Chapter 40: Book 2 Embers of War – Chapter 38

The next morning, Arlan woke up to the sound of a hawk on the balcony. Marie, Chrysta, and JD were still asleep. They had decided to rest in Arlan's suite since there was already enough room for them all.

The King's Blade was in his sleeping clothes when he opened the balcony door, allowing a gust of wind to blow through. Everyone else was unaffected under their covers but Arlan felt the wind pierce deep into his bones.

Arlan blurted out while shivering, "Its fucking cold."

Oreta itself was already on high elevation and the royal palace was built on a hill along with their room being high up. Arlan attributed the cold gusts of wind to that fact. Using a bit of his mana, he expanded it to keep himself warm. On the balcony was the Hawk staring at Arlan with a small parchment attached to its leg.

It was the report from Nightingale, regarding Roy Vanders. Arlan quickly grabbed the parchment and unraveled it. Before he could read a single word, the Hawk flew off. The King's Blade watched the Hawk fly off for a few seconds then turned his attention back to the letter. It read:

 

"To our lord,

The Panthers have found the following within the estate.

- Letters from House Kaiser mentioning an insurrection.

- A secret lab. We were unable to search it.

- A trade manifest of weapon caches, stored in multiple warehouses in the market district. Meet with me for the map.

Roy Vanders returned to his estate last night and will leave for the royal palace by the afternoon."

 

The Panthers continue to impress me every time they deliver on results.

Arlan returned inside his room and woke up the three still sleeping.

"Wake up everyone," said Arlan as he started getting dressed, "It's nearly time. I've asked the servants bring our breakfast here."

Marie was the first to open her eyes and noticed Arlan was half naked. She stayed under the covers and enjoyed the peeping show before her before she 'woke up' officially.

Chrysta was the second and asked, "Did you receive the report we all been waiting for?"

"Yes, I think you should read it yourself," answered Arlan as he handed Chrysta the report from Nightingale. Marie jolted over and read it as well.

The King's Blade walked over and started nudging JD to wake up.

"What- What is it?" asked JD as he was half awake.

Arlan answered back, "It's time to get up. I need you to accompany Chrysta."

"Alright, I was just dreaming that we finally won the war too..." cried JD.

"If only, right?" smiled Arlan.

A meaty breakfast was then brought in by the servants. Arlan hid the Nightingale's report in his pocket, a precaution if any of the servants were under someone's payroll.

None of the others mentioned anything around the servants either. Their discretion was important. They needed to snuff every conspirator out at once or else the enemy would cut off ties immediately.

The four guests ate their breakfast with light talks about the day and Arlan dismissed the servants as they got ready to depart from the royal palace. Arlan had given Marie the abnormal monster core and told her to find Lady Dafni to use her [Heavensight] on it and find out if she knew anything.

As for JD and Chrysta, their objective was to head to the Grand Archives and find out any information regarding the Malum Incarnate. And as for Arlan, he was to head to investigate the warehouses with Nightingale.

The four friends agreed to meet back at the royal palace before the sun had gone down. Arlan figured the task to be relatively easy but the danger was the amount of unknown variables within the Capital at the time. There wasn't enough information about who potentially could be bought out by the enemy.

 

Marie was on her way to the Mage Senate, a majestic hall where all of Midland's matters regarding mages and magic laws were voted on. There were also trials held at the Mage Senate whenever a Midland Mage had been caught breaking rules.

There weren't many laws that mages weren't allowed to perform but the ones that did exist were there to prevent tapping into nefarious powers. Five Mage Senators were chosen every five years that voted on numerous issues and presided over cases. 

Marie knew about the Mage Senate, because Lady Dafni was also a Mage Senator herself. Despite being the Headmistress of Lancel High Academy, her time was split between her two roles.

As the Embercaller arrived at the Mage Senate, there was a large flight of stairs leading up to the actual hall. There were many adept mages who were still second-tier or first-tier.

They were all preparing themselves to assist the Mage Senators with any tasks that came up. Marie had worn her black leather armor under a brown hood. While she didn't stick out, she also didn't blend in too well. There were some noticeable eyes that watched her enter the building.

