"What is this meant for, Your Majesty?" he finally managed to ask after a few moments of wandering thoughts. "It was a gift from Lady Syldir. She said that I wasn't to let the others know about this until our arrival, but she didn't quite explain what it does, only that I'm supposed to infuse my mana into it," Leona replied, gingerly plucking the token from Thorsen's grasp.
Leona closed her eyes for a brief moment, carefully channeling her mana into the sequence of runes that lined the edges of the token, which caused them to begin glowing a bright yellow that quickly shifted into white. Gorm's eyes widened as she suddenly tossed the token into the middle of the hall, spawning a portal large enough for even Thorsen to pass through with plenty of headroom.
"What in the…?" Gorm cut himself off when the air grew heavy, nearly forcing him, as well as the other servants still present in the hall, to nearly collapse onto the floor. A pair of black-robed Polarion guardsmen stepped through the portal Leona created, each equipped with a glistening spear of mana with an angled point tip, perfect for piercing through cracks between a dragon's scales.
"Welcome, my lords," Leona bowed as the two took a brief moment to observe their surroundings, though the sound of her voice quickly shifted their attention to her.
"You must be Queen Leona," the larger of the two said in a strong baritone, his bright eyes flaring with tendrils of white and golden mana behind a single lock of black hair that was otherwise neatly swept backward.
"Indeed, I am, my lords," she replied graciously. "Very well, then. I am called Hymir, and this is Odra, my second in command and former Warden," Hymir said with a slight dip of his head, which Odra mimicked.
Thorsen regarded Odra carefully, as his long blonde hair stood in dramatic contrast to the black robes. His eyes glowed a bright orange, though the pair's slitted pupils and faded scales near their temples were more than enough to pin them as dragons.
He looks just like how I imagine you would without a beard, Gwili sent, quickly glancing between the two of them. I thought so, as well, though I can't understand why that is, Thorsen returned with a worried look.
"Welcome to Coltend Castle, Lords Hymir and Odra," Leona replied, offering them a bow which stunned everyone else present in the main hall. "Lady Syldir had instructed us to wait for your call, but neither of us expected it to be so… soon," Odra said in an almost soothing voice, with a slight tilt of his head aimed at Thorsen.
"Indeed, there is, though I do apologize for summoning you prematurely. It seems we may need your assistance sooner than initially planned, though I would rather know now if I have overstepped the terms of this arrangement with Lady Syldir," Leona added, noticing the slight exchange.
"Not at all," Odra said, his tone suggesting he'd only half paid attention to what she said, earning him a curiously raised eyebrow from Hymir. "Ah, wonderful, then. We are exceedingly grateful for this opportunity, my lords," Leona bowed again, prompting the others to do the same.
"Nonsense. If our presence here is enough to deter The Scourge from wreaking havoc on at least some of the people of this realm, then we are glad to be of assistance," Hymir said with a slight dip of his head. "However, since we do not yet know when he will attack, it would be wise of us to summon all those who are able to make the journey to come here," he continued, prompting the others to shift uncomfortably.
They seem to know the truth of their capabilities after all, he realized, seeing most of them turn or lower their heads.
"We will do what we can," Leona said, her voice cutting through the momentary solemn silence. "In the meantime, I think it would be best if we also sent for some reinforcements, though I will need two trusted people to go there in person," she continued, glancing at Neko and Marte.
Ah, shit. More riding? Neko's expression fell, causing Gwili to scowl at him, reminding him of their earlier conversation.
"W-Where are we heading, then?" Marte asked after sheepishly stepping forward. "To our good friends in Codrean. When you arrive, be sure to speak directly with either Master Pyle or Roburn. They will understand the situation best if you tell them our situation," Leona said with a nod.
"As you wish. Come along, Neko, and I don't want to hear a single peep about your dangler along the way," she said, grabbing him by the ear and dragging him along. Her response to Leona prompted Hymir to raise an eyebrow at the two of them as they left.
"I have never seen an underling address royalty in such a casual manner," he said with a raised eyebrow, prompting Leona to shrug. "I find it's easier for them to trust my lead if I allow them to treat me more casually. Of course, there are limitations, but I, too, grow tired of hearing my title over and over again," she replied with a sigh, which, strangely enough, made Odra burst into laughter, making the others look at him curiously.
"I apologize. I just didn't know there were others like Lady Syldir in this realm," Odra raised a hand placatingly as he caught his breath. "I can see why she placed her trust in you. Not a day goes by that she does not complain about others addressing her by her full title," he said, wiping a small tear from the corner of his eye.
"Her full title? Forgive our ignorance, but she's never told us what it was," Gwili said with a sinking feeling emerging in his gut. Odra composed himself and cleared his throat before answering. "Duchess Syldir Algiz, better known as The Hand of the Twilight Sea, generally avoids using her status as a means of controlling others," Odra replied, making their eyes grow wide in astonishment.
"Y-You're saying she's at the same level as Ryfon?" Thorsen asked, though Gorm was at a complete loss as to who they were talking about. "They used to…" Odra stopped speaking the moment he received a glare from Hymir. "That is not our place to speak of. You know that just as well as I do," Hymir said sternly, prompting Odra to sigh relentingly.
"Be that as it may, she is considerably influential in Polarion, even more so after her union with Duke Karthus, though that is a story for another time," he continued, prompting Odra to raise his hands defensively.
"I-I see," Thorsen said with a slight hint of nervousness in his tone. "In any case, we should begin the preparations for defending this place. Who among you knows its weaknesses the best?" Hymir asked.
They all immediately gestured to Gorm, who blanched.
I-I'm not cut out for this shit, he mentally sighed before moving forward. "Are you certain you're not?" Odra asked plaintively with a raised eyebrow. "W-Wha-... Did he just read my mind?" Gorm shakily asked Thorsen. "I did. What of it? I would have thought that being around other mana wielders that you would have known they could do that by now," Odra shrugged.
He's serious, isn't he? Gorm asked himself. "I am," Odra replied with a grin. "G-Gorm, I think it would be best if you tried not to think about it too much. They can both do that, so let's just get back to the topic at hand, shall we?" Gwili said, putting a hand on his shoulder with a nervous smile.
"Not only do I receive lessons on ethics, but now on dragons from you as well? Gods' nutsacks, Gwili, is there anything else you'd like to teach me?" Gorm said with a slight scowl, making the elf flinch. Nothing at the moment, Gwili sent Gorm with a wink.
You whoreson, Gorm sighed before turning back toward the pair of dragons.
"I know this castle like the back of my hand, my lords. I can certainly show you the best places to improve our defenses, though it will be necessary to wait for the Synners from Codrean to fully implement them," he said with a low bow.
"A valid concern, to say the least. Very well, then. As we understand it, there were plenty of repairs done after the last attack on this place, though we would like to better acquaint ourselves with what we have to work with," Hymir chimed in, getting a nod of agreement from Odra.
"I'd be glad to show you around, my lords," Gorm said with a bow.
I wonder just how much of a difference these two will make, Gwili sent Thorsen, who nodded in agreement. If they are even half as powerful as Erumon, I'm sure we will be in good hands, Thorsen replied.
Or claws, Gwili shrugged.