So.

This was the Warden that Grey had been so wary of.

He was a tall man, dressed in form-fitting white and black robes with a pitch-black cloak draped over his shoulders. In his right hand he held an intricately carved staff made of a smoky crystal of some kind, with three splines poking from the head of it. The man himself was clean-shaven with sharp, severe features. From his scalp fell long, thin, unbound blonde hair held out his eyes by an iron circlet with a large, heptagonal sapphire set into it.

He watched us with a pair of strangely familiar, dispassionate blue eyes almost neon in shade.

Frankly, it didn’t look like this guy gave a rat's ass about us.

At Woodrick’s greeting, the Warden inclined his ever so slightly in the Sculpted’s direction. “Woodrick. I’m aware that you aren’t the true instigator of this farce. I would ask you to simply return to your cell so we can avoid further unpleasantness, but sadly it no longer exists.”

Woodrick snorted at the man’s words. “No thanks to your little trap. Apparently, they thought you had Lady Honoka in there.”

My brow furrowed at his words. Why was he just giving away info to this guy?

The Warden’s lips lifted in a thin smile. “Oh, but I do have Honoka. Just…not there.”

Unexpectedly, Sylvia stepped forward, baring her short sword. “Where is she?! Where have you hidden Lady Honoka?!” She demanded, more passionate than I had seen her in a while.

The Warden’s eyes lingered on Sylvia’s blue blade, so similar in appearance to Grey’s Stellarum. He lifted his eyes to inspect Sylvia thoughtfully. “Hmm. I’ve heard of you. Greycton’s get, yes?”

Something in his demeanor caused me to tense up, although nobody else seemed to see what I did. Slowly, I started moving my way through the crowd of children and blended into the crowd of tense pirates watching the confrontation. I didn’t want to draw any attention, in case I was right. Thankfully, I felt that I had recovered enough to be using my skills again as well. I activated Sylvan Vigor at half-strength just in case, but I kept a mental finger on the trigger. I was ready to jack it up to full at a moment's notice.

“I am his daughter,” Sylvia answered coldly. “Now I ask again. Where. Have you hidden. The Lady?”

“Oh,” The Warden said in an amused tone, smiling. “You’ll be seeing her soon enough. You’re quite useful, after all.” In a quick move, he raised his hand in Sylvia’s direction. Opening his hand, he snapped his fingers in her direction. The sound echoed oddly in the hall.

Suddenly, four monsters that had been under some form of veil appeared on top of a wooden barricade. The Guards must not have known about them, as they were visibly startled.

It was four Frostbrine Spiders.

Large ones.

Aiming their abdomens at Sylvia, four streams of web erupted from their behinds aimed straight at my friend.

Luckily, they missed.

I tackled her out of the way, you see.

I hadn’t waited to see whatever it was that the Warden was doing. As soon as he had said those words and pointed at Sylvia, I had ratcheted Sylvan Vigor to its max strength and dived out of the crowd in her direction. At the time, I didn’t know what he was intending, only that it probably wasn’t good.

Thankfully, I was just in time. The two of us impacted the floor just in time to watch as the web streams from the monsters we thought we’d wiped out splat on the floor. Quickly, the two of us scrambled back to our feet. Quickly, Sylvia flashed me a thankful look, before focusing back on the Warden. The rest of our group reacted as well, growing tenser and baring their blades threateningly.

Meanwhile, the Warden only looked briefly disappointed, clucking his tongue. “Ah, well,” He said, shaking his head. “It was worth a try. I’ll just have to sort the hostages out later, after I kill you all.”

“We’ll see,” Woodrick said, smiling grimly. He crouched slightly, getting into a running stance with his axe held before him. I drew my dagger, extending it to its full length now that I was certain we’d have to fight. I mentally triggered The Scintillant Blade as well, causing the spearhead to erupt in familiar rainbow flames. The rest of our party readied themselves as well.

