Mirabella breathed in the chill air as a sigh. All the reports from the Captain and Fort were not encouraging, even though they had managed to raise some of the weaker soldiers or warriors a few levels in the last week. The constant attacks of the elemental ants against them was hard to spin into something positive for the populace, but she wouldn't be a noble if she couldn't turn it into something positive at least. But her walks among the people had began to show her the growing discontent with the pressure the creatures had been placing on the area. Just the other day a small group of refugees came from the outskirts of Lolacal and Restibue. While the towns themselves weren't under attack the wide spread farms around them had seen a few monsters tearing through the area. Mirabella had sent some soldiers to patrol and also a request for more guards from her estates in the east. She knew she could at least rely on Amalyn for support since they had been building up her guards for years. It would be nice if they could resolve this situation without extra help as word would make it back to the capital, but it was impossible to stop the spread of such a Dungeon Break with such a poorly staffed Hold as this.
Which brought her mind back to the more concerning items on her reports. More people had been found under the keep in the catacombs, and the mages were almost certain that they were actually some kind of Faerun ruin. The reports talked about the woven spells in the bricks and roots that make up the place as well as it's natural appearance as a cave as they went deeper. It looked like it was quite the deep place, and considering how intact it is made them all uneasy. Faerun ruins had a running theme of defying death and twisting nature even while they looked like the ideal places for old shamans to live. It is no suprise that the enigmatic Empire fought them all the time considering the differences in the way the two used magic. Though both used magic far beyond what anyone in the Kingdoms had ever figured out. What concerned her the most about it was why did Reginald make the Hold right here? There is little chance he didn't know about the complex since they had built walls against one another. Yet, his actions and behaviors had been affected by something.
Mirabella could still feel the influence of that magic every so often. It was a constant struggle and she even kept a running scribe of her interactions with people she would read through at the end of the day to check for any signs of action. Even a little slip could start an avalanche in the situation that they were currently in.
"My Lady," todays scribe asked bowing his head, and Mirabella was broken out of her musings, "You have a visitor." The woman's attitude caused a slight apprehension, it was out of the ordinary for a visitor to not be announced by the Captain or a knight.
"I really-" She began, but then the room flickered and the scribe froze in place. Red suddenly became far more vibrant and clear in everything, almost glowing among the colors it was next to or mixed in.
"Be polite and invite me in." A smooth voice said, though not a person could be found. The red fading and blue become more intense and somehow deeper. Mirabella stood up and entered her court mindset, pulling her shoulders back and keeping her eyes calm.
"I take it that you are the one flaunting the law and affecting people's minds?" She said with a hard edge, some of her inner frustration giving it a cold feel. It didn't take anyone clever to pull that together. The blue faded away and green flared to life and a sense of endless skies. Silence greeted her and she stiffened not willing to give this person the benefit of her manners. Then time seemed to stretch away with seconds feeling like hours, and she could feel a weighted stare the whole time. When it felt like a day had passed with the green colors making her feel like she was falling at the same time, she broke.
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"Come in, we have much to discuss." She said with a sigh, and the green faded for yellow to take its place but with a weight to it. Then, the air seemed to twist and a pure black figure tipped its hat towards her.
"Ah, good evening," Its smooth voice sending shivers of cold down her spine, "It's too perfect of a night to spend it indoors. Come, we should walk." Mirabella blinked and found herself standing on snow covered, gray rock and a vast distance spread out before her; green forests with twisting rivers that could be seen shimmering in the light of the sun. She blinked again and noticed that there was no tear in the sky.
"Now if only this wasn't just a vision." The smooth voice said from behind and to the side. Mirabella turned to see it sitting on a rock, but it's appearance had drastically changed. Instead of looking like a place cut out from the world it looked like the lizard type of beastkin. Though he also had those six twisting horns and swirling rainbow eyes.
"When I brought the last one here, they just kept forgetting, so lets see if you are any stronger." It, no he, said his eyes looking both sad and alive.
"Who are you?" Mirabella found herself speaking, her mind starting to buzz and her usual court habits falling away. The creature looked sad at that, and just looked towards the sky.
"That is not the right question, try again." His voice holding incredible weight now, and the air around him seemed to crack pouring out a vibrant white light.
"I-you-." She didn't know what to say or ask. This creature wasn't human and seemed to have command of magic on par with the ancient Empire or the Faerun. Magic that didn't make any sense and made them akin to gods to the modern civilizations, "What is even going on right now?" She yelled, at him, something snapping in her mind as the buzzing became painful.
"Ah, you are just about at your limit then. Well, I just took your soul for a little walk outside, but," He looked around them as the cracks stretched and widened with a now purple light flaring through them, "We are out of time. The real interest will be just how much you remember."
---
Mirabella blinked looking towards her scribe who was still bowing, and she could even see the lady was shaking slightly. Clearly the visitor had pressured her for an introduction, and that just wouldn't do at all. Yet, she was too tired and busy to deal with some noble brat in her guard that thought he or she had a right to her.
"Tell them they can make an appointment like everyone else." She said before walking back to her desk and sitting down. She shivered feeling cold even though the fire was burning away in the hearth. Then, she looked back up at her scribe.
"Mary, where was I at when you entered the room?" She asked, a bit too loudly, as the buzzing in her mind settled. The woman started then tapped her head as she read through the end of a large scroll.
"While you were...sitting at your desk?" She said back to Mirabella, her face turning pale. Mirabella could only clench her hands, something else had happened and they didn't know what. Why was she standing in the middle of her room, and feeling so cold. She heard a tick and ignored it, probably just the building settling.
From 98 to 97.
---
The Demon closed its eyes in the void, and it's mind sent it's report back to its self beyond the Door. Any attempt at contacting the humans or beastkin was resulting in failure though there had been success in talking to the Varaska spawn that the dungeon sent out to scout. So perhaps they had time but not a lot of it. It opened it's eyes and looked at the state of the rift. The Realm wasn't in the best shape before the Door closed. Before it had been betrayed.