Chapter 42
A gloomy furious figure stalked through a set of azure blue hallways, heading towards a pair of large sapphire encrusted golden doors. Behind the enraged man trailed another figure clad in full dark grey armour, they stayed several steps back, fearful of the mass of fury blitzing through the corridor.
Bursting through the doors and leaving the cowering figure behind him in the hallway, he entered a room similar to the Frostmare hall, the walls and pillars were all solid blocks of blue gems. Sat upon a sapphire throne at the furthest end of the room was an elderly man similar in appearance to the gloomy figure entering the room.
"Brother? You seem upset?" The old man upon the throne almost sneered, a dark look crossed his face as he regarded the gloomy figure. The man before him glared harshly, his fists clenching and unclenching rapidly, his features screwing up in pure rage.
"He abandoned the family!" The gloomy figure roared in frustration, slamming his foot into the ground so forcefully that the ground nearly shattered apart, and the pillars cracked threateningly. His brother on the throne didn't flinch at the reaction, rather he looked almost amused. "That brat left without even thinking about it! He just discarded his surname as if it was nothing, as if it was worth less than dirt!"
"That is a shame…" The man on the throne portrayed fake concern, shifting in his seat and letting his dark blue robes to shimmer in the unnatural light by his movement, admiring them with a greater interest than his own brother ranting before him.
"You don't care?!" The enraged man exploded, finally noticing his brothers less than caring attitude. "We finally find a dragoon with the ice element and you don't even care that he just abandoned this family!"
"Why should I, Jorgan?" The clan leader finally rose to his feet, striding confidently and arrogantly towards Jorgan. He stopped nearly a few metres away, somewhat afraid of getting close to the massive force of seething hatred emanating from his own brother. "Why should I care about that half blood trash? The fact that he is even in our family is an insult in itself! You should have been ashamed of yourself, brother!"
"ASHAMED! JARL! ASHAMED!" Jorgan's rage instantly sparked a massive frost wind to chill the entire room, his eyes glowing bright ice blue as he stalked towards his brother with determination to strike him down. "My grandson is the descendent of our ancestor!"
"It wouldn't have mattered if he had come back with you, he would have shared your fate." Jarl smirked happily, Jorgan couldn't contain himself any longer and leapt forward to strike his weakling of a brother a deadly blow. Jarl was no where as gifted as Jorgan, he could never break past the knight rank of either magical or physical power no matter the coin or magic materials given to him. However, due to Jorgan's inability to function properly in formal situations, he was given the title of clan leader by default rather than merit.
Seconds before Jorgan's bare hand coated in a shard of dense dark blue ice pierced Jarl's chest, a golden barrier appeared out of thin air and effortlessly shattered the ice on impact. Jorgan leapt back instantly the moment the ice started to fracture, leaving behind the ice shard in favour of his own hand.
Appearing from behind one of the sapphire pillars was a tall handsome man, he wore a set of shining golden armour and a magical halo above his long tied back golden hair. His pale white features nearly blended perfectly with his glowing golden eyes, a massive golden shield with a white cross emblazoned on the front of it was held in his left arm, his right held a large golden sword in the shape of a large cross with a handle.
"Paladin of the Holy Order… you've strayed far from Averia." Jorgan coldly spat, seething hatred boiling inside him though he quelled it to focus on the deadly opponent before him. The Paladin was a King rank magical combatant with Baron rank physical strength, he was a full rank above him in both powers respectively and a true threat to be feared.
"Being able to meet the famous Ice Master made this trip worth it." The Paladin's soft voice carried on the air like a melody, his features only changing slightly to that of a soft smile of pity directed to Jorgan himself. Stalking forward, the Paladin placed himself squarely in front of Jarl, raising his shield and readying his sword. "I do apologise about this Ice Master, but Jarl is an ally of the Holy Order, I cannot allow you to strike him down."
"You damn traitor!" Jorgan growled harshly, extending his magical powers outward, sensing several people hidden behind him in the darkness by the door. The Paladin had reinforcements that he was sure were to prevent him from escaping, though they hadn't revealed themselves yet. Taking a leaf out of the brothers' book, Jorgan decided to play to the ego of Jarl and the Paladin's current passiveness to buy time. "How could you do this to your family?!"
"How! HOW!" Jarl exploded with rage, he glowered at Jorgan with contempt, his face screwing into a scrunched-up ball of fury. "All throughout life you were the chosen one, the great one, everything went your way perfectly without ever having to fight for it!"
"So, you're upset that I was naturally talented?!" Jorgan riled his brother up, he knew that this was the thorn in Jarl's side ever since they were young. It was made much worse since Jorgan was the younger of the two of them, he has been able to outshine him ever since he first unlocked his magical core dug daggers into Jarl, and no matter what Jarl never forgave him for it. "How petty can you be?!"
"PETTY!" Jarl was losing his mind, he couldn't take his own brother acting outraged at him for finding someone stronger to take him out. Jorgan made a mental note to thank the brothers the next time he saw them, using their method of playing to his opponent's mentality worked in buying him time. He was worried about the Paladin noticing his deceit as he was passively watching the scene, though not once had he bothered to look at Jorgan's hands hidden in his sleeves. "The only reason I got the clan leader position was because you were goofing off completely carefree of the responsibilities of the family, and ever since you became powerful you lord it over it me as you know I cannot do anything to stop you!"
