ULTRAMagic Shadowland - Chapter 12
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Weaver was exhausted. He trudged into Andelin’s luxurious home, feet dragging along the floor. The last warehouse was a tricky one due to being full of Andelin’s traps. His job was to go in and disable them… This ended up being more tedious than he thought it would be. Hopefully he could sit down and relax now. Entering the upstairs lounge, he saw Andelin and Gabriella sitting at a table. The two were talking and occasionally laughing.
“Hey, wait a second! Why doesn’t she have to wear crystal armor anymore?” Weaver demanded to know.
Andelin snapped her fingers, dispelling the crystals from his body. “Better?”
“Er, yeah. Thanks…” Weaver sat down in a recliner next to them. “Warehouse Z is good to go…”
“Most excellent. Have some tea and cookies for your troubles.” Andelin waved her finger around, levitating several objects. First the teapot poured some water into a cup. Then a tea bag was dropped into it. Once ready, it was placed on a plate with several cookies that hovered over to Weaver.
“Again, thanks…” The warm tea was relaxing, soothing his frayed nerves. “Good lord, I want to go back to smithing… Did you all know I got an order for a greatsword recently?”
“Really now?” Gabriella replied. “Who is this individual that would place such an incredible request?”
Weaver ate one of his cookies. It was a little dry, but went well with the tea. “A succubus going by the name of Morrigan Devilfay. Sadly I had to put the order on hold due to all of the stuff going on with Dunja. It’s a shame too, because the sword is called ‘Daemonsong’ and it’s a really neat concept.”
“Devilfay… I’ve heard that name before…” Gabriella tried to recall. “Quite the chaotic individual, no two ways about it. Either way, I hope it goes well for the both of you, when you finally get a chance to resume the order. Now Andelin, are there any more warehouses to take care of?”
She thought for a moment, drumming her fingers on the table. “Nope, or not any we could easily deal with at least. A, D, B, S, X, and Z were my main targets. AZ, Q, Zeta, 10, and Lambda would have been nice, but I’d need Gratiana for those ones.”
“Andelin, whose side is Gratiana on at this point?” Weaver cut in. “Honest to the Source question”
She looked at him with slight displeasure over his assertiveness. “Ahem, she is only allied with Milosh out of guilt as of late. It would be nice if she swallowed her pride and joined us…”
That last statement gave Gabriella an idea. “Could we perhaps talk to her about it?”
“Talk to her… like?” Andelin was at a slight loss.
Weaver had a pretty good idea on what Gabriella was referring to. “Oh, I get it; The diplomacy you suggested the other day, right Gabriella?”
“Precisely… as long as you’re okay with it, Weaver.”
Weaver shrugged. “Honestly, it’s worth a shot at this point. We got the upper hand and she seems like she’s at her tipping point. Plus I’ve come to agree with Sten in that we should try to win people over instead of vanquishing them… barring Milosh, of course.” The last comment warranted some chuckles.
“Gee, I wonder what prompted that attitude…” Andelin muttered with a giggle. “Ahem, Gratiana and I go way back and I detest the idea of her being vanquished by our hand or hers. I don’t care how many people she's slept with, she’s still my dearest friend at the end of the day. Nothing can truly tarnish her status as Lady Gratiana Arlotti of Feuerland. And of course there is the fact that we bare the legacy of our homeland and I'll be damned if Milosh ends up squandering it, but that’s not as important.”
“All of that is fair and good, but what of her moral fiber?” Odo questioned, standing in the doorway. This startled everyone.
“Goodness! How long have you been there?” Andelin snapped her fingers again, dispelling the crystals that covered him.
“My gratitude. Suffice it to say I will no longer envy my former mentor, Waltheof, who wears heavy armor. Anyways, I walked in when you began discussing diplomacy.” Odo sat in a recliner next to Weaver and was also given some tea and cookies. “Considering your level of hospitality towards us, I’d be willing to give the last blade the benefit of the doubt.”
