"It's been three days and we haven't heard any form of notification from her, I think we should send someone to investigate." Caeldrith posed, his face darkening unsure of what could have befell his wife. Thalen had already left a day prior and he had yet to report anything.
"There's no need to worry father. I'm sure that she's fine. Educating some sense in Jarren." Vaelric posed hoping to calm his father down. "Still, it's not like her to be silent for this long." Vaelric could only imagine what could have occurred.
"Let's hope that Thalen uncovers the truth of her silence." His words final as he dug into his meal.
...
"So far we've confirmed heat signatures, three active and one out in the yard." A masked operative blending into the night mused. "Split into two, make sure you draw no form of attention to yourselves." A voice rang before the group of four split into pairs.
...
Diana's ears perked up as she felt something off in the wind. Checking her peripheral, she was unnerved in finding nothing amiss and yet the air felt way too calm. Just as she was about to drift back into sleep, her eyes were filled with blinding lights followed with words she could barely make out.
"Huh?!" The two operatives made curt bows before setting her free. "There's no need for you to be alarmed princess, we're going to get you out of here."
***
Atherion as well as James watched the feed with shock. "What was she doing at Jarren's manor?" Atherion quickly broke into a fit it rage. "Atherion, you should be glad that she's still alive, though battered but we'll enough." Before Diana could say anything, she was administered a sedative that sent her to sleep.
On the other feed, the other pair kept their distance from Jarren's room. "Is he..." James brown raised with curiosity. "I want him taken away this instant." Atherion's order jolting the two to make a move. 'So she was there this entire time. Jarren you have a lot of explaining to do.'
With the death of his wife, he had questions he needed answers for and it seemed that Jarren had what he was looking for. The two inched closer, switching the feed from thermal to coloured. The camera able to see with relative ease despite the lack of moonlight.
Their eyes widened with shock, the two operatives perplexed with what they walked in on.
*Whoosh*
The screen cut to static however the scene now remained etched in their minds. 'Is that sick individual really thy depraved?' James couldn't help but wonder. Even though it had been a second, he could easily tell what was transpiring in his room.
"Get in contact with Caeldrith, I'm certain that he's unaware with this. Also send a fully armed team to flush the bastard out of his dirty hovel. I want him here by day break." And with that Atherion took his leave, his face grim.
'At the very least Diana is okay but that bastard won't get off easy.' He swore in his heart that burnt with unbridled rage.
***
Diana's peripheral shifted from a cool windy night to a luxurious hotel. Her body had been healed of her scars however the degrading writings were still there. She rose to her feet, her head ringing with pain making her way to the door. "Princess, please don't exert yourself too much. Please regain your energy for now."
A guard mused, his tone laced with fear and respect. "What!! Where am I?" Her voice frail as she collapsed onto the door frame. "Diana?! Please he careful. We're at an inn. We should make it to the capital before daybreak." Just as she heard this the whirling of jet thrusters filled her ears.
And with that she fell unconscious.
...
Her eyelids twitched, a voice she had grown far too familiar with filling her ears. "You're awake Diana. I thought that I would never see you again." Atherion's tone dripping with longing as he landed kisses on her forehead. "Father??" Her voice still frail as she looked around her room. The medieval touch was gone and replaced with a more modern edge.
"Yes darling?" He shot up almost instantaneously, a hint of fear showing in his tone. "How did you find me?" A nervous chuckle followed. "I'll tell you when you get stronger but for now rest. We still have to deal with Jarren." His words turning bitter at Jarren's mention.
"Hoe could he dare land his hands on you? The princess of Reuthar!" His tone filled with indignance however she didn't seem all that invested. "Dad...don't bother with him. You won't win." Before she could elaborate, darkness filled her vision.
"Hello Diana, didn't think that your father would dare to get his men in my yard but hey, I've grown way too complacent with him." Suspended in the eternal black void that was his playpen, she looked around for a source. "You just stay right there because what will happen next will definitely require a lot of energy and willpower."
Before she could ask, she was thrown back into her room. "Diana?! Are you okay?" Atherion's concerns coming off as faint whispers. "He's coming dad. Not Jarren but something far darker."
***
"Do you have any credentials with you?" A guard asked, his face devoid of any emotion. "Callista Vaewlyn, is that enough?" The man's hands halted before looking up. He was met with a simple smile however the face sent shivers down his spine. "You're - You're Callista Vaewlyn." She didn't react at the man's perplexed falter.
"Can we speed this up? I have a date to get to." Her tone filled with apathy however the man was still in his dazed state. He reached out for a button, all she let happen before ending the man's life. 'So what if you know I'm coming, the end will remain the same.' The button a signal for alarm.
However for her it was the beginning of a long-winded thrill of a party that would end with her amusement and the corpses of Reuthar's elites.