Meanwhile, the Guards on top of the barricade raised their weapons to point at us, while a different stream of them flowed through the opening. They formed up in more disciplined ranks than I’d seen from them directly behind the Warden.

Said Warden raised his crystalline stave into the air, and then drove it into the stone of the floor with a cracking sound.

But that sound couldn’t compare with the crack that came from the ceiling.

Before the battle could begin, the stone roof above us caved in with a sound akin to an avalanche. All heads within the entrance hall snapped up simultaneously.

Falling through a new massive hole in the ceiling was the ragdoll body of the Neptaurian Prime. Through the debris of the destroyed roof, I could see Venix on top of the monster, riding it down to the floor.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

Impact.

The entrance hall shook from the shock of the Antium and Centaur hitting the ground. Slowly, through the ensuing cloud of dust, I could see Venix stand up on top of the still carcass of the monster. He was staring down at the Warden.

The Warden wasn’t intimidated at all. He just looked annoyed.

Meanwhile, Venix looked…rough. His usually immaculate robe was ripped and torn, exposing his muscular, chitinous upper body to the world. He was visibly injured as well, with strangely red blood flowing from several rents in his natural armor. Did ants have red blood? Probably not, but Antium seemed to. The samurai paid no attention to his wounds. He only had eyes for the Warden.

While I was relieved to see Venix, he wasn’t who caught my attention the most.

It was the form of Grey, slowly floating down from the hole in the roof with Stellarum held loosely in his right hand. He looked a little roughed up as well, if less so than Venix. My mentor’s clothes had some rents in them as well, while he had a cut on his forehead that slowly dripped down his face.

Silently, he landed on the rubble-strewn floor of the entrance hall, no more than five feet away from the Warden.

The two of them eyed each other, while the rest of the hall watched in tense silence.

Grey broke it first.

“So,” He said in an oddly conversational tone. “It really was you, Leonard. How long have you been the Warden of Caer Drarrow?”

“Oh, for some time now,” The Warden, apparently named Leonard, answered in a casual voice. “I returned to the continent years ago, and the King asked me to take up the position when I did. Politics, you understand.”

Grey made a mildly interested noise. “Would that happen to be the King that your current benefactors murdered?” He asked politely.

Warden Leonard visibly rolled his eyes. “Do be serious, Greycton. You and I both know that old Otto was on his way out well before his death. Any ‘murdering’ that was done was just a…facilitation of the Eisenherz line. And besides,” He said in a faux wounded tone, laying his free hand over his heart. “You’re one to talk about murder. That’s the second of my Primes you’ve killed now. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to enthrall such creatures?”

So, I guess that was absolute confirmation that the monsters belonged to this guy. How was he doing that? Was it a class ability or something?

“One can hardly ‘murder’ a monster, Leonard,” Grey scoffed, waving his own free hand in dismissal. “And besides, you set them to guard hostages that I was set on freeing. Child hostages mind, in unacceptable conditions. Have your morals degenerated to such a degree in your time away that you’re willing to inflict such neglect on the young? What would Leopold think if he saw you now? You remember him, yes? Your brother?”

I started. I only knew one Leopold, and that was the intimidating Marshal I had met back in Hollow Hill.

The second in command of the Order of the Eclipsed Dawn.

Now that I looked closer at the Warden, I could see the resemblance. They had the same eyes.

Leopold and Leonard…

“I was given specific instructions on how to house the hostages, and I followed them to the letter,” Warden Leonard responded, unphased by Grey’s accusations. “As distasteful as I found them, I still did my duty as loyalty and the law demanded. And that’s always been the problem with Leopold and your lot, hasn’t it? Ever have you and he placed morals above where loyalty should lie. Leopold especially has always believed himself above the law of the land. When he should have joined military all those years ago as loyalty demanded, he instead fled to join your little Order. It was quite the black eye on our family at the time, as you well know.”

