The Lord of Ragnarok

Chapter 15: Hydra

Urbe Auream - Stately Manor - Kitchen - Lala's P.O.V.

While this manor was not nearly up to the standards of the Temple, it served well enough. Although I have to remove all of the original furnishing for the Kitchen. Wood burning cook stoves are fine, and I even prefer to use them, but having a singular cook stove, and not using the open area for at least preparing other dishes was wasteful. Naturally I overcame this oversight. I had two wood cook stoves installed, back to back, and both fed into the same piping, which heated much of the upstairs during the cold season. I then had counter space added, and I instructed the construction of a cold room.

If we were without magic it would mean traveling to the mountains every two weeks for a small load of ice, which would be stored in the room, thus keeping everything cold. But, a simple frost spell did the trick well enough. I would not dare say that I was the same level of cook as Angelia was, but her ability was gifted to her by our creators. And besides, I was given a similar ability. Granted, mine was not nearly as grand as Angelia, but hers was designed so that she could use it as a form of seduction.

I finished preparing the meal, a rich stew, containing various local, and more exotic, vegetables, a small bit of fish for flavor, and cheddar biscuits, something I knew that Lord Mannulus himself was quite fond of. If one such as he was fond of the dish, then I assumed that it would be a fantastic accompaniment toward the meal. I looked up to see Maxine walking into the kitchen. She bowed to me, and then cleared her throat.

"Lady Lulamoon has informed me that our guest for tonight would be joining us soon."

I nodded, quickly finishing the meal, and then I took out a small bottle. The contents smelled sweet, like honey, and I lightly drizzled them on a single biscuit, which I placed on a plate next to a special bowl. I placed the cap back onto the bottle. Such poison was rare in this place, but easily enough to create. Especially when I was simply able to milk my fangs for it. I began carrying the food out to the kitchen, and I saw our guest. He was a magistrate, a rather thin one, and it was confirmed, through Lulamoon, that he indeed allowed Hydra to operate in the city for a fee. Tonight, the poison would make him drunk, he would spill every secret he had, and then he would die from what appeared to be heart failure.

"Ah, Lala, meet Magistrate Decipio, Gallus Decipio," Lady Lulamoon said as she took a seat.

"Charmed," he said as he studied me with a letchurious grin, "I'm sure. It must be a relief to be able to serve two fine upstanding ladies as these, especially since Lamias are known to be widely clingy and untrustworthy."

I knew a baiting tactic when I heard it. I also knew that if given the chance he would likely have me stripped naked, raped, and then murdered in an instant. Luckily, he was not long for this world, and I could enjoy the fact that I had removed such an unsavory individual from the potential breeding stock. The less of his kind to govern, the better. I merely bowed, placed the bowls of stew in front of each individual, and each had a biscuit. The one difference was Mr. Decipio. I watched as the stew was enjoyed, and then I saw Mr. Decipio bite into the biscuit. My guess had been right as he finished it, and looked toward me.

"Girl, another of those rolls, and some wine!"

I gave a small bow, "Of course."

I slithered into the other room, finding the platter of biscuits, taking one I bit into it, enjoying the taste. I needed only a few more moments before I returned. I finished it, took a bit of fish, ate it, and then grabbed the platter and a bottle of wine. I brought them out, pouring him a large glass. He quickly drank it, and I waited as he shook his head.

"I say, this wine… it is very strong… I've fucked a lamia like you… Friends of mine, cornered her. She was a timid little thing, a weaker member I suppose, she didn't even fight when I had them hold her down. She's locked up in my basement. She's my pet, " he slurred.

I growled at his words. There would be one I would be freeing this evening, but I had to get all I could from him.

"Truly, what of your associates? What do they do?"

He laughed, "They're part of the criminal underground! It's all funded by the Theocracy though, Shush!" he held his finger to his lips drunkenly, "Don't go telling the king! The idiot! He doesn't know… had a plan, kill that elf bride of his… Not sure we can do it though… Say, are there more of those rolls? They're really good."

He winked at me, thrust his hand out, and grabbed my left breast. "Damn, they're soft."

I growled, but it was a light azure magic that grabbed him. He gagged as he was lifted. Lady Lulamoon stood, "You can have more when you finish telling us about your friends," she purred.

He smiled, obviously unaware of how close to death he was, "Oh, sure, there's Offoco Caedis, he runs the slave trade. He gave me my pet snake," he choked out, "And there's Onager Cavum he runs the assassins… Scary guy… I heard he's actually a lich."

I narrowed my eyes, a lich could be a problem, but Lady Lulamoon showed no signs of worry, "Is that all?"