"But conspiring with the Holy Order of all people!" Jorgan flung the insult more to throw off the Paladin from reacting to his plan, watching the Paladin flinch at his words nearly broke his concentration as a smirk nearly graced his face. Jorgan needed a few more seconds before he could enact his plan, he had a special item he kept secret for emergency like this, an item that could use spatial magic to teleport a person far from their current location to a random one three leagues away, it wasn't perfect but considering the alternative, he didn't have a choice. "And you have the audacity to insult my Grandson!"
"Audacity! Hahahaha" Jarl exploded with laughter, irking the living life out of Jorgan but he forced himself to retain his temper otherwise he faced certain death at the hands of the Paladin. "How could you allow your own son to keep that child of a commoner woman is beyond me, it was enough of a shame to allow her to reside within the family but to actually ask for him to become an heir… how can you live with the shame!"
"Quite happily now that he had awakened his Dragoon secondary core." Jorgan needed a few more seconds to charge the device, then he would be far enough away that even the Paladin would have trouble catching up to him. Jarl shook his head dismissively at Jorgan's claim, laughing at him as if he was a madman.
"It doesn't matter now, neither Pavel nor Helenia will ever see the clan leader position, and you won't see tomorrow." Jarl snarled evilly, a chill went down Jorgan's spine as he realised that he wasn't the only one under threat, recalling the person he left outside the door, Jorgan was forced to alter his plan.
Without warning Jorgan unleashed a powerful attack to the group of enemies hidden behind him, exposing his back to the Paladin intentionally. Freezing the six individuals by the gate, he felt a sudden slash of energy rip into his back as the Paladin attacked him from behind with a near instant response, he grunted through the pain and bolted towards the door. He needed to get to the person behind the gate before he could activate the device, and it meant taking at least another hit from the Paladin who was hot on his trail.
Breaking through the gates with another charged ice attack, he nearly screamed out loud when he felt a piercing pain explode through the centre of his chest. Grinding his teeth, he charged forward and grabbed hold of a very startled Beylina who was more afraid of the advancing Paladin rather than the bloody state Jorgan was in.
As the Paladin raised his sword to deal the final strike to kill both of them, Jorgan activated the device, a massive grey light enveloped both him and Beylina before ripping them through space. The device may be one of the best escape items in his possession, but it had the flaw of both the long charge time, and the repercussions it has on the mind as they travel through space.
Being unceremoniously dropped onto hard stone nearly caused Jorgan to black out from the pain, though he barely held on. He needed to tell Beylina what happened before anything happened to Helenia. Jorgan knew that Pavel would be safe as long as the brothers were beside him, they may be weak but their cunning and devious nature was one to be feared by anyone of any power ranking. Helenia on the other hand was another matter, she may be his distant cousin, but she was still family and family meant everything to him.
"Jarl… evil… sided with Holy Order… Helenia… Pavel… in danger…" Jorgan grunted to the best of his ability, the wound in his chest had cut his lungs and made speaking difficult without the need to repeatedly breathe in between words. Beylina listened intently, ignoring her shock from his words and allowing her military training to kick in and force her to act. "Save Helenia… warn Pavel… find Paylor… tell him… what happened… he… trusted… friend…"
"Will do, rest easy Jorgan." Beylina curtly stated, she was immensely elated to have sent Helenia away from the family when she planned to strike down Pavel, it was her way of protecting her granddaughter while giving her the alibi that she had nothing to do with it.
"Give… Pavel… talon…" Jorgan no longer cared that Pavel had forsaken his family name, but he was the descendent of their family's ancestor and had a right to use the talon, he removed his spatial ring from his hand and gave it to Beylina. Though his true motive was to undermine his brother as the family would be hesitant to follow his orders if the true descendent of the ancestor was running for his life with the talon in his hands, it wasn't much but it was the only thing Jorgan could do for Pavel in his current state. "Tell… brothers… find… Navara..."
Jorgan passed out after he uttered those last words, his wounds bleeding badly as he laid on the stone pathway leading up to the family's palace. Beylina quickly dove into action, pulling out every healing object she could to patch up his wound, though her time was already limited from listening to Jorgan as she could hear the guards approaching.
Using a special technique taught to her by her master, she shifted them through the ground and through the earth away from their previous location. She was sure Jorgan's magical presence was non-existent due to his severe injuries and she was hiding hers, so travelling underground could prevent the guards from finding their location, but the Paladin was another matter.
Rushing through the ground, she burst out once she knew she was back within the main complex of the family, opting to emerge in a dark alleyway to hide themselves from being spotted. Beylina tore out her spare uniform from her rather small spatial ring, she wasn't as fortunate as others had been in finding sizeable storage devices, but this one worked for her as it had enough space to hold a spare uniform and a week's worth of provisions if she ever needed them.
Redressing Jorgan, and using his torn clothes as makeshift bandages, she carted him through the main street towards the barracks. It was currently dusk, and it would go unnoticed if one soldier was carting another one back to the barracks as they tended to get drunk in the afternoon, a fact she sorely hated until this moment.
The main street was lit by magical fires that floated in the sky above them, the dark blue stone pavement and uniformly designed dark grey brick buildings lining each side. People walked to and from their residences or their work, dressed in various assortments of Frostmare clothes, dark blue top with the symbol on the back with the family's icon on it.
Beylina saw several guards rushing down from the family palace, she couldn't tell if they were under orders to kill them or apprehend them, either way she couldn't trust them. Pressing onwards, she noticed one of her close comrades knocking back an ale and chatting up the woman in an open bar on the main street, and with a single look from her he immediately sobered up and excused himself from the bar.
