Legacy 207: The Perks of Being a Warlock
Part 3
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Worried that her cover would soon be blown, Grace hurried her way across the dance floor after Izzy. The young witch had somehow managed to get into the club, but she had no idea what she was dealing with. Grace needed to stop her before she ruined everything. Wulfric could not discover she was there yet, not until she had actually formed a plan to deal with him. Grace managed to reach Izzy right before she reached the stairway to the balcony and grabbed her wrist. The young witch spun around with a potion in hand, though she stopped when she saw Grace.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Izzy asked.
"I could ask you the same thing." Grace retorted. "Follow me."
Grace dragged the young witch a booth in the corner, where they could talk in private, and pushed her into one of the seats. A few demons glanced in their direction, but left them alone.
"How did you get in here?" Grace asked.
"I figured out how the invitation works." Izzy replied. "All it required was a drop of blood."
"You used your own blood?" Grace asked. "You idiot, that means Wulfric knows you're here. You were walking into a trap."
"Wait, what?" Izzy asked shocked. "Oh God, I should have realized."
"We need to get you out of here." Grace replied.
"No, I'm not going anywhere. I have an innocent to protect." Izzy said. "Wait, if the invitation requires blood, how did you get in here? Warlocks don't bleed."
"I… used a demon to get around that." Grace quickly lied, realizing that she had completely forgotten the fact that she didn't even bleed anymore.
"So what are you doing here?" Izzy asked. "You made it clear that you didn't want to get involved."
"I changed my mind." Grace replied.
"Why?" Izzy asked.
"That's my business." Grace said.
"You're bad at making friends, you know." Izzy noted. "So what's your plan?"
"I haven't decided yet." Grace admitted. "But things got a little more complicated after we went our separate ways. Wulfric sent another warlock after you, but he found me instead."
"What happened?" Izzy asked.
"We talked for a bit, he offered to work together." Grace replied. "Said something about warlocks needing to stick together and stuff, considering everyone hates us."
"Do you think you can trust him?" Izzy asked.
"No, I turned him down." Grace said. "But after he left, I starting to think about what he said. About what it means to be a warlock. I guess I'm looking for the same things as you, to know what I am."
"So you understand after all." Izzy replied.
"I think I do." Grace said. "And we can find answers, but first we need to take care of Wulfric. He knows a witch is protecting the businessman."
"Don't worry, he's safe." Izzy replied. "I knocked him out with a sleeping potion and put a cloaking spell around him."
"That's not very good witch-like." Grace remarked.
"Well, he was getting on my nerves." Izzy said as she rolled her eyes. "Besides, being a good witch doesn't mean I have to be nice all the time."
"You're not what I expected." Grace noted. "Going after Wulfric alone, knocking out an innocent. I guess your warlock blood is strong."
"Don't get any ideas." Izzy replied. "I'm not looking to become a warlock, I just want to know more about where I came from. If only my parents wanted to talk about it."
"Family can be very frustrating." Grace noted.
"Definitely." Izzy said. "So how are we going to handle this?"
"We need to get up to that balcony." Grace replied.
"Maybe I can help with that." A masculine voice said.
Grace turned around and saw Asher standing by their booth, staring at her with those pretty eyes of his. She wondered if he had been following her since the restaurant or if he had expected her to show up at the club. Either way, she wasn't sure whether or not to trust him yet. He could be the key to the answers they were looking for, or sell them out to Wulfric in a heartbeat.
"Is that him?" Izzy asked.
"Probably, unless Grace is talking to more handsome warlocks besides me." Asher remarked with a smile. "I'm Asher, and you must be the witch I'm looking for."
"I'm not just a witch." Izzy replied. "And I think you mean arrogant, not handsome."
"I see, I thought I sensed something as I was tracking your magic." Asher noted as he sat down. "You have warlock blood, don't you?"
"Maybe I do." Izzy said. "But that doesn't mean I don't trust you."
"That's usually a smart move." Asher admitted. "But in this case, I'm your best bet at getting out of here alive. Wulfric has already put his guards on high alert."
"So you want us to believe you're on our side?" Grace asked.
"I could have already told Wulfric you were here." Asher said. "But then after he had vanquished you, he would have done the same to me."
"So why work for him?" Izzy asked.
"He has something I need." Asher replied. "Something I've been looking for a while now."
"And what is that?" Grace asked.
"The location of the Blackwell vault." Asher said. "It contains information that we are all seeking."
"Blackwell." Grace whispered shocked. "I know that name. A warlock named Anders Blackwell murdered my aunt years ago."
"I know." Asher admitted.
"Are you one of them?" Grace asked bitterly. "Is that the legacy you're trying to rebuild?"
"No, I'm not a Blackwell." Asher replied. "But they were one of the most powerful warlock families that ever existed. Their knowledge about our kind and our history is unmatched. We can't let that knowledge be forgotten."
"It could be what I've been looking for." Izzy noted. "To know where I come from, where we all come from."
