Marked Ones: Advent of the Demon Prince

Haunted by the rebellion of his seemingly eternal companion, Lucius walked into the guard house he had conquered. It was just in time to avoid being caught by other patrols, which had increased due to a massacre close to the Varris family estate. Seven elves died as a result of Grimm's panic at leaving behind one of the precious fragments he was pushing Lucius to retrieve.

Since his threat to start borrowing power from Luz instead, Grimm refused to respond to Lucius' attempt at striking conversation. All he wanted to know was why the being panicked in such a way. Even when finding the first fragment on the vampire, there had been no signs of concern.

Tired from the thoughts running through his head, Lucius collapsed on the bed of the office he had commandeered. It was far from the comfiest piece of furniture he had rested upon, but it was enough to allow him to begin relaxing. Before unconsciousness could claim him, the familiar scent and sounds of Snow reached Lucius as she approached.

With a heavy sigh, he pushed himself to a seated position, before deciding he didn't care all that much and laid back down, but this time face up. Snow entered quietly and eyed the young man who appeared to be lazing about. She kept any comments to herself because she was all too aware of his outings.

"Sir," Snow said stiffly, "I had a number of people sending out feelers as you requested. It has only been one night, but so far nothing has turned up regarding any strange artifacts or black gems…"

Lucius waved his hand dismissively, "Don't worry, I found what I was looking for. It seems the object in question is within the Varris family estate."

"That's convenient since we will be…"

"Not as convenient as you think." Lucius interrupted. "They have a mercenary of some kind that we were unaware of. Protecting the grounds appears to be a powerful warrior; a Master Ranker. He wears strange robes and had a curved sword tied to his waist."

Snow gulped slightly, "The robes…were they loosely wrapped around his waist, and the weapon itself fastened with a simple cord? The weapon… perhaps it had a greenish hue?"

Lucius sat up, "Yes. Do you know of him?"

Snow quickly shook her head and sat down in a chair with a heavy thud. Her already pale skin seemed to lose the little tint that it had. "Lucius, I think we need to call this off. We should consider Varris lost. I don't want to recommend such a thing, but perhaps we should treat the city they way you treated Seteste."

The atmosphere of the room instantly changed. The air became thick, forcing Snow to put effort into breathing. Just as soon as it began, the pressure faded. Lucius glared directly at the elf, "No. I have to retrieve the fragment within the estate. I also have to speak with the lord. He knows something about Shiyani, at least from what those letters with the shattered orb proclaim. As mysterious as they are, they have yet to be wrong. Now, tell me what you know about the Master Rank warrior."

Snow sighed before nodding and proceeding to share what she knew. According to her, the man was from the secretive nation known as Haedda. Many of their warrior caste wore flowing robes and tied their weapons to their bodies instead of using traditional sheathes. She also advised that many of them were specialists. If the man was openly carrying a sword, then it was likely he was a pure warrior and not a magic user. Were he to have worn robes across the entirety of his body, then he might have been a warrior who also used magic.

After his subordinate's clarification, Lucius began to rub his temples to alleviate the headache beginning to rise. Haedda's involvement with the enemy complicated matters, but also explained why they felt so confident in starting a rebellion. No one knew the reclusive country's goals or abilities, but if they involved themselves now it was clear they gained something from sitting a ruler on the throne who preached isolationist ideals.

Politics was not something Lucius enjoyed or was good at. It mostly just gave him a headache. While he was not stupid, he always found it much simpler to just act, while politicians and nobility preferred to talk.

"Snow. Send a letter to our men outside the wall, as well as Kestis. We need to inform them of Haedda's involvement." It was unlikely that the Master Ranker was acting alone and was more likely to be indicative of a larger plot. Similarly, he needed additional resources within the walls if he were to work around the Master Ranker.

"It will be done."

"You can include a personal letter if you want. I won't judge." He teased.

The color had long since returned to Snow's complexion and now an additional red tinged the tips of her ears and her cheeks. With a flustered huff, she stormed out of the room, leaving Lucius to his own thoughts. Time was of the essence and taking into account travel time, the window he had to begin leaving the country for Arcadios was closing rapidly.

***

Kestis looked at the letter on his desk with a dark expression. His strange, but dangerous ally, informed him of a complication that had arose. Not only was there a supremely powerful enemy at his brother's estate, but there was also an incident within the noble quarter that Wulf claimed responsibility for.
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Apparently while retreating from the Haeddan Master Ranker, a spell misfired and claimed the lives of seven innocent bystanders. Kestis had already heard the rumors of the death of a number of citizens; the details of which were highly unpleasant. He was tempted to throw Wulf into the fire by revealing his location and information to the enemy. However, the fact that he admitted to the action of his own free will said something positive about him.

Sheza looked at him with gentle eyes. "My lord, I know that what happened was unfortunate. However, it was an accident. On top of that, our very city is a warzone. Casualties are to be expected. Wulf is also an exceptional asset to us. The deaths of these elves are a small price to pay."

"You may be right, though I do not enjoy that fact… alright Sheza. We won't betray him to my brother's forces. Let's hope this is worth it."

"It will be. By the way, I have a few requests of you, if I may."

"Planning something?"

"Yes. And it just might help us win."