Three days after the invasion of the Sorcerer Kingdom failed and the Re-Estize Kingdom got annexed, the members of Blue Rose were still on their way to leave the country. They had been very careful not to attract unnecessary attention and tried to keep a low profile. While traveling through several villages, they learned that news had already reached them. Apparently incorporeal undead had appeared and informed everyone of what happened. Everyone who was able to had already left, mostly merchants, priests and other workers that were not bound to a specific place. Poor farming families on the other hand couldn´t afford to leave their farms behind. Gambling on the goodwill of strangers in a place they would flee to was not an option. That would be equal to a death sentence. Maybe young men, capable of physical labor could get by, but the aging, young children and women wouldn't be able to survive. So they had no other choice but to risk believing the words the undead conveyed. Their message was that those who accepted the new rule would not face any hardships. At one time such a creature appeared as the team just entered the village and Lakyus had a hard time holding Gagaran back. But seeing that it didn't hurt anybody and simply left afterwards helped her very much. The route they took would prolong their journey for about four days, but using less frequented routes and therefore increasing their safety was worth the time. It was slowly getting dark and the female adventurers were preparing a camp for the night. Tia and Tina were scouting the vicinity, Gagaran went to get water from a nearby river and Lakyus and Evileye were watching over the campfire and preparing dinner. The mood was rather dark.
"What are we going to do?"
Asked Evileye.
"We will get up early tomorrow and head north."
"I mean after that. What are we going to do, once we are in the Council State? What are your plans for the future?"
"We will look for a safe way to contact Renner and coordinate for people to leave the country."
"And what about the Sorcerer King?"
Lakyus sighed.
"I am not sure there is much we can do. He is simply too powerful. He himself is enough to deal with a whole army. He controls hordes of legendary undead and who knows what else he kept hidden so far. Killing our army two times wasn't even enough for him to break a sweat. Then there is Jaldaboath."
She looked like she was remembering something bitter.
"He killed Tia and Gagaran without any effort and you weren't able to scratch him at all. His difficulty rating would be at least 200, but the Sorcerer King beat him nonetheless. That makes him even more dangerous."
"What do you want to say?"
"I don't think we would be able to do anything at all. We would need the help of much stronger individuals."
"Maybe if we could convince the Dragon Lords, we would stand a chance."
Said Evileye. Lakyus nodded in response.
"That's what I am hoping for. They should be wary of him, too."
"Then it's a good thing you have me."
The voice that belonged to neither Evileye, not Lakyus, startled them. When they looked around, their facial expressions immediately softened. The voice didn't belong to a stranger or a pursuer.
"Rigrit."
Lakyus exclaimed in surprise. The two roses warmly greeted their former companion.
"Good to see you two. It has been far too long, but I have been quite busy. But from what I heard you weren't lazing around either."
Lakyus responded.
"Yes, it was far too long. We have missed you. Where have you been all the time?"
"That's a really long story. How about we wait for the others and tell you in detail?"
"That's probably for the best."
And so they waited for the return of their sisters. They were all equally surprised to see their old friend, although Tia and Tina were a bit hurt she managed to slip by unnoticed. Over the meal they exchanged stories of what happened since they parted ways. Rigrit was especially curious about their encounter with the terrible demon.
"It seems like he is incredibly strong. I would say difficulty rating 200 is even a conservative estimation. With the support of his maids, I wouldn't be surprised if it were around 250. What disturbs me the most is that I have never heard of him before. Demons, as well as angels, have a very difficult relationship to their names. In order to manifest in this world, their names have to be known. In all my travels and years of research, I have never encountered this name. This means he is either come to this world very recently, or he came from very far away. That you lost against him wasn't your fault. That you managed to hold your ground against the maid was pretty impressive."
It seemed like none wanted to accept the praise.
"But Lakyus, it seems like your magic has gotten a lot better. Being able to use Raise Dead two times a day is a great feat. When we last saw each other you could only manage once."
"Thank you."
"Now, tell me about this Momon. He seems to be quite capable if he was able to drive Jaldaboath back."
Evileyes' mood improved immediately.
"Yes. He is incredible. A heroic knight in dark shimmering armor. You should have seen his formidable fight."
Rigrit had a huge grin on her face.
"Oho, Has spring come to a certain someone? Who would have thought you were able to talk with such a cute voice."
Evileye got angry, but Lakyus calmed her down.
"Don't let her tease you. You know how she is."
Rigrit stopped teasing her old friend and asked.
"So, where is this hero now?"
"The Sorcerer King is forcing him to serve him, holding the population of E-Rantel hostage."
"That's a horrible thing. But maybe we can count on his help."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I have to admit something. I didn't come here just because I missed you. I know for certain that the dragons are currently planning to make a move against him."
All stared wide-eyed at Rigrit.
"What?"
"Really?"
"About time."
Rigrit raised her hands, calming her friends down.
"It's not for certain, but they are debating over it. With the annexation of the kingdom, they now share a very long border. From what I have heard, they are sure to act soon."
"What can we do to help? I doubt we are able to contact Momon."
"No, that won't be necessary. If his character is like you described, he will join us on his own. But there is something you can do. I am reluctant to ask, because it can be very dangerous."
Lakyus looked at her teammates. All of them confirmed with a nod.
"You know we aren't scared of dangers. If there is something we can do to help, we will do it."
She smiled again.
"I knew I could count on you."
"So, what is it?"
"North-east from here is a small territory. The residents of that place are, unfortunately for us, allies of the Sorcerer King. There is a fortress and inside that fortress is something that could be crucial in fighting the Sorcerer King."
Gagaran asked
"What is it? A holy weapon or a magic tome?"
"No. A map."
