"James, you've served me for a considerable amount of time and I see you as one of my own." The king spoke, his stone strangely calm as he finally rose to his feet, his back still facing James. The room was dark, the aesthetic of the royal palace hadn't integrated with the modernity that slowly claimed the world of Arcania.
A choice he made at the time. "Thank you my king." James said, making a light respectful bow. "And now overnight it would seem that everyone that I care about is leaving. My wife died at the hands of the individual who could be responsible for my daughter's abduction and now you with your daughter."
James furrowed his brows, unsure with where Atherion Starborne was taking the conversation. "Just makes sure that you shower you family with love and attention." James nearly broke into laughter hearing that line. 'Love and attention? My own daughter had threatened to kill me so that she can run off with another.'
Still, he held his composure. "I understand Atherion." His voice low as he kept his face staring at the cobblestone floor. The man finally glanced back at James, his face dreary and spent however James didn't look up. "With the current stance of the world, it's hard to say what will happen next James." Atherion walked over before resting his hand on James's shoulder.
James grit his teeth, his body tensed and Atherion noticed it. "You've been around me for so long and yet you're so uptight. You have to loosen up sometimes." His voice followed with a chuckle that made James worry. It didn't belong to a man who had an entire kingdom in the palm of his hand but that of a mad man who had lost it all.
He dared to look up and met Atherion's eyes, the glimmer of valour and royalty was snuffed out replaced with blank beads that stared back at him. His clothes were riddled with creases undeserving for a king, his posture spoke of weariness as his breathes usually regal and measured hitched.
What stood in front of him was a man who had lost his world. "My king, I have operatives making sure that we track her down. You can rest easy." His words however failed to sway Atherion as he kept on walking to the door. "Don't worry about her, I'm sure that she'll be fine with you taking charge."
James heard the door click behind him, still unsure with the nature of the conversation. It wasn't composed or elegant as he was used to, it felt like he saw through the million smiles Atherion wore in public, the man behind the shell of royalty and head of Reuthar. And it made him dread recalling Callista.
'I can't let her ruin her life over because of power.' He was aware of the fool's game when it came to power, the greed that came with it and the eventual downfall at the end of it all. 'Jarren, I'll make sure that you pay for this.' Clenching his fists, he vowed to make sure that Jarren would regret approaching her daughter.
***
Maeve Clarinson saw the screen flickering in front of her, operatives manning their stations each with skill and efficiency. She wore a corporate suit, making her come off as stern and cold to those around her. She was tasked with overseeing Jarren's expedition over at Othare.
With his performance back at Horshaw, it was safe to say that having him unsupervised could lead to more than just deaths of the innocent. The door slid open behind her, Eric walked in offering her a cup of coffee. "So how's it going?" His tone low as his eyes drifted to the screen.
"He just landed a few kilometers off the drop site. He's making his way over now." Jarren's surroundings were pitch black, the snarls of beasts could be heard in the fauna that overgrew around him.
On the screens they saw Jarren make summons, four ravenous hounds made of shadows that ventured into the wasteland.
[{Maeve:You won't be making it to the heart of the kingdom. Merely patrolling the edges for any suspicious activities, just deploy the drones. You're suit though resistant to the radiation can't take it forever so you won't be venturing to the core}]
Still at the drop site, Jarren professionally brought out the drones instructed, cutting edge and chic in design as two of them hovered into the night sky heading towards Othare. Two side monitors flickered showing the drones point of view, a green yet perfectly clear perspective.
Not only did the drones have night vision but infrared as well making sure to alert Jarren ahead of time of any dangers that would be in course with him. "Let's just hope that there's no survivors." Dark as it sounded Maeve hoped the same.
"We have some beasts, those abominations coming up ahead." A man spoke, one of the drone zooming in a beast that mindlessly wandered about before sighting the drone. It shifted it's focus to the drone however it couldn't make the jump.
[{Maeve: You have a beast northward of you. Take a right after fifty-}]
Her face dropped as she saw what happened next. One of his shadow hounds appeared out of the shadows and pounced on the mutation. It's hazy and starry composition though entrancing to look at was scary as it easily tore through the beast. It's gaping white maw and pitch white eyes making even them shudder through the screen.
The hound didn't just kill the abomination, it ate it whole with nothing left serving as a trace. The encounter lasting a minute before the hound kept on pushing deeper into the decaying woods.
[{Jarren: What is it you have to say Maeve?}]
Jarren asked through the relay intercom, a thin smile forming on his face.
[{Maeve: Never mind, just on keep pushing forward}]
She finally managed to recover and speak. "I didn't think that those hounds would deal with the abominations so quickly." She voiced her surprise as she stared at one of them navigating through the terrain. It's shadowy physique have it an advantage, allowing it to phase through any obstructions.
The deeper Jarren went, the once luscious dense foliage grew thinner, trees now weaker, birds and other creatures absent clearly all wiped out thanks to the nuke. Jarren kept on walking, his hands pocketed as his hounds dealt with the unwanted abominations way ahead of time.
