Dreadlords The Long Road

[Cenric]

"No." Cenric said almost instantly, wanting to spare Livia that fear at least. "If Gilram was here I think I'd already be dead."

The man hated him, and would hate him only more when he found out Cenric's part in the death of his beloved. He shook his head and turned the card over between his fingers, considering for a moment before he crossed the room and offered it to Livia. "Her name is Viviana."

He explained.

"She was in my class of Initiates." They had hardly been rivals. Cenric had been a nothing compared to her, well, compared to most. But Viviana had been exceptionally dangerous. Well known for slaughtering their classmates out on mission. "She's been working for Gilram for years."

Cenric continued with a frown. "Even before the Revolution."

A frown tugged at his lips.

"I'm not really sure how she managed to find us." A fact which clearly concerned him. "But if she's followed us here, I suspect she doesn't have a better lead than us."

Otherwise why leave the note? Viviana was playing a game, hoping to use them to find the artifact so that she could then take it. A feat she was more than capable of, given her relative strength compared to Cenric's single body and Livia's own gifts. "It would be best to...avoid Viviana. Especially at night. Her magic is one born of darkness."

Cenric explained, not trying to be ominous, but simply factual. The Dark, the Abyss, the blackness of the night was what Viviana made manifest.

 

[Livia Quinnick]

Even with the assurance Gilram was not here, her anxiety did not ease straight away. In fact, she still regarded Cenric with the same hesitation in her eyes as he spoke of his classmate. Eventide was nearing, perhaps only a couple hours of sunlight left. Livia loathed to think they would remain in their quarters all night, if the card she now read knew where to be delivered, then Viviana would come here the first moment shadows stretched the furthest as the sun dipped below the horizon.

"Do you think she knows about me?" She asked, holding out the card to return to Cenric. "About why I am here with you?"

Do they know how valuable she is in this race to find the artifact?

"We should move, perhaps even split up. If she is here alone, we will see who she will seek out first, no?"

 

[Cenric]

"She'll just kill us both." Cenric remarked in a rather droll tone. Clearly somewhat annoyed by the woman's presence here. "At night she can be pretty much anywhere at any time."

That was a bit of an exaggeration, but the bloody woman could step through darkness like it was a fucking doorway. "I doubt she knows who you are, probably just assumes you're one of the Initiate's Amelie recruited."

Cenric said, not realizing the slip of his tongue.

"She won't make her move until we have whatever the artifact is. She's not smart enough to find it herself. This..." He gestured to the card. "...Is just her playing with us."

Viviana always did enjoy the game.

"Which means...we shouldn't have to change our plans." Cenric continued, shrugging.

"You should still scry, narrow the field of view, and I'll still grab that curator." They still had to get the artifact after all. "And while we do that, we figure out how to kill the bitch."

Gods would that be satisfying.

 

[Livia Quinnick]

Something about this bothered Livia. It made her worry for Cenric, to know something of his past was now here and present. That this Viviana could know Cenric well enough that she would easily seek him out like a known presence. The thought of parting ways with him to do their respective tasks did not bode with her now.

She cleared her throat. "Alright..."

Taking her tea cup, Livia gave Cenric a half smile. "Give me an hour."

Scrying seemed easier when she was able to submerge herself below the waterline of her clawed-foot bath. Without the noise of crowds, the feel of her clothing brushing against her skin, or the smells constantly fighting for her attention, in this lukewarm bath, she was at peace and connected with her mind. If it were a larger body of water, Livia would have been weightless.

She could feel her magic settle, the needle of the compass aligning to a neutral position and ready for her to scry. She recalled that feeling, the connection, she had to the artifact she had only glimpsed a few times. Tried her best to capture it's presence once again and watched as behind her eyelids, the vision of Tel'Ketos opened up before her. Her magic tugged her in a direction, calling her down bustling streets, crowded pubs, quiet pockets in homes, until finally, she saw a door made of redwood.

It was ornate, something that seemed not to match the rest of this free city, but nonetheless boasted something that had her intrigued.

But as she took a step forward, the connection severed.

Livia lifted her head, gasping for air loudly as she pulled herself to hang over the side of the bath. The image was seared into her memory, her magic alight with recognition and already directing her towards it. Within minutes, she had dried herself off, had dressed once more, and now left her rooms as she braided her damp hair. "I got a lead."

 

[Cenric]

Though it was always easy to take another body, Cenric had long ago learned there was an even simpler method of gathering information; money.

Spreading around coin to the right people was practically as good as getting someone's diary. People, especially people with routines, were an easy thing to track. If you had the right questions, the right answers almost always presented themselves.

