Disclaimer: I do not own the Naturals in anyway . I do own Karliah , the name Blood Harvest , the research on vampires and werewolves , the Coven , Valor , and Undead Vampires , the Collector , and the story itself . I have several OCs and my own creatures that may appear in this story , if you want to use them that ' s fine , but please give credit.
Chapter 6 : Evil Intentions
Arcania - Next Morning
The morning saw fresh snow had fallen on the ground outside of magic school as Andy and Karliah went down to get blood from the suppliers to deal with their thirst before the two found Saladira talking to a vampire from the Elder Council that the Vampire Prince hadn ' t met before .
" Ah , Honored Prince , we have a guest from the Elder Council here to see you ? " Archmagister Saladira said looking at the council member with a questioning look on his face .
" I see that , but we haven ' t had the luxury of meeting , " Andy said .
" I ' m Marcel Carrington , Chief Officer of Magic to the magical community amongst vampires and liaison to the officers in charge of the lycan and human mages . Forgive me for not introducing myself sooner , sir , my duties bring me out here to Arcania and the west , so , I ' m only called to the council to deal with important affairs and rarely get out to Hawthorne City . " Marcel explained to the Vampire Prince .
" What does the Chief Officer do besides act as a go between for the vampires , lycans , and humans ? " Andy asked curiously .
" We help the Officers of the humans and lycans regulate the proper use of magic , sticking to a guideline that is suppose to keep everyone safe while learning and using magic , we also see to it that those abusing the use of magic is brought to justice , we send people out to deal with harmful magic or magical creatures as necessary , and we provide mages and healers to standing armies that can help in times of wars . " Marcel explained his duties .
" Councilmen Marcel is out here to help figure out who this warlock is and what can be done to stop him , " Saladira told Andy .
" Do you know who the warlock is ? " Andy asked .
" Who it is , no , but we do know that the warlock is human from what Oslow told us and the fact that he needs magical protection from the black dogs . " Marcel said .
" Magical protection from the black dogs , so , even though the warlock may have brought them here , they still need protection from the dogs trying to eat them ? " Andy asked .
" And any other human under their control , " Marcel said .
" Why ? I thought the warlock would have better control over the creatures he summon ? " Andy asked .
" One would think that , but sometimes , even with the most skilled mage , summoned creatures or those freed from the spiritual world can be like a double-edged sword , it could hurt them as much as it hurts their foes . " Marcel explained .
" So , if he ' s using magical protection , how do we find him ? " Andy asked .
" We are scrying for him as we speak , as strong magical energy would draw the energy from the scrying tool to the spot where the warlock calls home even if there is a magical barrier around the area . " Marcel said .
" Meaning we still have to wait until we know where the warlock is and understand the magic he is using to protect himself . " Andy said .
" Yes , " Marcel said .
" Hopefully what Lex and Chase find will tell us if the warlock actually is responsible for the black dogs being here and we can start the process of lessening the increase population of these new variants of black dogs . " Saladira said .
" What are they looking for ? " Andy asked as Karliah looked at him .
" They are looking for the closest gateway to the spirit realm from the Arcania area , Lex was hoping to find out if the doorway to one of the Kennels had been tampered with or if magic had been used on them which let the alphas out to breed with each other and the few black dogs that were still out in the world . If the gate is open then we can send mages to close the gate through use of magic , then allow the Hunter ' s Lodge north of here and the vampire mages here at Arcania to thin out the population to a more manageable size . " Saladira said .
" Then we will wait on them as well , " Andy said .
" As you wish , sir , if you need me I will be in the main office , " Marcel excusing himself from the group .
" Any word from Lex or Chase ? " Andy asked the archmagister .
" Not yet , but most of the doorways to the Kennel is deep underground to try and prevent tampering , so , we may not hear anything until they resurface . " Saladira said .
" Then I will wait , " Andy said before he and Karliah finally dismissed themselves from Saladira going back to library .
" Seems like we are waiting on this problem with the warlock until we have all of the facts straightened out , " Karliah said .
