Author's notes section:
2022-06-01: Hey, here is a preview of the story's next chapter. Please, bear in mind that it is, as mentioned, a preview. Some parts of it might not be included in the final release. I will try to finish this chapter as soon as possible. I would like to clean up some of the tasks in my schedule, and right now, there are many chapters queued there.
2022-06-19: Hey, I'm slowly coming back to this chapter. I will try to finish it tomorrow, but I can not promise that. Hope you enjoy the current plot ;)
2022-06-28: Hey, it is finally finished. To be perfectly honest, finding some time to spare on writing is getting harder and harder recently. Anyways, enjoy the piece :D
Don't forget to comment. I really appreciate your feedback.
Note that the dialogues written in italic are thoughts.
As always, I would like to thank you for everything. See you soon :)
Changelog:
[2022-06-01]: A preview was released.
[2022-06-19]: The chapter was updated; added a couple of hundreds of words.
[2022-06-28]: The chapter was updated, and its final version was released.
Info: Overall, the current plan is for me to write 'My home is where my heart lies' and 'Family tree' alternatively. Between the updates of these stories, I will try to upload other texts. Maybe, just maybe, I will be able to finish some of the short stories. However, I truly doubt that. It seems that most if not all of the stories will be extended both in terms of the time and the number of chapters.
Info: I will try to rewrite some of the older chapters between releasing new ones. I expect to start working on that goal in the middle of January. So, please be informed that the new chapters might take a bit longer to be finished and published.
Bonuses' section:
A new story taking place in the Warhammer 40k universe.
Story of one lost soul: The war call: rewrite.
An entirely new story (possibly Akali x [Irelia, Syndra, Katarina]).
A new short story (Vi x Cait).
An entirely original story (possibly even 2 stories, one taking place in medieval times, the other in the far future)
References:
Avantasia - The Toy Master
Cage The Elephant - Ain't No Rest For The Wicked
*bonuses will be worked on when I don't feel like writing the chapters pointed out in the schedule :D
End of the author's notes section.
Vayne's POV (evening, the same day):
The unexpected walk initiated by Adria lasted far longer than Shauna anticipated. In fact, before they returned to the HQ, the skies already had darkened. Throughout their stroll, they had held a couple of separate conversations. Some of these were connected with the case they were working on. Though some others were far from it. So, in summary, that time could not have been described as wasted.
As the women entered the elevator, Cortana's voice sounded.
"Welcome back, Shauna, dr. Michel," Cortana greeted them. "I must inform you that Miss Tepes has returned, and she would like to have a word with both of you," she added nearly instantly.
"Bad mood?" Vayne asked without sparing a moment to think.
"No," the AI responded cooly. "I would rather say that Miss Tepes wants to share some pieces of information with you. However, I can not guarantee that."
"Thank you for the heads-up, Cortana," Adria uttered quietly. "Where is she awaiting us?"
"In the very centre of the floor," Cortana replied. "She is currently sitting beside the table," she provided additional details.
"Good," the doctor said, nodding slightly.
With that, the conversation died out. Some part of Vayne expected the doctor to speak up, starting some sort of a discussion before they would inevitably face their boss. However, much to her discontent, Adria remained silent. The brown-haired council's agent seemed trapped inside her own mind, troubled by something. Because of that little discovery, the raven-haired officer virtually glued her eyes onto the doctor, trying to read her body language. But unfortunately, before she could unveil anything, the lift reached its destination.
As the doors opened, Adria walked out without uttering a single word or waiting for Shauna. Without other options, the RDT officer followed the council's agent. However, something was apparently out of place. The swift change in the doctor's behaviour only fueled that conclusion. But again, without anything better to do, it was only logical to let the events play, for now, at the very least.
"Ah… you are here, finally," Miss Tepes greeted them with her stone-clod tone before the women could have even entered the room. "I would like to have a word with you. So, be kind and sit up," she added. And… even though the council's leader's words were polite, her tone did not match them.
"Did you discover something more?" Vayne opted to speak up first. "Your last message was quite overwhelming, I must say," she stated, closing the gap toward the table.
"Sadly… I do not have any groundbreaking news in that regard," Akali responded after a moment of consternation. "Why you do not sit, Adria? You look awfully tired," she asked the agent, who stood still a couple steps away from the large furniture.
"Oh… excuse me, I must've drifted away," Adria mumbled. "But… I'll need more of those, Miss Tepes," she added, fixating her gaze upon the council's leader. "Or, maybe I need something stronger."
"Eh," a heavy sigh escaped Akali's throat. "We will talk about that in private, Adria. But, nevertheless, you can count on me; I hope you know that," the whitehaired-woman uttered softly.
"I do," the brown-haired woman replied, nodding slightly.
"So… with that point added to our agenda, let's return to the current problematic situation, shall we?" the white-haired vampire spoke up. "At the given timeframe, we must allow the killer to make a move," Akali started slowly, lowering her voice noticeably. "I know… it is not a good look to allow someone to scheme in relative peace. But, what we currently possess in terms of clues is insufficient, to put it lightly. So, for now, at least, we should focus on smaller cases. There are two outcomes that we can be rewarded by that. First, the optimistic one, some of these minor crimes could be related to the Toymaster, giving us a much-needed intel about the motives, background, etc. On the contrary, the second one is less optimistic. We could potentially not gain any additional information regarding our main problem. Our efforts would not be in vain, but the stalemate would continue."