Reaching the front hall, a female dwarf receptionist asked Marie, "State your name and your business at the Mage Senate."

"Baroness Marie Balan, I'm here to see Lady Dafni."

"Lady Dafni has just returned and is in her office. She did mention she was expecting the Balan name. Her office is on the second floor, to your left. Can't miss it."

"Thank you," replied Marie with confidence as she walked past the desk and up the large center stairs to the second floor.

The Embercaller arrived at the office door and knocked. She knew her teacher wouldn't appreciate her barging in. The door magically opened, Lady Dafni was inside sitting at her desk writing on a few parchments. She had used wind magic to open the door.

Marie bowed slightly, "Good afternoon."

"Hello again, Baroness," responded Lady Dafni without looking up from her work. "Please have a seat."

"Thank you, ma'am."

Marie sat down across from Dafni and waited patiently. After several minutes passed, Lady Dafni put away her quill pen and said, "What is this object you wish for me to take a look at?"

The pupil reached into a small pouch on her hip and pulled out the abnormal monster core and placed it before her teacher.

Lady Dafni's eyes studied the object with curiosity until she asked, "Where did you find this?"

Marie answered truthfully, "During the Siege of Rinhaven, we pulled this off Izradon's body."

Dafni's eyebrows shot upward as she spoke, "A peculiar thing. I've heard of rumors of such an item being circulated in the south but I've never laid eyes upon one."

"What can you tell us about it?" asked Marie.

"All monster cores house essence, just like ours from within. But this one, there's more than just essence within the core..."

Marie detected large amounts of mana surge through Lady Dafni's left eye. The Headmistress had activated her [Heavensight] and peer thoroughly at the object.

Lady Dafni continued, "There are large amounts of mana housed within the essence lanes. Mana I've never seen before."

Marie was perplexed, "How is that possible?! Mana cannot travel through essence lanes!"

"It's not impossible. I thought the same until I met Arlan."

"You mean Arlan can utilize mana through his essence lanes?"

"Only when he activates his [Undying Zeal] from his regalia."

Marie nodded and asked, "So what does this mean? There are monsters like Arlan out there?"

After a momentary pause, Lady Dafni reaffirmed her theory and said, "No, there aren't any monsters out there who can do such a thing."

Confused again, Marie asked, "What do you mean?"

"This is no monster core... This is a demon's core."

The revelation caused Marie to shiver down her spine.

She repeated, "Demon's... Core....?"

"Yes," confirmed Dafni as she held the object up, "I've never thought it possible but somehow, this was once a demon."

Marie finally pieced it together, "That would mean that the Malum Incarnate are killing their own kind and turning them into demon cores."

"Which means the demon war is still continuing to this day."

"Lady Dafni, what would happen to a person who would absorb this demon core?"

"I cannot truly say what would happen until I've seen it myself. But I would imagine you would be able to harness mana far better than you would normally."

"The others at the Tetrasan Tournament, Arlan's agents have confirmed that they absorbed demon cores."

"What? You mean all three other schools?" shouted Lady Dafni as she calmed down and continued, "It all makes sense now, Warmane Academy had all three students harness mana when they had no means to harness it months prior. I had mistakenly accepted it as a new talent."

"Finally... When we removed it from Izradon, he had it lodged in his chest. He never absorbed it."

Lady Dafni grabbed the demon core and studied it intently, "Maybe the demons cannot absorb them but can utilize the strength as if there are two cores. That would explain Izradon's immense strength despite being an entire tier lower than Arlan."

"So would it be safe for us to absorb the demon's core?"

The Headmistress knew where Marie was going with her question.

"To my understanding," said Dafni, "I don't see an issue if other students had been able to harness it."

Marie thought to herself whether the power was worth the risk. She wanted to end the war sooner than she thought.

"Then... Headmistress, please help me absorb this demon core."

"This may harm you permanently. I cannot allow you to take that risk."

"Lady Dafni... I understand your care but... For the sake of Midland, allow me to gain this power and assist Arlan."

