Nesha found just about anything she could imagine in this building; from bedrooms, to washrooms, to weaponries, to libraries. She felt good about getting the chance to scout the place out before the contest began, it would give her a tremendous advantage over the competition. Though, despite all the extra rooms, she had cleared two whole wings of the building before the day was half over. She figured she might as well take the tour more in-depth.
As she made her way to the third hall, her stomach growled. Of all the things about her human side – if she had one – had been changed, her hunger remained. To her relief, one of the very next rooms she found was a kitchen, though completely abandoned.
Using what knowledge she had, she cooked up a couple hunks of venison and tossed a salad. The leftovers wrapped up nicely in wax paper and tucked into a deep pocket on her jerkin.
The sun was still up, but now definitely sinking, she figured there were only three of four hours of sunlight left. Then again, she knew very little about this place, and the sun might never go down. Despite how much more sunlight was available she wanted to get a good mental map of the grounds before anybody else arrived.
After some searching, and finding many more bedrooms, she came across a library. She had been to a library before in the household, but this one was different, mainly in size. Where the other libraries were simply one or two walls stacked with books, this room had every wall filled with leather spines and even loose paper.
She figured she might as well spend some time on here, with one particular thought. "I wonder if these are where he learned his spells." She didn't care that she said it aloud, only that she might be able to find out what kind of magic the man might be hiding.
One book in particular caught her attention. "He's gonna regret leaving me alone now."
Durn watched helplessly from his cage while the old man set up screen upon screen, stacking high his visual surveillance of the building. Durn couldn't count, but he had to guess there were at least fifty screens stacked against the wall. He wondered where a person could get so many screens.
Fenris flipped a switch behind them and they all flickered to life, letting out a horrible buzz that made the wolf whine and struggle to cover his ears. Fenris chuckled, "What's the matter little wolf, scared?"
Durn growled, though the old man was so wrong it should have been funny.
"Keep your calm, once the contest is over – assuming you and your friend have followed all the rules – you'll be free to go." Fenris tapped the cage and laughed a little more. "Now, I'm going to need you to go. I'll be receiving a guest…" he paused and looked out at the setting sun, "… hopefully soon. He will be staying in here with me during the contest and I can't have you stinking up the place with your foul mood."
"Convincing," Durn crossed, "but your trick won't get me to leave. Your rule was to stay in the cage, so I'll follow it."
"Your determination is admirable," Fenris applauded, "but it wasn't a trick. You will stay in your cage, but in a different room. A room off limits to the contestants and a room I will be watching carefully." He pointed behind him and a screen flickered to show the image of the corner of a room. Durn couldn't see the rest of the room, but it didn't matter. As long as he followed the rule, Fenris would let him go and he could be with Nesha again.
Just then, another screen flickered to light. Fenris turned around to see Nesha exiting the library. "Oh my," he sighed, "don't make me regret allowing your entry."
Luckily for Nesha, the screen revealed her just after the moment she found what she was looking for; a spell book. Most of the spells she read about sounded close to what she had seen Fenris use.
She had no time to hide it, and she was worried that he might be watching him, so she only put it back. She would have to come back to it when she had time.
Fenris watched as she traveled from screen to screen, memorizing rooms and furniture. One by one, each monitor flashed to life, in order. Then, one off to the side came alight and caught the old man's attention. A new stranger had arrived in the foyer and Fenris grew excited.
"I'm afraid this is as long as you'll be staying here," he said to the wolf in the cage. "The contestants will be arriving now, and I have no need for you."
With that, the werewolf lord snapped his fingers and all Durn saw was darkness for a few seconds. After his eyes adjusted, he noticed he was in a child's playroom, the floor littered with noise making, brightly colored toys. The walls were decorated with rainbows, a smiling sun, flowers and bees, everything you couldn't find anywhere else in this mansion. The lights were off and the windows shaded, leaving him alone in muted darkness.
Doesn't matter, he thought, as long as I don't leave he'll leave me alone.
"Welcome adventurer," Fenris boomed to the newcomer in his home. "Welcome to my mansion."
