After leaving Two-Twelve and Ceres, I return to my castle so I can prepare for the dive into Bless' dungeon. Of course, I quickly find myself flanked by Angela and Desiree, whom are not happy at all about being left behind once more.
Angela: “Your armor looks terrible! Are you saying we must let you go alone against someone who can summon monsters strong enough to leave you looking like this!?" - Says a very obviously worried Angela.-
“I left Two-Twelve behind, so I won’t have to worry about someone else while fighting, so bringing you two along would be self-defeating.”
Desiree: “He is right, if Bless is capable of summoning monsters that could damage his armor like that, we wouldn’t stand a chance, but what if we could help in another way?”
Angela: “How so?”
Desiree: “Bless is strong compared to us, and if she is working for the traitors who knows how much stronger she has become, but when it comes to her dungeon itself, it is far from a large dungeon. If we were to go in through the front of the dungeon and cause a bit of a distraction, then perhaps Master could get into the depths of the dungeon undetected.”
“That is far from necessary, I have [Observation] to reach Bless without her ever knowing I am coming.”
Desiree: “I think that if she is a traitor, and actively targeting Madam Erin’s dungeon right now, perhaps she has the same safeguards on her own dungeon, that she placed on the floors they added to Madam Erin’s. If you try to reach her directly and fail, the other traitors could be alerted, and even Master would have trouble against multiple traitors.”
“I am not saying it wouldn’t be possible, but for me to sneak though her dungeon without the use of teleportation, could take a full day, perhaps even two, and that is time Madam Erin doesn’t have.”
Desiree: “I have rooted around in your head enough to know you look up to Madam Erin, even though you have grown stronger than her, but I also know if it came down to saving Madam Erin’s life or stopping the traitors, what your choice would be, without a doubt.”
“If Bless is part of the traitors, I seriously doubt she is high enough in the ranks to deal any substantial blow were she to die.”
Desiree: “I prioritize your life over Madam Erin’s so even if it takes more time, and she dies in the process, I would rather you see it through safely than risking you having to face multiple traitors at once.”
Angela: “Besides you wanted us to train, so wouldn’t this be good for us as well?”
During our conversation I‘ve been looking over Bless’s dungeon with [Observation], and I can’t locate her crystal. It is not in the location it was at in the past, but there are a few more floors since the last time I looked in on her.
Another thing I don’t see any signs of, is Bless herself. She isn’t in her dungeon core room, or anywhere I can see with a quick scan of her dungeon. Finding her might not have been that big of a deal if I could find her crystal, but since I can’t, Desiree’s plan of making a distraction might be a decent idea.
“Bless is one to head off strong groups entering her dungeon herself, so instead of distracting her, we could have you two cause enough damage inside her dungeon to draw her out of hiding and instead of searching for her or her crystal, we can draw her to us.”
Angela: “Then you will be with us?” –She says excitedly.-
“I will need to remain hidden, but I will be nearby.”
Angela: “As long as you are watching, I know I can give it my all!”
Desiree: “Your actions reflect on Master either way, so regardless if Master is there or not, you should always give it your all in his name.”
Angela: “But if Master is watching I can give it more than my all!”
Desiree: “That doesn’t even make sense. Now, we should get ready if we are to be fighting.”
If there is one thing the girls have going for them, it is enthusiasm. Even though it is already late in the afternoon, they don’t even question the time as they prepare to set out. They spend a few seconds equipping their gear with [Menu].
“That isn’t going to work. You two are going to have to blend in, and with Angela’s armor, it might as well have my name written all over it, and there is no mistaking Desiree’s race after a single look at her armor.”
Angela: “What are we supposed to wear, if not our gear?”
"You can wear any “normal” gear. Desiree on the other hand, will need some work. Luckily you both have a very similar build, so you should be able to remove any gear you've equipped with [Menu] and let her equip it by hand."
Desiree: “Wait… A heavy armor not made for my race would cover me from head to toe in metal.”
“You two are the ones that wanted to come along, and if you want to continue to be useful outside of the bedroom, then you will not only need to level up, but also become skilled at subterfuge.”
We then go through the process of summoning a heavy armor on Angela, and the act of taking it off of her and putting it on Desiree takes quite a bit longer than necessary but is also quite fun… Once it is over though Desiree doesn’t seem very happy with the confined feeling she gets while wearing full-plate armor.
Angela’s armor takes no time to summon, and they are then ready to set out, but looking at the two of them there is something still missing.
“Even with the normal armor, the two of you still stand out. Your wings alone are one thing, but if it is just the two of you, it is bound to raise some suspicion.”
Angela: “You could come with us! You could wear one of those rings and we could stay together.”