"And what we need to finally change things for the better for warlocks everywhere." Asher added.
"This all sounds too good to be true." Grace noted. "A vault containing everything we're after? And Wulfric just happens to know its location?"
"He shouldn't have that information." Asher said. "He stole it and keeps it hidden from warlocks because he sees us a threat to his little empire."
"So what are you suggesting?" Grace asked.
"We work together." Asher replied. "Wulfric still thinks I'm working for him, we can use that to our advantage. He already knows the little witch is here, so I can pretend to turn her in while you slip into his office and get what we need."
"No, it's too dangerous." Grace said. "Wulfric doesn't trust you. He'll see right through it."
"Then what do you suggest?" Asher asked.
"You said it yourself, this is his empire." Grace replied. "Everyone in this club either owes Wulfric or wants something from him. We use that against him to create a little chaos."
"You want to start a bar brawl." Izzy noted.
"How do you intend to do that?" Asher asked with a frown. "There is a strict no violence policy. Every demon here is too scared of Wulfric to break it."
"Well, we're not demons." Grace replied. "We're warlocks, meaning we have something that most demons don't. We can cast spells."
"Interesting." Asher noted with smirk. "These demons are greedy and quick to anger, all they would need is a little push to set them off."
"Exactly." Grace said. "I'm sure we can whip up a spell if we work together."
"Are you sure we can trust mister Abercrombie warlock?" Izzy asked.
"Right now, we're all after the same thing." Grace said. "He could always stab us in the back later, but not while we're still dealing with Wulfric."
"Look Grace, I meant what I said at the restaurant." Asher replied. "A warlock can only truly depend on another warlock. We can do this together. The little witch can tag along."
"It feels so good to be part of a team." Izzy remarked.
"Izzy is with me." Grace said protectively.
"Alright." Asher replied. "I'll follow your lead."
Grace nodded and grabbed a piece of paper to write down a spell. Although she was an art major during her time in college, she had also taken a couple of boing poetry classes. Luckily, she had picked up a few things, allowing her to quickly put together a workable spell. She copied it for the others and passed out the papers. At her signal, they all cast it.
"Let our whispers inspire those that desire,
Fortune and power from forces higher.
As the music fills their minds with greed,
Make them forget the rules they heed."
After casting the final words of the spell, streams of pink mist began to spread across the club. As demons inhaled the mist, their eyes shined for a moment and their demeanor changed. A Brute demon snarled in anger and flipped over a table, after which he grabbed a power broker and crushed his skull. Meanwhile, other demons quickly began collecting the power spheres that fell on the floor. Demonic guards tried to intervene, leading to an all-out brawl that quickly spread across the entire club. In the chaos, Grace saw Krimm duck under a table after grabbing some spheres.
"Nice work." Asher said. "Come on, we need to move."
"Lead the way." Grace replied.
Asher got up and made his way through the crowd, carefully avoiding the fighting while Grace and Izzy followed. From the corner of her eye, Grace saw a ninja-like demon aim a throwing star at Izzy, so she quickly pulled the young witch aside. The throwing star barely missed her and hit the wall, after which Izzy threw a light dart at the demon to vanquish him.
"Thanks." Izzy said.
"Don't mention it." Grace replied.
As they reached the balcony stairs, Asher took cover when Wulfric and his redheaded girlfriend rushed down to stop the fighting. Once they were out of sight, the group continued their way up the stairs and found themselves face-to-face with a single remaining guard. Asher glared at his direction, firing two bolts of green energy from his eyes that pierced the demon's chest. The guard fell down and disintegrated, leaving only dust behind.
"That's a gypsy power." Izzy noted concerned.
"It is." Asher admitted. "I'm a warlock, I did what I had to do to survive."
"We don't have time." Grace said. "I don't care how you got your powers, let's find what we're looking for."
Grace entered the modern and luxuriously designed office and started snooping around. The others followed her lead and spread out. Grace had no idea what she was looking for, but she hoped that she would recognize it once she saw it. After going through the desk drawers, she sat down in the chair and carefully scanned the office. There had to be something that stood out. Her eyes landed on a wall with medieval weapons. One of the battle axes was a little crooked. Considering the entire office was neat and organized, that seemed out of place.
"The axe." Grace said.
Standing closest to the wall of weapons, Asher walked over to the axe and put it straight. There was a slight tremble and a door magically appeared on the other wall.
"Good eye." Asher noted.
Grace smiled as she got up from the stair and headed through the door with the others. They entered another room that looked like a museum hall, filled with artifacts and pieces of art. Grace recognized several pieces from world renown artists and wondered how Wulfric had acquired such a rare collection. As she looked around in amazement, Asher headed to a file cabinet and started searching through the records.
"Found it." Asher said as he held up a file labeled with the Blackwell name.
"Great, let's get out of here." Izzy said. "I have a feeling our luck is about to run out."
Izzy was suddenly hit by an invisible force that rippled through the air, causing her to crash into the back wall and fall unconscious. Grace prepared a fireball and she turned around and saw Wulfric and the redhead enter the room. Both tall and gorgeous, they looked like a pair of perfectly styled, dangerous giants.
