User blog:AloofComputer/Dark Winds: Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Clouds on the horizon

“Say aaahhhh ♥”

“Ahhhmmmmmmfff”

The fair haired succubus fed Alatar a small cookie dipped in alraune nectar. They were lying on a pink blanket laying on the ground at Lescatie’s park. The two dullahan escorts were a discreet distance away, looking enviously at the loving couple.

“Now some dessert ♥ open wide ♥”

“You know, if you keep stuffing my face, I’ll get really fat. What is this blue fruit?”

“Secret ♥”

Alatar bit on the sour fruit, while he fed Veronica a red one.

“It is pretty sour mmmffffff!” Veronica cut him off by deeply kissing him. Her mouth, still stuffed with the red fruit, tasted sweet… it complimented the fruit perfectly. Too perfectly.

After a long while Veronica broke the kiss, and whispered in his ear seductively. “Don’t be concerned about the food ♥” her hand traveled from his face to his pants. “You’ll be needing all the energy for tonight ♥”.

Alatar drew his own hand across her back, from the base of her tail to the back of her head, pulling her to a deep kiss, his eyes closed in bliss.

“Phuahh… you sure love to spoil me.”

“Of course ♥ it’s the wife’s duty ♥”.

Damn, she is beautiful.

“So, honey, what was it about today? I was worried you’d forget me…” she pouted. “You looked troubled when you came home…”

“Just a colleague from the human world. Nothing important.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">She stroke his face. “Didn’t you say you were no longer obliged to do anything more? Not to be the humans’ cursed hero?” her face was tinged with worry, as her hand traced the scars of the Seals of Nemesis under his shirt, forever etched to his skin.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Don’t worry about that, dear.” Alatar said, stroking her long silky hair. “I am with you now, and that is all that matters.” He hugged her tight. “I love you. And I’ll forever love you. I’ll protect this as long as I draw breath.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“You speak in riddles.” She cooed in his ear.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“That’s part of my charm.” Alatar said, nibbling on her ear.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Aaahnnnn ♥” Veronica started squirming. “That’s unfair of you ♥”

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">Pallanto walked the streets of the capital, making his way to his home, him mind working constantly. The answer of Alatar cast ever longer shadows on his already worried thoughts, as the setting sun did the same on the streets and buildings. He sighed and pressed on; soon he’d be in his home, with a warm fire and a glass of brandy.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">The moment he saw his door, something inside him made him more alert, despite the fatigue of his recent travel. The building looked the same, but his sense of uneasiness grew. He reached his key to his door, and he froze. The enchanted lock wasn’t glowing the usual faint blue rune. His heartbeat picked up, and his hand reached for his dagger on instinct. Drawing a few deep breaths he pushed it open.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">The scene of destruction greeted him rudely. His drawers were broken, and their contents were spread across the floor. His books were also thrown in the same fashion. He navigated among the items on the floor, his senses on alert for unwelcome guests. His eyes darted to everything important that could be stolen and sold off quickly; his books and clothes were of no interest to the burglars, judging from the rushed carelessness they had thrown them around. Some valuable magical items he had were also untouched. Their sight, while uplifting, gave him a horrible thought that made his heart sink. Rushing through the mess, he opened the door of his bedroom. The sight of the secret compartment and the magical chest, both opened, filled his stomach with lead. He looked inside, hoping that against all odds, they weren’t interested in that…

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">Cursing loudly, he ran outside, closed the door and locked it with key and a strong seal. ''This is bad. This is really bad.'' He murmured the incantation for the wind rider spell and ran full speed to the only person who would be able to help.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">---