The teacher was reminded of Arlan's path as the Ashra. She knew he was going to need allies that were strong.

A few tears fell from Marie's eyes and she solemnly stated, "Please, Lady Dafni. I'm not strong enough to stand by Arlan's side yet."

Lady Dafni felt her pupil's ambition and drive resonate. It reminded Dafni of herself in her youth when she would travel the world with Dink.

She finally gave in and said, "Carefully follow my instructions."

 

Oreta's bells rang through the city, signifying that it was noon. JD and Chrysta had just arrived at the Grand Archives. A large library containing rare books of history and ancient scriptures.

Most Kingdoms had a library of their own that housed any history or knowledge. Any kind of knowledge that predates the cataclysm two-thousand years ago was extremely rare and valuable. Entire Kingdoms were wiped out during that period along with their history.

The Grand Archives was run by an order of scholars who knew nothing but how to preserve the books as best they could. Access to the Grand Archives required a permit granted from either the governance or Mage Senate.

It was heavily guarded by royal palace soldiers. The ancient texts were considered national treasures.

The pair was allowed entry when JD showed the guards an order from the King's Blade. It was verified by the wax seal that was only given to the royal family. No one dared to question the authority JD and Chrysta held. Not even the master scholars, who were in charge of maintaining the majestic library.

Both JD and Chrysta were approached by a lizard beastmen, who wore plain tan robes and black scales for skin. JD and Chrysta were confused at first as lizard beastmen weren't well-versed in common-tongue, let alone read ancient text. Even more surprising, the black lizard beastmen wore reading glasses.

A clear and confident voice emerged, "Knight Jan Derva and Lady Chrysta. I am Master Scholar Bakuro, please call me Kuro. May I see the King's Blade order?"

JD handed Arlan's letter over and said, "Kuro, you're a beastkin, but you speak common-tongue as if you were human. How?"

Kuro let out a laugh as he read over the orders. Upon finishing, he returned the document and said, "I was raised here since I was just a pup. In this very institution by the Master Scholar before me. I've learned to speak common-tongue because it is all I know. I cannot speak my native language."

"That's really cool!" added Chrysta.

"Thank you, Mi’lady," acknowledged Kuro as he continued, "I love all the scriptures, books, tablets and anything that may contain words for me to read. Now, I believe the orders mentioned that you needed to view anything we have on demons. I will not ask why but it would allow me to direct you to the right scriptures."

JD pondered for a moment and answered, "We need information on the Malum Incarnate or any other demon orders related."

"Ah, I know just the right books and scriptures," proclaimed Kuro, "We may have a tablet that mentions the Malum Incarnate."

"Please show us the way, Kuro!" said Chrysta.

Both the Tempest Knight and Coldheart followed the black scaled lizard. As they walked through, Kuro happily pointed out each section and what type of texts were stored there.

"This is quite fun and interesting," added JD as he soaked in Kuro's tour.

"It is! Isn't it?" agreed Kuro, "The words on each of these books, whether its a record of an event or legend created for joy, it's all beautiful! Its almost as if we're walking through time itself!"

Chrysta giggled while she reached for JD's hand and held it. She whispered to the Tempest Knight, "It's almost like we're on a date."

JD nervously smiled back and Kuro continued, "Alas, if only I could share this joy more often."

"What do you mean?" asked Chrysta.

"Not many are allowed into the Grand Archives so... We only get to speak with each other about our findings. We rarely get new visitors," admitted Kuro.

JD and Chrysta could feel the joy and excitement die down from the revelation. They both felt sad for Kuro.

"Nonsense ramblings," added Kuro quickly, "We're here, these shelves contain anything related to demons. I've read them all, so allow me to retrieve the tablet and ancient records that mention the Malum Incarnate. Just have a seat at that table."

The two followed Kuro's orders but felt overwhelmed. They saw the four rows of long bookshelves that must've housed at least a thousand books on demons. There was no way they could possibly read through three or four short books in a day, let alone thousands.

