Alarmed, Drogov immediately ducked into the wardrobe.
"What did I tell you?" The man continued to speak excitedly as Drogov considered his circumstances.
Had they seen him? Were they laying in wait? Did the scout give them information? Many thoughts flowed through his mind as he reached for his short sword. If any of those were the case he would have to leave, and quickly.
"I should have never doubted you my love." A female voice rung through the space.
"But are you sure this is okay?" She continued.
Now curious, Drogov peeked his head out of the wardrobe. There were two people in the bedroom. One woman and one man. The man wore the uniform of the Duke's guard and was on the younger side. He had a full head of blonde hair and blue eyes that stared intently at the woman before him.
She was a bronze-skinned girl, with black curly hair that fell to her shoulders. Her emerald-green eyes gazed into his as they stood illuminated by the moonlight from the window. She was dressed in a simple gown, clearly not of noble status.
"It's alright, nobody comes up here anymore." The man reassured her.
"Because we're not supposed to. The Duke forbid it."
"It's not the first time we've done things we're not supposed to." The man's voice took on a sensual tone as he grabbed her waist.
"Stop." She said playfully as she push him away with a coy smile. "I'm being serious."
"What is it?" The man asked with a smirk on his face, not discouraged in the least. "Your usually much bolder than this."
"Only in moderation." She replied. "I've never snuck away from the servants quarters this late."
"I know you. That's not what it is." He laughed, gently placing a hand on her cheek as he did. "Don't lie to me Rebecca. What's actually bothering you?"
She hesitated. "The servant boy… the one that died. Do you think his soul still lingers?"
The man paused, then suddenly burst out into a fit of laughter.
"That's what this is about? Ghosts?" He stepped away, resting an arm against the nearby wall for support as he continued laughing.
"K-Keep it down Reginald." Rebecca cautioned. "Others might hear us."
"Sorry. Sorry." Reginald said between gasps of air as he recovered. "I just can't believe you believe in that nonsense."
"It's not nonsense!" Rebecca stomped.
"Oh? I thought you were worried others would hear us?" Reginald teased.
Rebecca flushed red. "It's not nonsense." She repeated, but in a whisper this time.
"My mother told me that spirits exist." She continued. "And there have been rumors of figures moving around in the darkness."
"Exactly, rumors." Reginald retorted. "They're just making up stories because they're bored."
"I'm just not comfortable here Reginald." She said as she stepped away.
Drogov ducked back into the wardrobe in an effort not to be seen.
"Wait wait. Wait, Rebecca." Reginald called out as he grabbed her hand.
"I hear you." He started. "I know you may not feel safe here, but you'll always be protected once I'm around." He said in reassurance.
"Plus," He continued, "I wanted you to feel like a princess tonight."
With a welcoming gesture he guided her towards the dresses on the bed. She followed, hesitant at first, but as she stood before the bed she loosened up, running her fingers across the gowns that were laid out.
"A princess?" She asked as she turned to look at Reginald.
He nodded in response. "Take your pick." He encouraged. "I'm sure nobody will miss anything."
Her eyes sparkled in delight as she heard this and she returned her gaze to the bed. Soon enough, she picked out a yellow gown made of fine silk and held it away from her body as she examined it. Seemingly satisfied, she rushed into the bathroom with it and closed the door behind her.
Reginald smiled at this and sat on the bed, watching the door as he awaited her arrival. He whistled a small tune, then began to daydream about what would happen once she came out.
Drogov watched all of this, a small dagger in hand as he pondered whether or not he should kill the man. After all, with them currently separated, now would be the best time. This one wasn't paying attention, so he could end it without a struggle. Then all he'd have to do is wait for her to open the door and slice her throat before she could even scream.
His grip on the dagger tightened. It would make things go smoother… but he didn't want to do it.
The bathroom door opened, and his grip on the dagger loosened as he fell back in the wardrobe, thinking about what he should do next.
Outside, Reginald and Rebecca - who had no idea how close the reaper had been to his harvest - embraced each other.
"Do I look like a princess?" Rebecca asked as she stepped back. Modelling the gown.
"Yes M'lady." Reginald answered with no hesitation. "The fairest princess of them all."
Rebecca smiled. "So if I'm a princess, would that make you my handsome prince?" She asked as she placed a hand on his face.
"A handsome prince, or your brave knight. Whichever one you choose." He replied as he went in for a kiss.
Drogov shook his head in the wardrobe as he heard the two. He refused to sit through this. Turning his attention to the nearest corner of the room, he noted the mass of shadow there, then gestured with two fingers as he muttered a phrase.
"Vishum." He called out softly and the shadows seemed to sway.
Suddenly, a pitch black hand slowly emerged from the wall, or more aptly, the darkness. It pressed against the wall and pulled, forcing the rest of its figure to separate from the shadows.
