Chapter 15
Night fall.
Virmir walked down the stone corridor, the soft soles of his boots making not a sound. Tjed castle had been completely cleared out, the remaining government officials locked in the dungeons and the rest sent to their homes to be guarded under martial law. All that roamed the halls, the courtyard, and the inner fortress wall were scaly Lizard Men-- a lot of them.
Sighing, he thought of Helix's poisoning. He wanted to be the one guarding the Battle Mage's soul from corruption while... well while the plan was underway... But alas, his duties were far too great. Not that he didn't trust Ruiki and Anselm to do their part. Ruiki was unnaturally knowledgeable for her age, and Anselm was severely dedicated to any task given to him. He didn't quite like the idea of two of his finest warriors' souls being separated from their bodies, but he knew Gaston knew what he was doing.
Two Lizard Men in clanking armor approached, each easily four times larger than the short sliver furred fox. They froze and saluted. He ignored them entirely.
Shifting his eyes about, he found it. There. Sitting in the open window seal, silhouetted against a dark sky...
A Watcher...
Virmir adverted his gaze, keeping his eyes forward. He didn't want those things to know that he could see them. He was pretty sure he was the only one that could. Well, he suspected Renard could scent them. Renard was picking up on the true ways on his own, which was very impressive. But he would never teach the true ways to his students, not as long as they were all creatures of darkness, and slaves to Retan...
The Watcher resembled a jet black raven with crimson eyes. They were everywhere. Everything they could see, Retan could see. Three of them had followed his squad to Tjed, and a fourth one had come after they claimed it. Now that Tjed was claimed by the Dark Empire, the black clouds that covered the Dark Continent would soon trickle over and cover the skies, and then the island would be filled with them... watching... waiting for any signs of deceit...
The High General of the Skyward Division cringed when that angel had made him that offer to stab Retan in the back. A Watcher was perched up in the rafters, invisible and sneering, waiting for his answer... How that angel had gained that information was a mystery to him. Most likely when Retan was through with Gaian, he would invade Asgard itself...
He stepped through the large doors and into the darkness, shutting them tightly behind. Here in what used to be the king's audience chamber he would make the contact. Indeed, blackness was already swelling in the center of the empty stone-faced room.
"My Lord..." he said as he bowed lowly, his two swords clattering on his back.
The shadow emerged from the ground, becoming a translucent black mass with two horns and burning crimson eyes... "Why is there still life upon this island?"
"The humans surrounded with the utmost haste. Rather than destroy them, I saw them fit to be captured presented them to you. I am confident they will make upstanding citizens of the Dark Empire."
Retan's eyes narrowed. "That is not what I commanded."
"My Lord, they were so willing that--"
"But nothing. When I give a command, it will be followed exactly. You do not think. You do not compromise. You simply do. You have failed."
Virmir's ears laid back, but he otherwise remained emotionless. Until he saw something emerge from the corner of the illusion...
A translucent image of the lizard Prime Minister Grav's head entered the picture from the side, smiling with dozens of shape pointed fangs. He leered at the Velken High General for a moment before pulling something from off screen into view.
It was a little Velken girl...
Her hands were tied behind her back and tape cruelly wrapped around her muzzle, clamping it shut. Her eyes were wide open in sheer terror, the fur lining them soaked with tears. With his other hand Grav held a knife to her throat...
Virmir's calm demeanor cracked. "No..." He threw himself to the floor, begging "Please... I am your slave. I will do anything!"
Grav shook his head. Then cut.
Blood flowed everywhere.
"NOOO!!!"
"What are your orders?" Retan demanded.
"To... to kill all the humans..." Virmir was visibly shaking.
"And?"
"To kill those involved in the prince's assassination..."
The Dark Emperor folded his arms. "Those objectives will be complete by this time tomorrow. Before I decide to kill two more."
The illusion faded...
Virmir simply sat there upon the floor, mouth gaping, staring into empty space for several moments. He drew the Wind Serpent and stared at his reflection in the long thin blade. With a sudden burst of rage, the silver fox struck the hard stone floor with the flat edge. Again and again sparks flew from the ground, but the vile weapon, that hateful bringer of death would not break. Finally, out of breath, he dropped the weapon and silently wept, alone in the darkness...
(No interactions with this story thread for a bit, please.)
----
Dr. Smizlworf was not a happy man.
He did not work his rear off just for fun. He deserved respect for all his hard work. He spent two consecutive all-nighters on the Sovereign's Hammer design and at last won the attention of Cain, but now, now this young nobody comes out of nowhere and redesigns everything!
And this 'Vincent' was a young cocky punk, to boot! Never had he been so insulted in his life! Who cares if this guy worked for the Crimson Empire in the past? Blast it!
The old man took his seat, staring contempt at the empty head chair-- the one he should be sitting in! He adjusted his perfectly circular oversized glasses as he waited. To his left was Frank, a mechanic and artisan. He was also ten years his junior and treated him with respect-- like he should!
The main doors to the lab burst open and the black trench-coated Vincent entered, carrying a multitude of rolled up blueprints under his arm. "Good evening, gentlemen..." he said as he unfurled the parchments upon the table. "Let us begin..."