" Yes , I think it ' s best to be cautious with this especially if that warlock has these black dogs working for him and what happened to Chase on the way here . " Andy said quietly .
" Then I don ' t have to worry about you not thinking things through properly , " Karliah teased him .
" Behave yourself , " Andy said as he went back to the book on Life and Times of Desmond and Celestia to try and understand what the first , Vampire Prince did during his time and how to use this knowledge to track down Ethereal .
" Says the newborn , " Karliah said .
" Mmhm , " Andy reading the book in front of him , it was quieter in the library as most of the young mages were in their classes .
" Are you learning anything ? " Karliah asked as she started going back over maps and looking through records that could lead them to the warlock .
" I ' ve learned that Desmond and Celestia were from a small village in what would be Wales to those in the world that I ' m from and that ' s where they both were when he was called to be the first , Vampire Prince , through a divine vision from the Ancestor Vampires . " Andy said .
" Any mentioning of what that village was called ? " Karliah asked .
" Gwyneth , " Andy said looking at the name of the village .
" Gwyneth isn ' t a village that exists anymore in terms of people living there , but it is a ruin site that the Historical Arts Department and the London Office regulates for those that take tours and for those studying our history : historians , archivists , scribes and even archeologist of the human , vampire , and lycan communities have study the place quite often due to things still being found as some believe it ' s one of the first known settlements of the vampires after the Ancestor Vampires disappeared . " Karliah explained .
" Could that be the place that meant something to the two of them ? " Andy asked .
" If it was their home , then it ' s possible , but with how picked over it ' s been through the years , I would figure someone would have found Ethereal there already . I guess it ' s possible that some underground area like up under the Ancestor ' s Stone could exist and may hold some secrets , but I don ' t really know . " Karliah thinking through the possibility .
" Would Jezelle know of something like this ? Or do I need to ask someone else ? " Andy asked .
" Jezelle , probably would know if Gwyneth was that significant to Desmond and Celestia and she might even be able to spread some light into the history of the village , but you could also try one of the historians or even send a message to Madam Victoria and see if the experts out there know of anything or may could tell you more . " Karliah said .
" Alright , I will look in to it after I read some more , " Andy said making a note of it in the journal he had picked up from the general trade store in the east wing which he had filled with what he already learned about this world that Karliah had explained to him as being known as Reverant while the world he was from was known as Mundance .
Karliah had actually given him a different journal after their trip to the bookstore in Hawthorne City which he was using to record his adventures in which was already filled with his experiences from first turning into vampire , meeting the Collector for the first time , meeting Elizah and his pack of lycans , the adventures to Meridia and through the Ancestor ' s Stone ruins , Nightshade , Hawthorne City , his adventures to the Northwatch Abbey and dealing with the Monk Order , and finally the adventure out to Arcania ; Andy was taking the time to make sure he left some written account of his adventures for those that would follow behind him .
" Yes , it ' s usually best to take a list of questions to the experts , instead of individual questions , " Karliah said .
" Because ? " Andy asked .
" It doesn ' t waste the experts time and they have more to go on to help you find the facts and answer the questions you have , " Karliah said .
" Okay , " Andy said as he looked at what was a picture of Desmond and Celestia in the book in front of him .
" What ? " Karliah asked .
" Is this really a picture of them ? " Andy asked .
" Yes , it looks like a portrait that was most common in those days , with a full family sitting in front of a painter , many have been discovered in old run down estates and dwellings that look similar . " Karliah said .
" So , this was normal ? " Andy asked .
" Very , usually after the couple had been married and some would also have portraits done of the children and at different points in time to show the progression of family . " Karliah said .
Andy looked at her before looking back at the picture noticing that both seemed to be dressed in more earthy looking clothes that seemed to be different than some of the elegant stuff he had seen at Hawthorne Castle .
" Maybe they preferred simpler living ? " Andy questioned .