They heard Kuro excitedly carrying a case that housed a stone tablet in one arm and two cylinder leather cases. He nearly tripped over his own tail as he laid the items on the table.

"Sorry!" Kuro apologized to his guest, "Fortunately, I didn't fall."

JD noticed his tail was wagging constantly, almost like a dog.

"Hey Kuro," said Chrysta, "You said you read all the books, even the ones regarding the demons?"

"Yes!" answered Kuro happily, "I read fast and I'm quite knowledgeable regarding anything in the Grand Archives!"

"We need your help," admitted JD, "We won't be able to go through everything in time. This is also a matter of the Kingdom's future."

Kuro's eyes were lit with a fire like he had been preparing his whole life for this moment. Then he said, "Knight Jan Derva, anything I can do! I will tell you what I know."

"First, what does this stone tablet say about the Malum Incarnate?" asked JD.

Kuro took a deep breath and answered, "This stone tablet is one of the few national treasures that date back to around five hundred years after the cataclysm. It mentions an event where multiple rifts opened up all over Althea. Out from these rifts were Void monsters and Naraka Lords. It states that nine demons appeared from their realm and helped everyone beat back the Void and closed the rifts. The nine demons called themselves the Malum Incarnate."

"JD, isn't that strange?" asked Chrysta, "What is the Malum Incarnate's goal then? Why would they help us fight the Void then and now they're up to something."

"Numen's Grace!" shouted Kuro, "The Malum Incarnate is back?!"

JD dove his forehead into his hand and scolded Chrysta, "You said too much. But I think we can trust Kuro anyway."

"Yes Kuro," answered Chrysta as she realized her mistake, "We've fought against Moradon, Belial, and Izradon of the Malum Incarnate. We managed to kill Izradon."

"This is strange to me," stated Kuro as he unrolled the two records, "The Malum Incarnate are rarely mentioned. But when they do appear, they have only helped us overcome catastrophic events. You two must be strong to have fought them."

"We weren't alone. It was with our friends," admitted JD.

"Does your text mention the demon names?" Asked Chrysta.

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"I'm afraid not," answered Kuro, "This is the first I've heard of the names. Our knowledge of demons is very limited. I do know this, like the ancient elves, demons do not age. They merely grow stronger as time goes on. In theory, they may infinitely grow stronger. They exist in an underground realm that is only accessible by demons. They can harness ancient portal magic."

JD was reminded of the portals in Rinhaven and the monster incursions and asked, "I've seen a demon take a man through a portal before though and are they able to control monsters?"

The lizard wagged his tail back and forth and answered, "That is most strange, there are no records of humans being able to travel through the portals. Maybe the demons control who may enter and exit a portal. As for your second question, Demon Mana is actually very different from the mana harnessed by Altheans but... Demon Mana is said to be more pure which may be the same as the mana that corrupts monsters."

"What do these two ancient records mention?" asked Chrysta as she pointed to them.

"One is an ancient record regarding orcs and the other is a legend that has no basis of happening," stated Kuro, "The first record mentions the unification of orcs a thousand years ago, the Rhota Orc Tribes were unified with the help of the Malum Incarnate."

"Orcs were capable of peace?" asked JD puzzled.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, they used to speak common-tongue," answered Kuro as he wiped his glasses clean and continued, "Alas, the second record is among the oldest in our possession. Because it is a legend, and before the cataclysm, it is unconfirmed to be true or a folk tale."

Chrysta was curious and asked, "Do you know who these are written by?"

"It is still a mystery to us," answered Kuro, "The legend says that the demons made a pact with Adaneus, a god from beyond our world. The pact granted Adaneus passage to Althea by taking the form of a strong demon. In return, Adaneus granted the demons the ability to summon a powerful weapon from another world. But that weapon came in the form of a demon lord, who resembled nothing like the demons in Althea. The demons wanted to harness a powerful weapon to rule over Althea and it's inhabitants. But the demon lord was vehemently against this ambition. Instead, the demon lord convinced half the demon to reach a peaceful resolution. Adaneus was moved by the demon lord and together they formed the Ahura Maza."