It wasn't long before he came to a cliff and from there he had a great oversight over Othare. Once a bustling kingdom was now bathed with ash and nuclear radiation.
[{Maeve: That is as far as you can go}]
Jarren paused resting at a nearby stone, his smile stretching as he thought of the games that he would get to play with such toys. The drones however kept on hovering deeper into Othare as well as his four hounds, relentless as ever.
The sight of ruined walls, toxic pools of water and bones littered all over filled the monitor. Some of the citizens of Othare could be seen try to make their escape from the carnage unfolding at the time, torn clothes sprawled all over, skeletons. Some shielding their loved ones making the scene teary to Maeve.
Jarren didn't need the drones to see,his hounds and omnipresent eyes we're sufficient. It wasn't the poetic scene that intrigued but what lay at the heart of it all. Where the castle was a massive crater lay, shells of the bomb still present though charred beyond recognition. However the crater extended far deeper than the bomb could have
"Judging by the walls, that wasn't an effect of the nuke, that hole had to have been dug by someone or something." Eric mused, ordering one of the drones to get closer to the hole.
*Whoosh*
The image of a beast came into the screen for a second before the connection was lost. The other drone remained hovering in place. "Those freaks of nature can still survive?!" Eric cursed as he dreaded what this meant. So far it seemed that even nukes weren't enough to take these abominations down.
"What is that?! Can we get a close look at that!" Maeve ordered to which the other drone rotated, now facing an abomination that was running away from Jarren's hounds. However the beast fell unconscious upon getting too close to the crater.
*Crunch-Crunch-Crunch*
The creature didn't die from the high exposure of radiation but started to convulse and twist. Bones twisted in ways that they shouldn't, faces that shouldn't be and eyes that didn't belong to it. It grew bigger, more vicious and gained an edge of predatory that would make a beast hesitate hunting it.
It's was once on all fours now stood on it's hind, growing a somewhat humane physique that unnerved Maeve and Eric as they felt their scalps tingle at the horrific transformation.
"Roar!!!" The beast growled,now fueled with new vigour as it dared to face Jarren's hounds. However much to the shock of Maeve and Eric, the fight that followed felt like an insult. The beast lunged at the hound, it's jaw opening far too wide to be normal and the hound smaller was swallowed whole.
"I didn't think that the hound would be put down so easily." Maeve sighed though her state didn't last long. The beast before taking another step groaned in pain, falling to the ground before the cause came into sight. It's stomach was torn open, the hound feasting on the beast's internal organs.
The scene graphic portrayed the ruthlessness and merciless nature of Jarren's hounds. After a few minutes the abomination ceased any form of motion as it lay dead. The hound bit off the head as it ate it's way out before feasting on the rest of the creature.
"This is far from simple." Eric hummed as his mind instantly realized the gravity of the situation. The beasts were susceptible to mutation, making them far stronger and dangerous however he was perplexed at whether to be pleased with the fact that a solution existed.
Jarren's hounds were more than capable of dealing with the beasts however given that it was Jarren puppeteering them it wasn't sure in which direction he would take it. Given his psychopathic tendency, having the hounds or more of his abominations of puppets attack Reuthar was a possibility.
The drone shifted from the hound before taking a closer look at the hole. The green picture shifted to topographic and thermal scannings. "Wait, it would seem that there's a creature residing deeper, maybe a queen or a far more mutated beast residing in that cave." Maeve mused, already picturing what the beast would look like.
Jarren's hounds managed to circle the hole but neither dared to venture inwards. Not out of fear but command.
[{Maeve: Send your summons into he cave, we're sure that something dangerous is down there}]
[{Jarren: What about my safety, sure I trust my hounds but what if the monster proves to be too great for me to deal with}]
The pair back at Ark Facility paused, unsure whether Jarren was serious with his claims or he was teasing.
[{Maeve: Very well, you can pull back.}]
Fearful of taking something they hadn't planned on doing she ordered Jarren to withdraw. His four hounds dissipated into nothingness.
"Should we tell the royal court about this?" Maeve asked Eric who was deep in thought. "Something like this could greatly upset Redfall as it is the closest kingdom to the crater. It would be better to inform the court about this." He thought before taking his leave.
[{Jarren: Wait, I think that I sense something}]
The camera tried to make it's way back to Jarren only to see him trek away from the crater. It was clear with his carefree attitude that the cause wasn't a major threat. After some minutes passing, the drone picked up what he was stating, Maeve bewildered with what she saw.
In front of Jarren was a boy, no older than ten years old huddled on the ground. Before she could relay an order to Jarren, she witnessed the kid's death. Quick and painless as he shot the rifle at the kid. The boy's body twitched before finally collapsing. The head now burrowed with an incendiary shot.
Maeve's eyes narrowed at the atrocity she had just witnessed. 'I can't believe that he would kill an innocent child so casually.'