Norrick the inspector's suspicion grew recalling the events of the day prior. He glanced at the contents on his desk, his gaze sharpening as what he dreaded seemed to be more of a reality he wished wasn't. 'The swarm of abominations left the moment at dusk. The same time we found out Maxwell's base of operations.'
At first he thought that it was nothing more than a coincidence however the more he thought about it, the more bizarre it was. 'Harriet and Polly were there and the means at which the swarm left wasn't natural.' He was aware of how basic beasts hunted and the way the abominations attacked was no different.
'To leave out of the blue when they had the advantage...It's clear that someone is controlling them and it might be those two.' His mind flashed images of the two who wore smiles that never faded or gazes that never revealed too much. Calling them human would be an utter lie.
"Harriet made her way to the two upon realizing that she had nowhere else to go." One by one the pieces began to fall into place. 'But for her to do such a thing would mean that she has a great relationship with the two but how.' After a background check on Harriet, he was baffled with what he saw.
No outstanding feats, no talent for malcore or any other accomplishments or accolades. She was nothing more than a woman trying to survive with her daughter and yet she somehow came to know one of the most powerful people gracing Arcania. 'None of this makes any sense.'
He sighed rising to his feet. He glanced at the wall the knights were now replacing it their efficiency commendable. 'As for Maxwell, it would seem that he has left the town upon realizing the threat he had put himself in hoping to pass his oversight to Caerthalas. What a fool!' Gritting his teeth, he let out a sharp sigh before making his way back to his desk.
The air was rich with the stench of wine, the contents on his desk sprawled all over however he didn't mind as he sunk into his seat. 'Or is it just chance that these two came to know each other. Maybe Callista felt pity for the little child and chose to help her.' However a swirl of thoughts quickly dismissed the notion.
'She has killed way too many people to have a heart of care and remorse. It would seem that she has a deeper more insidious plan in mind.' As much as he didn't want to intervene with the pairs,he couldn't just sit idly and watch the suffering of a child be it elven or human.
Before he could rise once more, a soft knock filled the air. "You may come in." His tone low as he eyed his visitor. A subordinate which eased his stance. "Sir, we have confirmed that the two have arrived at the pair and have been welcomed. It would seem that the connection between the two wasn't as simple as we had initially thought."
Such words made Norrick's brows furrow. "What about the walls? How is it going?" The answer was short and curt. "It should be done by noon." Pleased with this, he flashed a smirk that quickly faded. "Make sure that we can survive such a tide later on! Reinforcements are already on their way for what's to come."
His mind drifted to Maxwell once more. 'As for that bastard, the entire kingdom should have his head in less that a week's time.' Once his hand was forced into submission due to his backers but offending a powerhouse like Jarren would no doubt make his benefactors to falter and his head to roll.
"As for those refugees, it would be best to have them warned off from Caerthalas. After all we don't have all the resources to house them all." With the purge of Maxwell's base, a lot of humans were now homeless and with their rise, it was only a matter of time before they became a problem of themselves.
'Jarren Velros, what business do you have with Caerthalas?' His question going unanswered as after a few more briefings he was left alone once more in his room. 'I wonder what those elites at the capital are doing to deal with Jarren.' A sneer escaped his lips as he could already imagine the top of society scrambling to find a way to deal with Jarren.
However his sneer masked his worry as he too was baffled with what they would do. 'A direct assault would be stupid however yielding top soon would make the rest of the kingdoms think less of us.' He couldn't help but wonder as he clutched his chin.
'Regardless I'm sure those crafty bastards should come up with something. With their position at the top they've dealt with such tricky situation.' With a sigh, he didn't himself too much with the issue as he went back to the documents brought by the subordinate.
***
"Once more I'm quite grateful of letting the two of us stay here." Harriet mused with a warm smile as Polly squirmed in her grasp, wishing to break away. "Of course, I'm sure that it's the least that we could do for you." Jarren posed however his words felt wrong. Not with a darker intent but simply off in a manner that unnerved Harriet.
The two had given her a room not far from theirs. High end and luxurious from what the remote town could offer. However for her it was far better than the cell she was in a few days prior. "Come on Polly, we have to go." Harriet mused wishing to catch Polly who had managed to slip past her grasp.
The innocent girl made her way to Callista whose existence felt way too ethereal to be on the plane that she was on. The calmness that swallowed her was serene and peaceful, her thin smile warm and inviting which further allured Polly who began to play with the hem of her dress.
"Hello Polly, it's nice to see you again." Callista cooed softly entertaining the antics Polly played with her. "Hahaha! You can't see me miss. Are your eyes not working?" Her aloof words eliciting a chuckle from Callista. "They're fine, it's just that I don't need them is all." Callista's fingers played with Polly's hair.
