"Should Graham Blackwell learn of his origin," spoke the Domina, "even simply learn the history of Ethan Morningstar, the dormant psyche within him will Awaken. Abbadon will return to reign once again and all that we have fought for will be lost. As Umbrans, we cannot allow that to pass."
The Umbrans remained silent, allowing the man called Ram to process all that he just learned. The man called Mare stood in silence. Strange, Luna thought. I thought for sure he would make some pathetic attempt at condescension. Perhaps he sympathizes with Ram feeling the full impact of our mission.
The Umbral Hand had a vast network of official members, as well as various agents and liaisons who were of use to the organization. In all, Luna knew of 2000 or so Umbrans being active throughout the kingdom. Which is why it had struck Luna so that, of those 2000 Umbrans, the four here now were the only ones to know the truth of this mission.
While thinking, Luna could not help but take note of an odd sensation lingering along her body. Her skin felt hot and she took note of an uncomfortable heat surrounding her. The strange heat was accompanied by a cough hanging in the back of her throat. And a peculiar taste. Ash? It appears the two have started a fire. I suppose late nights out here can get rather chilly. I suppose I'll simply have to bear it until I've fulfilled my report to the Domina.
Then, with a sigh, Ram finally spoke. "I understand. If it's as you say, then we have no choice."
"Good," replied the Lady. "Now, let us continue. Madame Crow, you have called this council tonight. What news do you bring us of your operation?"
Luna took a moment to collect herself, her report needing to be concise while also conveying the gravity of the situation. "There appears to have been a mistake in regards to the intel we received regarding Graham Blackwell. In addition to having a surviving family member, it appears that he is no adventurer at all. He is a woodcutter of the village Brightshade. I've called this council in order to--
"Domina, this is madness!" interjected Mare, unwilling to let the implied accusation of his failure stand. "My officers have served the Hand for decades and have never failed--"
"So you accuse Crow of Deception, then?" asked Ram.
"Our reconnaissance showed no sign of any other living Blackwell member," continued Mare, hoping to avoid addressing Ram's query.
"Then I've met with an imposter?" asked Luna, refusing to allow Mare to speak over her.
"Domina, as your most senior agent, you must believe that--"
"ENOUGH!!" boomed the Domina, silencing all of them.
"I fail to see what possible advantage Crow has to gain by lying here. If our intel was incorrect, how that happened is irrelevant. Currently." The last word accompanied by a sharp look towards Mare. "We must now work to remedy the situation. First, let us examine our new obstacles."
"For one," began Luna. "It will be much harder to hide from the Emperor's enemies. A Herald guiding an adventurer would appear commonplace. But a woodcutter? It would be obvious that he is of some greater value. It would be sure to draw suspicion from those who work against us."
"May as well paint a target on the girl's back," added Ram. "Much harder time getting higher powers to help as well. Adventurer in need of aid woulda greased the wheels of their treasury a lot easier than an axman."
"Not to mention the likelihood this will reach the Emperor's ears," offered Mare, possibly hoping to atone for his failure. "If he learns of this, the Inquisitors are sure to hear of it and question him. And the damned Laws of Deception will implicate him in it. He will lose the throne and all of our work will be lost."
"Indeed, and what about this other family member?" asked Ram.
"His younger brother," answered Luna. "He appears to be a simpleton adventurer. It seems possible he may find his brother's sudden death suspicious and raise more issues for the Emperor."
Mare stepped forward, one arm bend and held before his chest. "Domina, allow me to address this issue of ours. My agents can have this other Blackwell dead before midday tomorrow."
Luna's face twisted slightly, obscured by her mask. Most would fail to notice, but she read the Umbrans' movements for any sign they recognized her hesitation. What's wrong with you? She scolded herself. You knew what being an Umbran entailed when you joined. The boy will be a thorn in our side. We've no choice but to...
Luna found herself afraid to finish her thought. She was no stranger to death. She'd hunted for survival and fought off daemons and the like. So then why am I about to do something so foolish?
"Are you sure that is the wisest path forward?" asked Luna. "The village of Brightshade has no fame amongst the Empire. In fact, the Blackwell adventurer is the most notable thing about it. But if he were to spontaneously die--"
"It would draw undue attention to our mission," said Ram, understanding her meaning. "Questions from those who employed him. With Crow having just arrived to the town, she'd be the main suspect. Even if she left immediately, those with questions would come looking for her. Mercenaries and the like. It would delay our mission even further."
"I suppose we should hold off on his death," Mare replied, somewhat annoyed that his attempt to make up for his failure had fallen flat. "At least until we have the Outworlder in our grasp."
"Agreed," replied the Domina. "But there is great risk in leaving him be. As this is your first operation with us, I'll leave it to your discretion, Crow. Do as you wish." The final phrase carrying a low tone to it. Luna recognized it immediately, having heard it several times in her younger years. A phrase the Domina used when Luna suggested doing something she harshly disagreed with. She hopes for me to murder him.