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Stand straight! Knees a little bent! Now, swing!”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Ha!”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Not like that you morons! Bring the sword’s hilt to the height of your shoulders. That will give you enough strength and momentum, but won’t throw you off balance. Again!”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Ha!”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Twist your body with the slash! This will draw the blade and cut the monster. If you bothered sharpening your swords. Again!”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Ha!”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“You are hopeless… I will demonstrate, so keep your eyes peeled. The stance is this. Understand, morons?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Yes, sir!”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Sword comes up like this. Slashes down in this arc. Notice the movement?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Yes, sir!”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Now, do it!”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Ha!”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“That’s a bit better… but still MY GRANDMA CAN DO IT BETTER THAN YOU AND SHE’S DEAD! A THOUSAND SWINGS! NOW! NO ONE GETS TO SLEEP UNTIL HE’S DONE!”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Yes, sir!”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">Frederic moved among the recruits, passing pointers, sometimes by hitting with his wooden training sword. The men practiced furiously, sweat pouring from their faces, running down on their armor; the commander had been adamant about wearing armor during training. As he moved along, he saw Pallanto running at him at full speed… almost superhuman speed. This didn’t bode well. He motioned to the assistant instructor to take over, and rushed to meet the mage.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Hey there, magic boy. What is this about?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“House… opened… stolen… something… nasty...” Pallanto managed to say between pants. The commander nodded. “Let’s go to my study.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">They rushed through the corridors, and entered the small room. Frederic activated the seals and turned to Pallanto, who had sat in a chair, still trying to catch his breath.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Now what is this about?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“I returned an hour ago. I went to my house. The door was unlocked. They searched everywhere. The only thing they took… were the gems.” Pallanto spoke between deep breaths. Frederic poured two glasses of brandy. “Here.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Thanks.” Pallanto downed the amber liquid at once, it’s strong burning taste settling his nerves a bit, and calming his breath.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Are you sure they knew what they were dealing with? They could have stolen them just because they are shiny.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“No.” the mage said abruptly. “There was a mage among them. They bypassed an enchanted lock, unsealed a secret compartment and opened an enchanted chest. This is not something the average thug can do, or any thug for that matter. And they only stole them. I have some pretty valuable things in my house, but they ignored all of them. They were searching for something small…”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“What do they even want with them? I mean, it’s holy energy, it’s hardly something that would benefit them. They can always ask for a priest to try and summon some… unless...”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Unless they intend to carry it to the monster realm.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Damn. This is bad indeed. Did you find anything else?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“No. I sealed the house as soon as I found what was missing. I’ll need a few investigators to search the place. Shadow investigators. And I must inform Alatar. This is disastrous.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“More than you think.” The commander sat in his chair, downing his own glass. “You must be placed under protection.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“What do you mean? They already got what they wanted.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Really?” the commander’s face darkened. “The books and the knowledge of the ritual are still your own secret. After they strike, they’ll need them. They seem to have priests, so they are bound to find the method for the seals. But the alterations… if they know about them, they will come for you. If there is a wizard among them, we can only assume that they do.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“What of it, then? We don’t know the exact extend of their reach. If there are even inside the Order of Shadows...”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“It means that even the order is not trustworthy. And the order extends far… with the exception of the monster realm.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“W-wait, what?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“You heard me. As per truce, we pulled back all agents. Our only direct link there is Alatar. It is there that they will most likely strike. And with you there, it will be unavoidable.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“You realize you are putting my ass on hot coals right now?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“What better alternative can you see? Send you to any human state will just make it easier for them. Sending you to another monster city will just delay them. Lescatie is heavily defended. Unless you prefer to go directly to the Demon Lord’s castle...”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Okay, I get it. Geez, you sound like Alatar sometimes.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Don’t. It’s not. How are you going to cover for my absence?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“I’m afraid we are past this.” Frederic’s voice hardened as he poured another round of brandy.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“I know I won’t like it, but please clarify.” Pallanto felt his stomach sink slowly. The brandy wasn’t helping anymore.

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“If the fanatical faction has mages among them, even just one, as you imply, that means they will take notice. No amount of magic tricks would keep this cover forever. If we try it, they will blame me for covering you, and they will try to take over the Order of Shadows. Which reminds me, I read a report of shielded cloaks and weapons stolen from one of our depots. That means that there are also shadow knights among them. So I’ll have to remain here, for now.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Won’t they try to target you?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“They won’t try, for now. Not until they successfully attack. The majority of the lords and the Order supports the treaty, and that treaty is linked to me. Directly attacking, besides difficult, will only turn the public’s opinion against them. You, on the other hand… in the public eye, you are a low-ranked mage. With a record, I might add.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Blast it. I get it, some no-name mage gets gutted, none cares. But won’t my supposed escape harm you and Fullmoon as well?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“We’ll be fine. I can claim your magical tricks, as well as you being part of the fanatical faction. If I spin this right, I can use even this to our favor.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“You sound more like Alatar every time something bad happens” Pallanto grumbled, downed his brandy. “You will owe me big, you know.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“No, kid. YOU will owe me. This is for saving YOUR ass. Unless you look forward to being kidnapped and tortured. Now, you must pick whatever you need and choose your successor. Carefully. The last thing I need is you placing the fanatics in control of the mages of the order on your own.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“I know it already. And I intend to set a trap for those involved. They have dangerous knowledge of anti-monster weapons already.” Pallanto flashed a determined yet very nasty smile.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Is everything ready?”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“Almost, Father. We will need some time to prepare before setting things in motion. Frederic has proven too well protected, and the mage remains elusive.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">“The mage takes priority. We’ll deal with the commander later. With Her favor on our side, he doesn’t stand a chance, that heretic. Send word to me and all our brothers when it is time.”

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">The priest knelt before the altar to pray. The cloaked figure left the room, and joined the other two figures standing quietly outside, clad in the same black cloak. “Let’s pick him up.”

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal">A/N. Chapter 1 is out. While this was somewhat easy to write, my idea tank is almost empty. Comments and criticism welcome.