" It ' s possible , neither one came from very prominent families or at least nothing showed up from before Desmond was called other than how the two met and how Celestia was turned into a vampire causing the birth of vampires that change from humans , like you . Something was mentioned about Desmond ' s father being a messenger while his mother kept a trade good store while Celestia ' s mother was a seemstress and her father was a farmer , but nothing significant . " Karliah explained .
" So , humble beginnings , something he would have remembered and would have been a peaceful , significant memory for him when he had to go war or even deal with the issues of his days . " Andy said .
" Probably , but I ' ve never heard of a place like that for them two , unless it was close to their home , " Karliah said .
" I guess I will keep reading and find out , " Andy said realizing how long this may take to go through everything , but seeing as he had no other choice since the warlock thing was put on hold until Lex and Chase came back then he would stick to working on finding Ethereal .
Karliah looked at him wondering if he was getting fatigued again , but to her Andy still looked curious about all of the knowledge he was gaining from this reading and studying he was doing .
Tunnel - Chase and Lex
Since coming down into the tunnel , Chase , was feeling the strain of the energy from whatever was within the underground , but at least he had the ability to light the way with Illuminate now in his list of magic he could use to see in the dark .
" Are you okay ? " Lex asked seeing Chase put a hand to his head .
" I ' m feeling a pounding in my head like after a night of drinking , " Chase said as his head was beginning to hurt .
" Your nerves are on edge with your sensitivity to the energy down here and as we get closer to the gate , it will get stronger , when we get back to Arcania , you should talk it over with Saladira . " Lex said .
" Do you have sensitivity to energy like this ? " Chase asked .
" No , but I was given a different ability through adapting to Reverant after leave Mundance and as a Sanctified Knight . " Lex said .
" What ? " Chase asked .
" Insight , " Lex said .
" Insight ? " Chase asked .
" The ability to see clearly and intuitively into the nature of a complex person , situation , or subject , yes , it ' s an ability that I adapted to rather quickly once I came to this world and it grew when I officially became a Sanctified Knight , but by then I could control it to the point where it would help me when I need it and not cause me any grief . Just like your sensitivity which allows you to feel strong energies like magic and danger , it will grow when you take on your full role as a Sanctified Knight and you will learn to use it to help you instead of being this gnawing ache within your head and body . " Lex said .
" How did you know you had become one ? " Chase asked .
" A vision showed me the way to the proving grounds for Warriors of Old , " Lex said .
" Warriors of Old ? " Chase asked .
" The first of the Sanctified Knights became knowns as Warriors of Old and they had a special proving ground that tested the warriors abilities in combat , magic , adaptability to situations , and the like which allowed me to receive the gift that was bestowed upon the Sanctified Knights . " Lex said .
" Okay , " Chase said as he and Lex looked towards a dark area of the tunnel as Spark peeked out from Stevens ' s pocket .
" You sensed that , right ? " Lex asked .
" Something watching us , " Chase whispered .
" Yeah , it ' s using the dark to hide , " Lex said looking at Chase .
Chase closed his eyes feeling for the thing in the dark as he made sure he was ready for a fight even with the bite mark from the alpha male , black dog still on his arm .
" Smells like a musty stench in the air down here , Chase , use silver in this situation . " Lex advised him .
" Yes , " Chase said as something moved behind them as he readied his bow with a silver arrow in place .
" This thing is quite clever , so , it ' s not a black dog and it ' s not an undead vampire either . " Lex said .
" Will it harm us ? " Chase asked .
" Yes , it ' s a creature of Misery and it ' s not alone , maybe , seven at the most , " Lex said .
" Attack , " Chase said .
" In one , two , three ... " As soon as Lex said three the creature from behind them tried to lunge right on top of Chase as the one to left of them in the dark where the second one was tried to attack Lex in the same manner .
The one to the back got a silver arrow put through him for his troubles by Chase while Lex threw a dagger through the one to his left , the other five creatures tried to attack after that only to get put down by Chase and Lex allowing the two to finally get a look at the creatures .