“To answer your question, Odo, she’s not actually a bad person. She’s just misguided and lost. The fall of Feuerland hit some of us pretty hard. That accursed Gudrun will pay for what she did, someday…”
Weaver thought about how Milosh would not be a great influence for someone in that situation. “I’d bet she’d do a lot better under Englehart, truth be told.”
Andelin nodded in agreement. “Most likely, most likely. I’d also argue King Sten would have been fine for her.”
“Duly noted.” Odo replied. “Gabriella, what do you think?”
“Well, I think she should be given a chance to redeem herself. Anyone can do it if given the opportunity. Recalling what I’ve learned from Adonai and the archangels, the only true sin is irreverence, but that can easily be undone. God is very forgiving to those who display humility. Now I mean no offense by this next statement, Andelin, but all three of you have a bit to go on the road to redemption. The important thing to note here is that you’ll never get there if people keep saying no, however.”
Odo clapped. “Well said, madam. An admirable stance to take.”
“So, are we bringing her here or inviting her?” Weaver wondered.
“I’d prefer a bit of both,” Andelin replied.
Shuffling her deck, Andelin took out a card and flung it across the room. It slid under the doorway, lighting up the frame. Nothing happened at first, but the silence was broken when the doorknob turned. The door slowly opened, with Gratiana stepping into the room. She lacked her armor and her golden hair was untamed. It appeared as if she had just been dealing with something stressful. Realizing where she was, she quickly shut the door and picked up the card.
“Andelin? What’s going on here? Why are these three here?”
“Parley, Gratiana,” Weaver said. “Take a load off, have some tea with us.”
She cautiously sat down, with Andelin pouring her some. “I see… what shall we be discussing then?”
“Gratiana, old friend, please come join us and leave that silly cult” Andelin stated bluntly.
She sipped her drink, having figured this was going to happen. “I take it that you four have been the ones causing trouble these past couple of days?”
“Yup…” Weaver answered. “Andelin’s been the mastermind though.”
“That’s what I thought…”
“If you are wondering where all the guns and money went…” Andelin quickly flashed several cards depicting treasure. “... that’s where. The money that is.”
Gratiana sighed. “Well I suppose now would be a good time to call it quits then… given how much of arse Milosh made himself yesterday…”
Andelin nodded. “I heard.”
“Yeah, same here.” Weaver chuckled a little at the thought of Barna kicking Milosh all the way down the street. He had to do his best not burst out into laughter. “Odo?”
He also nodded. “Indeed.”
“Well I’m a bit out of the loop then,” Gabriella pointed out, curious to know more. “What happened?”
Gratiana gave a heavy sigh. “It all started when that fool decided to hold a surprise meeting in an unsecured building. Put a pin in that. Milosh was doing nothing but gloating about the blood he had Gummi acquire. And given that you were all there when it was handed to me, I assume you understand the implications. Milosh’s unjustified boastfulness was on full display and this led to Sir Wolfgang turning himself in. And in case you’re wondering, he was the lead tactician.”
“Oh my, you don’t think he…”
“He most certainly has told Sten many of the cult’s secrets by now” Gratiana assumed. “Getting back to the meeting, Milosh had been foolish enough to let it get out that he was in the area, allowing Barna to track him to what was supposed to be a secret meeting place. And naturally that idiot went and got himself beat up by our beloved blacksmith, punched in the head by Dunja, and finally thrown into a wall when he tried to approach that strange being of darkness running around. Imagine my frustration when that fool came limping in with several broken bones and a concussion! Adding insult to injury, he is refusing to do anything about the lost warehouses, rambling about how the Lich isn’t dead…”
“...And not to mention that you're out of money too” Andelin pointed out.
“EXACTLY” Gratiana exclaimed. They all laughed at the absurdity, but it was bittersweet.
“I’m pretty sure Sten will give you a pardon out of sheer pity at this point, Gratiana,” Weaver presumed.