He shook his head, "Nope, there's also Incido Lingent. She's the one that runs the whore houses. Of course, there aren't any that's legal. So she runs them out of homes of people who can't pay her loans back. We make the most money off of her… It's really hot in here…"

At that he went slack, and I saw his breathing stop.

"Well, he was almost useless," Lady Lulamoon said.

I nodded, "True, although, how would you like him dealt with?"

She smiled, "Dump him in the street, around the corner. It will look like he simply died."

I nodded, collected his thin form, and began to slither toward the kitchen. It would be easiest, and far less noticeable to leave his corpse in the direction described. So, lifting the body in a bridal fashion, I slithered out of the house, down a back alley, and into a rut where waste run off ran during storms. Here, I deposited the former magistrate. Before leaving it there, I searched the corpse for any incriminating evidence. A bottle of some vile, yellowish liquid that smelled of turpentine was on his person; a set of keys was found also. Then, in the inner pocket of his cloak, I found a piece of parchment. It was folded over several times and when I unfolded it, I found that there were several documents folded onto themselves.

Looking upon the words and figures upon the pages, I had discovered part of a ledger; the ledger was a listing of his business associates, numerous bribes and accounts where those bribes were saved, and a page of accountants notes detailing the trade or sale of numerous illicit materials… and people. Written on the back of that ledger page, I saw a note. It said, "Operation: Flynn Rider, aborted. Murder of princess failed; agent gone missing. Proceed with Operation: Regicide- youngest half-breed princess must be assassinated. Agents en route; mark may be handled as you please until agents arrive." Incriminating…!

I removed the accounts, studying them, and then I used the message spell to contact Lord Mannulus.

"Lord Mannulus, we have obtained quite a bit of information from a magistrate that had been allowing the criminal element to operate within the city. I have various ledgers confirming the influx of funds, the locations of various businesses, but there is also some troubling information. It appears that the Sanctus Theocracy plans on assassinating the youngest Princess."

For a moment there was nothing, and then I heard the sound of a portal. I looked up to see Lady Twilight with Lord Mannulus, "Let me see," he stated.

I showed him the information I obtained from the deceased magistrate's pockets. He took a moment, studied it, and then nodded, "I see, it could be an older note, but I doubt it. Regardless, maintain your presence here. I will be visiting soon. Take the information that you've collected, and begin dealing with these criminals."

I bowed, "My lord, there is a potential problem. He did indicate that the leader of the assassins is a lich. Such a being could be problematic. While I have no doubt that is no measure to your own abilities, I must state that if he has the ability to raise the dead, or resurrect fallen assassins it may cause us to take a different approach in how to deal with that extension of the criminal element."

He smiled, "Let us see how powerful this lich is first. Begin removing the other legs of the organization. If he heads the assassins it's likely he himself isn't a magic castor, but instead is someone that paid a sorcerer to convert him into being an undead. If that is the case, then it is merely measuring how powerful he truly is."

Urbe Auream - The Next Day - Male High Elf P.O.V.

We walked the mezzanine of the city, the both of us lithe of figure and tall of stature. The robes we wore were finely spun silks of a variety found only in the dwellings of the High Elves. Being the leader of the two of us, or at least appearing to be, I carried a bulging satchel, had a prominent set of elven ears that poked out the strands of waxen hair much the same as my traveling companion wore. Our gaze swept the throngs of beings that gathered in the mezzanine, going from shops and stalls with hauls of bounty or sustenance. Our eyes roved over the buildings that fringed the marketplace, never lingering on any one structure. To any that would have looked upon us it would have seemed that we were infuriated by the lack of distinct architecture to the municipalities skyline.

"Damn it all," I muttered, "I'm a surgeon not civil engineer! Where the devil is this blasted place?!"

"I am uncertain, Mockoy," my companion, a fetching maiden in her own right, said, "would it not be prudent to ask directions from one of the passersby?"

"Yeah, maybe," I replied, "let's just hope they speak Eng... Ummm… Common, because I ain't lookin' forward to talkin' in one of the more exotic tongues places like this employ."

"I shall see if I can procure the address of the location," she replied, "I am more proficient in the more common tongues."

"Okay," I replied, "just don't get lost, a'ight, Ric'cay'ooh. Imma set a spell over by that fountain. My dogs are barkin' carryin' this burden."

"I I have stated previously that I would be more than capable of carrying our provision sand equipment," Ric'cay'ooh replied, "I do not see why you seem so possessed to do a task beneath you."

"Call it doctor's prerogative," I answered back, "I ain't lettin' this gear outta my sight until we can get proper sick bay established. And if this Guild is what I think it is, they could use my skills and have the coin to keep me retained."

"Of course, Doctor," Ric'cay'ooh said, "so be it, then. I shall start with our immediate inquiry."