"What about the other half?" asked Chrysta intently.

"The other demons formed the Angra Mayu and waged a hundred year war against the Ahura Maza for control over the demon realm. Which ended when the demon lord was killed and Adaneus physical body was killed, and their deaths line up with when the cataclysm happened. There is a theory that the two are connected," finished Kuro.

JD then added, "Is that all? What does this have to do with the Malum Incarnate?"

Kuro replied without pause, "This is where it gets interesting! An old diary by a human named Longinus Durel shows a drawn picture of an ancient tablet from a rift dungeon. The tablet revealed that the remnants of Ahura Maza formed the First Order, whose purpose was to revive the demon lord and bring Adaneus back."

Chrysta was confused and asked, "Kuro, I still don't get it?"

"Oh, I forgot to mention at the end," admitted Kuro as he continued, "The First Order was the name labeled by humans. But they're actually called the Malum Incarnate."

Both JD and Chrysta deathly glared at each other and cried out, "The First Order is the Malum Incarnate?"

"Yes, it's not common knowledge so I don't blame you," stated Kuro.

JD wanted answers, he asked "Then why would they incite the war? Why would they prepare to phormics to massacre Galdera a year ago?"

Kuro's eyes widened, "The Malum Incarnate is responsible for the war between Midland and the Swora? And they somehow controlled phormics to attack people? Are you sure of this?"

"Yes," answered JD with conviction, "I was there personally. I crossed blades with the phormics and Izradon."

The master scholar jumped up and ran to a nearby bookshelf and returned. He was scrambling through the pages constantly and asked, "Knight JD and Lady Chrysta, what did the demons say exactly?"

Chrysta tried her best to remember and said, "During the siege of Rinhaven, Moradon said something about letting the hate rise inside Arlan or his true fate. It was very confusing."

"Did he mention any names?" asked Kuro.

JD and Chrysta looked into each other for approval and nodded.

"Kuro, you are not to tell anyone else," said JD with a serious tone.

"Of course," answered Kuro, "Please tell me so that I may help!"

JD answered truthfully, "Moradon said to our friend, 'Let that hate rise inside you and realize your true fate. Until next time, Ashra.'"

"They... called your friend ‘the Ashra?’" asked Kuro.

"Yes!" answered Chrysta as Kuro's eyes were deathly scared. She asked, "What's wrong? Do you know of the Ashra?"

Kuro slowly mouthed, "The demon lord! They called him the Ashra."

Chrysta finally realized she had almost all pieces of the puzzle except one, "That would mean... Arlan is a demon?"

"It would explain his abnormal power," added JD.

"But he told us he's from another world? And why would the Malum Incarnate oppose the Ashra? Aren't they trying to revive Adaneus?" thought Chrysta.

Kuro decided to try his hand, "I think I know the answer... When Adaneus was killed, he likely lost most of his power. The Demon God receives his power from the excess mana and essence gathered from a core shattering in our plane, and entering his plane."

"Core shattering...? You mean dying?" asked Chrysta.

"Essentially, yes," answered Kuro, "The Malum Incarnate needs to create mass deaths across Althea to bring Adaneus back."

The last puzzle piece fell into place in Chrysta's mind and she had to tell Arlan.

"It makes sense now," said Chrysta, "First, we know that the legend is real. Arlan is that weapon they summoned. They probably thought he was a demon from his armor he wore. While we don't know what exactly happened before the cataclysm, we do know that the Malum Incarnate is trying to feed Adaneus essence and mana by having war rage across the lands. While the Malum Incarnate is strong, they wouldn't be able to kill enough by themselves. So they've been tricking kingdoms into fighting each other! And they knew Arlan would oppose it which made him their enemy. And it explains why they wanted General Sakrates."

"This is a lot to take in," admitted JD, "I think the Malum Incarnate had an agenda when they helped the orcs and helped us with the Void. I think their goal was to wait till there was enough of a means to support a large war. We need to tell Arlan and the others."