“Weaver? You spoke to Dunja when she arrived. What does she want to do with the blades?” Her voice started to tremble.
He was at a loss for words. “Well, um… I’m not sure. I don’t recall her…”
“Allow me, as he got pulled away before Dunja could talk about it” Andelin interjected. “She has officially disbanded us, which was to be expected. That being said, she has created the new Blades of Dunja, with Torunn as the leader. And it sounds like there’s two open slots, just for us. Furthermore, it seems like Dunja won’t stop until we join…”
Gratiana looked as if she were about to cry. “Even after all that we’ve done?” she choked out. Andelin nodded, causing tears to stream down her face.
Gabriella felt her heart ache. “Gratiana, what’s wrong?”
“I don’t deserve this mercy…” she sobbed as Andelin put her hand on hers.
Odo averted his gaze out of decency, but Weaver got up and went to her side. “Look, Gratiana… There's a long and sordid history here, no doubt about it… But at some point, we all need to let bygones be bygones. Besides, I’ve caught you helping people out behind Milosh’s back.”
“You… you have?” She said with a sniffle.
Andelin got out a card with a question mark. “Let’s just say there’s a good reason why Milosh never suspected a thing… Unfortunately that ended up giving you the reputation of a tyrant, but that can easily be fixed.”
“So what do you say, Gratiana?” Weaver asked. “Want to join us?”
Gratiana wiped her tears and composed herself. “Sure, but not quite yet…”
Weaver shook his head. “Alright, what’s the catch?”
“Well firstly I can’t just leave the cult. It would cause too much chaos since I’m one of their figure heads. I’ll have to sabotage them over time, then leave once they’re in shambles…”
Andelin belted out laughing, startling everyone. “Gratiana, you’ll literally have a perfect opportunity soon! Barna’s planning to blow up that godforsaken church!”
“WHAT!?”
“Seriously!?” Gabriella was stunned.
“By the Source!” Odo exclaimed.
Weaver gave a triumphant laugh. “YES! Thank you, Barna!”
Gratiana took a moment to process that. “Alright then… The second thing is that I would like a duel.”
“A duel?” Andelin asked. “What kind of duel?”
“Well, we never actually got to spar that one time and I feel what Dunja went through would be right for me. Would you, Torunn, and Dunja honor this request of mine?”
Andelin considered the proposal. “Hum… alright, I suppose; but what if you win?”
“It’s quite simple my dear: Don’t lose.”
Weaver had a big smile on his face. He spat in his hand and held it out to Gratiana. “Shake on it?”
She followed suit, surprisingly. “Absolutely. It’s about time Milosh got his just deserts.”
While that was happening, Andelin got out a pen and paper. She then set a card down on the table. “If you all will excuse me for a moment, I need to go write a letter to Englehart. All of this is very important to know.”
“Of course, Andelin. While she does that, is there anything you three would like to know?” Gratiana inquired. Now she was itching to talk.
Andelin smiled as she left the room, hearing Gratiana and Weaver reminisce about past battles. Entering her study, Andelin sat at her desk and got writing. There was a lot to tell, but she needed to condense it. The conversation in the other room, reminding her of past events, did not help her focus. She was listening in through the card she had left on the table just in case, but now it was becoming a distraction. Andelin even got up a few times to provide context or corrections. Despite all of this, she got the letter done in a timely manner.
Now it was time to head over to Blood-Wraith’s house. In the recent past, Andelin had built an underground tunnel, taking advantage of the secret room in Milosh’s former home. Nobody really had any idea that this tunnel existed, so it was perfect for sneaking stuff to and from. Andelin had even set up rails and a mine cart for quick travel between destinations. It was something she took pride in as it was quite the accomplishment. Being able to ride the rails all by herself also satisfied her inner child. Eventually the mine cart arrived at its destination with a slow, grinding hault. All she had to do now was go through her secret room that connected to the old secret room.
