*Bam*
Angus landed a blow on one of their captives who quickly jolted up but the shackles pinned him to the cold damp floor. His comrade awake by the grunt of his friend. The two looked at Angus and Marchel not with anger but mockery. "Marchel, it's only a matter of time before Redfall breaches through and Reuthar is no more."
One posed, their face beaming a ridiculing smirk thy Angus couldn't tolerate.
*Bam*
"Ftuu!" The man spit his teeth out along with a mouthful of blood but his smile never faltered. "What use will you get from beating me? So what if you kill me, do you think that the abominations and demons pestering your borders will go away?" His words followed with a maddening cackle.
The other chimed in. "Oh, it would seem that too got her gift. If I were you, I'd spend the last of my days with my family Marchel." The pair towering over the two chained captives noticed their glance at the obsidian cherry now perched on his chest.
"You- Who is it?! Who wants me dead?!" Marchel asked, his tone laced with fury as he landed a punch on the latter. "Gah!" The man grunted at the kick to his gut. "I'm sure you already know her. Who else could it be than Callista Vaewlyn?!" The man burst out laughing.
'Callista Vaewlyn?!' Marchel's face immediately darkened as he took out the cherry from his chest and gave a long look at it. 'This...this is obsidian. She's here to allow the breach from the east as it is the least protected and these two are allying with her.' The more he thought about it, the more dread it brought him.
"I don't have anyone who can stand up to her and with the recent losses, we're weaker than before as well. The only thing that I can do for now is alert the capital." He mumbled to himself as he grit his teeth. He knew that even with the Reuthar's alert of her lurking about, they wouldn't be able to make it in time.
"You two! Do you know any other scums within my ranks?!" A question he hadn't expected an answer to. "Of course, with a demon like her hunting you down, there is no use for the regular spies embedded within your ranks." The latter gave a list of those working with the demons.
'Why are there so many? It would seem that Guinevere plans on taking down the eastern first then to the point of sending Callista to take care of me. Not to mention with the confidence of these two, it's clear that they believe that she should be more than capable on accomplishing it.' Marchel's face darkened as Angus wrote down the names.
He was skeptical at first but it was better than nothing. Not to mention their confidence acted as an assurance for their words. A few more questions and the two took their leave.
...
"Sir, if Callista is really here then we don't have that much of a chance to survive her." Marchel noted his words. Not win but survive and he understood it. "If I inform the capital about her existence here, then they won't be able to make it here in time. At the very least they'll be here in two days and I'm sure she'll have made a move by then."
The air between the two was grim as their footsteps echoed through the halls. "I'll make sure that my men keep an eye out for her." Angus took his leave, his tone sour leaving Marchel with nothing more than a sigh. "It would seem that I won't be able to see my son grow up then." A realization he was forcing himself to come to terms with.
He relayed his information to the capital hoping during the night that she would make her kill quick but to his surprise, she never came.
We haven't found or heard anything about her." Angus posed with a look of bewilderment on his face. "Very well but that doesn't mean that we should lower our guard." Marchel's tone grave as he glanced at the screen.
[{Two days}]
Two days was how long it would take for reinforcements to arrive at the border. The news though meant to elate him confirmed his worries. "As for the list of traitors those two gave us yesterday, it would seem that some were genuine, others fake. So far we've managed to get five traitors with more to come." Angus posed as his eyes never once left Marchel's figure.
"Ver good but..." Marchel paused as he rose to his feet. "... What use will it be when we're no longer alive?" His tone that of acceptance. "It would seem that she hasn't made her move and there's nothing guaranteeing that she'll attack tomorrow as well." Marchel saw it as wishful thinking from Angus but a part of him wished that it was true.
"We can only hope for now Angus. You've served me great." He went on with his rants that only made Angus more restless with each passing second. "It would be best to look at the best outcome of this all. After all we can't be too sure that she wants us all dead. It would take her a considerable amount of time to do so anyway."
Angus's words didn't cheer Marchel's mood at the slightest as he let out a grim heavy sigh. "... That will be all Angus, you can leave." Angus who was on the verge of saying his mind left without delay leaving Marchel glancing at the borders. He saw the soldiers make their way up and down with the notion of patrol but he knew that it wouldn't amount to much when facing Callista.
His mind went back to the footage he saw that made his spine crawl. 'Why would the heavens allow for the birth of such a monster?' He pondered in his mind as he waited for his death.
*The next day*
"Sir, so far the tides have strangely decreased almost halving." Angus's report failed to please Marchel who had expected Callista to strike. "Marchel, all you need to have is faith and we'll make through this. All we have to do is wait for one more day and we'll be able to combat her." Marchel who had long lost hope wondered whether he was too pessimistic of the matter.