" What are they ? " Chase asked seeing evil , elven-like creatures with crooked noses , grey wrinkly skin , and large eyes , they were dressed in animal skin and bone clothing and armor with ugly , long fingernails , dirty sharp teeth , and bone clubs and knives as weapons .
" Hobgoblins , " Lex said .
" What were they doing down here ? " Chase asked .
" The prefer dark , dank places like these tunnels in the underground , so , they probably were living in here . " Lex said as they wandered over to what looked to be a sort of makeshift camp for the hobgoblins and nest looking things for beds .
" They sure did leave a mess , " Chase looking at all of the paper and broken wood laying around the camp and what looked to be rat bones and carcasses .
" Hobgoblins are not exactly the clean and tidy sort and they live off of rats and grubs out of the ground . " Lex said .
" Yuck , " Chase said .
" Woo , " Spark said looking at something shiny on the ground .
" What is that ? " Chase asked seeing what looked to be a small crystal of some kind that looked to be magical .
" Scrying stone , " Lex using a cloth to pick it up and exam it carefully .
" Meaning ? " Chase asked .
" Meaning someone was using magic to search for something down here and it wouldn ' t be the hobgoblins as they don ' t know the first thing about magic . " Lex said putting the scrying stone in a carrying case to take back to Arcania .
" What are we going to do with it ? " Chase asked .
" Let the specialists at Arcania check it out , it could have belonged to our warlock or whoever else maybe responsible for the increase in black dogs and the alphas being free of the Kennel and it could also have some powerful , dangerous magic within it which the mages would be able to destroy to keep it out of the wrong hands . " Lex said putting the case in a safe place on his person .
" How much further to the gate ? " Chase asked as he collected any arrows that were still good from the bodies of the hobgoblins .
" Not that much further , let ' s go , " Lex said as he also retrieved his daggers before they continued down into the undeground .
They walked on for awhile until they entered a very large room with an ominous looking archway carved out of black stone with ancient writing around the arch and broken chains laying around the ground in front of the gate .
" Is that it ? " Chase almost didn ' t have to ask with what he was feeling from this archway , but he felt like he still needed the confirmation to be sure .
" Yes , one of gateways into the area of Misery known as the Kennel where the black dogs and skeletal dogs were locked away by Desmond and his allies . " Lex said .
" What are those black stones made out of ? " Chase asked .
" Obsidian , volcanic glass that ' s a lot like granite and formed by rapid cooling lava , it ' s used in a lot of ceremonial tools and rituals , but it also serves as gates and chains that were never meant to be broken into . " Lex said as he took a closer look at the ground around the archway and the chamber itself seeing the dark symbols on the wall .
" What are those ? " Chase asked as the Collector wrote out the ancient writing around the archway and then the dark symbols on the wall while making notes of everything else he saw in the room and the condition of the gate itself .
" Ancient script of some kind , both on the archway and on the walls , I will let the scribes look at it , but this is troubling news indeed . " Lex said making Chase realize that he was alarmed like Stevens had never seen the Collector before .
" What does this mean for us ? " Chase asked .
" Someone with some powerful magic opened the door to the Kennel and what he did here is with evil intentions , " Lex said .
" Our warlock ? " Chase asked .
" Could be , but I would rather wait and see what Saladira and the mages say about this before drawing any real conclusions , " Lex said .
" It feels wrong in here , like dangerous energy is spilling from the doorway , " Chase said as his hair stood up on his arm like goosebumps .
" Come on , " Lex leading him back out as he saw a very large stone to the left of the entrance to the gateway ' s chamber .
Lex used magic to roll the stone to the front of the chamber , blocking the way in , before taking a tag and using his blood to write something on it before sealing the way shut through use of magic .
" What are you doing ? " Chase asked .
" Making sure no one comes in or out of this chamber until we can find a way to close the gateway into the Kennel and Misery , we don ' t need something worse than black dogs and skeletal dogs getting lose in the world and we can ' t let whoever it is continue to use the gateway for evil . " Lex said .