He was rather tall man with heavy built features, he wore the standard Frostmare family guard outfit and he had a massive two-handed warhammer on his back. He had a dark skin tone and sharp dark grey eyes, his rugged and chiselled features accompanied his short black hair and wild side burns.
"Your orders, Captain." The soldier quietly enquired, taking the other side of the drunken soldier she was carrying in pretence to hide why he suddenly went over to her. The moment he noticed who it was he was helping carry he nearly paled and dropped Jorgan, quickly recovering himself and awaiting his orders.
"Jarl has betrayed the family to the Holy Order, the Paladin is here and they want Pavel and Helenia dead to allow Jarl's own son Flax to inherit the clan leader position." Beylina needed to convey enough of the truth without revealing everything, she knew she could trust Krillan, but she didn't want to drag him into whatever was really going on between Jorgan and Jarl as the man had his own family to worry about. "Once me and Jorgan are smuggled out here head to Helenia and keep her hidden until I can come get her."
"Understood, Captain." Krillan softly replied, aiding her in hauling Jorgan back to the barracks. With the two of them carrying Jorgan, none of the guards bothered to stop them as they were on the lookout for two people rather than three.
Making it to the barracks, they snuck Jorgan inside and hid him in the back of the barracks, there they cut his hair until it was short and untidy before doing the same to Beylina, covering their faces in dirt and grim to cover up any identifying features. Changing out of Beylina's Captain's uniforms and into two sets of old, tattered rookie garbs, they set off towards one of the side gates out of the clan grounds.
To the Frostmare family it wasn't uncommon for recruits to be thrown out immediately if they fail to live up to their potential, in some cases they would even throw them out if they were missing a limb and bleeding to death. So, the idea was for Krillan to toss them out as failed rookies, it would make the guards think twice about stopping them.
"Halt, the clan gates are locked down under clan leader Jarl's orders." A guard stepped forward when they finally reached the gates, he wasn't as well dressed as Krillan since he was only a gate guard, but that didn't mean he wasn't a threat.
Gate guards had to be at least Baron rank in physical or magical power regardless of their standing in the family, and with Beylina supporting a crippled Jorgan, Krillan was the only one who could fight if they couldn't get through the gate, something they wished to avoid as he was only Baron rank in physical strength and Apprentice rank in magical power. Against all six of the gate guards before him, he wouldn't stand a chance.
"Are you telling me I can't throw this trash out?" Krillan roared in outrage, he glared angrily at Beylina and Jorgan before returning his gaze to the gate guards. "This worthless fool couldn't hold his own against a Boulder Horn, got himself bashed to pieces. How is the Frostmare family suppose to have warriors if this is what they send us!"
"Damn, they are that worthless?" The gate guard rhetorically quipped, him and the other five guards laughed at the disgraced rookies before setting about opening the gate. "Hurry up and throw them out before anyone sees, don't want this trash tarnishing the family's good name."
"I owe you a drink!" Krillan clasped the gate guard's arm and chest bumped him, both smiling evilly as they threw Beylina and Jorgan out of the gate with cheering sneers. Before they had cleared the gate, the guards slammed it closed, nearly catching them in it. Shuffling away from the gate, Beylina sent a mental thank you to Krillan, without him they definitely wouldn't have made it out of the family home.
Beylina soon grew concerned as she hadn't seen the Paladin since she fled from the palace, she was sure he would be hot on their tail, though at the moment she didn't exactly care as to why he wasn't hunting them down. She needed to get Jorgan someplace safe first before she contemplated her next actions, she doubted there was anyone she could trust at the moment, Jarl's sudden betrayal caused her to revaluate her opinion on anyone other than those in her squad. They were comrades in arms, they would never betray one another, though that couldn't be said for nobles or even commoners, anyone of them could choose personal profit over compassion.
Jorgan had mention Paylor being a trusted ally, she didn't know much about him other than the short conversation they had back at the mansion at Heaven's Mountain clan. That said, she remembered him saying that he would stick around for at least a week before returning to his shop in Bardia, if she could get back to Larravass before he left then Jorgan would be safe.
The Frostmare family home was located far to the south-west of Larravass, a full day's ride on a Wind Rider, but in order to get back on foot would take nearly three days as the terrain was unsuitable for anyone to traverse without a Wind Rider. Beylina doubted Jorgan would last three days to go around the marsh lands blocking the most direct route to the Frostmare family home, she would have to find a Wind Rider, and soon.
Traversing through the dark forest not far from the Frostmare family home, she thought about ambushing a traveling merchant for their beast, though the main road they use was half a league in the wrong direction, and time wasn't on her side. Her thoughts were cut short when she heard two sets of thunder footsteps closing in on her position, spinning around she unceremoniously deposited Jorgan onto the ground and tried to go for her sword only to remember she left it behind with her armour.
Holding her fists up, she prepared to use her most powerful earth magic attack when she caught sight of two Gale Breakers. They were nearly two-meter-tall light green wolfs with a massive stone plaque on their foreheads, these magical beasts were used similarly to Wind Riders as they had exceptionally high speed over land. Gale Breakers may be of the same rank as Wind Riders, but they are incredibly difficult to find, let alone tame and use as a rideable mount, making them the most valuable mount among the rich and nobility. They are also far faster than Wind Riders because they have the earth element, they can alter the landscape in front of them to reduce resistance to them.
