Broken and opaque crystals, scattered on the floor. Blood drips from the metal gauntlets, sin that also stains the longsword's edge. The person remains standing in the center of the silent throne room, its hunched figure shrouded in shadows.
The double doors are pushed back with a kick. The group of uneasy soldiers that enters, torches in hand to illuminate the dark dungeon, is led by a knight in red armor. Axiel does not hesitate, with a sharp gaze and an icy voice tone, he seeks to impose and quickly dominate the scene.
"What have you done...?"
The voice of the second captain conveys the perfect balance between surprise and disappointment. The soldiers accompanying the blond man are dumbfounded, unable to believe their eyes. In addition to being astonished, the soldiers look tired, as if the sequence of events had crushed their spirits.
The figure in the core room does not utter a word, but reacts to the new presences. It turns with a face devoid of emotion, a sword in one hand and the crest of a golden helmet in the other, its single eye deprived of light. As it steps, crystal shards squeak and burst under its soles, turning into dust.
"Answer my question!" Axiel bursts out, unsheathes the rose-hilted sword and points to the front. The blade is enveloped by a growing scarlet glow, “Or do you also understand that there is no answer or excuse that will suffice for the sin you have committed!"
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
The figure remains silent and distant, as if oblivious to the world around. It lets go the crest, and the golden helmet hits the floor and rolls between its feet.
"In that case, you leave me no choice!" Axiel grits his teeth in a visible attempt to control the rage- "For the murder of Sir Claus, of his majesty the king, and for the destruction of the Dungeon Core, me, Axiel the thrice enlightened, sentence you to death for your betrayal against humanity...! Captain Montsierra!"
Hilda closes the eye and after blinking, her face tightens, and for the first time since Axiel arrived she shows a trace of consciousness in her now uneasy pupil. She utters words too faint to be heard. Looking down at her hands, she trembles at the sight of the bloody palms, but is more startled to notice Jimbo's remains around her.
Meanwhile, from the bowels of the underground, banners from dozens of dark elven houses march again in unison, heading for the surface. High above, the crack in the ceiling that serves as an exit from the underdark shows the vestige of a cloudy sky.
Observing everything from deep below the City-of-thorns, an entity projects its ethereal and scarlet presence to contemplate the new invasion's developments. Everything The Master sees is transmitted to the eyes of his most trusted subordinate.
Dominus, the beautiful succubus, clasps both hands close to her face and casts a look of infinite adoration towards the skull carved in the wall's stone.
"All is happening according to your desire, master! This will be a new milestone in our history! So many years of preparation and caution will have been worth at last!"
A crimson glow erupts from the sockets of the stone skull, transmitting a powerful voice that only Dominus is able to hear.
«The dice have been cast»
The dice are tricked.