JD and Chrysta agreed and got up immediately. They both turned to Kuro who smiled that his knowledge was able to help such an important matter.

"Listen," said Kuro, "It seems like trouble lay ahead for both of you. I want you to know that I'm always willing to help you with the information I know."

"Thank you Kuro!" said both Chrysta and JD as they turned and started toward the exit.

Kuro waved and shouted to them "Farewell, Knight Jan Derva and Lady Chrysta!"

The Tempest Knight turned around and shouted back, "Just call me JD next time!"

Before Kuro could muster another answer, nearby scholars shushed him from his shouting.

 

Arlan leaned against a building's corner on a street in one of Oreta's many market districts. He wore the same brown cloak he had when he visited Jovann.

Three bells echoed out signifying that it just became noon. He was waiting for Nightingale to meet with him in order to find out where the warehouse was.

There were too many people on the streets to easily keep track of anyone who wanted to disappear into a crowd, Oreta was both safe and dangerous like that. Safe for anyone not looking for trouble but dangerous for anyone who was.

The King's Blade couldn't bring his blacksteel claymore but had his mithril longsword with him. It was hidden though in order to not draw attention.

Another person in a brown cloak leaned against the corner as well and whispered, "Here are the three warehouses. Your orders?"

Arlan knew who it was and accepted a tiny parchment that contained the location of his objective.

The King's Blade answered back, "I'll take the main warehouse, you and the other Panthers take the other two. Kill anyone in your way. I doubt anyone is innocent in those warehouses. Once secured, I'll call for the city watch."

"By your command," acknowledged Nightingale as she walked the opposite direction.

The objective Arlan had in mind was to confiscate all the weapons in order to prevent the insurrection from happening. One thing did bother Arlan was that even if the insurrection were to happen, it wouldn't amount to anything. Oreta was too well defended with the city watch and royal palace guards.

"Oh well," said Arlan to himself as he walked toward his destination, "Time to get to work I guess."

It only took fifteen minutes of walking before Arlan arrived at the main warehouse. The other two secondary warehouses were much smaller and so he assigned it to Nightingale and her Panthers. The neighborhood was more of a slum than it was an actual market. This made hiding the weapons much easier.

Outside the large warehouse were four men with tattoos and cuts. Arlan's [Battle Trance] revealed more inside and how weak all of them were.

Local gang. Paid muscle. There's no way he would station his own personal troops.

Arlan started stumbling forth while holding his leather flask and mumbled gibberish. The four men noticed Arlan stumbling forth toward them like a drunk.

One of the lackeys said out loud, "Another one? Fucking drunks. Get Joleph down here. We need another barrel for a body."

The four men all smiled as they wanted to unleash their pent up frustrations on the drunk before them. They cracked their knuckles and smiled deviously.

Once Arlan reached striking distance, a fist came out from Arlan's left and struck his brown cloak. The knuckle went through caving the linen through but the attacker felt something weird and realized he didn't strike any flesh.

Arlan's speed was so fast that the cloak was a mere distraction. The King's Blade started with throwing his leather flask full of water at the front man's jewels. Causing him to go into a fetal position with both arms together.

In a lowered stance Arlan’s brown cloak flew overhead to his right. A wind spell pushed the left attacker further. The fist accelerated through the cloak into the lackey on the right, knocking him on his back.

The King's Blade kicked his left leg back into the man behind him. A crunch was heard as Arlan's heel connected with something phallic. Before the first attacker would fall on Arlan, he stepped forth while turning around and dove his fist into the left attacker's kidney. The pain reverberated through his insides.

In a matter of four seconds, all four guards were laid out by the King's Blade. Their moans of pain were the results of not having a chance. Arlan then leaned down and searched each one until he found a key.

As he got up, he slowly waltzed to the smaller warehouse door. Arlan put his back against the wall on the right side of a door where it wouldn't swing open on him.

Just as he foretold, the door swung open with another gang member holding a barrel so high up that he couldn't see. Arlan moved his right foot just in the path of this unsuspecting guard and tripped him forth.

Before the man could even tell what was happening, Arlan struck the man in the back of his head, knocking him out.