"Who goes there?!" A commanding gruff voice beckoned at Beylina as the Gale Breakers slowed to halt before her, upon the backs of the wolves were two figures hidden under large dark cloaks that, under the darkness of night, made it impossible to see them. Beylina struggled with what to do, on the one hand they could have nothing to do with the Frostmare family, but that didn't mean she should trust them. On the other, they could not only help her and Jorgan, but those Gale Breakers would get her to Larravass in under a day, if she was lucky enough to convince them to let her and Jorgan ride them.
"A weary traveller with an injured friend." Beylina replied courteously, reframing from revealing anything about her or Jorgan until she knew who was in front of her. The leading wolf's rider gracefully dismounted and strode cautiously toward her, careful to get close or reveal their identity.
"Your friend nears death… what happened?" The lead rider had a deep baritone that shook the wind as it spoke, his presence was also quite commanding, forcing Beylina to be almost servile towards him.
"Boulder Horn attack, my friend and I were too weak to fend it off before he got seriously injured." Beylina opted to go with Krillan's story, it held the most truth and if need be, she could out themselves as failed rookies from the Frostmare family. "I carried him as far as I could, though I need to get him back to Larravass urgently."
"Hmph… so you're Frostmare family rejects?!" The second figure spoke with a sharp feminine tone, her voice full of her distain for the two before her. Beylina should have guessed that the uniforms and how close they were to the family home would give them away, but she still held out hope that she could find someway to get them to give them a life to Larravass. "Duke, let's go!"
"Wait… Duke… as in Old Duke from the Firestorm clan?" Beylina shouldn't have let a spark of hope enter her heart as she heard those words, she had to remain cautious and vigilant even against those that she knew from long ago. Her words startled both of the figures before her, they both flinched and stood stock still for a moment, then Old Duke lowered his hood. He was an old man with few defining wrinkles adorning his aging face, he had a slightly tanned skin tone and shock white short hair cut tightly into a bun above his head, his pale green eyes stared curiously at Beylina for a second before recognition set it.
"Beybey!" Old Duke happily chirruped, using Beylina's old and most hated nickname from long ago, she winced harshly though didn't say anything to offend him. Old Duke offered her a warm smile before it instantly disappeared and replaced with one of pure confusion. "What in the four realms are you doing out here pretending to be a failed reject from your own family?"
"Long story, but I have to ask where you came from?" Beylina needed to be cautious, if Jarl could turn to the enemy's side, then Old Duke was no exception, she had to be careful before she revealed anything. Old Duke casted her a sideways glance before shrugging, opting to tell her the truth rather than question her question.
"Bardia, stopped in Averia to check out the markets before returning home to Larravass." Old Duke curtly stated, ignoring the glares he was receiving from the second rider. His words confused Beylina for a second before it clicked in her mind, the second rider had to be a child of Firestorm family, one of the six original clans. Old Duke, from her last time seeing him, had broken into the Lord rank in physical strength which would explain the effect he had on her earlier, the power at his control could rattle the air with just a breath. "Now answer my question."
"Can't. Sorry Old Duke, it isn't personal." Beylina hated lying to him, they were old friends back in the day and had gotten into so much trouble because of Old Duke's rebellious nature. Now that he had grown up, he was far more mature and good natured, someone like him wouldn't be involved with whatever Jorgan and Paylor were wrapped up in, but that didn't mean she wanted to drag him into it. "Less you know the better, though you could do me a favour for old times sake and help me and my friend to Larravass."
"That bad, huh?" Old Duke shook his head, opting to not further press the issue out of respect for Beylina, and partially for the second rider's sake, however a thought nagged at him. "This wouldn't have anything to do with the things kicking off in Bardia?"
"Wouldn't know, I've only recently got involved and I'm already an enemy of my own family." Beylina sighed harshly, she only ever wanted the best for her granddaughter, but now she and Helenia face certain death if they are ever caught. "Though I better hear what's happening in Bardia, I'm in it now so I should gather as much intel as possible."
"Now I am both intrigued and disturbed..." Old Duke shook his head, he didn't think Beylina could ever become an enemy of her own family, especially since she was a direct cousin on the clan leader's mother's side. That kind of close relationship to the clan leader meant it would have been hard for her to be kicked out unless she actively went against the clan, something he was sure Beylina wouldn't ever do. "Anyway, one of the inns in Bardia got destroyed and supposedly Brutus Ironcore was sighted in town. The adventurer's guild lost its director the night before, and there's talk of the Holy Order baring down upon the town for heresy."
"Brutus Ironcore…" Beylina wasn't sure, but if the Paladin was involved then it wouldn't be that far out of the norm to suspect that the king of Averia was involved as well. Though the Holy Order isn't as deep rooted as it is in the kingdom of Literia, it was gaining hold over Averia ever since the new king took the throne not ten years prior. Rowen Steelthorne was tyrannical monster that supposedly killed the prior king to attain the throne earlier, though that was never confirmed, however what was is his close ties with the Holy Order. "What did you get yourself into now, Jorgan?"
Beylina couldn't stop herself from utter those words, wincing as she saw the surprise look on Old Duke's face before he moved past her to look directly at Jorgan. He bent down and lifted Jorgan over his shoulder and quickly placed him on the back of his Gale Breaker and turning to Beylina before she could speak.
"We should put as much distance between here and us before we continue this conversation." Old Duke settled onto his Gale Breaker after he spoke, motioning towards the second rider to pick up Beylina, and with a scowl they complied.
Old Duke was a former military commander during his younger years, that training kicked in once he saw the state of Jorgan lying in a heap on the ground. He didn't need to know anything more as anyone who could do what they did to Jorgan would turn him and the second rider into paste if they found them talking with Beylina.