" A temporary solution until we can solve the problem , " Chase said .
" And a necessary one , " Lex leading them back out and to a cave a few ways off for them to rest in .
Chase learned quickly how to hunt for food as he was able to bring down an elk and a couple of rabbits with his bow before bringing them back to the cave now with the scent concealer that Lex used around the cave .
" This will keep everything from being aware that we are here including undead vampires , black dogs , and anything else that may want to harm us . " Lex said .
" Yes , and I found some food , " Chase said bringing the deer and rabbits with some winter herbs that Lex had pointed out to him that were good to use while cooking and vegetation to add to food he could use that grew in the cold .
" Good , you are getting skilled at surviving in the wilds , it will help you and Spark while adventuring , " Lex said as they fixed something to eat making sure to have enough to keep Spark warm before packing up the leftover meat , herbs , vegetation , hide and bone from the animals , as well as antlers from the deer to be used later for stuff .
" What should I do with the other stuff such as the pelts , bones , teeth , and antlers ? " Chase asked .
" Keep them and find something to use them for or sale them to someone else who could use them , just don ' t waste anything . " Lex said .
" Okay , " Chase said making sure the stuff was secure in his bag before they ate dinner and finally got ready for bed as any extra food was put up for later .
" We should be ready to head back to Arcania in the morning , " Lex said .
" Maybe what we found out will help us deal with the warlock and put a stop to the black dogs , " Chase said .
" Maybe , " Lex said as sleep came to both of them and Spark .
Arcania
In about two days , Lex and Chase walked back through the doors of Arcania to see Saladira waiting on them with Andy , Karliah , and Dimitri .
" How goes the search ? " Saladira asked .
" We need to speak in your office alone and I would like them along with Lucas , Tyson , Oslow , and the Chief Officers present Archmagister Saladira , " Lex requested as the others looked on .
" Of course , I will send word right away to the Hunter ' s Lodge to have Oslow come here immediately , " Saladira said as he went to where the bats were kept that took messages to people .
" Are you okay ? " Andy asked Chase .
" Yes , I ' m feeling pretty good and so is Spark , " Chase said .
" Hoo , " Spark said happy to be back at Arcania with the warmth .
" He did well out there , " Lex said before going to Saladira ' s Office .
" Did you guys find anything ? " Karliah asked .
" Yeah , but it may be best to wait on everyone , " Chase said looking in the direction Lex went .
" You ' ve used your silver arrows ? " Karliah asked noticing that Chase had less in his quiver on his back .
" On hobgoblins in the tunnels we were exploring , " Chase said .
" What about black dogs ? " Dimitri asked .
" I have a new defense against those to keep them away from me , " Chase said .
" What defense ? " Andy asked .
" It ' s called Illuminate , " Chase holding his hand up and showing them the bright , glowing orb that then went around him like his Shield powers .
" Where did you get that ? " Karliah asked impressed as Chase let up on the magic .
" Archmagister Saladira gave it to me with a spell known as Ignite as an offensive spell , but I haven ' t needed it , yet , " Chase said .
" If I read correctly on Ignite , it ' s a flame spell that shoots out from your finger , a little bit like how Force works , it causes a fiery blast wherever you aim it and let loose the magic behind Ignite . It will be a useful spell when needing to be offensive against black dogs , undead vampires , and other creatures that hate fire and lightning , but be careful around vampires like us because fire is our greatest weakness , Chase . " Dimitri explained .
" I will use the magic wisely . " Chase said .
" Did you learn anything else while out in the wilds ? " Andy asked .
" I ' m sensitive to strong energies , " Chase said .
" Whoa , that ' s big , only Chalin was ever sensitive to such things . " Karliah said .
" Meaning he does have strong magic within him , " Dimitri said .
" Lex says as I learn to use it and when I become a Sanctified Knight it will become more of a use than a bother for me . " Chase said .
" A bother ? " Andy asked .