"Oh, how does miss see then if she can't use her eyes?" Her cute little face showing her bewilderment. "Mhhm! You'll understand later." Harriet's gaze tightened as it landed on Callista. Despite her fairy like appearance, something brewed in her heart warning her to get as far away from the two.
"Come on Polly, let's go." Harriet spoke however her words seemed to fly past the little girl who was now entranced with the obsidian shards Callista had given her. "Look mommy, isn't it beautiful just like miss?" Jarren's smile deepened noting how dismissive Harriet was, wishing to exclude herself from the scene.
"Miss Harriet, how about a dinner reservation? I'm sure that it would be fair for me to have it with you." His request instantly turned down. "I appreciate your offer Jarren however it would be best that I decline. I wouldn't want to be too much of a burden to you. You've given me so much already."
Her mind recalled the thousands of blue malcore shards he had gifted her on a whim. "For the lady and her." He posed at the time with his serpentine smile still donned. "That's a shame as I'm sure that Polly would have loved it." He mused lightly as he eyed the little girl absorbed with the shard in her tiny hands.
Perking her head up, she made her way to her mother. "Mom! Let's go for a meal with Jarren and the lady. It'll be great. I promise that I will behave!" Her wishes met with a firm denial. "No. They've already given us so much. It would be inconsiderate of us to keep on asking for more." However inwardly that wasn't what she thought.
Wishing that she could be as far away from the pair as possible. 'There's a reason as to why the other kingdoms are so hesitant on making a move on these two.' She told herself rising to her feet. "But mom..." Polly urged however Harriet didn't yield as the two made their way to the door. "Goodbye Polly, I'm sure that we'll meet later."
Jarren said playfully, Callista flashed a smile. "Goodbye Jarren, goodbye Callista." Polly posed radiating a in innocent and aloof smile. "Thank you Jarren Velros and Callista Vaewlyn." Harriet's words more formal but laced with respect. "There's no need to be so tense around us Harriet, and just call us by our first names."
She apologized before taking her leave. Now alone, their smiles vanished replaced with something far more sinister. "It would seem that the little one won't be that bad toying with." Callista was the first to break the silence, her head tilting in contemplation. "You really do love playing, don't you?"
Jarren chimed in as he rose to his feet and poured tea for her. "Well can you blame me? I am a cat after all." He chuckled at her words as he poured a cup for himself as well. "And here I thought that you didn't like to be addressed as kitty." She shrugged it off with a sip. "What? It's growing on me?" She said playfully. "And as your lead, I have to keep you and myself entertained."
He swirled the tea in his hands, steam masking his face as he commented. "You don't have to bother yourself with my entertainment, your playful tendencies should suffice." The air filled with silence the two didn't bother to break. If felt natural as they kept with their sips.
"As for you game dear, when do you plan on launching it." Her head rose with excitement as she spoke. "It already has, I was just making sure that you fell behind us all." A mischievous giggle escaped her lips. "You sly feline. Since when did you learn to be so cheeky?"
Her body assaulted with his as the two crashed onto the sofa. "I can't always play by the rules. After all weren't they made so that I could break them?" He stole a kiss, his lips curling into a smile. "Rightfully so but when playing with me, who knows what might be of your rule-less game?" His words coming off as a playful warning she dared to face.
"I'm sure that you won't last that long my dear." His gaze narrowed, his tone turning playful. "If you dare me then I have no choice to comply." Once posed he landed a kiss, longer and deeper as their tongues danced with each other, their hands growing bolder with each other before the two were lost with their fervent embrace.
*At the outskirts of the town*
Two goblins snarled at each other as they engaged in a mindless conflict. Around their lips white streaks could be seen, the same foam that was on the two that had fallen dead. Before they could engage with their mindless games, their bodies came to a halt.
"Gah!" The pair of green skinned beasts cried out in agony that claimed their beings. Bones cracked and twisted in ways that shouldn't be, stretching way longer for their own kind, their frames growing more and more human till their screams could no longer be heard in the air.
The entire forest was silent, as if watching what would be of the two creatures that rose to their feet. They glanced at each other, once nothing more than a dog's height were now the average human height. 'Huh!' One of them male and the other female.
'Hello playthings. Let's play a little game.' Such words echoed in their mind simultaneously. The two beasts glanced at each other as if in confirmation with what they were experiencing. 'Don't worry, I'm sure that you'll both be entertaining before we grow bored of you two.' The voice persisted making their frames shudder.
'Now...' This time the tone wasn't as sweet a before, now heavier and gravel. 'Let's get this introductionary part out of the way. You can call me Jarren and the female voice you've heard as Callista.' Their minds once akin to less of children could fully comprehend their words. For feral beasts, the grasp of consciousness was scary and lucid still dazed with their situation.