"You believe the Toymaster would finally make a move, don't you?" Adria commented momentarily. "Miss Tepes, you assume that the impasse from our side would only make that monster far more daring?"
"Atta girl," the council's leader uttered, fixing her currently silver irises on the doctor. "It will not be a clean solution. But, I do believe that whoever has challenged me is not a vague unit. The Toymaster does not play that game for the very first time. Oh… I can only assume that the courage, the bravado, was forged in countless lesser games akin to ours," the vampire added, flashing a mischievous smirk. "The Toymaster is addicted to power. It means a lot to feel like a God for that particular person. And… certainly, having the power to decide whether someone dies or not can feel that way."
"It's horrifying," Vayne commented. "I hope you're aware that our impasse will cost the people's lives."
"It was not a question, Vayne," the white-haired woman said emotionlessly. "But… I must admit that you are right. Because of my inability to make a move, someone will pay the ultimate price. If you think about our situation for a moment, it is not far from a game of chess. The hesitation and lack of strategy often come with a price."
"These lives come with little to no value to you, don't they?" the RDT's officer decided to heat up the conversation. "But, of course, they don't. There are billions of people like these. You can safely sacrifice some for a greater good, don't you?"
"I strongly believe that you getting emotional does not help us in any foreseeable way," the council's leader responded coldly. "Let me turn the tables then, shall we? What would you do, Miss Vayne, if you were me? What would you do with these pieces of information that, as you said in the past, seem shady?" the vampire uttered some questions.
"I'd definitely try to make a difference!" Shauna thundered, overwhelmed by sheer anger and helplessness. "We simply can't allow that Toymaster to lead the game. If it stays this way, more people will inevitably die!" she tried to explain her reasoning.
"That is the clue, Vayne," Akali uttered. "In all possible scenarios I can imagine, we will obtain more pieces with time. But, the problem is that these will come perfunctorily. So, we will never get a clear, complete picture for free. But, that is the nature of the game we unwillingly decided to participate in. And… the master of this game has been already nominated. So, to change it, we need more information, power, shreds of evidence," the vampire said quietly. "It is possible that the Toymaster is uppity, susceptible to the traps, mind games. But, we have currently no possible way to prove this suspicion."
"That basically proves that you're willing to wait with your arms crossed, doing nothing," Vayne commented.
"Shauna," the doctor decided to rejoin the heated conversation. "None of us likes the consequences of that idea. But, on the other hand, we don't have another way to progress through it. So, if you have one, please share it. I'm certain that it will be taken into consideration," Adria tried to cool down the situation. "Shauna, please speak up your mind."
As a quiet growl escaped Vayne's throat, it became painfully apparent that the officer had no better idea. Instead of verbally admitting that the woman turned around, walking off toward her office. With every step taken, she clenched her fists harder, trying to find an effective way of controlling her flurrying rage. But, as much as she wanted to pretend it worked, she could not. Instead of calming down gradually, she only enraged herself more and more. So, the RDT's officer opted to push forward mindlessly. The fewer thoughts ran through her conflicted mind, the better.
It was only a couple moments before the raven-haired woman reached her office. She was conflicted and too angry to comprehend what she had just done. The very first thing her mind registered was the sound when the door was slammed behind her. It was a refreshing feeling as some of her anger could be used. But unfortunately, as expected, the sensation did not last long. And after the brief moment faded, the realisation started to creep in. It was apparent that someone would come to her office sooner or later. Knowing her luck, Vayne was certain it would happen quite quickly. But, there was frankly nothing she could do to postpone the events she had set into motion. All the raven-haired woman could hope for was that it would be Adria who inevitably would approach her.
But, the inherited problem with that reasoning was abysmally apparent. The council's leader would most likely want to deal with the officer herself. After all, Akali was awfully pragmatic in many ways, and she did not stay away from getting her hands dirty. No, that particular woman wanted to have everything under her control and progress toward the goals supervised by her very own eyes.
As a heavy, somewhat ragged exhale happened, the RDT's officer started counting.
"The quicker, the better," Vayne said. Considering that she was the only person in the room, she decided to speak her mind aloud to confront the otherwise overwhelming emptiness and silence. "Please, don't let me wait too long. It's already awful, yet… it can be far worse," she continued after a brief pause.
Once she counted to 200, she opted to walk around. Vayne so desperately wanted to kill as much time as possible. But, alas, she was aware that the council's leader would come at some point, seeking the answers. Nevertheless, the officer felt as if trapped. The office did not feel like safe heaven but more like a prison or courtroom.
One could think that packing between the walls marking the room's boundaries could ease up the mind. But, in all honesty, it did not. On the contrary, the more time the activity consumed, the more stressed the raven-haired woman became. And, it felt as if time was slowing down.
Finally, footsteps echoed throughout the corridor. The stressed officer briefly gazed toward her office's entrance before she sat down to disguise her shaking legs. Then, one additional heavy sigh sounded as the door opened. Vayne managed to count to 1500.