With that said, Ric'cay'ooh waltzed into the crowd. I would be remiss to call her ungainly or ugly. As a high elf, she was possessed of the ethereal beauty common amongst the High Elves. And if it hadn't been the major blow up my parents, Dale and Ellie McLeary of Mobile, Alabama, about my coming out (screaming about his going to Hell for "laying with another man" really got my, Tucker McLeary's, goat,) then I wouldn't have retreated into my Mockoy Leo'no'nard character in Ragnorak and then get myself trapped in Lutum.

My last night on Earth was definitely nothing I wanted to contemplate right now. In this city of human, drow, grasswalkers, lamia, naga, kemononekko of every stripe known to geek kind, and numerous other high fantasy, humanoid species, I could spend several days just people gazing. My weariness could be forgotten into the fantastical world I now found myself living upon as one of the myriad of denizens of this planet and not a player of the most successful immersive multiplayer game in the twenty-first century. I was living the nerdy dream I always wanted, as well as escaping the fundamentalist chirstian hellhole I had barely survived in for most of my life. If I had been old enough, I would moved out of Mobile and headed- well, I didn't know, but anywhere away from Alabama sounded like a good start.

"Mockoy," the voice of my nurse and traveling companion broke me out of my revery.

"Yeah?"

"I have found someone with an understanding of the guild we are seeking," Ric'cay'ooh stated. She was in the company of dark Equis character with an ebony horn. He wore a simple tabard over a set of wizard robes; it was marked with, of all things, the sigil of The Temple of Celestia Sol. I had heard of that guild when I was playing Ragnorak but I was joined to another and I rather liked my High Elf form. I didn't see the need to transform himself into an Equis, especially when I was already part of another guild.

"Good afternoon," the Equis spoke, "I am named Umbra, a servant of Lord Mannulus. It is my understanding that you and your companion were seeking the Temple of Celestia Sol?"

"That's right," I said to the Equis named Umbra, "Imma surgeon, and you've met my nurse, Ric'cay'ooh. I'm Mockoy Len'no'nard, of late of the High Elf city of Lor'ein'ham. I was hoping to speak with yer master about setting up a medical practice within his guild home."

"I understand," Umbra said, "we at Celestia Sol have a small cadre of healers, myself amongst them. What makes your skill with medicine as practical as what arts I can provide?"

"Ya ever see a man revived from near death?" I asked.

"With a potion, yes," Umbra answered.

"What happens when ya ain't got any potions left?" I asked further.

"I- I am unsure," Umbra replied, "we have in our employ a hedge wizard with considerable skill in crafting potions, tonics, and the like. He is no combat medic, but his skill is unquestionable."

"I see," I said, "what if I were to tell ya I could bring a guild member from near the brink of death in a fraction of the time it would take for a spell or potion could take effect?"

"I would say you are a miracle worker," Umbra stated.

"And he is," Ric'cay'ohh stated, "within his hands is the miracle of life! It is more than magic, though he is gifted in that a well, but his hands are like unto those of a god. Sutures heal up major injuries in seconds! Poultices can relieve damage in mere minutes and restore vitality to the critically injured! Doctor Mockoy can even set bones, perform internal surgeries, and diagnose nearly three hundred different maladies with ease. I have seen him cure the illnesses of some of our fellow High Elves within the time it takes to blink!"

"Most impressive," Umbra said, "methinks Lord Manulus would like to see your skill. He has had some- newcomers of late that have suffered egregiously by another faction of this world. If you can use your 'magic hands' to perform a miracle of restoration, then I think The Temple would have some use for you."

"Then what are we waitin' fer?" I growled, "have patients, will travel, I always say. Lead on!"

Temple of Celestia Sol - Council Room - Mannulus - P.O.V.

The knowledge that Lala had shared certainly painted a new light on the situation in the Kingdom of Coronam, and specifically in Urbe Auream. Hydra had begun to shift and grow slowly outward. I was certain that the Magistrate was little more than a figurehead, if that, and his power was more on paper than in reality. Most likely he was kept alive because he was useful. The names of the three main heads meant little, with the exception that knowing them would give us some advantage.

"Beloved, Lord Mannulus, Umbra has stated that there is someone of great interest that wishes to meet with you."

I looked toward Twilight. She stood, uncertain, and I felt terrible that I had almost ignored her. It wasn't my intention. I didn't want her to think that I was purposely trying to ignore her, or that I just didn't want anything to do with her. The problem was that my plate was very full. I nodded, looked at her, and then motioned her over to me. She came, quickly, and joined me by my side. Looking at me she gave me a soft smile, and I took her hand. She beamed brightly as she grasped my hand and held it. It was the little things that often meant the most to people. That had been something that my father had told me before he passed. I closed my eyes. I wished, multiple times, that I would have created an NPC based on him. Even a romanticized version of him would be good to talk to.