They set off once Beylina was behind the second rider, sparing not a second to plot a route or confer anything else. Old Duke pressed his Gale Breaker to its top speed, something that confused the second rider who was forced push her wolf onwards just to keep up.
They crossed the swamp lands without incident and over most of the plain lands, passing by many mountains and hills with clans dotted on them. It was daybreak when they slowed down as they got closer to Larravass, they couldn't be bounding towards the city at top speed as it would draw unwanted attention.
"Where are we heading?" Old Duke called out once they were at a speed that didn't deafen them from the roaring wind, casting a glance toward Beylina and the second rider behind him. Beylina had to think for a moment about what Paylor had said to them before they parted ways.
"If I recall correctly, Paylor said he would be staying with his younger sister at the Red Bird Armoury." Beylina called back, having to shout loudly just to be heard. "It should be in the outer district and close to the old Mage's Guild building."
"Oh great, old man Paylor is involved… just great." Old Duke whined as he set his Gale Breaker towards the eastern side of Larravass, he didn't necessarily dislike Paylor rather it was his background that concerned him greatly. Paylor was brilliant when it came to cloak and dagger tactics, so much so that if he was involved in whatever was going on then it had to be serious.
Reaching the East Gate leading into Larravass, they had to slow their mounts to a walking speed when they approached. Mounts could be ridden inside Larravass, however they had to always remain at a walking speed to ensure they didn't unintentionally trample someone. With a simple nod to the gate guard, they were allowed to enter without incident, being of the original six clans did have its perks.
Traversing through the city rings, they found the old mage's guild building, a rundown decrepit tower that was falling to pieces with just the wind. Near its base was a shop with a painted red bird symbol and the label 'Red Bird Armoury – NO COIN, GET LOST'. The shop had been kept in good working order despite the somewhat patchwork done on the sign and parts of light brown exterior.
The shop itself didn't differ much from Paylor's except the walls were a deep red and the old lady sat at the table in the back didn't bat an eye when they entered, she just sat there dozing peacefully. The old lady wore a full set of dark red leather armour with two crimson daggers attached to her hips, her long white hair fell behind her head as it drooped behind the old chair she reclined on.
"No touching the merchandise until I see the coin." The old woman spoke harshly without moving a muscle, her words startled Old Duke as he had assumed she was asleep until that moment. Beylina wasn't far behind him, though she was more focused on carefully pulling Jorgan from the Gale Breaker than the old woman.
"We're here to see Paylor." Beylina called out as she heaved Jorgan's arm around her shoulder and carried him into the shop, she hoped that Paylor would be here as she desperately wanted to go collect Helenia before the Holy Order or the Frostmare family got to her.
"Huh…" The old woman startled awake by those words, stared groggily at them for a second, her old features shining through as she scrunched up her face. She shook her head and turned around towards the back of the shop. "Hey! Old Geezer! You got guests!"
"I'm only eight years old than you, Marcia." Paylor's voice called out from the forge in the back of the shop, he exited it and walked into the main room to see who it was that knew he was here. He instantly recognised Old Duke the moment he laid eyes on him, but he completely gazed passed Beylina and Jorgan due to their current disguise. "Old Duke, this is an unexpected surprise, I haven't seen you since a decade ago."
"We can reminisce later, Jorgan needs immediate attention." The moment he spoke the second half of his sentence did Paylor instantly snap his head to the two people behind Old Duke, the colour draining out of his face as he rushed forward. Marica was surprisingly hot on his trail as she cleared the desk she was resting at of its miscellaneous pieces of paper and writing utensils, she quickly darted into the storage area behind her to pull out another table and a leather bundle, she finished up the makeshift bed as Paylor effortlessly heaved Jorgan onto it.
"What happened to him?!" Paylor coldly stated as he examined his old friend, from the look of the damage it had to be someone powerful, though the main injury to his chest concerned him greatly. He didn't have the skills to examine Jorgan in great detail, but he had enough medical training to know that he was fatally wounded to a point that he may even be crippled if he didn't receive treatment soon.
Beylina struggled with answering first as she didn't want to drag Old Duke into this mess, but he simply waved his hand. He had left the second rider outside and out of earshot, and he wanted to know who could have done this to Jorgan as well.
"The Paladin." Those two words caused a deathly chill to settle in the room, despite the fact that the only ice user laid unconscious on the table, Beylina was sure that she could see frost forming on the walls. "From what Jorgan could tell me before he passed out, Jarl sided with the Holy Order, he intends to eliminate both Pavel and Helenia to ensure Flax becomes the new clan leader… I think the Paladin was there to take on Jorgan since he couldn't do it himself."
"Brother, I know you said not to get involved, but what's going on?!" Marcia exclaimed in exasperation, she had been kept in the dark in most of Paylor's dealings, especially this latest one that was slowly growing out of proportion as time went on. She normally didn't mind not knowing, she knew she could trust Paylor to tell her the truth if it concerned her or anyone she cared about, but whatever was going on had her concerned for her brother's safety, especially if someone like Ice Master Jorgan himself could be reduced to this state.
"I too want to know what's going on." Old Duke chimed in, though he had a duty to protect the family member of the Firestorm clan, he was fairly certain that whatever was going on could affect many clans. He had a duty as a guard and member of one of the original six clans to keep the peace.