"I knew you would betray me, warlock." Wulfric said.
"It was only a matter of who made the first move." Asher replied. "You were never going to give me a real opportunity."
"True." Wulfric admitted. "I don't work with warlock scum."
"Let's deal with them quickly." The redhead snarled. "We still have to clean up their mess downstairs."
"Easy, Lena." Wulfric replied as he looked at Grace. "I must admit, I'm curious. At first, I thought that witches had gotten in the way of killing my innocent, but now I see we're dealing with another warlock. Who are you and why did you sneak into my club?"
"The name is Grace." Grace said. "And I'm here for a simple reason, you have something I want."
"The Blackwell file?" Wulfric asked as he glanced at the file in Asher's hands. "You risked your life and ruined my evening for some warlock folklore?"
"It's not folklore." Asher countered. "This is the history of warlocks that you've hidden."
"Why do you even have it?" Grace asked.
"Look around, my dear." Wulfric said. "I like to collect rare things. Power, art, knowledge. Anything that is worth brokering."
"You're lying." Asher replied. "You want to keep the true history of warlocks hidden because you see us as a threat."
"Very funny." Wulfric laughed. "You warlocks are nothing but lowly bottom feeders, you always were and always will be."
"Then you won't mind if we take the file and go." Grace suggested. "Since we're not a threat."
"I'm afraid I can't do that." Wulfric replied. "You tried to steal from me, took my innocent, killed my demons and broke the cardinal rule of my club by starting the chaos downstairs."
"And all that by a couple of warlocks." Grace noted with a smirk. "Must be pretty humiliating."
"Lena, dispose of them." Wulfric ordered coldly.
The redhead let out a scream and shot forward in a blur of speed. Before she had a chance to react, Grace was tackled and pinned to the ground. As Lena tried to slash at her, Grace telekinetically sent her crashing into the ceiling. Meanwhile, Asher fired several optic bolts at Wulfric, though the demon easily repelled them with a force blast. Grace crawled up and tried to get to Izzy, but Lena got in her way.
"You're going down, warlock." Lena said.
"I'm confused." Grace remarked. "Are you Wulfric's girlfriend or his guard dog?"
Lena screamed angrily and charged at Grace, though this time she was prepared. Grace raised her hand and sent the redhead flying back into the wall. She prepared a fireball to vanquish her, though Lena unleashed a sonic scream, shattering several glass displays and forcing Grace to cover her ears. Lena shot forward and grabbed Grace by the throat, lifting her up in the air. Asher tried to intervene, though he was stopped by Wulfric.
"Any last words?" Lena asked.
"Yeah." Grace replied as she saw movement behind her. "Down girl."
Lena growled and went in for the kill, but gasped when a dart of light suddenly pierced her stomach. She fell to the ground and Grace saw Izzy standing behind her.
"I owed you one." Izzy noted.
"Lena!" Wulfric yelled out.
The power broker angrily raised his hands and unleashed a force blast that knocked everyone back. He ran to Lena and kneeled down beside her to check on her. Grace got up and formed a fireball to end it, but Asher grabbed her arm to stop her.
"This is our chance, we have to go." Asher said.
"He is right." Izzy added. "His guards could be here any moment."
Grace nodded reluctantly and put out the fire, following the others as they ran past Wulfric and back to the club. As they reached the stairs, they saw the guards were still dealing with the chaos of their spell, allowing them to slip past them to the exit. As they reached the door, Grace saw Krimm had been waiting for them.
"Grace, you made it." Krimm said excited.
"And you're not affected by the spell." Grace noted with a frown. "How is that possible?"
"Oh, I'm not much of a fighter." Krimm admitted.
"We need to go." Asher said. "Open the door."
"Right." Krimm replied. "I managed to steal some powers thanks to your spell, so I guess that concludes our business then?"
"It does." Grace said. "Thanks, Krimm."
The reptile demon smiled and opened the door for them, after which he leaped through. Izzy and Asher then went through while Grace went last. As she looked over her shoulder, she saw Wulfric glaring at her from his balcony. She hoped the Blackwell file would lead them to something useful, as they had just become the most wanted fugitives in the Underworld.
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As the door closed behind the pretty warlock girl, Wulfric turned around and headed back into his office. Lena was lying on the sofa as her injury was being tended to by a demonic healer.
"You were lucky." The healer said. "The dart missed your vital organs. Don't forget you are part human, child."
"I don't need a reminder." Lena snapped at him. "I would have been fine without your help. I won't let you down again, Wulfric."
"You'd better not." Wulfric replied.
The healer put a foul-smelling paste on the wound, causing it to quickly heal. Wulfric turned and went to oversee the cleanup of his club. He needed to do damage control. This little incident would harm his reputation unless he dealt with it quickly and discretely. The Underworld could not learn that he had been bested by warlock scum, so he would take care of it personally.
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