"Yeah yeah," the boisterous man responded, "now where's my cash."
"I would have suspected a mercenary such as you to get straight to business," Fenris admired, "but you should understand that you do not get anything –"
"But this dumb letter says I can get a reward beyond my wildest dreams!" The man hefted his heavily armored arm to shake the paper in Fenris' direction.
"I never would have guessed," Fenris said under his breath, "that someone who figured out his riddle so quickly would have such a hard time understanding what the letter says." He gave a light chuckle. "This one ought to be entertaining."
"What are you laughing at old man," the stranger demanded. "Who are you, anyway? What kind of sicko leaves a letter like this then doesn't live up to his promise?"
"The 'promise' was that you would compete for a prize beyond imagination," Fenris explained.
The mercenary rolled his eyes. "I know what the letter said, but I also know there won't be any competition with me here."
Fenris laughed some more. "Strong-headed," he said silently, "and I just thought he was dumb."
"You like talking to yourself old man?" The strange man said, scratching at the massive plates of armor at his chest, as if he was scratching his own skin. "Why don't you answer my question from earlier?"
"Of course," Fenris said kindly. "I am Fenris, gracious owner of this mansion, and host of the contest."
"I kind of guessed that," he rolled his eyes again. "I am –"
"Cain," Fenris interrupted, "the most notorious mercenary in the land of Ooo."
The stranger hesitated. Then, "That's right. You must know all about me." His response had a bit of a sarcastic tone.
"Indeed, I know quite a bit. I've had my eye on you, as well as the others who will be attending. I will be choosing an heir, you see –"
"And you need the best guy to do it!" Cain guessed. "Well, you don't have to search any more, I'm pretty much the best candidate around. You said it yourself, 'the most note-less mercenary in Ooo.'"
"Yet hardly the brightest," Fenris remarked under his breath. "I'm afraid that's not how it works," he explained, "For your notoriety is only half the battle, as the saying goes. You will be competing, as I've stated, for the honor of inheriting this mansion from me in my retirement."
"Retirement from what?" Cain demanded suddenly. "How'd you get so stinkin' rich anyway?"
"When I was younger," Fenris began, "my family lived on the streets. There was war, we were hopeless. Monsters harassed us day and night, but my father knew how to keep them at bay. Then one day, something we'd never seen before assaulted us. The one being's pure strength proved too strong for my father. My mother hid me beneath a sewer grate, and I watched as the vile creature drained my parents of their vital essence, guzzling down every drop of blood from their bodies."
"So you're like a vampire hunter?"
Fenris bit back the insult; had the younger generations really forgotten so much about him? "I was infamous! After tracking down the vampire that killed my family I struck a deal with a lycan for his gift of strength and immortality, bearing the curse of the full moon so that I may have my revenge. For decades I have hunted and slain countless blood-sucking devils to satisfy the beast in me!"
"Then why are you retiring?"
Fenris growled. In less than a second there was a sword in his hand and he was dashing through the air toward Cain. The old man couldn't stop himself, "You will hold your tongue you ignorant fool!"
Fenris was astonished to see that Cain had blocked the assault. In the split second Fenris allowed, Cain had drawn the hammer from his back and used it to intercept the blade, which held a strange violet aura.
"You're quick," Fenris admitted before jumping back.
"It helps to have some muscle," Cain retorted, hefting the hammer to rest on his shoulder.
"Regardless of what you can do to fight me, I am not your opponent in these next hours." Fenris waved his hand and the sword disappeared. "Prepare yourself for anything, and everything." Another wave of his hand and Cain's hammer vanished, along with the shield that was on his back, followed by Fenris himself – before listening to any disagreement.
Nesha continued wandering, eventually stumbling upon a massive weapon storage. Swords, spears, bows, maces, any kind of weapon she could think of, existed in this room, along with many more seemingly imaginary weapons. Each weapon shimmered with an ominous purple glow.