"There's a chance that the lost heir of the Silver Wolf clan has been found." Paylor sighed after a few moments thinking, with Jorgan incapacitated he couldn't continue onwards without help, and the three before him were all highly skilled. If things were to continue progressing like they have, this conspiracy will be over before they even had a chance to fight back. "And the king of Averia found out, though he is too scared to kill him out right, he is trying to discredit him so if he does come forward then it wouldn't matter. If the tournament for the heir position goes as planned, then they might gain control of the clan."
"If they gain control of the Silver Wolf clan then there would be nothing to stop them from taking over the three kingdoms and Larravass." Old Duke shook his head, out of every possible conspiracy out there this had to be the absolute worst-case scenario. Being part of the six original clans, he was painfully aware of not only the lost heir, but also Quicksilver's temper. "If that old grouch finds out about this then it will be war, even if it isn't the lost heir. That old man is just looking for an excuse to attack someone… his temper has been gradually getting worse by the day."
"Just be grateful that you don't have to orchestrate a theft from the Silver Wolf vaults." Paylor grumbled, his plan involved getting an item that could prove Alex's lineage, without it then this entire plan would fall apart. Though, with the emergence of the Paladin, and Jorgan being critically injured, he didn't know if he could keep everything together until he could even give the go ahead to raid the vault.
"Why would you need to do something as foolish as steal from Quicksilver?!" Marcia exclaimed, she stared incredulously at her older brother as if he had grown a second head.
"To prove the validity of the lost heir, if he really is then the device would react to him." Old Duke clarified, the chances of a descendent unlocking their heritage power without guidance was slim, however a family heirloom would react to him regardless. "Without it, then its merely conjecture."
"And with the Paladin and Holy Order pressing the advantage, my time is limited." Paylor grunted, he passed a worried glance towards Jorgan, concern etching into his old features for his friend.
"Paylor, you wouldn't happen to know where Pavel and the brothers are?" Beylina had stayed quiet throughout the conversation, she couldn't believe that Jarl would willing participate in such a plot like this, though if she had not seen the Paladin nearly killing Jorgan right in front of her… Beylina didn't know what to make of everything she had heard, this plot effects all of the land and yet she felt like she didn't want to get involved, that her loyalties lie solely with her granddaughter.
"Gone, I tried to track them down, but they gathered supplies and left the city heading north." Paylor had made a mental note to keep a tab on them after the incident with Jorgan, though the old man was absolutely livid at Pavel's actions, he would have hated himself even more if Pavel had been seriously injured when he wasn't there. Despite Jorgan's cold and calculating nature, he valued his family above all, and if anyone threatened that then they better hope they can tackle an enraged Prince rank magical combatant. "Why? I know Jarl wants Pavel dead, but I can see to it that they get a message warning them about this."
"Jorgan wanted me to give Pavel The Frostmare's Talon." Beylina stated, her words caused those before her to flinch slightly and turn to stare at the unconscious Jorgan, wondering what possessed him to give his family's most prised possession to someone who had forsaken the family not three days ago. They could rationalise it as Jorgan's attempt to spite his brother for colluding with the Holy Order, but he wasn't that petty, and especially not with something like the talon. "Oh, and he wanted me to pass a message to the brothers."
That caught Paylor's interest immediately, drawing his attention away from the old man lying on the makeshift bed. Jorgan had every reason to despise the brothers after what happened, but to pass on a message to them as he was critically injured seemed a little farfetched.
"Would you be willing to share the name of the lost heir?" Old Duke hijacked the conversation as Paylor and Beylina traded weird stares, he wasn't sure what strange silent conversation was going on between them but he wanted to learn as much as he could from Paylor before he left back to the clan. Old Duke had a few friends he could trust throughout the original six clans, he wanted to coordinate with them and prepare for the eventuality that Paylor fails, and the Silver Wolf clan turns on them.
"His name is Alex Greyhound. He is currently an apprentice to Elder Gaffa Bloodhound of the Silver Bloodhounds" Paylor stated freely, deciding to trust Old Duke rather than hide in the shadows, though his words did cause him to remember the task he set Jorgan. Old Gaffy was a stout and gruff man, he never cared for anything other than power and strength, and that was his fatal flaw. He had been one step away from Prince rank physical power for nearly twenty years, if anyone can offer him something that can break that block then he would willingly shift allegiances within a heartbeat. "Right now, he is on our side… but I needed Jorgan to befriend Gaffa encase the Holy Order or Averia got to him."
"Leave that to me, Old Gaffy use to be my Captain back in the military. I'm sure I can leverage that grouch into siding with us." Old Duke grinned, he knew the old goat to be insanely stubborn and power hungry, the right incentive and Gaffa would be eating out of the palm of his hands. "Also, I'd like to meet this heir, I've had some interactions with the Silver Wolf clan back in the day and they have a few distinct features I'm sure I could spot."
"Alex is still in the care of Old Gaffy, but for the time being he is staying with a few friends of the brothers." Paylor silently thanked Beylina for finding Old Duke, he was starting to worry about having to find a way to blackmail the grumpy old grouch if he couldn't persuade him over to their side, having to deal with one grumpy and temperamental powerhouse was more than enough for Paylor. "They are staying at the old Sleeping Ant's Inn, for now its best to leave them alone until we can get Old Gaffy on our side. Too many notable figures turning up and it may give away his identity too soon."
"Argh… can't argue with that…" Old Duke grumbled, he wanted to be certain that it was the lost heir before he committed himself to wrangling in the cantankerous nightmare known as Old Gaffy, though he would relent to Paylor's assurance that this was the lost heir.
