The backdoor led into a long hallway, decorated with white marble statues. Most of them were old men and women, dressed in expensive-looking amour; all-powerful scions from Itzel's family. His was a scion bloodline, a rare occurrence even in Leeds where most scions were. Just because two scions got together, did not mean their god would favor their offspring. However, the people in Itzel's family, and the other noble families of Leeds, seemed to know something everyone else didn't.
There were two great doors at the end of the hallway, where two fully armored guards stood halberds crossed.
Once Vondell presented the gems in his wrists to them, they stamped their feet, metal clanging on the marble floors. They both beat on the door with free hand, and thunder roared throughout the corridor.
Several runes flickered to life on the door, crackling and sending out streams of blue lightning at the floor right in front of them.
The doors opened with a hiss, and a gust of odd-smelling wind blew into the corridor — a mix between the sweet scent of flowers, and the slightly sour scent of urine. Vondell nodded at the guards, before walking through. The doors shut behind him immediately after.
~So he's collected even more? Its almost like he's preparing for war,~ Vondell thought to himself as he took in the stable around him.
There were obsidian bark stalls on either side of a long pathway. Almost every single one of them housed a Braft —a massive four-legged creature that, theoretically, could outrun even the wind. Like most domesticated creatures, they took their master's blood as payment and gave service according to that.
They bellowed as Vondell passed by their stalls. Even though he was not here for them he slowed down at each stall to admire just how large they had gotten. ~He must've spent a large castle gathering and feeding all of these,~ he thought to himself.
After walking down a few more stalls, he came to a crossroads, where the path forked to either side.
~This wasn't here before,~ he thought to himself. But then again, it had been a long time since he last visited his friend, so it wasn't all too surprising that a few things had changed.
~Still, even if he's expanding, The White Stags don't need these many horses, especially not all at once,~ he realized, noticing that most of the stalls in the two new paths were filled as well.
~Did I miss something?~ he pondered, before slowly deciding to put it aside for later. He was about to go on an onyx directive, there was no room for thoughts other than the mission at hand.
He took the left path and quickened his pace. A massive stall stood at the end, completely closed off by an enchanted door. It was adorned with runes and sigils and had a blood symbol painted over all of them —his handiwork. He was no enchanter, but he knew quite a bit about arrays.
"Neutras," Vondell whispered, presenting the red gem to the doors. The blood symbols glowed slightly, before fizzling away.
He then raised the other hand and presented the blue gem. Surth glowed red hot at this, releasing wisps of smoke.
~You know I dislike using other magic items too,~ Vondell responded, before closing his eyes.
He dug deep into his mind for the memory that represented 'opening doors' the strongest... a memory 'gifted' to him by the gods;
His was of a forest. The world around him seemed so much larger, and the colors... brighter. The air smelt of grass and flowers, and its cool warmth tickled his skin.
"Are you watching?" a muffled voice asked.
A tall slender woman stood beside him, staring forward. In front of her was a colossal door, with thousands of runes etched onto its woody surface.
She looked down at him, her ember eyes as deep as a sea of fire. "I'm only showing _____ once," she said, her voice so muffled it was barely a whisper.
"Oh greater wills, hear your child. Set free my path," she mouthed, and the door began glowing.
Vondell opened his eyes.
The blue gem was glowing, humming in unison with the runes in the door.
~I can't even remember her voice anymore,~ Vondell thought to himself. He wasn't necessarily sad about it, just more aware of how heavy his body felt.
The runes dimmed, and the door unlocked with a loud clang. It slowly opened, and the darkness from the other side began seeping through. The room was pitch black despite there being light outside.
Vondell let out a piercing whistle, that echoed throughout the stables. The Brams bellowed loudly in response, banging against their stalls like a horde of monsters. However, Vondell paid them no mind, still staring into the darkness.
Two orbs of light appeared at the very back of the room and a moment later, a piercing shriek silenced the bellowing Brams from deep within.
Once all was silent, there was a whistle, mimicking Vondell's own.
Vondell whistled again, before standing up straight and presenting the red gem.
Heavy thuds approached and the air from inside began shifting.
"Calm, Jinx," Vondell shouted, and the thuds slowed down.
A massive bird head stuck out from the veil of darkness. It had bright blue eyes, silver feathers, and a porcelain white beak. The creature stared at Vondell in slit-eyed curiosity.
It took a few more steps forward revealing a pair of great silver wings folded over a body that looked like it belonged to a colossal wolf rather than a bird. The creature's muscles rippled with every movement it made, and each breath it took was a guttural rumble.
"Obey, Jinx," Vondell shouted, and the creature opened its maw, letting out an ear-piercing screech.
"Obey," he shouted, more forcefully now. The creature stamped its clawed foot in response. And in return, he beat against the chestplate of his armor.
It stared at Vondell again, and then at the gems, before taking another step forward. It towered over him, the heat of its breath washing over his face through the slits of his helm.
He beat against his chest plate again, letting out a loud metallic clang. "Obey," he said, softer now.
The creature slowly bent its head.
Once it was low enough, he brushed it, and It let out a soft, low growl.
"What? Are you just going to keep forgetting me after every ride?" he whispered, patting the creature's beak.
"We aren't going too far this time," he added, before turning around. "Follow."