"As for the operation" continued the Domina. "we face quite the challenge here. This operation would go much more smoothly were Graham Blackwell an adventure of renown. Well, then the solution is simple. If Graham Blackwell is not an adventurer, we will simply have to make him one."
----
Graham stood in fighting stance, seeing the door shattering to pieces under the battery of the skullraider's tendrils. Wooden shards splintered from the door and tentacles pressed through the gaps, clinging to the door and crushing it down. The thump! of the beast's limbs drummed against the door. Graham's grip tightened on the axe handle as he saw the door was nearly destroyed and the daemon was sure to enter. Then, without warning, the beast''s tendrils receded and the door stood motionless.
Graham stood, confused as to why the daemon would leave after its many efforts to see him dead. Did Paul find a way through the rubble? he thought. For a moment, the room was silent, the only sound being the crackling of the flame in the next room. He looked back to see Luna, still projecting and apparently unharmed, the slight rise and fall of her breathing the only sign she remained within her body.
THUN!!THUN!!THUN!!
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The sound of the tendrils slamming returned, yet the door showed no sign of it.
THUN!!THUN!!THUN!!
Once more, Graham heard it and began to search the room for any other possible entryways. The walls held no windows or ports from which to enter. The roof, although badly damaged, showed no sign of the beast.
KRAK!!
The sound of splintering wood returned and the wall to Graham's left began crumbling into itself. The tendrils of the beast jutted out of its surface as it pulled at the wall. The home groaned with the destruction done to it. It's going to bring the cursed place down on us! The wall exploded inward, the deafening blast stunning Graham. His nostrils filled with ash and he struggled to breathe. His body began shaking in a fit as he attempted to cough out the cinders within his throat.
As he coughed, he felt the tendrils of the daemon wrap around his legs, their oozing form clinging to him. He moved to swing his axe through them to free himself, but found more tentacles wrapping around his arms and weapon, binding him completely.
The tentacles lifted him from the floor, his face filled with rising smoke, and dragged him through the wall to the next room.
Graham saw the skullraider was horribly burnt, its black skin raw and ashen, fusing with its sickly brown stained bones. The massive wound from Graham's axe was burned shut in what seemed to be a makeshift cauterization. Its sliced open jaw hung from its head, the row of circular teeth jutting out. Its tongue hung and writhed about as it pulled Graham closer. From within its hanging jaw, Graham could see the creature's vocal cords straining and vibrating in an attempt to communicate.
"Eil envinsho intou malingu otdo! O ni inviv tu livati! Temnas perias orr o vias!" The creature now spoke in the language Graham knew to be called Daemonspeech. And once again, Graham understood what it was saying. "That drunken fool has ruined everything! And I will not survive to contain you! We've no choice but to start again!"
At this, the creature wrapped its tendrils around Graham's throat and head. His vision obscured as the tentacles clung tightly along his skin. Then, he felt an immense pressure cracking around his skull.
----
"To the east of Brightshade lie the Nightpeak Mountains. Our intel indicates that a drake, of an older generation, resides atop it. You will guide Blackwell to the mountain, aid him in slaying and then, have him arrive to the nearby kingdom with a prize from it. This will allow us enough sway to aid you on your journey."
"But was it not you that warned of placing Blackwell in danger?" Luna asked. "If he were to die, the magick would activate once more. He will simply be reborn in a new body."
"Yes, and we will have to wait until he comes of age once more to enact our agenda," answered the Domina. "With the Emperor's age, it is quite unwise to take such a risk. Yet we must take it all the same.
"If Mare's information was compromised, we must assume that it was by the hands of our enemies. The confusion caused by this is most likely working in their favor. Were I to conspire against the Umbrans, I would focus my efforts on sowing distrust among our greatest asset, our intelligence network."
Then, with a slight gasp, she continued. "In fact, were I in their position, I would move now, knowing that the Umbran would be communicating between the Realms, incapable of aid."
Luna's eyes widened, realizing how she'd fallen into a trap. "Blackwell is in danger. I must end this connection at once."
"But we've no plan for how they will reach the Capital," cried Mare.
"We've no choice, man" shouted Ram.
"Help Graham Blackwell slay the Drake," repeated the Domina. "We'll have an agent of ours communicate with you there. Then, make way for the nearby kingdom. The king there has weaknesses we can take advantage of. He can be coerced to aid us."
"Understood," Luna replied. Then, she quickly knelt to position herself in the same pose she had projected with. The abyss of the Abandoned Realm dissipated, the home of the Blackwells fading more and more into view. It was here that Luna felt her lungs had filled with smoke.
The room around her was now aflame, feeding on the destroyed remains of the wooden home. All around her was rubble and ruin. In the very next room, she saw Graham Blackwell trapped within the grasp of a tentacled daemon, horribly burned. A skullraider, she thought. Our enemies have powerful allies.