Grey shook his head sadly. “On the contrary. Such moral fortitude is Leopold’s greatest strength, and why I rely on him so heavily. But enough of this pointless bickering,” He said sharply, taking a step forward. “Where have you hidden Honoka, Leonard?”

Warden Leonard smiled slyly. “Did you not enjoy my little trap? I thought it was quite amusing, even if I lost a tool from it. I knew you would come eventually. After all, you couldn’t resist the potential plight of your longtime friend and accomplice.”

“Where is she, Leonard Ashran?” Grey asked threateningly, suffusing the air with his power. Slowly, the lights in the room began to grow dimmer in a familiar manner. The air grew heavy with the weight of Grey’s power.

Warden Leonard scoffed. With a wave of his hand and pulse of his own strangely alien feeling strength, Grey’s display was dispelled. “Oh, do give it a rest,” the Warden said scornfully. “I’m not like one of these plebians, to be cowed by a simple expression of your Mantle. Besides, it’s not even needed. I’m more than willing to show you Honoka.” Raising his left hand, Leonard gestured to the Guards behind him without looking.

Emerging out of the entryway, escorted by two large guards was a woman.

She…looked to be in pretty rough shape.

Who I could only assume was the Lady Honoka that both Grey and Sylvia were so desperate to rescue was doubly shackled. Both at her ankles and her wrists, which were bound behind her back. I couldn’t see her face as her head was hanging low and obscured by her long white hair. The woman was dressed in the same rags that I had seen on many of the other prisoners, and looked to have been similarly mistreated.

I think she was unconscious. The Guards were essentially holding her up.

However, Grey and Sylvia must have recognized her. I stopped Sylvia from lunging forward by laying a hand her shoulder. When she turned to look at me in surprise, I shook my head minutely.

Not yet.

Meanwhile, Grey was furious. “What did you do to her.” He snarled in a demanding tone.

“Why, nothing that wasn’t done to you,” Warden Leonard said pointedly, smirking.

My eyes narrowed, unseen by the arguing duo. ‘Nothing that wasn’t done to you’, huh. Did that mean…

They’d afflicted her with a slave brand?

Hmm…

Grey must have realized as well, as his eyes narrowed at the Warden.

“I don’t know how you did it, Greycton,” Warden Leonard said seriously, his demeanor sobering. “But I’m sure if you recovered your Deputy, you’d manage to free her as well. Unfortunately, I can’t allow that.”

“Oh, can you now,” Grey said scornfully. “Boy, I was slaughtering upstarts like you before you were even a sparkle in your Grandfather’s eye. Do you truly wish to challenge me?”

“Hah,” Warden Leonard laughed. “I certainly do, since we both know you’ve been weakened.”

Grey stiffened.

I stiffened.

Most of the people in our party stiffened, to the confusion of those not in the know.

“Did you think it was a coincidence?” Warden Leonard said derisively. “You must be losing your edge, old man. I designed the brand you were afflicted with, after all.”

Grey’s face slackened in surprise. “You…?” He breathed.

“I was called on to do it, after all. Someone of sufficient skill was needed to get you out of the way. At the peak of your power, nobody in the Kingdom could challenge you,” The Warden acknowledged. “That's why you weren’t simply…dealt with. Frankly, we did what we could to get you out of the way, while we dealt with the rebels as we saw fit, as well as weaken you in the long run. And I must say, it worked wonderfully.”

“Enough!” Grey burst out, frustrated. “Enough. It’s clear that this won’t be settled by words.”

“Oh, I agree,” Warden Leonard said, waving away the Guards presenting Lady Honoka. They melted back through the gap in the barricade, carrying their prisoner between them. I kept my eyes on them, however.

I wanted to keep track of where they were holding her.

“As I was saying before you so rudely interrupted us, Greycton,” The Warden continued. “I’ll just have to kill you all, and sort out the hostages later.”

“Today, the legend of Greycton of the Shadowed Sun dies.”