July 8th, 875
Metirine Castle
Empire of Sedina
Two men walked down a stone corridor. One was wearing half-plate armor, a longsword at his side and a helmet tucked under one arm. The other was dressed in opulent clothes made of the finest of silks. As they arrived at a door flanked by two knights, the man in half-plate opened the door and gave a slight bow as he stood to the side.
The man dressed in silk strode past and into the room which was well furnished with a beautifully woven rug, two matching couches facing each other with a low table between them, a pair of ornately carved chairs facing a large desk with stacks of papers and writing implements on it. He then walked behind the desk and took a seat. After he did the man in half-plate stepped in and closed the door behind him.
The man in silk at the desk started to speak, “Very well General, I have waited as long as I’m willing to wait for your investigation into this embarrassment. What is your report? Oh, and don’t tell me you're not done. I have waited hours to find out how something as simple as summoning idiots from otherworlds to be used as tools for our military efforts, resulted in the deaths of High Mage Taneria, several knights, and a mage.”
“I am grateful for your Highness’s indulgence in my request. I do have a report ready for you. However due to the disturbing information and possible traitorous actions that I have discovered, I have ordered a further investigation of the castle and many of the personnel that reside within it.”
The man behind the desk frowned and said, “traitorous actions? General, do you mean to tell me that the embarrassment of today was part of a plot or even the result of one?”
“I can not say for certain whether it was or was not your Highness. The reason it remains unclear at this time is because the main suspects are all dead or missing. If you will allow me to give my report, I can explain all that I have uncovered.”
The man continued to frown and stare at his general before gesturing to one of the chairs.
With a bow the general sat down in one of the chairs, setting his helmet in his lap and began to give his report.
“Your Highness, my report is in three parts. The first covers the most obvious and part you are undoubtedly already aware of: the botched summoning and escape of the otherworlder.”
“High Mage Taneria had received royal approval to upgrade the summoning process and had applied said upgrades prior to today’s summoning. However something went horribly wrong as the otherworlder that was summoned was armed, hostile and highly skilled. He killed the four knights in the summoning chamber with a single lethal blow each. One was decapitated, another pierced through the throat, a third had his neck slashed open almost beheading him and the fourth was stabbed through the heart via a gap in the armor. High Mage Taneria then seems to have been tortured based on the severed fingers and stab wound to her shoulder. After interrogating her for an unknown period of time, he beheaded her as well.”
“The otherworlder then made his way through the castle, killing any knight he encountered till he reached the western courtyard. On his way through the castle to the courtyard, he killed a total of seven knights. Once in the courtyard, he engaged in battle with a total of five knights, four guards, and one mage. Due to injuries and damage to equipment and the area, we were able to determine that he engaged these groups piecemeal and it was a difficult fight. That is until an unknown person stepped in and took out the four guards. Judging by their wounds, the knights and the mage were all killed by the otherworlder.”
“Wait, wait, you mean to tell me someone joined in the fight to assist the otherworlder in escaping?!”
“Yes your Highness, moreover the unknown person is probably either a battle mage or an assassin or something else that can use magic. The reason for that is that three of the guards were killed with precision and great strength, while the fourth had his leg blown off at the knee. If not for a healer arriving with reinforcements the fourth guard would be dead. As it is, he is still unconscious from blood loss and the healers say that if he survives the night then he might wake up in the next day or so. Additionally, some knights arrived at the courtyard after the two had opened the gate and escaped. They caught sight of them and attempted to pursue but were hit with an explosion spell that destroyed one of the gate doors and either disabled or injured the entire pursuit team.”
The man just stared at the general and finally said, “well I guess I should consider myself lucky that my carriage broke down which delayed my arrival and that the assassin wasn’t after me. Otherwise I, the Crown Prince might be among the dead.”
“Indeed your Highness, it seems the gods did not intend for you to come to harm on this day. Another indication that you are favored by them.”
“You said this unknown individual was either a battle mage, assassin or something else. Why did you use those words specifically?”
“The guards were split up, two to each rampart as is standard. On the northern rampart the first guard was beheading swiftly and with probably no chance to react based on the look on his face. The second was run through with a sword, knocked off the rampart and then had his chest crushed. Probably from when the attacker landed on him, at least as far as we can tell based on strange boot marks.
“The issue is with the second two guards which were on the southern rampart. There is a 20 meter distance between the two ramparts. One of the two guards had his right leg blown off at the knee and the other was impaled with a sword and knocked over the wall. Unless the attacker went over to the other rampart and engaged them there, it would have had to attack from the northern rampart. Which means the sword was either thrown or launched with magic and with enough force to knock him over the wall and to the ground below.”
“However, if your highness will allow me, the second part of my report concerns this unknown individual.”
The crown prince nodded and gestured for the general to continue.
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The general took a deep breath and started again.
“I will have to go back to before the fight at the courtyard for this part. Roughly around the same time that High Mage Taneria was conducting the summoning, Senior Mage Maldin was using one of the magic experimentation rooms with an escort of three knights. What exactly he was doing is unknown but it appears he was either testing or using a greatly enhanced version of the summoning that High Mage Taneria was using. This alone is extremely unusual as mages are very well known for guarding their secrets and techniques and that High Mage Taneria never released the information on upgrades and variations of the standard summoning that got her the promotion to High Mage. I started an investigation into that and the information concerning what we found so far will be in the third part of my report.”
“The nature of the summoning that Senior Mage Maldin conducted was strange. We found an iron cage that was open and empty with a shattered lock. There was more blood in the room than what there should be based on the bodies. Also there is no sign of whatever was summoned.”
The prince spoke up, “Wait, what bodies? Don’t tell me he sacrificed something.”