Soon enough, there was a fully realized faceless, pitch black figure made from darkness standing in the room. It faced Drogov who was still in the wardrobe, and didn't move a muscle. It seemed to be awaiting orders.
"Scare them off." Drogov commanded, pointing in the direction of Rebecca and Reginald. "No violence."
The thing seemed to comprehend this and nodded. It turned towards the couple, seemingly contemplating something, then turned away.
Drogov watched with a puzzled look as it went for the door. It opened it, slowly at first, then stepped outside. It positioned itself behind the entrance and then-
Wham
The door slammed, and Drogov heard the couple gasp.
"What was that?!" Rebacca questioned, but before Reginald could answer her, the door began to open once again, slowly and ominously.
"Reginald!" She called for her lover, Drogov could hear her hands gripping the fabric of his tunic.
"I'm… I'm sure it was just the wind." Reginald assured her, but at that moment they heard the door knob rattle in its socket.
"That doesn't sound like the wind, Reginald." Rebecca pointed out, and Drogov found himself with the strangest urge to see the looks on their faces. He repressed it.
There was silence. Then Drogov noticed a shift in the shadow of the wall. It was moving towards the couple, and soon after, there was the rattle of a doorknob deeper inside the room. This was the final straw.
Rebecca yelped, and Drogov saw a blur across his vision. Unexpectedly, it was Reginald.
"Reginald!" Rebecca called. "Don't leave me here alone!" She yelled as she followed the boy out of the room, struggling to lift her skirt and run.
After waiting a minute, Drogov stepped out of the wardrobe and closed the door to the room, sure that the couple was long gone. He turned to a specific corner, where the humanoid figure separated itself from a shadow that was cast upon the bathroom door. A slight, almost imperceptible smile appeared on Drogov's face.
"Good job." He praised, and the humanoid figure scratched its head as if embarrased.
"Vishuol." Drogov whispered, and the figure dissipated. Now alone, Drogov made haste in finding his prize.
From his pocket, he pulled a green stone that looked nothing like an emerald. It was smooth at each edge, but lumpy and hard. It was translucent, with a notable cloudiness in its center. Lastly, it was as wide as a coin, and less than a palm thick. This was what would help him find the crystal.
He held it out in front of him, then waited. One minute, two minutes, then three. He frowned. Something was wrong.
Continuing to hold the stone, he walked the room. Still, no reaction.
The crystal wasn't here. Conrad had given him bad information. The entire organization had. He would fail this mission.
No. He thought to himself. It has to be with the Duke then. It has to.
With nothing solid backing his confidence, he pulled the schematic from his robe and gleaned over it's contents nevertheless. He moved towards the window. The Duke's room was in the central area of the palace. It was the shortest structure, but it made up for that in width. It wasn't really a tower at all. It was actually a dome, three to four stories high.
Drogov studied the structure, then knelt.
"Seki." He whispered, and he had sunk into the realm of shadows once more. He floated in the void, watching the shards of reality, trying to figure out which was his mark.
He felt the void shake, a sign that he had to be quick, that something did not want him here. Keeping focused, his eyes scanned the shards, searching intently. The trembling intensified. It was closer. He would have to leave, but not without his prize.
There! Suddenly he saw it, and reached out. The space trembled once again, and he began to emerge from the shadow as the echoes of a distant sound filled the void. A sound that was distinctly…. un-human.
Drogov found himself upside down. His lower body was nowhere to be found as his torso hung from the ceiling like a chandelier. He was in the Duke's room. He could tell by the massive bed that lay beneath him, and the just as massive man in it.
He was a pile of human lard, with short curled hair and a barely formed mustache that was curled at each end. Each lip was as thick as a sausage and his nose was large and round. Yes, he was was Duke Wellis. A man that might as well be the personofication of greed, gluttony and depravity.
Drogov could end his miserable existence at this very moment, but that wasn't the mission.
He pulled the green stone from his robe, then waited. Still nothing.
I must get closer. He thought, eyeing the distance between the ceiling and floor. About three stories. Much too high, and much too far.
He ducked back into his shadow, emerging from one closer to the ground and walked forward whilst holding the rock in front of him. His steps were like that of a cat. Confident, graceful and quiet. He had no worry of waking the Duke, and moved about the room smoothly, until…
"Hide!"
"Go!"
"Flee!"
The whispers could be heard. They were loud, louder than before. And panicked.
"Seki." Drogov didn't hesitate, immediately muttering the words and sinking into the shadow on the floor, diving into the void.
Bam.
As soon as his figure disappeared, the doors to the Duke's room flew open, and there was a long shadow cast by the man who opened it.