Andelin needed to get Blood-Wraith’s attention, but she did not want to just go upstairs and announce her presence. To solve this issue, she took a card from her deck and flung it. The card flew up into the living room and was noticed by Blood-Wraith. He paused what he was doing and went to investigate. Going down to the basement was not fun at this point. Being cautious, he looked around with the card in hand. The door to the secret room was open again. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he called out.
“Alright, who’s there!?” A hand stuck out of the room, giving him a thumbs up. It then gestured for him to approach. “Who are you?”
“Shh, come in…” Andelin said as she pulled him in. She then snapped her fingers, turning the lights on.
Blood-Wraith’s eyes took a second to adjust. “Wait a second, you’re Andelin, aren’t you?”
She nodded. “Yes indeed. It’s nice to meet you for real this time, Blood. So sorry about the past encounter we had. Say, could you be a dear and deliver this letter to Englehart for me?”
Blood-Wraith inspected it, then looked at Andelin. “What’s it about?”
“Important updates over in Shadowland, like how I’m now on your side…”
“Wait, really?!”
She put her finger over his mouth. “Sh, shh… It’s only for you and Englehart’s eyes at the moment.”
“Can I ask why?”
Andelin chuckled. “Big plans that can’t be spoiled. Also yes, things are a bit touchy over there at the moment. Oh, and send Turi back to Dunja. You and the king can show the rest of the council that letter once we send Turi back to you guys.”
“Alright then… How do I trust you? You know, given what happened last time we encountered each other.”
“That card. Keep it as a sign of good will. It’s a wild card that may help you in the future.”
Blood-Wraith looked at the card in question. He was still skeptical, but did not sense any malice. “Alright, but no tricks, okay?”
“You have my word, Blood. In the honor of my golden blood and the late Feuerland. Best of luck to you.” Andelin smiled as Blood-Wraith went upstairs. She got a good grasp on his character from that. It was no wonder he was able to defeat The Lich of Old, even if he had help with it.
Next: Chapter 13
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
Master Post - Patreon
Weaver was exhausted. He trudged into Andelin’s luxurious home, feet dragging along the floor. The last warehouse was a tricky one due to being full of Andelin’s traps. His job was to go in and disable them… This ended up being more tedious than he thought it would be. Hopefully he could sit down and relax now. Entering the upstairs lounge, he saw Andelin and Gabriella sitting at a table. The two were talking and occasionally laughing.
“Hey, wait a second! Why doesn’t she have to wear crystal armor anymore?” Weaver demanded to know.
Andelin snapped her fingers, dispelling the crystals from his body. “Better?”
“Er, yeah. Thanks…” Weaver sat down in a recliner next to them. “Warehouse Z is good to go…”
“Most excellent. Have some tea and cookies for your troubles.” Andelin waved her finger around, levitating several objects. First the teapot poured some water into a cup. Then a tea bag was dropped into it. Once ready, it was placed on a plate with several cookies that hovered over to Weaver.
“Again, thanks…” The warm tea was relaxing, soothing his frayed nerves. “Good lord, I want to go back to smithing… Did you all know I got an order for a greatsword recently?”
“Really now?” Gabriella replied. “Who is this individual that would place such an incredible request?”
Weaver ate one of his cookies. It was a little dry, but went well with the tea. “A succubus going by the name of Morrigan Devilfay. Sadly I had to put the order on hold due to all of the stuff going on with Dunja. It’s a shame too, because the sword is called ‘Daemonsong’ and it’s a really neat concept.”
“Devilfay… I’ve heard that name before…” Gabriella tried to recall. “Quite the chaotic individual, no two ways about it. Either way, I hope it goes well for the both of you, when you finally get a chance to resume the order. Now Andelin, are there any more warehouses to take care of?”
She thought for a moment, drumming her fingers on the table. “Nope, or not any we could easily deal with at least. A, D, B, S, X, and Z were my main targets. AZ, Q, Zeta, 10, and Lambda would have been nice, but I’d need Gratiana for those ones.”
