Chapter 23 To Surrender.
Deep in a hidden compound a pair of extremely high level mages were hard at work, well, one of them was. “You could help me, you know.” The alchemist told her companion while she was removing magical organs from the next batch of shadow-wolves and placing them into jars full of preserving agents.
Her companion shook his head. “No thank you dear. I do not feel like getting covered in monster blood.” He replied casually while checking his nails and leaning against a mostly clean table. The room they were in had half a dozen wooden tables scattered around and shelves on every wall. In one corner there was a dais that had an animation ritual carved into it that was only waiting on gold dust to be poured into the engraved ritual and a mostly intact amalgamation in order to create the next chimera. This room was the laboratory where most of the experiments were done and was too small to animate any of the larger chimera so the dais was only fifteen feet across.
Countless beakers, jars of organs, small alchemical fires, and corpses littered the tables and floor of the room. The sorcerer was leaning against a table on the side with mostly dry flooring in order to not get too much blood on the bottom of his boots. The room had no scent whatsoever as there was an enchantment in place that removed all such things. That was the only reason he was even in the room with his wife in the first place.
“And here I thought you loved me.” The alchemist told her husband in a flat tone as she removed another organ and unceremoniously pushed the corpse off the table and onto the floor. A summoned being of pure magic, that could not be seen but somehow felt humanoid, helped her pick up the next corpse and lay it out on the table for her to work on it.
The sorcerer sighed. “It was a political marriage Jala, I won’t deny that you have grown on me during the last few centuries but doubt either of us actually have,” He began. “love,” He spoke the word as if it were sour. “for each other.” He sighed again and pushed off the table. “We both know that I am only here to power your insane rituals. The V’Nova’s are paying my family a great deal for this… this… inane plan so we need to make sure it at least looks like we are giving it a good attempt.”
Jala, the alchemist, looked over her shoulder with a scowl. “It is not an inane plan Fen.” She insisted. “And, it will work.” She huffed irritably. “It will work faster if you help instead of standing there trying to look pretty.” She chastised.
“Trying?” He questioned.
Jala’s retort was cut off before it even left her mouth as the iron door to the laboratory was pushed open and a knight in armor resembling the armor of the V’Nova upper leadership’s plate armor. The main difference was that no self respecting V’Nova would let their armor be defaced in such a way. Burn marks and cuts covered it from helm to sabaton and there was no sign of paint nor plating of precious metals left on it at all. The knight walked in, leaving the door open behind them, and stopped half a dozen feet into the room. It looked from the sorcerer to the alchemist before jolting slightly as if they had been startled by something. “Auntie?” A deep but clearly female voice was heard from the armor.
Jala dropped the scalpel that was in her hand and froze. Her mind raced at who might be inside the armor. After a long moment she could finally place the voice. “Lenna?” She asked.
—
Lenna and Isaac moved through the compound without any difficulty whatsoever. There were no more wards inside at all. They passed room after room filled with anything from ritual diagrams to corpses and even a kitchen. Finally Isaac stopped at the door where he felt the two casters were behind it. “This is it.” He whispered to Lenna.
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“Let me try to get as close to one of them as possible.” Lenna whispered back. She wanted to be within melee range before spells started flying if it was at all possible. They had made sure to not set off any alarms so whoever was inside wouldn’t be expecting their executioners to simply walk in as if they were supposed to be there.
“Alright.” Isaac replied. He gave her a nod and then vanished again. He would save Kahtesh as a trump card to be used to create an opening later so he left the little dragon to his slumber in the void.
Lenna took a deep breath and let it out slowly to ground herself. She grabbed the door handle, pulled it open and walked inside as if she was supposed to be there. Her eyes swept the room and the occupants, clearly noting which one was the alchemist who would be her opponent. Something about the alchemist looked too familiar. “Auntie?” Lenna asked with a start. ‘No, it couldn’t be.’ She thought to herself.
When the alchemist in question replied with: “Lenna?” The oathbreaker couldn’t believe her eyes and ears. Her and her aunt had never been on bad terms but they hadn’t ever had the opportunity to be on good terms either. They both knew each other in passing but had never truly had the opportunity to spend any time getting to know one another. That being said, Lenna would prefer to not have to kill her aunt but that didn’t mean that she wouldn’t.
Lenna felt a hand rest on her shoulder and shadows seeped into her armor slightly. “What’s the plan?” Isaac asked Lenna knowing that only she would be able to hear him.
Lenna barely resisted the urge to glance in the direction she knew Isaac would be. “We take them in if they surrender?” Lenna offered.
Jala looked at her niece in confusion. “Pardon?” She asked the younger woman.
“Alright, I’ll play it by ear.” Isaac told Lenna and then she felt the hand leave her and the shadows with it.
“I was talking to my Lord.” Lenna explained and took another slow step towards her aunt.
“Your Lord?” Jala asked. “As in my brother? It’s kind of weird to call him that.”
Lenna shook her head and continued to slowly close the distance without even sparing the other mage in the room a glance. “No, I left him.” Lenna began. “I’m surprised he didn’t tell you.”
Jala shook her head. “No, he didn’t say anything to me. We don’t talk very much.” She was beginning to look at Lenna with obvious caution.
“He must have been too embarrassed. He let me stab him in the throat and get away.” Lenna explained and shook her head in disappointment.
Jala took a step back and Fen took a step towards the two women. “If not him then whom do you serve?” Jala asked with a tone full of warning. She knew that at that distance there was a good chance that she would lose to her niece if the other woman became violent and was hoping that the warning would cause her to stop. It did no such thing.
“The demigod of darkness. He is in this room right now.” Lenna explained. “He is willing to capture you because you are family. He is kind like that.” She continued. “If you resist however…” She let the word hang. “I do not know if he will decide your life is not worth the trouble.” She finished with a shake of her head.
“There is no one else in this room.” Fen replied and raised his hand towards Lenna. “Stop or I will remove you, niece or not.” He threatened.
Lenna finally looked at him. “Who are you again?” She asked. She honestly didn’t know.
The man bristled. “Fen L’Vore, your uncle by marriage.” He replied with irritation clear in his voice.
Lenna for her part did stop her slow advance on her aunt. “I see.” She replied. Just then a beaker fell off a table and crashed onto the ground. It burst and its contents were scattered across the bloody stone. Lenna’s were the only pair of eyes that did not snap to the sudden sound.
“Be seen all who believe themselves hidden.” Fen spoke and his black eyes began to glow a soft blue. His eyes swept the room but he found nothing. “Arcane secrets, be laid bare before me.” He chanted and made a ‘V’ shape with his index and middle finger. He put the ‘V’ up to his eye and looked through it. A black semi transparent screen appeared between his fingers. He swept the room but found nothing that he didn’t expect to see.
As he swept the room another beaker was pushed off a table and sent crashing to the ground as if an unseen cat was menacing the laboratory. Jala jumped. “What? Who?” She asked.
Lenna chuckled. She actually chuckled out loud. “He’s playing with you.” She told her aunt and uncle. “He’s giving you an opportunity.”
Isaac appeared, covered in his shadowcloak with only his eyes visible, standing in the middle of the room staring down Fen. “An opportunity,” Isaac began with his voice dropped like a stone in a bucket. “to surrender.” He drug out the last word with clear, dark, amusement in his voice and followed it up with an even darker laugh that sent chills down Jala’s spine and spread a grin across Lenna’s face. Isaac was enjoying himself.