“I’m not fond of the idea of sending you behind the enemy lines, but any clue regarding Lark’s death would be a great help to prevent any more deaths.” The Marchioness said over the amulet.
“I know. Even discovering which Court took the hit job would point Jirni in the right direction. So far we got nothing.” Lith said as images of Lark’s defiled corpse flashed in front of his eyes.
“Please, be careful. I’ll reinforce the security of your home while you’re away. In the case that something goes wrong, drop the mission. No information is worth your life.” She said.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be careful. Lith out.”
“Mom, who were you talking to? Wasn’t that the voice of Archole Verhen?” Brinja opened the door after knocking several times without receiving an answer.
She was 22 years old, about 1.63 meters (5’3″) tall with silky blonde hair that looked like a golden waterfall and almost reached the floor. She wore a sapphire day dress that left her arms exposed and emphasized her sky-blue eyes.
She had a lively face and a bright smile even when insulting a friend of the family.
“Yes, but I’d really appreciate if you called him either Lith or Archmage Verhen.” Mirim said with a sigh.
“Please, he’s an asshole and an Archmage so Archole it is.” Brinja pouted. “First he preferred flat-board Ernas to me and then he had the gall to ask a mere Lieutenant out. On top of that, he never called me once! Was it too much to go on one date with me?”
“Gods, you have a good word for everyone. I wonder why he avoided you all this time.” The Marchioness rolled her eyes, wishing that Brinja had taken more from her father and less from her mother’s side.
“What do you mean?” Brinja crossed her arms while tapping her foot in annoyance.
“That asking Constable Yehval out was just a date. Asking you out would have been a commitment. You came in too strong! He already had a girlfriend and was barely thirteen, yet you went this close to give him a betrothal gift on your first meeting.”
“You should have waited for when they broke up, then offer to console him as a friend, and then see how things would go. You should have been more patient.” Mirim said.
“That’s rich coming from you.” Brinja said with a scoff. “There are still rumors going around that say you didn’t elope with Dad so much as kidnapped him. Once you did the deed, his parents had to let you two marry. Compared to you, I went slow and steady.”
“That was a completely different situation!” The Marchioness blushed up to her years at the mention of that embarrassing part of her past. “Your father had already accepted my feelings, but your grandparents were against him marrying a mere Marchioness.
“I simply liberated him from his golden cage and found a way for him to marry into my family. I didn’t force myself on him!” Her very stupid in-laws had no idea who she was nor why even the Royals endorsed the marriage.
“Right.” It was now Brinja’s turn to roll her eyes in disbelief. “Have fun with your paperwork, Mom. Ainz is taking me out for dinner. Don’t wait up.”
She closed the door behind, making Mirim wish she could go out on a date with her husband as well.
“Heavy is the hand that wields the pen.” She grumbled activating both water magic and air fusion to finish her work as fast as she could.
***
Verhen household, at the end of the call.
Kamila walked through Lith’s door, looking like someone who had eaten needles for lunch.
“I know that you’ve made your decision, but I want you to know that I don’t want you to go.” She said.
“I kind of understood that the first one hundred times you said that.” Lith chuckled. “Come on, Kami. What’s so different from all the missions I did as a Ranger?”
“Those were missions for the Kingdom. About people and things that you didn’t care about whereas this is personal.” She replied while looking him in the eyes. “I’m afraid that you might try too hard, do something stupid, and lose your life.
“I’m afraid that even if you succeed, you might get blinded by revenge and end up into a dark corner of your mind where no one can reach you.” She tenderly caressed his face, too worried to care about stupid jokes.
“The difference is that this doesn’t feel like you going to a mission so much as to war. I’m afraid of never seeing you again and that even if you come back, you might lose a part of you forever.”
Lith had no answer nor quip to ease her worries. She was right about his obsession for revenge.
Back on Earth, he had already sacrificed everything to avenge Carl. Once Lith learned the name of Lark’s murder, he would know if all those years had truly changed him or not.
They spent the night before his departure by holding and cuddling each other, hoping it wouldn’t be their last.
***
“Where are we going, exactly?” Lith asked Kalla after calling Haug to seal their deal and announce his coming to Lightkeep.
“As you know, undead cannot use dimensional magic easily so they completely seal it within the premises of their cities. It allows them to exploit their superior physical prowess and to rob their enemies of a priceless advantage.
“It also means that there’s no Gate leading to the Eclipsed Lands. We can only Warp close the nearest access and then walk until our destination.” Kalla said.
“I’m so sorry that I’m too weak to come.” Nok waved a handkerchief in his pawn as a goodbye. “Take your time and have a nice trip. Slow and steady wins the race.”
The Byk was eager to have some quality time alone with his bed and the pantry. Having his mother back had been a pleasant surprise, at least until Kalla had forced him on a diet, magical training, and to take care of his numerous offspring.
“I beg to differ.” The Wight said while handing Faluel a piece of paper listing his daily routine. “Make sure he doesn’t slack off. I don’t care if Nok evolves, but I don’t want him to act like a child anymore.”
“Mom!” He said in horror while noticing that the white of the paper was almost invisible under the black of the ink.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of him.” The Hydra had one of her golems cover Nok like a glove, tripling the effort necessary to even take a step forward. “I’m going to turn you into a real Byk or make you die trying.”
The Warping array led them to the lair of Weyss the Naga, the Lord of the Tremen region. It bordered with the Kellar region from the Empire’s side and was the closest place to Lightkeep even though it was hundreds of kilometers away from it.
“Welcome to the Gorgon Empire, Lith.” Weyss said. “I hope that once you’re done with your business, we’d have time for a talk.”
The Naga was a monster with the lower part of its body resembling a huge snake’s tail, while the upper part could have been mistaken for a human man, if it wasn’t for his sky-blue skin, snow-white hair, and six arms instead of two.
07/25/21: These extra chapters are dedicated to Brian MK. Thank you very much for your generosity during hard times.