"Eil envinsho intou malingu otdo! O ni inviv tu livati! Temnas perias orr o vias!"
Daemonspeech. Does Blackwell understand it? If he does...
She moved for her staff, understanding the daemon's plan to kill Graham and attempt again with his successor. With the golden rod in hand, she aimed the ruby within square at the squirming beast. Attempting to quietly exhale the smoke of the home, she spoke.
--
Graham's eyes ached, the pressure of the daemon's tendril threatening to send them flying out of his head. His jaw felt as if it would split into, being pressed so tightly. The pounding of his heart echoed in his head, only adding to the pain. In the back of his throat, he could taste blood rising up. He shook and struggled in a desperate hope to be freed from the beast's grasp. As he fought, he failed to take note of the daemon's gaze turning to something behind him.
"IGNIS!!"
Even with the flame of the burning home around him, Graham felt a wicked heat coming from behind him. From the periphery of his vision, he could see a massive ball of fire flying towards the skullraider. The flames of the ball shined blue in the night, they burned so powerfully.
Immediately, the skullraider lifted already burnt tendrils before the fireball's path in an attempt to shield itself. The ball crashed against the tendril flesh, bursting along it and melting it away like ice in the morning sun. Its tendrils bubbled and sizzled, some falling to the floor in a hot, black ooze. The creature howled in pain, the screeching pitch attempting to pierce Graham's ear drums.
Graham felt the tentacle crushing at his skull release, leaving him free movement of his head, if nothing else. He looked over his shoulder in the direction the fireball had been sent from.
Luna, he thought. She's awake. But...
Worry began to creep across Graham's face as he saw the Herald fall to the ground in a coughing fit. The smoke. She needs to speak to cast the magick, he realized. Luna, still on the ground, raised her staff once more, struggling to keep her aim at the beast's now exposed body. She let out a final cough, then spoke.
"IGN-"
The only tendril the beast had free slashed across the room towards Luna. Her attempt to cast the magick once more silenced by a whipping tentacle wrapping itself tight around her throat. The daemon harshly pulled her into the next room, her body crashing through the remains of the wall.
"Shadowwoman has discovered our plans," spoke the Skullraider, its language now sounding to Graham as if it were English. "She'll have to die as well."
The beast raised Luna high in the air, rising above the destroyed roof of the home. Then, it quickly slammed her down to the floor, more wreckage of the home crashing down with her. Ashes flew into the air from the impact of the crash. She let out a harsh groan of pain, the tendril tight around her neck stifling her attempts to scream.
Luna desperately clawed at the tentacle crushing her, but the creature only tightened his grip. Graham watched, anger in his heart that he was so helpless. That Luna would die in front of him because of his failure. His thoughts then turned to the man, Levi, and that word. The one he was so desperate for Graham to read. The one that struck fear into Graham. Why are you thinking about that now, he scolded himself. But something deep in his mind told him that the word was of great importance in this instant. That if he wished to save himself and Luna, he needed to speak the word. His throat still sore and the air riddled with ash, he took enough breath to speak, then uttered the word.
"MORTIS!!"
At the sound of his voice, the skullraider turned to Graham. Even with such little facial features, Graham could register the fear forming on the beast's face.
KKRRSSHH!!!
A large, bony hand shot through the floor, the flesh upon it rotten and foul. Its thick, long claws dug into the flesh of the skullraider, which screamed at the attack. The daemon's tongue began moving, signaling its intent to speak. Before it could make a sound, another bony hand burst through the floor, grasping at its hanging jaw. The hand pulled down, the black flesh of the daemon tearing to shreds as yellow blood shot from it. The throat of the beast now exposed, its purple tongue now hanging motionless along its torso. Another bony hand rose, followed by another. More and more rotted hands rose to cling to the beast, digging deeper into the flesh.
The hands began to pull and tear at the daemon's flesh, yellow blood trickling down them. A loud SKWLCH!! rang in Graham's ears as a bony hand ripped a massive chunk of black flesh off of the daemon. The hand dropped the chunk, a wet THUD!! as it fell to the floor, then dug its nails deeper into the beast, tearing once more.
One by one, the hands tore away at the flesh of the beast, now too weak to fight back, its tendrils releasing Graham and Luna. Graham fell to the floor, too stunned by the unfolding carnage to speak. The daemon's tentacles fell to the floor with a THUD!! as they splashed along the yellow blood now in gathered puddles across the room. The daemon, now more than a collection of brown stained bones picked clean, crashed to the floor, its few organs spilling out of it.
Their work done, the rotted hands slid back down through the floor. The holes left behind by them shimmered for a moment, then began to pull in the splintered pieces broken away by the hands. The floor now showed no sign of the hands that had burst through just a moment ago. No sign of the carnage Graham had summoned.