“Andelin, whose side is Gratiana on at this point?” Weaver cut in. “Honest to the Source question”
She looked at him with slight displeasure over his assertiveness. “Ahem, she is only allied with Milosh out of guilt as of late. It would be nice if she swallowed her pride and joined us…”
That last statement gave Gabriella an idea. “Could we perhaps talk to her about it?”
“Talk to her… like?” Andelin was at a slight loss.
Weaver had a pretty good idea on what Gabriella was referring to. “Oh, I get it; The diplomacy you suggested the other day, right Gabriella?”
“Precisely… as long as you’re okay with it, Weaver.”
Weaver shrugged. “Honestly, it’s worth a shot at this point. We got the upper hand and she seems like she’s at her tipping point. Plus I’ve come to agree with Sten in that we should try to win people over instead of vanquishing them… barring Milosh, of course.” The last comment warranted some chuckles.
“Gee, I wonder what prompted that attitude…” Andelin muttered with a giggle. “Ahem, Gratiana and I go way back and I detest the idea of her being vanquished by our hand or hers. I don’t care how many people she's slept with, she’s still my dearest friend at the end of the day. Nothing can truly tarnish her status as Lady Gratiana Arlotti of Feuerland. And of course there is the fact that we bare the legacy of our homeland and I'll be damned if Milosh ends up squandering it, but that’s not as important.”
“All of that is fair and good, but what of her moral fiber?” Odo questioned, standing in the doorway. This startled everyone.
“Goodness! How long have you been there?” Andelin snapped her fingers again, dispelling the crystals that covered him.
“My gratitude. Suffice it to say I will no longer envy my former mentor, Waltheof, who wears heavy armor. Anyways, I walked in when you began discussing diplomacy.” Odo sat in a recliner next to Weaver and was also given some tea and cookies. “Considering your level of hospitality towards us, I’d be willing to give the last blade the benefit of the doubt.”
“To answer your question, Odo, she’s not actually a bad person. She’s just misguided and lost. The fall of Feuerland hit some of us pretty hard. That accursed Gudrun will pay for what she did, someday…”
Weaver thought about how Milosh would not be a great influence for someone in that situation. “I’d bet she’d do a lot better under Englehart, truth be told.”
Andelin nodded in agreement. “Most likely, most likely. I’d also argue King Sten would have been fine for her.”
“Duly noted.” Odo replied. “Gabriella, what do you think?”
“Well, I think she should be given a chance to redeem herself. Anyone can do it if given the opportunity. Recalling what I’ve learned from Adonai and the archangels, the only true sin is irreverence, but that can easily be undone. God is very forgiving to those who display humility. Now I mean no offense by this next statement, Andelin, but all three of you have a bit to go on the road to redemption. The important thing to note here is that you’ll never get there if people keep saying no, however.”
Odo clapped. “Well said, madam. An admirable stance to take.”
“So, are we bringing her here or inviting her?” Weaver wondered.
“I’d prefer a bit of both,” Andelin replied.
Shuffling her deck, Andelin took out a card and flung it across the room. It slid under the doorway, lighting up the frame. Nothing happened at first, but the silence was broken when the doorknob turned. The door slowly opened, with Gratiana stepping into the room. She lacked her armor and her golden hair was untamed. It appeared as if she had just been dealing with something stressful. Realizing where she was, she quickly shut the door and picked up the card.
“Andelin? What’s going on here? Why are these three here?”
“Parley, Gratiana,” Weaver said. “Take a load off, have some tea with us.”
She cautiously sat down, with Andelin pouring her some. “I see… what shall we be discussing then?”
“Gratiana, old friend, please come join us and leave that silly cult” Andelin stated bluntly.
She sipped her drink, having figured this was going to happen. “I take it that you four have been the ones causing trouble these past couple of days?”
“Yup…” Weaver answered. “Andelin’s been the mastermind though.”