As Livia spent her hour in the bath, Cenric spent the same time in the tavern below.

A few purchased drinks, some pieces of silver slipped into the right hands, and that was that. The Curators name had been an easy enough find, his house even simpler so. By the time Liv came down from her rooms and into the tavern proper, she would find her companion lounging in one of the corner booths.

He motioned with a hand as soon as he saw her. "I've found our curator."

Cenric said as she sat herself down.

"Well, I know where he is at least." They would have to wait until the evening to actually grab him. The museum had too much security.

 

[Livia Quinnick]

Livia gave Cenric an impressed look.

"A lead and a curator." She nodded, taking a seat and finished securing her braid with a length of stretched leather. "Well, suddenly I am gaining confidence in all of this again."

Livia was eager to get going, to do her searching in daylight so she could be sure she was not being watched from the shadows. That paranoia, that worry, it was going to have her magic working actively to alert her of any presence nearby.

"Alright, how much time we got?" She asked, peering around to see if anyone might take an order for a drink. "My lead takes me somewhere to the eastern side. Redwood door, something more cottage style than whatever is here in Tel'Ketos. Cannot see anything beyond that but the artifact has a strong presence behind that door."

 

[Cenric]

Cenric raised a brow in surprise.

”Cottage style?” Mentally he tried to run through a list of places that could fit. There weren't many in a city like this, but then, the island wasn't entirely consumed by Tel’Ketos either. Was what Liv saw beyond the walls? Had to be. Much of the city was built in ancient times, and only the new would fit what she had described.

”Must be In the outter banks.” He commented finally. ”We have time enough to check.”

Perhaps they would not even need the curator. ”If the artifact is there, we grab it and get out before nightfall.”

Though he very much doubted they would get that lucky. Not that he lacked faith in Liv’s abilities, but things were simply never that easy. More likely the building she saw would simply be another lead, and from there they could narrow the field even more.

At least he hoped so.

”Come on, let's not dawdle.” Cen said as he pulled himself off the bench and headed towards the door.

 

[Livia Quinnick]

Perhaps she would have cause to celebrate later, and then she could have a drink.

Livia stood up to follow Cenric, pulling up the hood to her red cloak Amelie had bought her as they exited. "What is the outer banks?" She inquired as they both fell into step, moving towards the eastern side of Tel'Ketos. Her magic lured her, guided her, as if all Livia had to do was walk and her compass would take care of the rest. It was as if she traveled this path plenty of times and knew her way around despite the foreign sights.

 

[Cenric]

"Tel'Ketos was built millennia ago by...well, whoever. When they built it, the creators left very little room for expansion." Cenric explained. "They've tried over the years."

He was only aware of this because of the body of a Pirate that he'd once taken over. The man's memories had been surprisingly crisp, and he'd studied Tel'Ketos more than once. Apparently it was a pretty prize, for that sort.

"But the buildings are rather resistant. Even the streets don't want to be torn up." A boot tapped against the cobbles, and Liv would feel the subtle touch of magic within the street. Not power, but a ward that sat as complex as could be.

Protection by a subtle means. "So as the city grew, so did the need for more Housing. Thus the Outer-Banks."

He paused for a moment, eyes flickering to one of the shop stalls with a mirror facing behind them.

"A city out of the city, if you will." Still within the bounds of the Sister's Protective field, but outside the city walls.

 

[Livia Quinnick]

Looking around, Livia could see where history met the new wave.

She saw it in their fashions, their architecture, even the streets seemed to have stark contrast. The moment they left the original city, she felt as if she were in an entirely new city than the one they currently were in. "It is as if the magic keeps it all in tact. The Sisters' influence is strong."

Even as they made it through the eastern banks, there were plenty of callbacks to the historical side of Tel'ketos, and a lot of tributes to the Sisters.

"Make a right here." She cut across Cenric suddenly, her steps quickening as the draw towards her mark pulled at her with great force. Livia had to stop and pause plenty of times to keep herself from barreling over pedestrians, but her patience was wearing thin as she fought against the loss of time before the sun sets.

Finally, after a few minutes of weaving through winding alleys and crossing through quiet courtyards, she came to a stop before the very door she had glimpsed in her scrying. Livia was openly grimacing now, the pounding in her head enough to cause discomfort. "Should we knock?" She asked through her teeth.

 

[Cenric]

Cenric followed Livia's direction without an ounce of hesitation. Having no qualms about following along with the little Compass; it was why she was here after all.

As they moved, the elder Dreadlord seemed to have no qualms with the crowd. Where Livia stopped and paused, Cenric seemed to slip through the tide. Flowing with every step and never obstructing or stalling. A practice motion which showed of his comfort within the sea of many faces.