The King's Blade searched his fifth target and proceeded inside. As he crept through the musky warehouse, there were only five guards left on his [Battle Trance] who were all still unaware of his presence. Memories of Arlan's past on Terra kicked him when he would perform night raids on militia cells or terrorist cells who had weapon caches.

Before long, he shook himself out of his nostalgia and went to work. Using his radar-like ability, he was able to maneuver quietly around the warehouse full of crates and barrels, knocking out each guard and searching them for anything useful. After knocking out the last guard, Arlan searched a few different crates and barrels.

Some of the barrels housed dead bodies and some housed steel weapons. A stench of death overtook the room. The King's Blade was now angry at how many innocents have died in order to keep the warehouse a secret.

Crates also were also full of weapons. After taking a small sample size, Arlan estimated that there were enough weapons to arm about three hundred soldiers. If added with the other three warehouses, maybe a thousand could be armed.

This isn't enough. A thousand makeshift insurrectionists against the trained city watch and royal palace guard. They would be both outmatched and outnumbered. Roy Vanders isn't stupid and he has to know that... There has to be something else. The answer is in his lab.

Arlan walked outside and fired a mana-ball into the air, exploding overhead. The city watch saw this and sent a contingent to investigate who was firing magic into the air. Two minutes had gone by when the squad of ten city watch soldiers arrived with weapons drawn while surrounding Arlan.

"Lower your weapons and secure the warehouse," ordered Arlan as he flashed his King's Blade sigil.

The reaction was shock at first, they didn't know such a young teen could be the rumored King's Blade but they dared not question the orders. They withdrew their weapons and followed suit.

Being the King's Blade makes this too easy.

 

Arlan was on his way toward Roy Vander's estate when Nightingale appeared at his side. She whispered just enough for Arlan to hear, "We took care of the other two warehouses. The city watch arrived in force. We assumed you sent them after they arrived at yours. Aside from weapons, we found something disgusting..."

"Mangled dead bodies without organs?" asked Arlan.

Nightingale nodded, "At yours too?"

"Yes... They're abducting people and removing their organs. There were pickled lungs and hearts in one of the crates."

The average person wouldn't be able to handle such gruesome sights but Nightingale and Arlan were unphased. They had already seen worse.

"Your orders?" asked Nightingale.

"We're going into Roy Vander's estate."

"By your command. Shall we show you our backroute?"

"No, you and the Panthers take that route. I'm going through the front door."

The Umbra for the first time ever, blinked twice at her lord's answer. She asked herself, "Is he serious?!"

Arriving at the prestigious estate of Roy Vanders meant that you were in the richest neighborhood of Oreta. It had taken Arlan nearly thirty minutes to get there. He could've gone faster but it would've attracted too much attention.

He needed to arrive at the property before Roy Vanders could return home at night. If he had made it known that he was going there, Roy Vanders could've easily hidden or destroyed any evidence.

Arlan removed his hood and wore his King's Blade sigil out and every noble around him knew who he was. Some were in awe, some gossiped as to why Arlan was there, and some ran. The ones that ran were likely trying to warn Roy Vanders. But it was too late.

The four guards were confused, they were given deathly orders to stop anyone from entering the estate but they weren't allowed to stop the King's Blade.

"Open the gates and send for the city watch," ordered Arlan.

"By your command!" shouted the guards. They complied because they had no choice.

Continuing into the courtyard, revealed the most beautiful and luxurious garden Arlan had seen so far. Once at the main door, the head servant barged out and begged, "Mi'lord, please do not enter! Roy Vanders would have my head!"

Arlan ignored the man's pleas and continued on. The head servant grinned while unsheathing a weapon and lunged at the intruder. The King's Blade shot his left arm out and grabbed the head servant's neck with a monstrous grip.

The initial pain and reaction caused the man to drop his dagger and struggled to breath. He threw his arms pathetically at Arlan, who was still walking forward. Not even giving the man a single glance as his life exited his body.