"A map?"
Gagaran was confused.
"How can that help us fight that undead monster?"
Tia answered in Rigrits' place.
"Just think about it for a moment, or is your head just for decoration? The answer is simple. The map leads to a place where something powerful is hidden."
"Exactly."
Rigrit added.
"This map leads to something the Dragon Lords hid a very long time ago and we might be able to use it against the Sorcerer King."
"Wait a moment."
Evileye interrupted.
"You just said that they were allies of the Sorcerer Kingdom. What makes you think he hasn't already taken it?"
"That's unlikely. I know for sure that nothing happened in that place so far."
They all looked at each other and Tina asked.
"It seems like you already know where that is, so why do you need the map?"
"I have spoken to one of the Dragon Lords and he confirmed that it was still safe, but he wouldn't tell me the location, no matter how much I asked, he wouldn't budge. That's why we need to get the map."
"Why wouldn't he tell you?"
"It seems like all the Dragon Lords agreements is needed for that."
After Lakyus and Evileye exchanged some looks, Evileye said.
"If what you are saying is true, they desperately want to hide it. Do you think it is a good idea to look for it?"
"l am not sure. I am not even sure I want to look for it. But if worst were to come, it wouldn't hurt to have a trump card like that."
"Well, I guess it can't hurt to get the map, just in case. But what in the world could be so valuable?"
"It is best you know as little as possible. In case we really don't need it, I don't want to antagonize the Dragon Lords more than I already have. All I know is that it should be somewhere in the Azalea Mountain Range. It should be a big cave far north of the northernmost Dwarven City. The entrance should be sealed with magical barriers and massive stonewalls. If you can find a map or some other hints on where it could be, we could secure a powerful weapon."
"That sounds like a good plan, but why do you need us? You are more capable than the rest of us combined."
Sheepish, Rigrit scratched the back of her head.
"I have been there before and I have screwed it up. The Witcher found me before I could get what I wanted. I concealed my face, but I am sure he could recognize me."
"Witcher?"
Gagaran yelled.
"Yes. The place where the map is hidden is the Witcher fortress, Kaer Morhen."
Gagaran slammed her fist against the palm of her hand.
"That's a nice coincidence. I am eager to pay him back."
"From the way you are talking, I assume you already met?"
Lakyus answered.
"Yes. About two months ago he came to the Kingdom on behalf of the Sorcerer King. He and Gagaran had a little clash."
"And it didn't go well?"
Tina said.
"He actually mopped the floor with her."
"You don't have to be so blunt about it."
She angrily glared at her companion.
"You don't have to feel so down about it. I exchanged some blows with him, too. I can attest that he is a really capable warrior. But if you had such an encounter, I don't think it would be good for you to go there. He might still hold a grudge against you. Furthermore, after my visit, they drastically increased the safety measures. I will think of something else."
"Wait"
said Evileye.
"I don't think that will be necessary."
"I am grateful for your help, but it is far too dangerous. If he knows your faces, it will be hard for you to move."
"That's not the case."
"Why not?"
"First, he doesn't know we are friends. He will assume we came on our own accord. If necessary, we can pretend Gagaran wanted a rematch."
She cast a glance at her warrior friend.
"Not that that would be a lie. Second, we were invited."
Lakyus said.
"We were?"
Gagaran also asked in confusion.
"When did that happen?"
"After you lost against him, I followed to make sure he wasn't hurting someone. He noticed me and we had a little talk. In the end he invited me to look for myself, whether the Sorcerer Kingdom was such a horrible place."
Skeptic of this, Rigrit asked.
"And he invited you to Kaer Morhen?"
"He probably meant E-Rantel, but he didn't specify that."
"Hmm. If that is the case you might be able to thoroughly look for the map. I guess that is our best chance. But you have to be careful. I don't think he is a bad person, but he doesn't treat trespassers kindly."
Lakyus responded.
"We will keep that in mind."
"By the way."
Gagaran put her thick muscular arm around the small Evileye and seemed to almost crush her.
"How come he beat the shit out of me and you were invited to spend some time with him? Is there something you want to tell us?"
"Don´t be stupid. This was merely for publicity. He wanted to draw us to the Sorcerer Kings side, in order to prevent us from being an obstacle."
Lakyus said.
"That could give us a good opportunity. We could act like we are actually considering it. That might cause him to allow us to move more freely. We should play along for a couple of days and look for more information. We might find something else that could come in handy. And when he lowers his guard, we will search the fortress for clues."
Tia and Tina whispered something to each other. Then Tia pulled out a map from one of the bags in their cart.
"We just thought about something. Can you please show us where that place is?"
Rigrit pointed at a place on the map. Lakyus asked.
"What are you thinking about?"
"We might just be able to accomplish both our objectives there. This place is right next to the border of the Argland Council state, but at the same time far off from every other city or village. If we can manage to secure a stable route, we can continuously smuggle people out over this way."
"What do you mean?"
Rigrit was slightly confused.
"Renner asked us to leave the country in advance to help people escape the Sorcerer Kings´ clutches. We plan to bring them to the council state."
"Renner did that? Well, she was always a smart and kind kid. And now you use the route over Kaer Morhen?"
"We should at least take a look if it is possible."
Tina said then.
"Leave it to us. There are always smugglers this close to a national border. We will find someone."
Then Lakyus reminded her companions.
"We should avoid battle, if possible. With support of one or two of us, Gagaran should be able to deal with him, but he mentioned other adventurer apprentices being there. We have to expect at least a dozen other enemies. I don´t want this to end in a bloodbath."
Sorry, I´m a Little late this week. Hope you enjoy it nonetheless. BTW happy Volume 14 release-day