Her question hissed into the air, and Cenric perked a brow. "Better to."

He answered just as he reached out and thundered his knuckles against the painted wood.

"But, no time to be polite." Cenric said simply, waiting as he heard echoing footsteps beyond. A hand flickering up, motioning for Livia to stand ready. The sound of locks opening followed soon after, and then the door fell open.

"Hell-" Before the man beyond had even a second to answer, Cenric suddenly shoved forward.

Within the blink of an eye the red door smashed into their greeter's face, knocking him back as Cenric grabbed his shoulder and shoved him inside. A blade flickering from somewhere within his cloak and his free hand drew a single finger over his lips. "Shhh."

He beckoned the man, expecting Livia to follow inside and close the door.

 

[Livia Quinnick]

Livia was two paces behind Cenric as he moved forward.

As she closed the door, she leaned against it and had to take a moment to catch her breath. The lure of magic was stifling, and made the air thicker than it would have been for Cenric to breathe in. "I am going to check the house." She cleared her throat, moving and keeping a watchful eye around her surroundings.

"Please..." She could hear the man's pleas whispered. "If you tell me what it is you need, I will help you."

Livia did not bother to reply, leaving their friend to Cenric as she navigated through the haze of her magic to the siren's song of the object they were hunting for days. Nothing drew her on this floor, but she soon came to the stairwell by the entry and looked up. The man would pale, nervous as he could see the silver haired girl begin to climb the stairs.

"Please, I do not want any trouble!"

"Then you would not mind me having a look upstairs." She said before her frame disappeared to the upper floor of the home.

Her magic pulled her to a door at the end of the hall, and Livia took a difficult breath in as her hand clutched the doorknob and turned, cautiously stepping in.

 

[Cenric]

"Wait! Wait wait!" The man hissed quietly. "Please, I have a daughter...she-she-she's not part of this, I swear."

Cenric frowned for just a moment, lips pressing to a thin line. "We don't care about your daughter."

The Dreadlord said simply, quickly realizing the man was a part of something larger.

"We just want what we came here for." The man seemed to stammer for a brief moment, though his eyes were firmly set on Livia rather than the man holding a blade to his throat. Was he really scared about his daughter?

"W-which Artifact are you looking for? Brevick hasn't asked for any specifics lately I ju-" Cenric pressed the blade a bit closer.

"We're not with Brevick." A local criminal? Must have been.

"Th-then who a-are you? Please. I don't keep anything here for long, I only have the two I took a few days ago..." Things were becoming more clear now. The man worked at the museum, likely, and was using his position to steal and then fence the artifacts.

"My friend here is going to take a look." Cenric said. "If you haven't lied to us, your daughter will be fine."

Probably.

 

[Livia Quinnick]

Livia did not bother with knocking on the door before her, not when the pulse of her magic lured her in. Turing the doorknob, she stepped through and found a young girl sleeping. She paused for a moment, letting her eyes roam around before clearing the doorway.

The room was standard for a girl this age, although Livia would recall that she had plenty more offered to her at this age.

A wave of magic beckoned her forward, towards the bedside table where an ornate box looked out of place in a young girl's room, but it emanated a considerable amount of influence upon her. Her hand reached out, touching the wooden lid and felt a rush of magic surged into her in a haze of heat and blindness. She gasped out a wince, bearing past the now fleeing pain and shook her head. It did not help much to clear it, but soon she began to see past the box and understood that this was not the artifact they had been searching for.

Or perhaps it was, but it was hidden inside. There was no way of figuring out how to open it, but as Livia took it in both hands and gave it a light shake, she knew it was not solid as the shape made it out to be.

"There is button you press on the bottom." A young voice spoke.

Livia almost threw the box with surprise, but stilled herself to let her racing heart slow.

"The box is a puzzle box."

Great.

"Do you know what is in it?" She asked.

The girl sat up in bed and shook her head. "Papa's friend sold it to him. From a small town just two days ago."

Livia was down stairs within moments.

"What is in this box?" Was it the artifact they were searching for? Another clue? Livia's expression was hard, almost bordering on aggressive as she held the small box before the man's face.

 

[Cenric]

The man looked at the puzzle box with some confusion. "I-tha-that's it's a trinket, I purchased it from a ma-"

Cenric shook his head, pressing the knife just a little bit closer.

"Not interested in your life story." The man seemed to pale, lips pressing to a thin line as he looked towards the Dreadlord holding him, then back towards the Puzzle box. He swallowed hard, and then continued to speak.

"I-it matches an artifact in the museum." He explained. "A dial, it's missing on the box."

