Alistair followed after Goran, who wasn’t hard to find due to sounds the man made as he stomped down the hallway. Keeping his distance, Alistair passed through a room of busts, and came to a long corridor, where he caught a glimpse of Goran at the other end as the man continued after Kanda.
Ghost: Noctarii and Ziggy. Now. As for what Felix said back there. Fuck him. He’s an idiot who won’t be alive much longer. Any more words on him at this point would be wasted. The only option is psychological torture. I want him to suffer.
Alistair: Wouldn’t that be words?
Ghost: It will be worse than words once we launch this Card of Rumors and deal with the fallout of what is about to happen here. Alistair.
“Yes?” he whispered as he heard a door open just around the corner.
Ghost: This is about to get twisted. Goran is a powerhouse. You’ll need to Celestial Bind to beat him down. Pretend you’re a high-level Invoker and be done with this, but save the kill for me.
The door ahead slammed shut, indicating that Goran stepped outside.
“Got it,” Alistair told Ghost as he touched his chest to summon Noctarii and Ziggy.
The slime hopped to his shoulder. Squish? Squish!
“Ah, we find ourselves in a creepy rich guy’s mansion,” Noctarii said. “Let me speak to the assassin because I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume this has something to do with him.”
Ghost took over. “Noctarii, I have two missions for you tonight.”
“I’m listening…”
“The first will be to keep to the shadows and provide support for what is about to happen.”
“Which is?”
“We’re going to kill someone. A big someone,” Ghost told him.
“You have turned me into a murderer, Ghost, and I can’t say that I don’t like it because I really don’t like humans, but it has been a rather unexpected twist.”
“If you can take over his motor functions, do so. But that might not work. Goran has a very strong will, and he has been trained to deal with basic battledeck skills. Plus, he’s smart. They don’t call him the Scholarly Mountain for no reason.”
“You really want me to take on a giant?” Noctarii grinned. “That changes things. That sounds more up my alley.”
Squish!
“Quiet, Ziggy, the adults are speaking.” Noctarii fluttered just a little closer. “What’s the other task, Ghost?”
“I’ll tell you later.”
“What, really? Not even a hint?”
“I need you to make it very hard for a certain person to fall asleep tonight, but let’s just get to that point first,” Ghost said. “Now, Ziggy.”
Squish? The slime remained on his shoulder as it shifted toward his voice.
“We’re going to be binding with Grimbeak—”
“—Hooty,” Alistair said.
“Stop interrupting me. Once we bind, your job, Ziggy, is to try to stop Goran from moving. I don’t want you suffocating him. I will be the one that kills him.”
Ziggy squeezed his shoulder. Squish! Squish!
Alistair spoke once again: “Are you sure ‘saving the kill’ for you is a good idea? If we can handle this, and Goran is really the threat you make him out to be, then—”
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“Shut up,” Ghost said. “That is how this is going to happen. I need to speak with him, and I need you to do something else at the moment. Summon Lionel. I need my sword.”
“You can be such a dick, you know that.”
“I keep telling you I’m a realist,” Ghost said. “And you’re wasting time. Lionel, now.”
Alistair touched his chest and Lionel appeared, the dark summon bubbling out of the shadows that spread across the ground. “How may I be of assistance?”
Ghost spoke quickly. “My sword. No, make it my sword and Senka’s sword. I will need them shortly. I want you to stay with us, and have the swords ready to hand over, but do not intervene unless I specifically give you the command. If Alistair gives you the command, ignore him.”
Alistair: He’s my summon, you know!
“These are our summons,” Ghost told him, “and I’m not going to let you fuck this up. Do you trust me?”
Alistair forcibly took over his own body. “Absolutely not.”
“Then you are learning. Trust no one aside from me and—”
Squish?
“Sure, Ziggy.”
Noctarii laughed. “Definitely don’t trust me, the slime, or the shadow freak here,” he said, referring to Lionel, who didn’t take the bait. “Anyway. Are we doing this or what? I feel like our window of opportunity is closing, and I don’t even know why we’re about to kill this giant.”
“Because he’s one of the people that killed me,” Ghost told the shadow fae.
“Really?” Noctarii seemed generally offended now. “Then you should have opened with that. Let’s get him!”
The fae faded into the shadows, Lionel doing the same. “You’re in charge again,” Ghost told Alistair as he relinquished control of their shared body.
Ghost: Bind as soon as you can, and start the beat-down.
Alistair didn’t say anything. He had a few things he planned to try first and figured it would be best to act and then seek permission. Ghost’s strategy was all brutality. It was all based on vengeance and for once, if Alistair was being honest with himself, it didn’t seem like Ghost had truly thought this through.
With this in mind, and with Ziggy the slime on his shoulder, Alistair headed out the back door, his wand gripped tightly in his hand.
He reached a garden, one with numerous statues in it, one large enough that he thought it was Goran. Realizing this wasn’t the case, Alistair pushed ahead, around a fountain and up the only natural exit, that led to a path that trailed into the woods beyond Felix’s estate. This wasn’t the same area of the forest he had been in earlier; it was a stretch of manicured greenery on the opposite side of the mansion, one meant to be enjoyed by the looks of it.
Aside from seating there were sculptures and areas made for yard games that Alistair had only seen played once or twice. There was a small amphitheater shaded by thick foliage where one could host a performance. There was also a space for what Alistair assumed was a training ground, which was wide open and had stones on the ground marking certain areas as well as an additional sweating area.
“Noctarii, where are they?” he whispered.
“I thought you’d never ask. Stay here. I’ll find them.”
Squish!
“Relax, I’ll hurry,” Noctarii told the slime as he faded into the shadows again.
“Lionel?” Ghost whispered as he took control. “Are you close?”
“I am.”
“Good. Be ready to toss me both swords.”
“Why both of them?” Alistair asked Ghost.
“Because you’re strong enough to wield two now.”
“You were just making fun of my arms.”
“We need to improve the way they look aesthetically,” Ghost said, “but they are stronger than they once were. Be proud of that fact.”
“I’m back,” Noctarii said, his sudden appearance startling Alistair, who jumped back.
Ghost: Get hold of yourself. You should have been expecting him to return.
Alistair rolled his eyes. “Where are they?” he asked Noctarii.
“Just ahead, behind the amphitheater. Candy, or whatever her name is, is standing there speaking to a real gargantuan fucker. He’s seated on a bench and looks distraught. Are you sure you want to kill this guy? And did you say he was smart? He sort of gives me the farmer’s half-dumb-son sort of vibes.”
“I’m sure,” Ghost said.
Noctarii registered this with a grunt. “What about Candy?”
“She’s going to need to get out of the way. We absolutely do not want her ruining our chances here. Ziggy.”
Squish? the slime asked the assassin.
“ If Kanda gets in the way, deal with her first. And I don’t mean kill her, although that may be something I ask you to do in the future. Just stop her from interfering. We are going to have to beat Goran down before I can finish the job. Now, Lionel. If Ziggy fails, or if Kanda starts conjuring things like Daisy, who might already be out, you may have to fight at that point.”
“With pleasure,” came an answer from the dark.
“Good. All of this is set,” Ghost said. “Let’s see how quick we can make this happen. Everyone remember their roles.”
“Understood,” Lionel said.
“I’m with creepy,” Noctarii said, the fae no longer visible. “Basically, don’t get involved unless it’s looking real bad and be ready to distract the big bruiser if need be.”
Ziggy tensed on Alistair’s shoulder. Squish!