“That’s what I thought…”
“If you are wondering where all the guns and money went…” Andelin quickly flashed several cards depicting treasure. “... that’s where. The money that is.”
Gratiana sighed. “Well I suppose now would be a good time to call it quits then… given how much of arse Milosh made himself yesterday…”
Andelin nodded. “I heard.”
“Yeah, same here.” Weaver chuckled a little at the thought of Barna kicking Milosh all the way down the street. He had to do his best not burst out into laughter. “Odo?”
He also nodded. “Indeed.”
“Well I’m a bit out of the loop then,” Gabriella pointed out, curious to know more. “What happened?”
Gratiana gave a heavy sigh. “It all started when that fool decided to hold a surprise meeting in an unsecured building. Put a pin in that. Milosh was doing nothing but gloating about the blood he had Gummi acquire. And given that you were all there when it was handed to me, I assume you understand the implications. Milosh’s unjustified boastfulness was on full display and this led to Sir Wolfgang turning himself in. And in case you’re wondering, he was the lead tactician.”
“Oh my, you don’t think he…”
“He most certainly has told Sten many of the cult’s secrets by now” Gratiana assumed. “Getting back to the meeting, Milosh had been foolish enough to let it get out that he was in the area, allowing Barna to track him to what was supposed to be a secret meeting place. And naturally that idiot went and got himself beat up by our beloved blacksmith, punched in the head by Dunja, and finally thrown into a wall when he tried to approach that strange being of darkness running around. Imagine my frustration when that fool came limping in with several broken bones and a concussion! Adding insult to injury, he is refusing to do anything about the lost warehouses, rambling about how the Lich isn’t dead…”
“...And not to mention that you're out of money too” Andelin pointed out.
“EXACTLY” Gratiana exclaimed. They all laughed at the absurdity, but it was bittersweet.
“I’m pretty sure Sten will give you a pardon out of sheer pity at this point, Gratiana,” Weaver presumed.
“Weaver? You spoke to Dunja when she arrived. What does she want to do with the blades?” Her voice started to tremble.
He was at a loss for words. “Well, um… I’m not sure. I don’t recall her…”
“Allow me, as he got pulled away before Dunja could talk about it” Andelin interjected. “She has officially disbanded us, which was to be expected. That being said, she has created the new Blades of Dunja, with Torunn as the leader. And it sounds like there’s two open slots, just for us. Furthermore, it seems like Dunja won’t stop until we join…”
Gratiana looked as if she were about to cry. “Even after all that we’ve done?” she choked out. Andelin nodded, causing tears to stream down her face.
Gabriella felt her heart ache. “Gratiana, what’s wrong?”
“I don’t deserve this mercy…” she sobbed as Andelin put her hand on hers.
Odo averted his gaze out of decency, but Weaver got up and went to her side. “Look, Gratiana… There's a long and sordid history here, no doubt about it… But at some point, we all need to let bygones be bygones. Besides, I’ve caught you helping people out behind Milosh’s back.”
“You… you have?” She said with a sniffle.
Andelin got out a card with a question mark. “Let’s just say there’s a good reason why Milosh never suspected a thing… Unfortunately that ended up giving you the reputation of a tyrant, but that can easily be fixed.”
“So what do you say, Gratiana?” Weaver asked. “Want to join us?”
Gratiana wiped her tears and composed herself. “Sure, but not quite yet…”
Weaver shook his head. “Alright, what’s the catch?”
“Well firstly I can’t just leave the cult. It would cause too much chaos since I’m one of their figure heads. I’ll have to sabotage them over time, then leave once they’re in shambles…”
Andelin belted out laughing, startling everyone. “Gratiana, you’ll literally have a perfect opportunity soon! Barna’s planning to blow up that godforsaken church!”
“WHAT!?”
“Seriously!?” Gabriella was stunned.
“By the Source!” Odo exclaimed.
