The army and Holy Mage Cassius returned to the Red Star, and King Arinn's eyes scanned the troops, hoping to find the cage with the fairy. However, upon not finding one, he asked, "How did the mission go? Did you find a fairy?"
Holy Mage Cassius stepped forward and began his report. "Your Majesty, we safely traveled to the Green Star and tracked the holy energy to a forest. However, the forest was covered in a high-level illusion spell that neutralized the army. I, however, remained aware and proceeded to the center of the forest."
King Arinn's interest was piqued. "And what did you find there?"
Cassius's expression was solemn. "Instead of fairies, I found an Angel. It provided me with two vials of its blood and instructed me to leave the star and not return. The Angel then dissipated, and its magic teleported us back to the shop."
King Arinn's eyes widened in surprise. "An Angel, you say? And what of the fairy?"
Cassius presented the two vials of Angel's blood to the king. "I'm afraid I didn't find any fairies, Your Majesty. But I did receive this gift from the Angel."
King Arinn was positively surprised by the outcome of the mission. He ordered the guards to bring the Lich. A few moments later, the guard arrived with a cage, and Lich Xandros was sitting inside. Since he hadn't been tortured for a while, he was looking better than before. Steve who was just a head with no body was levitating besides him.
King Arinn turned to the Lich and commanded, "Provide me with the diagram of the Ancient Teleportation Spell."
The Lich's eyes widened in shock, and he asked urgently, "D... Did you find the blood of an Angel?"
King Arinn's expression turned stern, and he shouted, "You don't have to know about that! Just provide me with the spell!"
The Lich fell silent for a moment before asking, "I need to see how much blood you have. I doubt you have enough to send an army to the Netherworld. That hellhole is not for the faint of heart; it only takes a second of carelessness to die there."
King Arinn's curiosity was piqued. "How many people can I send with the blood I have?"
He turned to Cassius. "Show him the vials"
Cassius revealed the two vials, and the Lich's eyes widened in surprise. He made a gulping noise, and his gaze was fixed on the vials.
After a moment, the Lich spoke, "Yes, yes, I'll speak. With this much blood, you can take at least four people to the Netherworld. I'd suggest you send only two people, so that once they find and kill the villain Eryndor, they can collect head and return in triumph."
The Lich's words were laced with a hint of desperation, and King Arinn noticed the change in his tone. After all the vials represent a chance for freedom for the Lich.
Lich Xandros requested the king that he should pick one person to bring to the Netherworld, and the second person should be the Lich himself. "I know the Netherworld like the back of my hand, Your Majesty," the Lich said with a sly grin. "I'm the perfect guide."
But King Arinn was not foolish. He knew exactly what the Lich was planning. "If I send you to the Netherworld, you'll just run away or worse, kill my representative and steal the other vial," he thought to himself.
For now, King Arinn had a decision to make: who were the two heroes he should send to kill Eryndor and bring back his head? He looked at Holy Mage Cassius for advice.
Cassius thought for a moment and then said, "One person should know Eryndor personally, and the other should be strong enough to deal with any upcoming troubles and complete the mission."
The king thought this was a great idea. "If I send two strong people but they don't know who Eryndor is, how would they kill him?" he thought.
As Cassius looked at the two vials in his hand, the dead Angel Kael's voice echoed in his mind, "My blood cannot help the king, but it can help you." Cassius steeled himself and implore the king, "I'd like to volunteer myself for this mission."
The king was surprised by Cassius's determination. "Very well, Cassius. You may go to the Netherworld."
A few weeks later, King Arinn had sent a few hundred soldiers to the Blue Star to bring back a person who knew Eryndor personally. They returned with Lord Ravenswood, who was cursing his luck.
"What have I done to deserve this?" Ravenswood exclaimed. "I'm not Eryndor's friend, I'm his enemy! We hate each other!"
The king raised an eyebrow. "It is human nature for people to lie or deceive when they feel that the truth will have negative consequences for them. You have two choices, Lord Ravenswood: either you can die now, or you can go to the Netherworld, bring back Eryndor's head, and be free."
Ravenswood's face turned red with rage. He muttered under his breath, "You're enjoying this, aren't you, you sadistic king? Fine, I'll go to the Netherworld. I'm going to kill Eryndor, and then I'm going to come back and kill you, you evil king. And then I'm going to... uh... retire to a quiet life in the countryside."
All preparations were done, and Cassius and Ravenswood were standing in the middle of the Ancient Teleportation Spell. King Arinn blessed the two travelers, saying, "May the gods be with you on your journey. May you return victorious and bring back Eryndor's head."
Ravenswood rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just get on with it already."
Cassius hit the center of the spell drawn on the ground, and the spell glowed brightly. Both Cassius and Ravenswood vanished instantly.
In the cage, Lich Xandros was smiling evilly. Steve, his loyal servant, asked, "Master, why are you laughing?"
Xandros chuckled. "I made a little change to the spell. Let's just say that Cassius and Ravenswood are in for a surprise."
As Xandros laughed wildly, Steve looked on, confused. "Uh, master? What did you do?"
But Xandros just kept laughing, his eyes gleaming with mischief.