Chapter 87 Show Me Where.

“What’d Wo Lu find out?” Edward asked as he and Isaac reappeared exactly where they had left.

“He followed the mage back to a warded section of tunnel and stopped there. He wasn’t completely sure on what the wards did but here is a sketch of them.” Alice told him and handed him a sheet of parchment that Wo Lu had used to sketch out the runes.

Edward frowned. “I think this is the counter invisibility rune. This one is definitely teleportation negation. I have no idea what the last two are.”

Lenna took a step towards him and he showed her the sketches. “That one does the same thing as your moon talismans.” She explained and pointed to the fourth one.

“What about the other one?” Edward asked.

Lenna shook her head. “Something about divination. It’s really complex.”

“Like multiple spells layered on top of each other?” Edward questioned.

Lenna nodded. “Probably.”

Edward turned to Alice. “Find Con… Azazel… and have him scout out the miscellaneous monster’s location first, report back, then do the same for the tunnel Wo Lu found.”

Alice scrunched her nose. “Conrad? Really?”

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose. “He’s the only one in town with the right spell list for the job.”

“Which is it? Conrad or Azazel?” Isaac asked.

Edward sighed. “His real name is Conrad but he dresses in all black, wears black makeup, and calls himself Azazel because he thinks going by the name of a fallen angel is cool or something…” Edward narrowed his eyes at Isaac. “He’s probably the only person in town who is more edgy than you.”

Isaac recoiled. “I’m not that bad… I swear I just have dark powers. I didn’t even get to pick.” He replied defensively.

Edward shook his head. “Alice, you said you sent a letter to the duke?”

Alice nodded. “Isaac took it there.”

Edward raised an eyebrow at Isaac. “What?” Isaac asked. “It got delivered without incident. I hope. I gave it to a guard and told him that it was urgent. He left right away.”

Edward shrugged. “Where’s Wo Lu? He disappeared after he found me.”

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Alice looked at Edward with a deadpan look. “Probably asleep. He hasn’t slept in days from the last mission he was on.”

Edward sighed and looked around the Guild Hall. “Eliot!” He called out to a familiar knight sitting and enjoying a dark drink.

“Boss?” He replied and stood up but made no motion to approach.

“Five gold to find Azazel and drag his ass here.” Edward ordered more than asked the man.

Eliot looked down at his drink. “Understood.” He sighed.

“For the love of the gods just slam the damn thing!” Edward told him from across the Guild Hall. Eliot did as he was told after a shrug. He downed the last of it in seven gulps and wobbled slightly. “Hurry!”

“Yes boss.” Eliot replied and headed out of the Guild Hall at a brisk pace.

“Now what?” Isaac asked.

Edward walked a few steps to an unoccupied chair and grabbed it. He drug it over to Alice’s desk and sat it in with his arms crossed. “We wait.”

“For what in particular?” Isaac pressed.

“The messenger from the duke to arrive.” Edward explained. “He should be calling for me soon.”

“So we can get paid for these in the meantime right?” Isaac asked and pulled a spider head out of a ball of shadows that he made in his hand.

“How many?” Alice asked.

“Thirteen.” Isaac replied.

Alice looked up from her work. “What condition?”

Isaac shrugged. “Pretty good I think. Jumping Spiders don’t do that much damage to their prey before they die.”

“I’ll give you five gold each. Just put them in the back where you usually unload. I’ll get you your money later.” Alice told him and went back to her ninth form she had filled out in rapid succession.

“Okay… We’ll go do that… then head to the Celestial Dawn.” He mentioned the Celestial Dawn so Edward could find them in the event they were needed for something. He hoped that they wouldn’t.

Edward shook his head. “After you unload, come and wait with me. I’m not explaining ‘darker than your crazy guest’ to the duke.”

Isaac sighed. He was really hoping to not have to deal with all the extra crap surrounding a potential catastrophe. He would rather just get told to go fight it. Preferably with just enough help to guarantee victory but not too much to make the fight not fun. “Fine.” He grumbled.

Lenna got the door and the two of them headed to the back and dropped off the baker’s dozen spider heads in a corner. After unloading their haul, the pair found a table in the Guild Hall to wait at.

Fifteen minutes or so later a guard burst into the Guild Hall. “Guild Master.” He said when he saw Edward sitting next to the desk with his foot tapping. “The Duke, requests, your presence, immediately.” He got out in between labored breaths. It was clear the guard had run most, if not the entire, way to the Guild Hall from the duke’s mansion.

Edward got to his feet, grabbed his sword that he had leaned against the wall close by, and beckoned Isaac and Lenna to follow. “Let’s go you two.” He ordered and headed out at a brisk walk.

Isaac got to his feet and stretched. “This is quickly turning into more trouble than I bargained for.” He told Lenna.

Lenna stood and pushed her chair back in. “It’s just as necessary as it is annoying my Lord.” She replied and the two followed after Edward.

—

The trio were led inside the duke’s mansion, down a handful of hallways, then finally inside a large stone room with a singular massive table in the middle of it. On the table was a map of the surrounding area. Izen, Gio, and the captain of the guard were all standing looking down at the map.

“Good. You are here.” Izen said and then looked up. His eyes widened momentarily at Isaac and Lenna who had entered behind Edward. “Explain.” Izen ordered.

—

Edward explained everything he knew and made Isaac fill in on the parts pertaining to the sensing of the monster on the other side of the spider infested tunnels, as well as the Jumping Spider problem.

Izen pointed at the map. “Show me where.” He ordered.

Edward pulled out a sketched map from his tunic and pointed at a section of tunnel. “That is where Wo Lu found the corpse.” He pointed up the tunnel a ways. “Here is where these two encountered the drow escort.” He pointed even farther up the tunnel system, this time closer to the tangled mess that was the spider’s playground. “And here is where Wo Lu ran into the wards.”

Isaac walked over to the map and beckoned Lenna to do the same. “Here is where we were when my Lord felt the monster.” Lenna pointed at a bend in one of the tunnels on the side of the spider’s nests closest to where Wo Lu had found the wards.

Isaac closed his eyes and pictured the tunnel in his mind. He pointed forwards and opened his eyes looking at the tunnels again. “Here.” He said and put his finger on the map. It was a few miles from where Wo Lu ran into the wards and about a mile from where he had felt the monster. “Holy shit…” He whispered. “I’ve never felt something from so far away.”