Satisfied, the King's Blade dropped the head servant on the ground and entered the manor. Inside was just as you would expect of someone in such a position. Expensive furniture, marble floors, red carpeting, and rare paintings were among the many luxuries afforded.

Arlan already knew how to access the lab thanks to Nightingale and her Panthers. So as he walked toward the center stairs that would lead him to his destination, four different maids appeared with blades drawn.

They all smiled deviously as they surrounded the King's Blade. They were promised high rewards and safe haven if they killed any unwanted intruders. This was the first time they could make good on that offer. So naturally they thirsted to take Arlan's life.

The King's Blade was unbothered and kept walking. The maids all looked at each other like the man before them was either an idiot or stupid. Right as they were all about to make their moves, Nightingale and her three Panthers appeared from behind each of the maids.

Throats were cut deeply before the maids knew what was going on. The four Umbras grappled their prey with both arms and legs and dragged them into the ground while stabbing efficiently into the maid’s hearts. Arlan was halfway up the stairs by the time Nightingale and her Panthers finished.

"Master Arlan," said Nightingale outloud, "These women murdered some of our friends before we became Umbras. We held back our vengeance last night because of your orders. Thank you for giving us the satisfaction."

"I'm glad," answered Arlan, "Allowing you all to find closure is important. Nightingale, come with me while the rest of you find what you can."

The Panthers all bowed and disappeared except for Nightingale, who followed her lord. Screams could be heard as the other Panthers killed more of the servants and maids who tried to attack.

A stench from behind a bookshelf next to Roy Vander's room creeped into the hallway. The deadly pair activated a switch, moving the bookshelf to the side.

Inside was a large lab, there were alchemy devices and parchments of the human body. As the two explored more, there was dried blood over the tables where the victims would be tied down and harvested.

Then gurgling sounds could be heard from further down the dimly lit room. The source of the sounds revealed itself to be twenty people inside large cages. Their tongues had but cut. Most were missing limbs, some had only one eye, some even had their lower jaw removed.

Arlan was unphased as he looked upon the people before him, mutilated beyond recovery. The Umbra looked away and was unable to handle the sight before her. 

"Nightingale," ordered Arlan, "Give me all your potions and go search around the room for anything important. I'll free them."

The Umbra did as she was told. Arlan rushed over and smashed open the gate, freeing the prisoners who were crying. Some couldn't even walk out properly.

Arlan used his brown cloak to wrap up a naked elven girl and doused his emergency healing potion on her. She had no legs, one eye, and only one arm. The King's Blade remained calm and used his best judgment to give out the five healing potions he had. The potions weren't going to restore lost limbs but they stabilized anyone who was near death.

Afterwards, Arlan scooped the elven girl up as tears streamed down her face. He started to carry her out and lead the mutilated people out of the lab. The King's Blade shouted for the remainder of the Panthers to assist anyone they could with water and healing potions.

As Arlan returned to the courtyard, he walked past the lifeless body of the head servant. Storming through the front gate were a hundred soldiers from the city watch, prepared to force their way into Roy Vander's estate but they slowed their charge to a complete halt when they saw the victims emerge from the manor. Some of the city watch even dropped their weapons at the grotesque sight.

Arlan angrily shouted, "What the hell are you all waiting for? HELP THEM!"

Most of the men snapped into action and ran inside. Some ran back out the estate for clerics while a few just fell down and cried immensely. Arlan had seen soldiers who witnessed or experienced something that changed them forever. This was one of those moments.

Arlan laid the elven girl down as he waited for a cleric. The girl wanted to say thank you but nothing came out. Instead, she mustered a weak smile as a thank you. 

This broke the King's Blade and he started to cry. The elf raised her only arm and brushed Arlan's tears away. The King's Blade felt something in her hand, it was a wooden knight figurine. She had been waiting for a knight to come and save her.

The King's Blade held the girl closely and cried even more. When the cleric arrived, Arlan laid her down and stood up. The cleric tried casting a few heal spells before he gave up and moved on to the next.

In Arlan’s right palm was the wooden knight. The elven girl had given it to him, right as she died in his arms.

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