“It is possible that something was sacrificed, your highness. The extra blood could have come from whatever was in the cage and the body could have been taken or consumed. Either way the three knights were killed in an instant with no chance to fight back. Their swords were still in their sheaths, they didn’t have a chance to draw them. The knights seem to have been killed with magic as they each had a hole in their heads and stone fragments within. Senior Mage Maldin was hit with the same attack but he was struck in the knee. He seems to have attempted to flee but had his throat torn out with some kind of clawed hand. The thing then wiped its hand on the cloak of one of the knights.”
“So he summoned a demon?! What in the name of the gods was he thinking?!” The prince exclaimed in anger.
“We don’t know it's a demon, your highness. It could be some other kind of creature, one that the Senior Mage thought he could control. There seemed to be some kind of barrier around the summoning but it's been partially obscured by blood so we don’t know what kind of barrier it was or what exact purpose it was supposed to serve. Additionally this all happened when there was no priest in the castle.”
“No priest? Where is he then, I know one is assigned here.”
“He had gone to the nearby town. The town had submitted a request for help in purifying the cemetery after they caught a necromancer. An escort of knights went with him to ensure his safety.”
The prince sighed and shook his head, the look on his face a mix of exhaustion and concern.
“Now I’m beginning to understand your concerns of treachery. The mysterious summoning gone wrong, the priest conveniently absent, the scheduled summoning gone wrong and all in the same day. The fact that your report isn’t finished makes me even more concerned.”
“For good reason, your highness. After Senior Mage Maldin was killed, the thing that was summoned seems to have disappeared. There is however evidence that a thief or assassin was on the move.”
“An apprentice mage reported encountering a cloaked knight who was able to gain entry into Senior Mage Maldin’s lab. The apprentice encountered this knight who told him that he had permission for the Senior Mage to enter to retrieve something for him. This on its own is extremely suspicious. The knight stated that the Senior Mage had cast a spell on him that would allow him to get past his wards only once. The knight demonstrated this by opening the door without getting harmed. After that, the knight went inside and the apprentice didn’t see him again.”
“Some time later, just after the otherworlder escaped into the forest, a fire was discovered in Senior Mage Maldin’s lab. The fire consumed everything in the room. We were unable to gain entry into the room in time to save anything due to the wards on the door. Upon entry though, we discovered that everything in the room seemed to have been thrown on the floor and set ablaze. Nothing in the room survived, not even the furniture.”
“Additionally, two knights were found assassinated in the corridor leading to the northern rampart of the western courtyard. These knights were not cut down by a sword like the ones killed by the otherworlder. Instead they were killed with a dagger and both their swords were taken.”
The prince interjected, “You said the guards on the ramparts were killed with a sword.”
“Yes, your highness. We believe that the thief was after something Senior Mage Maldin had and used the otherworlder to help in his escape. However, it has not been ruled out that whatever killed the Senior Mage wasn’t also responsible for the fire and deaths of the guards and knights.”
After a moment of silence the prince spoke, “I assume that’s it for part two? Makes me uneasy as to what part three is.”
“Part three, your highness, concerns Senior Mage Maldin and High Mage Taneria. The summoning he used was based on her methods. There is no way he should know her methods unless he gained access to it somehow. However she only just last week proposed her latest upgrade, which while minor would still be an improvement. His summoning not only included that upgrade but much more. It’s not possible for him to have made all those changes and upgrades in just a week’s time. It took her two months to come up with her upgrade.”
“I started interrogating the other mage researchers and made several discoveries. The first and most important, at least to me, is that High Mage Taneria lied. She had been lying to us and to your highness ever since she first proposed the new summoning methods, which was almost two years ago.”
“She didn’t discover or create it. She instead was assisting and working with Senior Mage Maldin on it. When she revealed ‘her’ creation, she stole all notes of his she could find and bribed others to side with her.”
“I remember Maldin kicked up a fuss back then, he made all sorts of accusations of her and even some of the knights." The prince said while he tapped his finger on the desk. "When he couldn’t prove anything he was demoted to Senior Mage from High Mage and banned from associating with Taneria.”
“Indeed, your highness, it’s just as you remember. Senior Mage Maldin seems to have not let the matter go and spent the last two years digging and acquiring evidence. Evidence that we found concealed in his quarters. The evidence is damning for several people and enough for others to warrant an investigation. However it is impossible to fully investigate or even charge some of those involved.”
The prince glared at the general, “And why is that general. If you have evidence and are conducting an investigation, then why can’t you finish the job?”
“Your highness, of the total of seventeen knights that died today. Four of them were implicated in the evidence that Senior Mage Maldin possessed. Another knight died in combat six months ago. The mage killed by the otherworlder in his escape was also implicated.”
“So the otherworlder inadvertently helped us clean house then.” The prince sighed and then continued. “Ambition is a good thing, something I encourage for all that serve the Empire. I expect some backstabbing and some back room deals. However, actions taken by those ambitious people that result in a detriment to the empire, and that I can not condone. If Taneria and Maldin were alive, I would punish both of them and confiscate all their research concerning the summoning. As it is, they are both dead, Maldin’s research destroyed, twenty-two others dead, an otherworlder on the loose, possibly a demon also loose and possibly a thief. Oh and there is the gate that got destroyed and the others that were injured. Hope I didn’t miss anything but regardless.”
With a slam of his fist on the table the prince spoke with force, “Find them general, find them all. The liars, the corrupt, the escapees. Find them and bring them to me. I don’t care what condition they are in, I want them alive. They will pay for this embarrassment, this mess and I will enjoy personally punishing them all very thoroughly.”