Weaver gave a triumphant laugh. “YES! Thank you, Barna!”
Gratiana took a moment to process that. “Alright then… The second thing is that I would like a duel.”
“A duel?” Andelin asked. “What kind of duel?”
“Well, we never actually got to spar that one time and I feel what Dunja went through would be right for me. Would you, Torunn, and Dunja honor this request of mine?”
Andelin considered the proposal. “Hum… alright, I suppose; but what if you win?”
“It’s quite simple my dear: Don’t lose.”
Weaver had a big smile on his face. He spat in his hand and held it out to Gratiana. “Shake on it?”
She followed suit, surprisingly. “Absolutely. It’s about time Milosh got his just deserts.”
While that was happening, Andelin got out a pen and paper. She then set a card down on the table. “If you all will excuse me for a moment, I need to go write a letter to Englehart. All of this is very important to know.”
“Of course, Andelin. While she does that, is there anything you three would like to know?” Gratiana inquired. Now she was itching to talk.
Andelin smiled as she left the room, hearing Gratiana and Weaver reminisce about past battles. Entering her study, Andelin sat at her desk and got writing. There was a lot to tell, but she needed to condense it. The conversation in the other room, reminding her of past events, did not help her focus. She was listening in through the card she had left on the table just in case, but now it was becoming a distraction. Andelin even got up a few times to provide context or corrections. Despite all of this, she got the letter done in a timely manner.
Now it was time to head over to Blood-Wraith’s house. In the recent past, Andelin had built an underground tunnel, taking advantage of the secret room in Milosh’s former home. Nobody really had any idea that this tunnel existed, so it was perfect for sneaking stuff to and from. Andelin had even set up rails and a mine cart for quick travel between destinations. It was something she took pride in as it was quite the accomplishment. Being able to ride the rails all by herself also satisfied her inner child. Eventually the mine cart arrived at its destination with a slow, grinding hault. All she had to do now was go through her secret room that connected to the old secret room.
Andelin needed to get Blood-Wraith’s attention, but she did not want to just go upstairs and announce her presence. To solve this issue, she took a card from her deck and flung it. The card flew up into the living room and was noticed by Blood-Wraith. He paused what he was doing and went to investigate. Going down to the basement was not fun at this point. Being cautious, he looked around with the card in hand. The door to the secret room was open again. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he called out.
“Alright, who’s there!?” A hand stuck out of the room, giving him a thumbs up. It then gestured for him to approach. “Who are you?”
“Shh, come in…” Andelin said as she pulled him in. She then snapped her fingers, turning the lights on.
Blood-Wraith’s eyes took a second to adjust. “Wait a second, you’re Andelin, aren’t you?”
She nodded. “Yes indeed. It’s nice to meet you for real this time, Blood. So sorry about the past encounter we had. Say, could you be a dear and deliver this letter to Englehart for me?”
Blood-Wraith inspected it, then looked at Andelin. “What’s it about?”
“Important updates over in Shadowland, like how I’m now on your side…”
“Wait, really?!”
She put her finger over his mouth. “Sh, shh… It’s only for you and Englehart’s eyes at the moment.”
“Can I ask why?”
Andelin chuckled. “Big plans that can’t be spoiled. Also yes, things are a bit touchy over there at the moment. Oh, and send Turi back to Dunja. You and the king can show the rest of the council that letter once we send Turi back to you guys.”
“Alright then… How do I trust you? You know, given what happened last time we encountered each other.”
“That card. Keep it as a sign of good will. It’s a wild card that may help you in the future.”
Blood-Wraith looked at the card in question. He was still skeptical, but did not sense any malice. “Alright, but no tricks, okay?”
“You have my word, Blood. In the honor of my golden blood and the late Feuerland. Best of luck to you.” Andelin smiled as Blood-Wraith went upstairs. She got a good grasp on his character from that. It was no wonder he was able to defeat The Lich of Old, even if he had help with it.
Next: Chapter 13
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
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