"Beylina, I can relay the message to the brothers, but the talon would be far trickier to get to Pavel." Paylor turned the conversation back to her, hoping to get the message that Jorgan wanted to give to the brothers and have it sent off immediately. He didn't know what may have possess Jorgan to aid the two people he hated most in the world, though that wouldn't stop him from carrying out his wishes encase they might be his last. "You should get to Helenia immediately and head to Calatos, and help Pavel's parents, it will take awhile for me to get the message to them, and they could be in danger."
"Thank you, Paylor." Beylina needed to get to Helenia immediately, especially if someone like the Paladin was at play. "Jorgan's message for the brothers, is to find Navara. Whatever or wherever that place is."
The room went deathly silently the moment she said that name, only Paylor and Old Duke knew of the place she spoke of as Marcia looked confusedly between them. The two old men had gone pale, far paler than their old age might have allowed, but the haunting look in their eyes spoke volume of how back Navara was.
"Navara… isn't a place to spoken of lightly…" Paylor wouldn't have put it passed Jorgan making his final act to kill the brothers, but with Pavel at their side, Paylor doubted that Jorgan would send them there unless he believed that they could survive. Beylina looked perplexed at the dark expressions Paylor and Old Duke had on their faces.
"I take it Navara is a dangerous place?" Beylina asked, she was rather confused at how they would know of a place that could cause them to go as pale as they were now. Whatever this place was, she was certain sending two young boys there would be suicidal.
"There used to be four kingdoms on this land… Navara was the fourth, except it was destroyed in a single night." Old Duke grumbled, remembering the harrowing story behind the fallen kingdom, one that his master had told him as a reminder to stay humble. "No one knows what happened… all we do know is that one night, terrible screams could be heard over the land before silence. Then when people went to investigate, Navara was just ruins."
"Okay, how did I never hear about a fourth kingdom before?" Marcia turned to glare at Paylor, demanding a response from her elder brother.
"Because Navara was considered the ultimate power on the land, none of the three kingdoms, nor even Larravass and the six original clans could stand against them." Paylor shook his head, the lengths the three kingdoms and the six original clans went to in order to cover up the existence of Navara were extreme. "And this was back when all six clans were at the height of their power… No one could stand against Navara."
"Then how did they get destroyed?" Marcia shook her head, unbelieving of Paylor's claims that a fourth kingdom could have enough power to rival the collective strength of the three kingdoms and the entire six original clans.
"No one knows, it's the greatest mystery that's baffled everyone that knows." Paylor agreed with Marcia, he had a hard time understanding how Navara got destroyed, but after seeing the ruins for himself he knew that something horrible happened. "All we do know is that one night everything, and everyone, got destroyed. And what's left afterwards is a pile of ruins filled with undead skeletons, and other horrific monsters."
"Some believe they tapped into a power they couldn't control, others think some powerful monster appeared and destroyed the city." Old Duke grunted, he didn't believe in any of the theories that flew around concerning Navara, though without any proof of what happened, all they had was rumours. "Whatever the case is, no one can get into the area without getting killed by either the skeletons, or the dark energy coating the area."
"So, what could Jorgan think would be there that might help the brothers?" Beylina asked worriedly, from what the two before her had said, sending anyone there was a death sentence. The two old men thought over her question, wondering what could hold interest for the Ice Master to send the brothers there.
"There was a rumour that the grand mage of Navara was an eccentric academic researcher into the mysteries of magic as well as the various elements, but nothing was ever proven." Old Duke pondered aloud, he recalled a conversation he overheard during some mass gathering of the guilds, a few members of the Magical Research Guild were speaking boisterously loudly regarding this topic in a condescending manner, degrading Navara for having a useless grand mage. "Not sure if that is what Jorgan is sending them to find, but I can't think of anything else."
"Regardless, I'll send the message, I assume that the brothers will know what they meant…" Paylor started speaking first before stopping, remembering the inanity of the brothers and their propensity to get themselves into trouble. "Beylina, could you hand me the talon, I have a bad feeling those two idiots will try to go to Navara. Getting Pavel the weapon may aid them, or persuade him to leave those two idiots before he gets dragged into their insane ideas."
"Here." Beylina handed over Jorgan's spatial ring, Paylor looked wide eyed at the object before returning his gaze to her, asking if she was sure about this. "Jorgan said you are a trusted friend, if anyone should have this then it's you."
"For now, get some rest in the back room, there is a cot beside the forge." Paylor gratefully took the ring and pointed towards the back of the shop, he needed to take inventory of Jorgan's items first before he could ever think of using any of the items in there, dealing with an irate Jorgan is one thing he wanted to avoid. Remembering that he would be busy issuing new orders to his operatives, he had to give Beylina a place to lay low, Paylor didn't need another headache to deal with in the future. "Beylina, in Calatos there is an old tea shop by the name of the Jasmina House. Tell whoever is running it 'it should be law to drink jasmine tea'. She'll provide you shelter for the time being."
"Thank you, Paylor, I won't forget this." Beylina nodded to him before disappearing into the forge room, leaving Paylor to deal with Old Duke before he could attend to Jorgan.
"Old Duke, if you can persuade Old Gaffy to our side then I will forever be in your debt…" Before Paylor could finish his sentence, Old Duke held his hand up, silencing him.
"No need, I've been meaning to repair Jorgan for the help he once gave an old friend of mine." Old Duke chuckled, pausing for a moment before turning to Paylor as he was on his way out the door. "If you want to do me a favour then could you keep an eye out for the Firestorm clan's second heir? He's not that difficult to find, he was a hulking brute the last time I saw him."