He looked at it urgently, gesturing with his hand. As if trying to prove to them both that he was telling the truth. When Livia looked down, she would find one of the segments of the box was missing. An open slot sitting open it waiting for a piece. "I am almost certain they are a set. I was going to test the theory tomorrow a-"

"Sell whatever is in the box." A slow nod tilted the man's head, and Cenric shook his head. "We're going to take it."

The Dreadlord said, matter-of-factly. Trusting that this was the item Livia had been drawn to. "And you're going to never mention this to a single person. Unless you want your daughter dead."

He smiled. "Understood?"

A quick nod tipped the man's head, and Cenric finally removed the knife from his throat.

 

[Livia Quinnick]

Livia indeed could see something was not so right when it came to the box. She did not have much time to inspect it coming from the stairs, but now she frowned at the missing piece. Her magic began to work, solving the puzzle without that starting piece, but it would only tug at her to leave the house.

"We good to go?" She asked, stowing the puzzle box into the satchel hanging cross her body. In and out, and there was still some light in the sky that they may just make it back before Viviana eventually found them.

Liv figured they would not want to meet her out in the open, and it would be better to pick their standing ground while they still had the time.

 

[Cenric]

"Of course we are." Cenric said with a smile, gently tapping the thiefs face with his palm. His gaze briefly flickering towards the corridor that Livia had explored, a slight silhouette clinging to the doorway.

Blade slipping back into his sleeve, he stepped towards the door and motioned for Livia to leave. "Have a lovely evening."

The Dreadlord offered as he followed his Ward outside.

"Hopefully we won't be back soon." The unspoken threat floated into the air as the red door shut behind them.

Dusk was beginning to settle upon the city, the bright yellow rays of the sun slowly churning towards a darkened orange. The crawling darkness spreading faster than it should have. "You know concealment wards, yes?"

Cenric asked as they began to walk back towards their hotel.

 

[Livia Quinnick]

Livia winced. "I know the theory of it, but again, have not tried everything since my corruption magic stopped playing against me."

Just as it had with runes, but Liv looked to Cenric for reassurance. She had not yet tested all she had missed out on, but that did not mean she was useless. She was a good student, diligent in her work and studies, but any attempts on the physical components were never conclusive or worth exerting herself over.

"What am I concealing? Us?" She frowned, wondering if her eyes were playing tricks on her or the shadows truly were stretching their way.

 

[Cenric]

"The puzzle box." Cenric answered quickly as his eyes flickered briefly towards the side, watching the sun setting faster and faster.

"Viviana isn't a complete fool." Though he hated giving her even that compliment. "If she finds the thing, she'll connect it to the museum."

Meaning she wouldn't need either of them. "If she comes for us, you run and conceal the box as best you can."

A ward would go a long way.

"I'll do my best to distract her, but I only have Ein's bo-" He paused for a moment, noticing that lamps along the way weren't lighting as they should. The builders of Tel'Ketos had created lamps which were fueled by magic, illuminating the streets. "We need to get inside."

The Dreadlord said, unable to help the hint of panic folding into his voice.

 

[Livia Quinnick]

Livia hastened her movements. First, she began constructing the ward to conceal the puzzle box, working that extra bit to make her entire bag concealed of the contents. Her steps hurried, just short of a sprint, but she did not dare breathe in relief once she watched Cenric close the door behind him.

"Remind me, how fucked are we going to be?" She grimaced, peering around the thankfully well lit interiors. The light provided did not pacify her anxieties either, not until Cenric declared they were safe and out of harm's way.

She wanted to open her pack and see if her ward had worked, but her magic could tell her it was where it was mean to be. She also did not want to bring attention to looking through it either.

"Cenric, what now?"

 

[Cenric]

"Extremely." Cenric said as the door slammed shut behind him. His fingers flickering with quick snaps. Flames jumping to light in every candle and lantern that remained unlit. The inside of the little hovel suddenly burning bright in the falling night.

The Dreadlord did not want to sugar coat their situation, and despite the strength of Ein's magic he had little doubt Viviana would slaughter them both. "We stay put until morning, and if we're lu-."

As he spoke, there was a loud thud that echoed against the door behind him. Then another, then another, as if someone were knocking.

"Cenric~" The call came in a sing-song voice, echoing not from beyond the door, but all around the house instead. Seeping through every window, wall, and entrance. "Darling. Why bother hiding? You know I'll just get in."

As the voice continued to call out, a strange short of shadowed darkness began to bleed under the doors and beneath the windows. "You can't beat me, even with Ein's body. I mean he never managed it, and you're half the man he was."