***
"Sir, we have received an alert from outpost 14. Her face seen by camera on sight. It would be best to have James relocated as soon as possible." A man mused, his tone professional showing Atherion Callista's face. A light smile and carefree demeanor that rattled him to his core.
"It would be too much for her to come to Reuthar with the goal of killing her father alone. And with her known allegiance with Guinevere, it would be safe to say that she wants us all dead." With the arrival of her daughter, he hadn't got much time to spend with her before another problem surfaced out of the blue.
"You already know what to do. Send James to the arranged black site." His tone ending with finality before the man left. He took a sip of his wine, usually sweet was anything but with the guillotine hanging over his head. 'If she were to cause a rampage then fighting in Reuthar wasn't a wise decision on her part.'
He had planned for this and his men were already deployed to stop her if not delay he inevitable. His subordinates wishing him to be relocated as well but he waved them off. 'I'm the king of Reuthar , what would it mean when I cower in fear at the face of my opponent?' He swirled his glass, his brows furrowing in contemplation.
'So far Toren has managed to extract little information out of Timothy. It's a shame that we couldn't decipher his glyph.' He was sure that with time they would be able to make progress however with Callista prancing about, time wasn't a resource they could afford.
He gave out a sigh, taking it all in. The discovery of his daughter, Callista's presence in Reuthar and Jarren's presence. He saw the video of him being mangled to bits by the tentacles so hearing his figure still alive and walking was a shock he dreaded. 'It would seem that things are about to get hectic.' He mused inwardly as his vision drifted to a group of operatives making their way to Jarren's abode.
***
"Who should we take our first? The soldiers? James? Atherion or all of them at once?" Clomere mused with a smile far too malicious to be human. "That would depend on what you want. However I'm sure that we should give them a taste into what they are walking in on."
His hand drooping over her shoulder, the two gazing at Elyria's unconscious body that was drenched in his fluids. "Well then I better start then." And with that she took her leave, Jarren watched her leave landing a spank on her way out. "Anhh~~" Her voice playful begging for more however he didn't engage.
He collapsed on his bed, his gaze blankly staring at the ceiling. 'Atherion, what other games could I play with you?' His cynical mind already weaving devious thoughts. 'As for you darling, it would seem that I dote you too much.' His mind drifting to Clomere.
He had spent a considerable amount of time with her, though savored he felt couped up in his manor. 'Looks like I'll have to expose you to the outside world ,after all how could a pretty flower like you bloom in such constraints?' He chuckled at the madness to come.
***
"Hey! Have you managed to get anything of use out of Timothy?" Toren's voice filled with impatience as he stared at the man behind the glass cube. "Sorry sir but all efforts have been pointless. He refuses to comply even with the use of force." Toren's gaze lingered on Timothy's figure.
Once a regal and collected man looked around, his demeanor that of a crazed lunatic. "However when he does use the supposed glyph, we've noted these changes." Handing over a document, Toren's eyes quickly brushed through it.
'Decrease in weight, failing body organs and erratic behavior. His sanity is slowly chipping away. However the output can't be overlooked.' Strangely enough Timothy hadn't bothered with escaping his captivity which unnerved and fascinated Toren. 'The damage he deals is akin to a hundred malcore experts. If this was wielded into our arsenal then Guinevere would have to rethink her plans.'
A smile forming on his lips as he pictured the scene where Reuthar stood above it all. However he didn't dally in his wishful thinking for too long. "Conduct more tests with him, I want to see hu absolute limits." His tone eager. "Uh, sir. I don't know whether you should know this but his rants haven't all been completely incoherent. He keeps on speaking about the end of Arcania as well as a being known as the Pale Sovereign."
Toren at first perplexed didn't think much of it. "It's the ramblings of a mad man. However report if anything peculiar happens." And with that he took his leave. 'With Callista running about, it would seem that a war is on the horizon. With Redfall, that's an unknown uncertainty.'
So far Atherion was focused on Callista however Toren thought about Guinevere. He was sure that Callista and Guinevere were on good terms with each other so the agitation of Callista could bring the wrath of a Hollow Saint onto Reuthar. A fight they weren't ready to face.
'Atherion plans on reconciliation before sending it all at her. It's clear that he no longer worries about Guinevere and her wrath. However if he were to ask for external support, thanks to the video of Callista raising Othare, it should make the other kingdoms more willing to help.'
Making his way to his office, his mind then drifted to the elves and the dwarves, both of which had remained eerily silent. 'As for those demons, they should be the hardest to face with the new abominations coming about.' Placing his glasses down, he eased his temples aware of the new threat on the table.
'These abominations are ruthless, devouring anything they come in contact with. Monsters such as goblins and other wild life have almost fallen into extinction because of them. A problem that will snowball out of our hands if not dealt as soon as possible.' As much as he wanted to take a gander at the matter, his hands were already full with Guinevere's rise and Callista's intrusion into Reuthar. With a sigh he went back to his work.