“We don’t know how effective those rings are when it comes to the traitors. After all they can make them as well, so it is best that I just keep hidden. I do have another idea though. Byson has done some training himself. If we have him lead your group, and throw in one or two of Mar’s soldiers I think it would work quite well.”
Angela: “I won’t take orders from anyone except Master!”
Desiree: “As much as I would like to disagree, listening to Byson is Master’s orders.”
“I am not going to tell him that I will be nearby, so that he will conduct himself as he usually does, but I am sure with the two of you there, he will still be in his best behavior. However, if he does act out of turn you have permission to knock him around a bit, as I will be unable to show myself until after Bless appears.”
Angela: “Why not just put one of us in charge then?”
“When a group starts causing trouble in Bless’s dungeon, she tends to kill the leader of the group first to confuse the others before picking them off, and even with my speed if she teleports in and attacks immediately I might not make it in time, so it is best for her target being Byson and not one of you.”
Angela: “I understand… But if he tries to put his hands on me, I will break his fingers!”
We then head to my throne room and I call for Byson, when he arrives he does so by the way of Speedy. I haven’t laid eyes on him in months, and he seems to be far more battle hardened then I remembered.
With Angela and Desiree sitting on either side of me, Byson and Speedy approach us and kneel at our feet.
Byson: “You called for us?”
“I called for you, but this might just work out. I have a new mission for you.”
Byson: “I understand.”
Speedy: “We have already been on a mission for you, for months on end, without rest or even a single acknowledgement from you, and now you want us to do more?”
Angela: “That is no way to speak to Master!”
Mission…? I don’t remember sending them on any missions, but then again I had forgotten about Byson up until Two-Twelve reminded me of him, so perhaps I did send him to do something. They have gone months without any results however, so it is no wonder I had forgotten about it.
Speedy: “Don’t get to full of yourself! He will get bored of you just as he did me, and then you’ll see.”
Byson: “That’s enough Speedy… She is right. After all of my training Master has called on us for what is surely the next step, so to reach this far in a matter of months should be considered an honor, and not a reason to become angry.”
Speedy: “But you said it yourself, that he was being unreasonable.”
Byson: “I said that because we hadn’t gotten an update from Master in months, but now here we are.”
“Are you done…?”
Byson: “Sorry Master! Please tell us what it is you want us to do.”
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“How does claiming a dungeon sound to you?”
Byson: “I am ready!” –He says excitedly.-
“As you know, as an Elder, this can’t be tied back to me. I need you to do this without drawing suspicion, but it is something that must be done, and quickly, so I will be sending Desiree and Angela here with you to back you up.”
Speedy: “Byson and I have been doing fine on our own up until now, and we don’t need to baby sit your entourage!”
“Your attitude is starting to get on my nerves. This wasn’t a suggestion or even an order, because I don't need to order you. It was a simply statement, because that's how it is going to be.”
Byson pulls on Speedy’s arm to pull her back into a kneeling position as he says. “We will leave first thing in the morning!”
“When I said quickly, that is what I meant, you will leave immediately. I will teleport you within a fair distance from the dungeon, and Angela and Desiree can fill in the rest.”
Speedy: “You said you wanted to avoid suspicion, but entering the dungeon in the evening is enough to cause suspicion on its own!”
“Not for this dungeon, adventurers enter and exit at all hours, now are you ready?”
Speedy doesn’t seem happy about it, but Byson agrees, and we make sure everyone is prepared before I teleport them near Bless’s dungeon. I wait for them to head in the direction of the dungeon before I stealthily follow behind.
Two-Twelve’s PoV
After asking for an audience with the king I wait for a while before I am greeted not by my father in law, nor Logan, but by one of Belinda’s brothers that I've had almost no interaction with in the entire time we have been with together.
Quinn: “Father and Logan are both busy, so they sent me. What is it you want, brother?” –He says seething with distain.-
“I know we have never really been on good terms, but I don’t feel I deserve that kind of reaction…And you don’t have to call me brother.”
Quinn: “Oh but I do. Logan and Father not only insisted on it but demanded me to! So I ask again, what is it you want, brother?”
“I wanted to speak to them about Gowen’s relationship with Merretta.”
Quinn: “Is it not bad enough that you made an enemy out of Southern Merretta? If King Aaron manages to quell the disorder in Merretta he has a fair shot of controlling the largest army in the world, and you want to make matters worse?!”
“I had no say in the matter with what happened between Gowen and Southern Merretta. They kidnapped me, and it was the King and Logan that insisted that it was an act of aggression against Gowen. Besides I actually wanted to try to talk the King and Logan into coming to an agreement with Aaron.”