"Give me the girl, and whatever you picked up at that cute little cottage, and I'll let you walk free." Cenric looked at Liv for a moment, slowly shaking his head.

 

[Livia Quinnick]

She felt a chill go down her spine. Livia felt the same way as she had when Erodin and Amelie had included her in their negotiations. She had not expected them to turn out like mentors, but Liv knew Viviana and anyone standing with Gilram would be so kind to her.

The shadows felt colder, leeching all it could as it seeped in underneath the door.

Livia's eyes found it straight away, and before Cenric could dissuade her, magic crackled around her, and darted from her and lashing out at the creeping shadows. She could feel just how powerful Vivianna's magic was, and all her corruption did was send a burning zap to the rogue.

"Shit."

 

[Cenric]

A hiss echoed through the room, coming from the windows and doors. Resonating the same as the echo in a cavern as Viviana swore. The shadows did not retreat, but pressed forward. Whipping against the doors and glass. A loud crack echoing out as the panes began to splinter and the wood shattered. "I see you've been slacking in the little birds lessons. Cenric."

The Darkness echoed out as a tendril of blackness suddenly cut through one of the windows and burst into the hallways. A lance of fire suddenly rushing out from Ein's hand, cutting the strand of night in two with a purple-red flame. "I guess I'll have to teach her to mind her betters."

As the second whisper came, the window burst open completely. The cut tendril suddenly renewing into a wave of abyss that crashed into the room.

"Why would you do that!?" Cenric bellowed, though oddly enough sounded almost as though he were stifling a laugh. As if he enjoyed that Livia had pissed the other Dreadlord off.

Cenric surging forward as he grabbed Livia's shoulder and shoved her into the hallway and towards the back door. "Grab a torch! Lantern! Whatever!"

The Dreadlord shouted as his entire body burst into flame. Heat flowing off him, but light too. Casting over the shadows and seeming to keep them at bay whenever they crept forward and grasped at the two fleeing Anirians.

 

[Livia Quinnick]

"What do you mean?" She hissed back at him, glaring. "I could have fried her energy wells if her own power had not shocked me!" So easily Livia could believe she could have done real damage, but that was the naivete of Initiates nearing graduation.

At his order, she grabbed the closest light source, the wall sconce bright with a fire that reminded her of a classmate's fiery passion. Thraah would have opened that door and punched out without thought. Houri would even use a storm to buffet the shadows. She pushed aside thoughts of her friends that no longer spoke to her away and tried with all her might to land on her feet after Cenric shoved her towards the hall. So glad to have her instincts honed by dance, falling over now would have costed her precious moments to make her exit.

Livia did not waste time by arguing back, no needing to know that she possessed something valuable in that moment and the importance of getting away from those that sought to take it from them.

She lead the way, hurrying her steps as she could glimpse a sliver of waning sunlight in the gap beneath the door. The sun was setting still, but that did not fill her with confidence that it would protect them. Wrenching the door open, Livia leaned on her compass magic to guide her somewhere, anywhere, just as long she kept them moving. It was with some relief that she spied an alleyway awash in many lanterns and torches. Papers of all sorts of colours were constructed into lanterns, casting a glow throughout. She was about to head towards it before her magic steered her in another direction.

And she saw why.

In the shadows of the flames, darkness, tendrils of it, reached out to caress at Livia's wrist. In panic, she threw down her torch, holding her wrist to her chest as if she had been burned.

 

[Cenric]

Viviana's laugh echoed through the city streets, and with every passing second it became more clear just how fucked they were.

As the sun slipped lower and lower, the darkness spread through the city streets. An abyss folding over anything and everything that it could touch. Tendrils of shadow extended from any slip of space that lacked even a touch of light.

They lashed out, grasping and hurling towards the two loyalist Anirian's as they ran.

Each time one came too close, Cenric snapped his finger forward. Flame's lanced out from his palm for just a brief moment, never even bothering to touch the growing shadows, but only burning them away with a fearsome light. "Get to the city gates!"

Cenric whisper-yelled to Liv as they sprinted forward.

"She won't risk the Siste-" Before he could finish Cenric felt his foot slip. The darkness now stoked between the cobbles suddenly becoming a disc of dark. His boot stepping down and into the void. Curses echoing from his lips as fire erupted all over his body.

Screams echoed out from the windows above, the people of the outer-city unable to ignore the commotion in their streets.

As fire consumed him, the puddle of abyss beneath Cenric seemed to flow away. Though the Dreadlord knew it as already too late. Pain shot up his leg, the next step he took hobbled. "Keep going."

He grunted, shifting his weight and continuing to run. Knowing what he would see when he next took off his boot.