It was perfect, almost impossible to believe. Exallius watched from afar as the Academy succumbed to the unnatural darkness, shadows of impossible black spiraling around grand towers, quickly spreading and seeping its way into every little nook and cranny until only a single orb of pure darkness remained.
Exallius shifted his weight to his right foot, taking another step forward towards the peak of the cliff upon which he stood, stowing the small pyramidal transporter safely within his deep pocket, pulling out the slip of paper he’d been given for the mission in the same motion. Most everything was complete already, just a little left and he’d be free to report the good news back to the Bloody.
-IMPORTANT-
The following transcript contains confidential information regarding operation No Name. Only his excellence the Bloody, Dorovan, and Exallius are permitted to the contents herein
Dorovan, you are to take the transporter crafted by Ten and Four and use it to summon a calamity level creature from west of the Nuvarian, a being I’ve dubbed Nonus. It alone holds the ability to supersede Era’s vision, and itself is remarkably dangerous. Under no circumstance should you approach the entity or touch any of its shadows. Aid the endeavor from afar however most you see fit, but do not directly engage. Reports suggest a “groundskeeper” roams the premises. Little is known of him, but he is suspected to be of prowess similar to that of Walibeld, Era, and Rema. If you are detected at any time, retreat and ensure the transporter is protected. Your survival and the protection of the transporter is of prime importance.
Good luck and godspeed
Exallius neatly folded the paper and tucked it back into his waist. He could leave, theoretically. The beast was supposed to be capable of handling the engagement on its own, but he knew better than to allow his arrogance the throne. He lifted his right hand into the air, a small, dense mote of light blue energy encircling a single water droplet within the heart of the spell sitting gently upon his palm.
It was a complicated spell, two separate layers carefully folded around each other to achieve the desired effect, but it was among the great magic he was capable of. It would cost him quite a bit of energy, but if not now, when else would he get to field test it?
-Zenith Cast: Heart of Tr…
“I wouldn’t recommend that.”
Exallius’s heart leapt in his chest. Instantly, he dropped his hand, severing the thread of magic, and turning on the source of the voice, exalted blue blade already drawn.
Sitting hunched over on an upwards pitched rock, head tilted slightly to the left, eyelids drooping low, and arms–bandaged from fingertip to shoulder–laid loosely upon his knees, was a messy black haired man. He wore a loose black cloak, which draped about his shoulders in such a way as to cover most of his body, a single silver clasp shaped like a 3 pointed crescent moon tilted on its side to face downwards, the middle spike notably longer than the other two.
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He gazed absently at Exallius, making no move towards a weapon of any kind, not even the slightest hint of aggression anywhere in his body. Frankly, he looked bored, like he hadn’t the slightest interest in the current moment, a crucial mistake. But as Exallius thought of how best to strike, he hesitated, not because of his orders, but of a disquieting gut feeling building in his chest.
No matter how deep within the man’s core Exllius dove, he couldn’t find a single trace of presence, meaning this man was either remarkably weak, or, more likely, knew how to thin and mask his presence, making him remarkably dangerous. And given the confidence in his lax form, alone so far out into the plains, it was safer to assume the latter, which only left the question of how strong he truly was.
There were few men in this world capable of standing toe to toe with Exallius, so reasonably there shouldn't have been a doubt in his mind. Surely he would win. Surely he was stronger. And yet, the longer he looked at the man, the less confident he became. An alarm blared within his mind, louder with every passing moment, warning him that this was not a battle he could win, that his life could end any moment.
It made no sense. The man sat in one of the worst possible positions to attack from. His reactions would be slowed, his movements dulled, easily long enough for Exallius to land the only strike he needed to kill…right? No, it was too risky, and his orders were absolute. But neither did he want to abandon the mission when he was so close to completion. Who was this man? How did he even find him? And why did he scare Exallius so much?
This aura about him, not quite presence, but something else entirely, like a lingering scent of pure death permeating the air. It was both nauseating and chilling, simultaneously scattering his mind into thousands of little, scurrying pieces and drawing goosebumps to the surface of his flesh.
“I’ve orders to follow. Leave and I’ll take no arms against you,” Exallius spoke, managing to keep his voice steady.
The man tilted his head the other way, eyes looking up into the sky, a single finger placed gently under his chin, “Oh, I wouldn’t recommend fighting me, either. I’ve also orders…but I’ll have to disobey them if you force my hand. I was hoping to avoid bloodshed today.”
“Orders from who?”
“East…he told me to help the kids, but…” the man looked over at the Academy, “...I wonder if it’d kill me. My minds never been the strongest.”
East. He was right, this man was not to be engaged. That name could only refer to one man, especially in this part of the world, the Demon of the East. And although Exallius wasn’t familiar with East’s power structure, he knew better than to tussle with one of his elites. He shifted on his feet, side eyeing the enshrouded complex to the side while gritting his teeth. He needed to get the man to leave, somehow.
“Under order of the Bloody, I demand you leave here at once. That beast consuming the Academy is under my command, and I won’t hesitate-”
“No it’s not.”
Exallius hesitated, mouth still ajar. The man was right, it wasn’t. He did summon it, but its orders came from higher up in the chain. He had no way of bringing it here, let alone demanding it aid him.
“A creature like that would not never listen to you…East tells me all the time…the only way to subjugate a monster is through strength alone. But I guess the same works for man, doesn’t it?” The man said.
“Who are you?”
“That’s not important. My name doesn’t have any meaning, anyway. I’m here on order and that is all. Oh, that’s right, and I actually have something for you. East assumed something like this would happen,” the man said, pulling a simple sealed letter out of his cloak and tossing it to Exallius, who caught it out of the air.
It didn’t have any magical seals, or runes of any kind at all, actually. As far as he could tell, it was just a normal letter, ink and paper, nothing more. Tentatively, Exallius opened the letter, unfolding and reading the message within.
“Let the kids play, they’ve more than earned their peace. And, of course, if you don’t, Nekros will kill you. You’ve been warned.”
Nekros? But that…and for the first time in a long, long time, Exallius was filled with a feeling he’d hoped never to know again–fear.