He was tall, and his skin was dark. His body was as if chiseled from stone. Muscle, thick and strong covered his frame. He wore a sand colored robed with orange accents and embroidered with many patterns. His face was like rock, tough and angular; his hair was as black as midnight and parted like a grid, each piece with a plateau like lump of locs.
His entrance had woken the Duke, who rose with a scream, clutching his sheets to his chest.
"Vancu?! What are you doing?!" The Duke demanded, but Vancu didn't answer, instead, his eyes scanned the room. They lingered in every dark corner and search every window, then finally he spoke.
"There was someone here." He said.
"Impossible!" The Duke yelled. "This room is a fortress!"
"No, someone came." Vancu replied, his voice deep and calm. "They left… I'm not sure how." His eyes continued to search as he walked towards the shadow that Drogov had entered.
Drogov watched from the void, he wanted to spend a moment more studying this new enemy, but felt it tremble. He had to leave again.
He eyes darted around, searched the shards, and he hurriedly picked one that depicted an empty room. The world shifted around him and he emerged from the shadows, landing gracefully, then took a moment to look around. It didn't help, he had no idea where he was, but still made for the door.
"He's coming!"
"Escape!"
"Leave!"
Unexpectedly, the whispers came again as he heard footsteps fast approaching, so again, he ducked into the void, again the door flew open as Vancu entered, and again Drogov hurried to escape the shadows. This scene repeated itself through the castle, until Drogov finally made his way outside.
He landed with a crash on a low hanging castle roof, knocking away a few roof tiles in the process, but the sound was covered by a rumble of thunder. He was exhausted. He had jumped through the void seven times, and it was a severe drain on his mana.
He struggled to stand, gasping for air as lightning struck and the door below him suddenly flew open. Vancu had rushed outside into the rain. Two guards followed behind him, evidently unhappy about getting wet.
Drogov had stopped trying to stand, and held his breath even though his chest burned. He laid prone and stared over the roof's edge and down towards at his pursuers. The three men just stood there, not for long, a few seconds at most. However, for Drogov, who had yet to properly breathe, it felt like an eternity. He was about to burst, but just as he was to break, Vancu spoke.
"This damn rain." He shook his head. "… It's a lost cause." Vancu muttered as he turned and entered the castle.
Drogov waited, his face near purple, but just long enough to make sure they were gone. Soon, his chest heaved and hoed as he rolled over onto his back and gulped in mouthfuls of air and rain. He looked up to the sky, as the moon disappeared behind a cloud. That's when he noticed it, a faint green, glow from his pocket.
He pulled the green rock from his cloak. Its green light made it appear less cloudy.
He looked around. Where is this? He asked himself as he pulled the schematic from his coat. He studied it but knew there was very little hope of identifying the area. It wasn't apart of the schematic left behind.
He looked up, his eyes searching for the east tower. He noticed it was on the far side of the palace now. He glanced left, noticing another tower. He was standing in its shadow, the one he had emerged from.
The west. He thought to himself, that was the only way it made sense. But what was on the west?
He searched his memory, remembering the guards he had encountered in the stairwell of the east tower. They had mentioned that the servants quarter was on the far side of the palace. It seemed that was where he was. Had a servant gotten to the crystal before him? If that was the case, his hands may not stay as clean as he had hoped.
He thought for a moment longer, then looked at the stone in his palm. Glancing at the east tower, he studied the distance, then shook his head. It was too far, so the source was closer.
He hopped from the roof. It was only a story high, and as he landed on the pavement below, the glow of the stone intensified. Now he was really close.
He approached the door Vancu had come from, it was now closed, but he opened it with caution. He peeked his head inside first, spying a long dark passage that seemed to go downward, underneath the castle. Against his better judgement, he made to enter, but at that moment, a voice came from the opposite end of the corrider.
"Who goes there?!" A guard yelled, and Drogov immediately ducked back outside.
He could hear the armor rattling as the guard approached, but he couldn't dive back into the void. Not yet.
He stepped into a dark corner outside, close by the door, and hid in the shadows the old fashioned way. He had just tucked the green glowing stone into his coat when the guard opened the doors, stepping out into the rain. He stood there for a moment, and Drogov's hand moved to the dagger in his coat.
The man only had to look left, and Drogov would likely have been discovered. Blood would then have to be shed. But he didn't. Instead, he turned around and went inside.
"I could have sworn I saw someone." He muttered as he closed the door behind him.
Drogov relaxed, leaning against the corner wall. There were too many unexpected variables. He took only a moments rest before moving to find a better hiding place. He found a small brush of plants that he hid behind as he gathered his energy.
"Seki." Once he had recovered, he jumped into the void once more, but didn't go deeper into the castle, instead, he returned to the city. There were some questions he needed answered.