Quinn: “That is easier said than done! You can’t make an enemy of someone like that and just let bygones be bygones.”
“There are things about it I can only speak to Logan or the King about, but I assure you that Aaron is the one asking for a favor.”
Quinn: “Even Adra feared what King Aaron would do to those with ties to Gowen, if he manages to take control of all Merretta , so because of you Princess Rose broke off the engagement I spent years trying to get her to agree to, and you expect me to believe that King Aaron is asking you for a favor.”
“It was because of the communication parchment that Princess Rose even showed an interest in you to begin with, and if I am able to speak with Logan and the King, then perhaps we can get you back in Adra’s good graces.”
Quinn: “It is too late now! After they kicked me out of Adra, Princess Rose had a new fiancé before I even made it back to Gowen!”
“Well I am sorry…But I didn’t ask to get kidnapped.”
Quinn: “But those friends of yours, the descendant of Dyson, and that Madam Erin woman were the ones to kill King Aaron’s father and brother. There is also a rumor that you were there when it happened, brother.”
“Merretta’s King was already dead when we arrived, and I told Logan exactly what happened, so if you want to know more you have to take it up with him.”
The door then opens and Logan walks in with a curious look on his face.
Logan: “Quinn, what are you doing here?”
Quinn: “What am I not even aloud to speak to our brother now, either?” –He says in a mocking tone.-
Logan: “Father decreed it. He is our brother, and not one that constantly returns to the castle empty handed, so if you wish to speak to him with that kind of tone, then the answer is no.”
Quinn: “I don’t need this crap. I am going back to my room.”
Logan: “Actually Father has decided what to do with you, and with Two-Twelve being here, it actually makes things a lot easier.”
Quinn: “What does he have to do with anything!?”
Logan ignores Quinn and asks me. “I know you had something you wished to speak with Father, but if I could ask a favor of you first. Father and I would greatly appreciate it.”
“You know you can ask me anything…”
Logan: “I don’t know if Quinn told you or not, but his engagement with one of the princesses of Adra fell through. Honestly, Father didn’t have much faith that Quinn was even going to get that far, so that was the reason he was going to have Doug marry one of the princesses instead. However when Quinn actually managed to pull off the engagement it freed Doug up to pursue his own interests, and now that that marriage has fallen through it might put Doug in a bad spot. Father has given up trying to have one of his sons marry into the Adra family line, but we need a win, and if Quinn is unable to perform, it will fall onto Doug…”
Quinn: “It isn’t my fault Princess Rose backed out! Our brother there already admitted to being with the descendant of Dyson, and Madam Erin when Merretta’s castle fell, so he is to blame, not me!”
Logan gives Quinn a scornful look, but continues to ignore him as he talks to me. “However, I managed to work out a deal with Father. Quinn’s schooling was quite insufficient, apparently, and with the university there in Tobes now, I managed to talk Father into sending Quinn there for a semester or two.””
Quinn: “I went through twice the schooling you did! I don’t need any more!”
Logan: “Well you apparently skipped the class on etiquette, but no, the courses I managed to talk Father into making you take are the adventurer’s courses. Doug has made great strides since taking the adventurer’s course there in Tobes, and that was even before there were several different types of study, and even Tanya and Exeter’s Prince have improved enough that Gowen’s relations with Exeter have become iron clad.”
Quinn: “I took the military courses in Adra, some backwater adventurer’s course is not going to do anything!”
Logan: “Father has decided!” –He then turns back to me and says.- “Unless Quinn’s presence in Tobes will be a problem? Belinda, Doug, Tanya, and now Quinn… Father doesn’t want to overburden you.”
“Belinda does a good job of taking care of me... Doug has also become quite helpful around Tobes, and even Tanya is coming around, so as long as Quinn follows the rules, I don’t see any problems with it.”
Logan: “Excellent and I will see to it that Quinn doesn’t cause you any problems. We should give Father the good news together, and you can then ask him what you came to ask him.”
Logan starts to lead me from the room, and Quinn tries to follow with a disgruntled look on his face, but Logan stops him and asks. “And where are you going?”
Quinn: “If he is going to speak with Father, then so am I!”
Logan: “You have Father’s orders. I am sure our brother won’t have a problem letting you teleport back to Tobes with him, right?” –He says looking to me, and after I nod he continues.- “There, you see? You better hurry along then. You don’t want to keep Two-Twelve waiting, so you better get your things together before our meeting is over.”
Quinn then storms off while Logan wears a smug look on his face.
“I know you well enough to know you are a decent guy, but you seem to get far too much pleasure from watching your own sibling’s misfortunes…”
Logan: “Growing up they always ignored me when I told them to do anything, but now that I have the authority to actually make them, I do get quite a bit of enjoyment out of it, especially when they are as obstinate as Quinn or Mindy.”