I looked at Twilight and realized that he had been right. The little things do mean the most. Twilight was happier, I was giving her attention, and I slowly got up.

"I know that I have not been the husband I have needed to be," I began only to be shushed with a kiss.

She broke it, her eyes soft and wet with uncried tears. I feared the most, that I had hurt her, that my working like I had done ruined some part of our relationship, but instead she leaned her head against me.

"My love, you've done what needed to be done. You've seen to Rainbow, and brought her back from the pit of despair. You are ensuring that our enemies will be unable to gather strength against us, and you have began the various tasks that are needed to gain us powerful allies. Everything you have done has been for the Temple, and by proxy, for us. You have been a wonderful husband."

I gently nuzzled her, getting a small hiccuping giggle, "And all of you have been wonderful wives."

She looked up at me, "Your strength, has it returned?"

I shrugged my shoulders, "Mostly. My magic is nearly returned, and my health is back to normal. It was odd to see myself as someone old and gray."

I looked outside, "I have a present for the Temple, and for Rainbow. She has not specifically asked, but I believe that bringing back her parents would be something she would feel overjoyed about."

Twilight hugged me, "When do you wish to?"

Luckily, their bodies should be buried where they were left. If everything was working as it should, then it stood to reason their souls, so to speak, should be created and in the ethereal plane. I would need to restore their bodies, far easier than creating a new one, and then rejoin their souls to it. Restoring them from that state would cost far less resources.

"Prepare them tonight. I know we have some of the servants that tend to the cemetery. Have them remove them, bring them to the lab, and lay them out for me on the spell circle," I said, "I will raise them, and ensure that they are level headed and among the living completely. Like Sombra they will be weak, but they will be returned to us."

She nodded, "Of course beloved. I am certain Rainbow will enjoy her gift," she giggled, "I believe what she may give you will be enjoyed by all of us."

I looked at her, and softly grinned, "At some point you have become quite lewd Twilight Sparkle."

She held her hand to her breast, "I am merely how you have been molding me, my husband, and I am Twilight Sparkle - Mannulus, first wife to lord Mannulus," she said before she kissed me.

She leaned against me, enjoying the moment we shared, and likewise I enjoyed the closeness of it. She softly nuzzled against the sunken part of my muzzle, "What shall you do about the individuals Umbra wishes to bring into the temple?"

I nodded, "bring them inside. I shall meet with them. Perhaps they will have something of value, or they may know a trade that would be beneficial to the temple. If that is the case, then we could ensure that they are welcomed here for as long as they desire."

She closed her eyes, and a moment later the portal opened. From it stepped Umbra and two high elves. Both were of more civilized stalk, and that meant that they had not dealt with their more adventurous, and slightly more insane, woodland and dark cousins. The both of them entered into the room, and I faced them. I could hear a gasp of surprise. It made sense. I had the magical power to create an illusion to hide the damage that had been done to myself, but I chose to leave it alone. After all, I didn't see a reason to hide what I looked like. My brides found the burns and scars fine, and I didn't need to change that.

"Welcome, I am Lord Mannulus, head of the Temple of Celestia Sol," I said.

The male bowed, "I am Mockoy, and as I have informed your servant, I am the answer to your problems dealing with medical issues."

I studied him, "A surgeon?"

He nodded, "I am."

I walked toward him, "Were you stacked toward that on the outside?"

He grinned, "You could tell huh?"

I smiled, "It's becoming second nature, but yes, we could use a surgeon. Umbra is actually very skilled, but having someone that is trained in alternate forms of medicine that doesn't require specific spells would be welcomed," I looked toward his companion, "I take it that you haven't seen what demonic wolves do to someone that has chosen to face them before they were prepared. I paid the price, and I have gained knowledge."

She bowed her head, "I am sorry, it is not often that I see such wounds," she replied.

"You are forgiven, tell me, would you want to stay here?"

Both nodded, "If you have the room, it would be best."

I nodded, "Very well, know that everyone here carries their weight. There may be times that you will be called upon to do more than simply heal. If you would rather remain a surgeon only there is a small village less than a day's journey from here. We can call on you when needed, and I am certain that they will sit you up with a fairly nice home."

He shook his head, "No, we can do more when called upon. Thank you."

I nodded, and extended my hand, "Then welcome."

He took my hand, and in that moment a green light surrounded his hand. He pulled it back afterward, and a tattoo of the symbol of the guild's crest appeared on the back of his hand.

"What's this?"

I smiled, "that will allow you into all of the general areas without facing death. Now, your companion will need the same. Please, take my hand."

She gently took it, and then she groaned in pain as the magic branded her.

Umbra, please, show them a room that we will prepare for them.