As she bent down to inspect a bow, an awkward little blue man with no face scampered past and scooped it up. She was about to shout at him, but noticed that many other little people were also coming and going, taking weapons. She didn't feel like stopping them, thinking that either they were working for Fenris or against him. Either way she didn't want to interrupt.
She was about to leave the storage when she heard a harsh ring, like the striking of a small bell. Close by, she noticed a long sword, steaming, leaning against a pile of identical swords. Was that there earlier? Another bell sound echoed from farther in the room. She followed it to the far end of the room, where light faded. Inside a circle of painted purple runes lay a massive blue-and-gold hammer, steaming as if just taken from bowling water into cold morning air.
Before she could think about touching it, another, deeper bell sound rang out. To her left, another ring of runes glowed brightly into existence. Whether they were there before, Nesha didn't know, but they were obviously there now. She ducked behind a stack of shields and waited silently as the ringing subsided.
In a flash, a shadowy mound of fur appeared within the circle. Wisps of steam curled from it as it grew.
Nesha watched, quickly coming to the realization that it was a person. Was that Fenris' cloak?
It was. Fenris extended until he was at his full size, steaming like a hot cup of tea. Nesha remained silent and continued to watch as Fenris collected the hammer and carried it to a massive painting. Her first thought was, how could such a frail old man heft such a massive weapon like that?
She shrunk behind her hiding place as Fenris grumbled something she couldn't interpret. He then proceeded to step directly through the painting, barely hesitating as the surface rippled like the surface of water. After a few seconds of silence Fenris emerged again, empty-handed.
That must be where he's keeping the weapons hidden, Nesha thought.
"I'm sure you were quite entertained," Fenris called, "seeing me enter my weapon vault." He turned and looked in her direction. "Remember to follow the rules, ice-witch."
The deep ring sang again and a hot light flashed, and Fenris disappeared from the room. Silence followed, and Nesha was alone, enraged. "I know the rules!" She shouted at thin air. "I don't need some special bow to prove myself to some strangers! I'll win this contest and tear down this cruddy house!"
It was a meaningless threat. Nesha had no true intention of winning, and certainly had no drive toward it. She simply found it exasperating that the old man thought it necessary to remind her.
If it happens again, she thought, again meaninglessly, I'll kill him.
Elsewhere in the mansion, Durn lay silently in the darkness of his prison. His ears perked when he thought he heard Nesha's voice shouting. He lifted his head, trying to listen more closely, but nothing could be clearly heard from wherever the shout had originally come.
He rested his head again, ignoring his hopes of escape.
Then his ear twitched again as another familiar voice came toward him. It seemed to shout "This way," and sounded like one of his older sisters.
"Niha!" He barked. "In here!"
"Durn?" his sister called through the door of the room.
"It's me," he replied, "I'm in a cage."
Her voice became distant, as if she turned around to whisper to someone.
Then his mother's voice came. "Durn we know what happened."
He couldn't place the tone of her voice, he never could. He felt that he heard disappointment and lowered his head in shame.
"I'm proud of you for dong what you thought was right."
He raised his head and wagged his tail. Isn't it always just the opposite of what you'd expect?
"We're coming in there to get you out," Niha called again.
"No," he warned. "If I leave then I won't get to see Nesha again."
"Don't worry," his sister offered, "Nisa came up with a plan." Durn couldn't wait to hear it. His younger sister had always been the brightest of the litter. "She started coming up with it as soon as we found out Fenris was holding you hostage. She says it will work, as long as that human boy figures out his riddle."
"What makes you so sure that boy will have anything to do with it?"
"I have no idea, but we have to trust Nisa."
As reassuring as that was, Durn still didn't believe there would be any way to get him out of there safely. Then another thing crossed his mind, "What about Nira?" his oldest sister.
"Also no idea," Niha admitted. "Nisa gave her some obscure instructions. I was already on my way out…"
"I sent her to achieve another variable," a higher-pitched voice called.
"Nisa," Durn sighed, "what's with this crazy plan you've got going on?"
"I can't really explain right now," she said, "all kinds of strangers are coming into the mansion and we're not supposed to be seen. But don't worry, it's flawless."