" It felt like a throbbing headache when we got closer to the gateway into the Kennels , " Chase said quietly as they walk into Andy ' s room to wait on the word from Oslow .
" Throbbing headache ? " Andy asked .
" A bit like a hangover , but only with the intense energy , I felt something similar but not as painful when we were along the sea route out at the Northwatch Abbey , this weird feeling of dread . " Chase said .
" He has a great gift that will grow with him and become easier to use as he gets stronger in the use of magic , " Karliah said .
" Just be careful with these headaches , brother , " Andy said .
" Sure , and I learned the art of hunting and finding food in the wilds even in the winter , " Chase said .
" See he ' s learning useful things , Andy , " Karliah said once again like a proud mother .
" Lex gave me these to use in an emergency , " Chase pulling out more scent concealers in small vials to use .
" Once I figure out what ' s in them , we will be able to produce our own , but at least we have more for safety reasons . " Karliah said .
" Yeah , " Andy said .
" We used it when we stopped for the nights while out in the wilds . " Chase said .
Just then someone knocked on the door causing Karliah to open it seeing Tyson .
" Saladira wants us in his office this evening after Oslow gets back , " Tyson said .
" We ' ll be there , " Andy said before allowing Tyson to dismiss himself .
" I need to go see some shopkeepers anyways until then , " Chase said .
" I ' ll go with him and then catch up with you two later , " Andy said .
" Okay , " Karliah and Dimitri said going back downstairs as Andy and Chase went down to the east wing to the general trade store .
" Can I help you ? " The vendor asked .
Chase pulled out the stuff from hunting out in the wilds and other goods that couldn ' t be used by him or other vendors selling them to the vendor .
" Who takes the eyes , scales , and antlers ? " Chase asked the vendor .
" The alchemists shop or the healers may take them , sir , " The vendor said .
" Alright , then that ' s all I have to sale , " Chase said .
" Then here is the cash for it , " The vendor giving Chase the money for the items .
" Thank you , " Chase said as Andy looked at him curious as they left .
" You really are learning about this world ? " Andy asked .
" I figured I might as well if we were going to be in it longer , " Chase said .
" Yeah , you didn ' t mention anything about bones and pelts , though ? " Andy asked .
" I will use them myself , " Chase said .
" For what ? " Andy asked .
" I don ' t know , yet , but I ' ll figure it out , " Chase said as they stopped by the blacksmith shop for Stevens to pick up so more arrows and get his weapons resharpened .
" How are the wounds from the black dog ? " Andy asked after they left the smithy .
" Better despite having to deal with the hobgoblins , " Chase said as they went to the alchemist shop in the west wing .
" Hello , " The alchemist said .
" Can I sell eyes , scales , and antlers here ? " Chase asked .
" You can , but I would save the antlers for the healers in the infirmary as they will have a better use and price for them than I would . " The alchemist advised .
" Then I will sell you the eyes and scales , " Chase said getting paid for the items .
" Yes sir , " The alchemist said giving the payout to Chase .
Once they were done at the alchemist shop , Andy and Chase went down to the infirmary to see Saladira checking in with the healers .
" Ah , Honored Prince and Sir Chase , how can the healers and infirmary help you ? " The nurse at the front desk asked .
" I have antlers for sell and need to have the black dog wounds checked out . " Chase said .
" The healer over to the side will deal with the antlers and then I can help you with wound care , sir . " The nurse said .
Chase sold the antlers to the healer before having the black dog bite checked out which was coming along nicely .
" The wounds are just about healed up and should be fine by the end of the week , I think another trip to the springs would help since you just came back from the wilds . " Archmagister Saladira said before they left out .
" Then I will see them sometime this week , maybe even tomorrow afternoon , " Chase said as Andy seemed to agree to the idea .
" You both are learning about Reverent well I see , " Saladira said before leaving .
Chase and Andy looked at each other before going back up to the living quarters to allow Chase to put his excess gear and bags down in a better room than the infirmary , before the two went down to the archmagister ' s office .
