe our best course of action is to split up once more," Lucinda advised. "These cultists have numbers and advanced weaponry, and of course, there is magitech, but either one of us should be able to handle anything they throw at us." Lucinda stated with a smile.
"You seem really confident in our abilities," Agatha noted.
"Well, of course, I can tell that out of everyone in our group, you two are training the hardest," Lucinda informed. "It is quite admirable and inspiring." The girl stated with an all-too-bright smile.
"It ain't no big deal," Mirabella could only look away from the smiling girl.
"You seem embarrassed," Agatha noted with a ghost of a smirk. "It seems you're quite bashful."
"Tch! Shut it!" The princess merely blurted out as she looked for something to change the subject. "We shouldn't be standing around talking anyway."
"I don't really mind it, but I suppose we should get a move on," Lucinda agreed, raising her right hand. The bodies of the cultists started floating to one spot before blue ethereal chains came into existence and wrapped around their forms, binding them. "We can collect these few later; for now, we should split up once more to cover better ground."
"Very well," Agatha spoke up as a large blue circle formed under her feet. "I shall head north to look into any cultist activity." The two other girls nodded in confirmation as Agatha's body vanished.
"I will go and look eastward; we've yet to explore anything there," Lucinda gave a wave as her body vanished in an instant. Mirabella could only huff.
"Must be nice to teleport willy-nilly." Normally she could muster something complex as teleportation, but that was only when she was in Galadriel; her blood was bound to the nation, making it her domain. Some magics were easier to use in one's domain, but that was neither here nor there. She prepared to head west on foot but was stopped by a voice.
"It seems we meet again." Her head snapped backward as her eyes widened on the individual she saw.
"Amaury!?"