“Does Queen know you have such a sadistic side to you?”
Logan: “Queen is pretty sadistic herself. I could tell you stories…”
I however cut him off by saying. “No… That’s quite alright.”
Logan laughs as we continue down the hallway. Once we reach the room in which to meet his father, he lightly knocks, but doesn’t wait for a reply to open the door and lead us inside. It’s the same meeting room I have met with the King on multiple occasions with the large comfortable couches with the King sitting across from the couch Logan and I both sit.
From what I can remember of the first time I met Belinda’s father I remember thinking he was quite a bit younger than I had imagined, and he continues to look strong and healthy for his age. But the years since include the war with Longolia, and he has seemed to have aged to the point he is literally “fit for his age” now, as in, he actually looks his age now, albeit “quite strong for his age”.
He might have even appeared young enough to be Logan’s brother, rather than his father, but now their age difference is quite clear. He seems to be happier than I remember though. I don’t recall him smiling very often in our previous encounters, but now he sits across of us with a dignified, but simple smile on his face.
King Rondsom: “Logan says you wish to speak with me, my son, but it has been several weeks since that daughter of mine last brought my grandchild for a visit.”
“I’m sorry about that… Belinda knows how busy you are and doesn’t wish to be a bother, but we will bring Rory for another visit soon.”
Logan: “First of all, I would like to say I have spoken with Two-Twelve about Quinn, and Quinn should be packing his things as we speak. And if he isn’t then he will surely answer for it after our meeting is over.”
King Rondsom: “It seems you have a habit of taking my children from me, but they have all been the better for it, so I thank you for that. Now, what is it I can do for you?”
“It is about Merretta, and King Aaron.”
King Rondsom: “Yes, with our relations with Southern Merretta, I can’t deny that Merretta’s civil war has been on my mind, especially considering how things are turning out. You said the matter concerning your kidnapping had been addressed, so perhaps it was your involvement in the death of Aaron’s father and brother?”
“That isn’t it at all. I don’t see any way around Aaron becoming the next king of Merretta, and I am not even too sure that is a bad thing. I was actually wanted to discuss the possibility of an agreement being made between Aaron and Gowen.”
King Rondsom: “After what he did to you, you are asking me to endorse him?”
“I don’t have to tell you the longer Merretta’s civil war goes on the more it affects other kingdoms, so I will just say I think Aaron would make a better king than the previous one, and far better one than whoever those who are standing against him might appoint in his place.”
King Rondsom: “The problems between Aaron and Gowen might have started with your kidnapping, but they didn’t end there. I am not saying I am opposed to making an ally out of Merretta, should Aaron claim the throne, but it is the dungeon core that he answers to, that worries me.”
“I can say from the dungeon core side of things, that I am confident she will not be a threat to Gowen. I believe that Aaron is making great strides in Southern Merretta, and my only worry is Laura’s influence on him will leave him making more questionable decisions like when I was kidnapped. Making him no better than his father in the end…”
King Rondsom: “I can’t make any open ended deals with Merretta, but after what happened to you, you are still willing to bring this to me, so I can at least hear Aaron out. I will say it needs to be on my terms, because I am still far from trusting of Aaron at this point.”
“I understand, I will send word, and we can set a time and place for the meeting.”
It is growing quite late, but I send the message to Laura telling her that Gowen is willing to talk. She actually responds rather quickly and we hammer out the details for the meeting to take place. Afterwards, Belinda’s father actually holds a bit of small talk, asking how Rory is doing, and how things are going in Tobes, before Logan and I leave the room to check on Quinn.
Quinn has spent half of his life outside of the castle, so his personal belongings don’t amount to very much. He doesn’t seem happy about the fact, but he is at least packed and ready to go by the time Logan and I arrive.
Logan: “Alright, are we all ready then?”
“We?”
Logan: “It has been a while since I paid a visit to Tobes myself, so I thought I would make sure Quinn settles in just fine while paying the others a visit, if that is alright, that is?”
“Of course, I am sure Belinda would be happy to see you.”
Quinn has so few possessions we don’t even have to store any with [Shadow Pocket] before I cast [Gate] opening a portal to take us to Tobes. Belinda is quite surprised to see Quinn, but happy to see Logan when we arrive at the house, and after quickly catching her up on what is going on, we prepare a room for Quinn and Logan.
I haven’t heard any word from Dyson, but if Bless really is one of the traitors, then the odds of him being able to message out are slim, so we will just have to wait I guess. I just hope Madam Erin holds on that long.