'Two days since gee alleged arrival and she has yet to make a move. Is she really here or are those two simply toying with me?' He couldn't help but wonder as he took a step out of his office. Adrian wrapped around his legs, his face portraying his cheerful demeanor as he broke into rants about his progress.
Jeannette on the side merely flashed a smile that said it all. 'You should be glad with how far we've come and how much we'll overcome.' His mind going to his point of view. 'Am I the one who sees how bad it could turn out that I fail to see on the benefits? Or is she simply toying with me giving me false hope of survival only to crush it at the last second?'
He chose to reserve his opinions till the last day came to pass. "Dad?! Did you hear me?!" Adrian pouted realizing that his father has his attention elsewhere. "Eh~ Of course I did. I was just wondering about work is all." His tone flat eliciting a chuckle out of Jeanette.
"With the recent changes, it's natural for you to be so wary darling but try to relax." She mused closing the distance between the two. Adrian felt something was off between the two but didn't have the care to ask. "Great! Now I have to wait for ten minutes before I show you again!" His tone filled with contempt.
"You managed to learn malcore at such a young age, that is a feat you should be proud of to show me." His hands ruffling his blue hair. "...Ah! I'm not a kid anymore dad! You don't have to mess hair like that anymore." Voicing his disgust, he tried to break away from his father's grip but it proved to be formidable.
"Mom~ Dad won't let go of me!" Jeannette let a faint laugh escape her lips. "I'm sure that you don't mind bonding with you father." A joke Adrian didn't fancy. "Don't ally with him mom! Look at what he's doing to my hair!" Rather than lend a hand, she joined in on Marchel's game and ruffled his hair as well.
"Ah~~No! My hair!" His squeals amusing to the two who eventually let go. Strands hung over his forehead and some obstructing his vision, any form of attempt to put it the way it was prior was met with failure. "No! My hair is ruined." He declared on the verge of descending into a tantrum.
*Snap*
With a snap of Jeannette's fingers, a swirl of water floated around Adrian and helped restore his hair to the way it was prior ending his cries. "See, nothing to major to fuss about." Her tone dismissive as she attracted a playful glare from Adrian. "But that doesn't excuse what you just did."
The parent pair ignored his rants as they made their way to the main entrance and headed into town. "How about we make a stop at the new ice cream shop?" Jeannette proposed with the intent of snapping Adrian out of his gloomy state. The limousine they were in gently cruised through the streets attracting heads.
"Yes! I want ice cream." The boy immediately added however Marchel brought an end to Adrian's joy. "He just had a questionable amount of sugar as of late with the biscuits and the ice cream. It would be best if held back with the sugar for now. He can eat something more civil."
Adrian's face didn't hide his disappointment. "But why?" He began once more. "It's not fitting for a person like you. A Veyden." His answer curt as the limo came to a stop. Stepping outside, Marchel and Jeannette were met with trendy fashionable clothes put on display. Inside people seemed to be making their choice without a care.
Adrian didn't bother stepping outside, his hands folded with his cheeks bloated. The two didn't seem all that concerned as they closed the door behind them. "You should have compromised. After all who knows how long we have till we meet our end." Jeannette posed as she made her choice, Marchel merely watching from the side.
"But still, we can't have him indulge so carelessly. There have to be some rules that we can settle on." His tone flat contrasting with her light and warm tone. "Is that so? And here I was thinking what you would like to have me wear but now I think I'll pause it for now." Her words sharp eliciting a sigh from Marchel.
He saw the way she swung her hips, holding a lingerie over he body temptingly. "...I stand my ground Jeannette." His tone flat as ever. She let out a sigh of defeat as she put back the lingerie. "Very well then, let's see what else they have." The air between the two shifting into something more passive as if between two strangers.
'I can't have my son grow into a mindless hedonistic bastard. He needs to learn about rules and needs to be told when he can't indulge.' As much as he disliked the cold air between him and his wife, he knew that it would be for the greater good of his son. 'But what use would it be if we don't manage to see tomorrow?'
He couldn't help but wonder. As the two kept on going with their drive, the thought kept on nagging him at he back of his mind but he didn't yield to Jeannette, opting to stay with his choice.
After a few more stops along the way, they made their way back to their manor. Adrian didn't waste any time as he charged straight into his room while Marchel and Jeannette went their own different ways. Not out of a fallout but a silence that refused to leave. 'I respect your decision Jeannette but I can't agree with you on this one.' And with that he made his way back to his office.