"Of course, though I am slightly disturbed by how I haven't heard of this?" Paylor was certain he kept tabs on all the happenings of the six original clans, though he knew some pieces slipped through the cracks, something on this scale wasn't capable of going unnoticed.
"Its been kept under tight secrecy for a while now, mainly because it's a rite of passage for the heirs to go through where they leave the mountain and experience the lifestyle of a commoner." Old Duke puffed his chest out as he spoke, this trial of the Firestorm family was a point of pride for them all, even guards like him. The heirs would be given a chance at living life among the commoners and the weak, forced to see the world below, that way when they come back they would have an appreciation for what they have and seek the better the family as a whole. "Anyway, Talrin hasn't checked in with his caretaker for a while now. That's why I was sent to Bardia, I was hoping to find him and bring him back to family as he has been gone for far longer than he should have been."
"Well, I'll keep an ear out for his name, he is bound to appear somewhere." Paylor seemed somewhat baffled by the Firestorm family, they weren't your typical six original clan in the sense that they train their heirs since birth to be prepared for anything. Some think their family is overly paranoid while others wonder if they are preparing for something, though no one could ever accurately determine which of the two reasons applied.
"No, I doubt he goes by that name…" Old Duke stood in the street trying to remember the name he had been given, the name that Talrin was using to hide himself. Then it clicked in his mind that Talrin had become an adventurer and gave himself a codename. "Ah! Yes! That's it. He calls himself Xanforess."
"What?"
Author's Note: Sorry for the long upload time, I was working on another project and forgot about everything else. As for this story, things are going to slow down a bit as I had five chapters made that I needed to edit until I returned to them, the story was alright but it wasn't the direction I wanted to take just now. They may make an appearance later on.
Anyway, hope you like the surprise.
Also, How will Paylor send a message to the brothers and Pavel when they have at least a few days lead from the city?
Comments:
Frog31791 – Thank you for the comment. I hope its not too confusing, truthfully I wasn't going to make the whole debacle around the Frostmare family, but I wanted a plausible excuse for Pavel to join the two on their adventurer, especially after I labelled him the first heir.
Ironically, Pavel's character was actually supposed to be a butler like James was, but I felt that I had gone too far into the story and not included a main character to the story. Pavel at first wasn't meant to be this main character, I had first thought of making Alex this until I started writing Pavel. He just clicked with the story and with the brothers, and soon I started trying to think up ways to involve him in the story as a main character and that's how the plot came about.
Hope that I am not making the story too confusing to follow, if I am, I'll try to dial back.
Eris – Thank you for the comment. I am a fan of the shock factor, trying to make the reader wonder what is going to happen throughout the story. Whenever I read a story, I always hate it when writer makes it fairly obvious what the twist is going to be, that the reader is able to make an educated guess and get a nearly accurate read on what was supposed to be the exciting part of the story.
I want to be able to take a story and make it so that there are obvious enough ploys in it that the reader would like to read through and see how it turns out, but I want to also include parts where the reader's entire conception of the story gets thrown off balance, or at least they weren't expecting that to happen. I am trying my best with this as I hope to incorporate it into all of my writing, but I first need to test my ideas and see what works.
Gideon has always been perceptive, I've imagined him that Mento had taught him to survey a battlefield with a trained eye for anything that may be a threat to him or anyone he cares about, and he would have picked up a few things from Robin during their time as titans. Though, I believe that his lack of trust makes him doubt everything and everyone, other than Raven, and he naturally suspected that things couldn't have worked as perfectly as they had done so.
Hope this chapter answers that question, though it was mainly Jorgan that conducted this plan. He has always been stronger than Jarl and he could lord his power over him. Though Jorgan is the type to be brash and flippant when it comes to politics or subtly, but when it concerns his family's success or survival then he would adapt when needed. As for Pavel, Jorgan needed to be absolutely certain that he was a Dragoon as all he had were second-hand reports from a few healers, nothing that could accurately say that Pavel had the secondary core. However, Jorgan is also the type to ensure his family are capable of defending themselves, so putting Pavel through this was his way of toughening him up.
Beylina was an unfortunate side effect, but one that now played an integral part to the story as in chapter 41, Pavel spared her when he had every right to have her executed. (Even though she was manipulated, she still carried out the plan when she didn't have to, therefore Pavel had the right to retaliate and no one would have batted an eye.)
Unfortunately, the clan has gotten far worse, and it will be a long time before any of them ever come back to it, but that would have been a nice idea to work with. (Spoiler – I am heavily leaning towards making Helenia clan leader at some point as I have some idea installed for Pavel. Though, since I have completely strayed from practically all my previous spoilers, I wouldn't hold your breath for this despite how well it plays into the story.)
Paylor is awesome, though he is difficult to write about sometimes, however I do enjoy making things difficult for him to work with the conspiracy. That said, there is a method to my madness as there is a major plot twist in this entire story that I haven't gotten to yet, rather it's a building notion that I am working on and it won't appear for while now. However, I am so excited to see what the reaction of my readers will be when I reveal this. Though, I can't… not yet anyway.
I'm still conflicted on the brothers telling anyone anything regarding their past, I have a vague idea about their future endeavours and not once do they reveal their past. I want to talk about this but doing so might reveal some parts of the plot that I'm trying to avoid revealing just yet. So, for now, they aren't revealing anything because of how it will be perceived, that they would lose their anonymity if people knew they were from another world, though they aren't doing well in that regard as too many of the wrong people know about them now.