Shauna frowned immediately once she recognised the figure entering the room. Considering her initial speculation, both assumptions turned out to be wrong. However, it was not the worst possibility she could find herself in. It was a surprising turn of events that Akali had chosen Martin Eckstein to deal with the matter she had started.
The raven-haired woman blinked a couple of times before finally accepting that what she saw was real. The stoic German council's guardian seemed a little exhausted, but other than that, Vayne could not read anything out of him.
"She sent you?" Shauna asked first.
"Is it not apparent?" the man responded with a chuckle. "It is not wise to act childishly toward Miss Tepes," he added before casually closing the door and sitting on the available chair.
"It was not… eh… nevermind," the RDT's officer uttered. She considered defending her behaviour for a brief moment, but ultimately, she marked it as a lost cause. "Let's just say that it wasn't my best move," she added, casting down her sight.
"I do think it is an understatement," the ex-commando replied. "But, I wonder whether you would act differently now? Or… do you think that only a form in which you presented your point of view should be changed?"
"It's plain and simple," the raven-haired woman said. "Allowing the innocent to die because of our inability to progress the case is just wrong. There's nothing that can justify that."
"It is far more complicated, is it not?" Martin gently asked. "I do not like the idea of the innocent being put into danger, but what can we do now? As far as I am aware, we do not have a firm lead that would allow us to progress, as you have said. Furthermore, these blades you obtained might be just a dead end. Wrong item in the wrong place in the wrong hands. A simple yet confusing concept. What if the link between the butchery murder and the sexual assault is far bleaker than we think? After all, it is not exactly a groundbreaking discovery that such situations can exist," he continued, keeping his voice calm. "I might not agree with all of Miss Tepes's decisions. But, an overwhelming majority of them were correct. She would not have been a leader of the council if she had been the type of person who drops the ball when pressured. Alas, she has lived far longer than both of us. It would have been a surprise if she had not encountered an event at least remotely relatable to the one we are facing now. I say that you could give her the benefit of the doubt."
"Do I have a say in that regard?"
"You are not pressured into anything; I need to remind you," the German answered simply. "I strongly feel that Miss Tepes would allow you to hide, not to worry about that whole game being played out. But, if you take a step in that direction, there will be no return. You are either in or out. And… considering your emotional commitment toward the case, I dare to say that you would miss out," the man continued, carefully and slowly picking his words.
"So… you're basically a devil's lawyer?" Vayne commented. "All that slick words, comparisons, and examples are placed here to engage me, right? I genuinely wonder what was your main occupation whilst you were the legionnaire?" she asked, lifting her gaze and focusing on the ex-soldier.
"Very well. It only seems fair if I spill a bean regarding my past," the commando trooper replied, clapping his hands. "My primary responsibility was infiltration. As you are obviously aware, not all of the operations that spec ops run require a gun-blazing approach. Sometimes, secrecy is a far more powerful weapon. And… it was a field I and a couple of other commandos felt the most comfortable. There were times when we needed to cross the enemy lines and gather intelligence. However, I need to remind myself it was not always the case. Of course, from time to time, we acted more like negotiators rather than soldiers," the man added, smiling slightly. "Good old times. But, in all honesty, I would not change what I have right now."
"Yeah… I should've expected something like that by now," the raven-haired woman chuckled. To some extent, she found the whole setting ridiculous. But, she could not exactly grasp why. "So… is it safe to say that you're trying to negotiate with me?" Vayne asked, unconsciously returning the German's smile.
"Yes, you can consider our little conversation a negotiation," the guardian uttered, standing up. "I think we concluded the topic, did we not?"
"I think so," the RDT's officer responded. "So… is it all? No consequences, no interrogation, no threats?"
"If Miss Tepes wanted to interrogate you, I think she would come herself," Martin said, readying himself to leave. "On second thought, Miss Tepes wanted you to return to the briefing room. She mentioned something alongside the lines that you would need to receive better training and equipment."
"Ehhh… no rest for the wicked, I presume?"
"I would not count for that," the man uttered. "However, you have a couple of hours to regain some energy. Miss Tepes has already left the building, heading toward the HQ. So, rest as much as you can and come back ready," he told the officer before finally taking his leave.
A few moments passed till the raven-haired woman realised that she was left in her office, alone. Of course, she did remember the clicking sound that had arisen when the door had been closed. However, it was only a fleeting, fading image that seemed to be lost within the madness of her mind.
Akali's POV (the next day, around 2am):
Deep below the council's quarters, there was a room filled with darkness. Within it, many sarcophagi can be found, carefully sealed with solid covers. As footsteps echoed through the stone walls, something cracked or maybe clicked? Then, scratching sounds began filling the emptiness between the boundaries of this realm of darkness. Finally, the solid plates slowly parted away, making a decently sized gap through which rays of the moonlight entered the chamber. Unfortunately, this fragile light source was only sufficient to soak a circle-like platform. However, it seemed just enough for the person who had started the entire sequence.
The white-haired beauty came to light with no hurry. The woman's majestic face remained emotionless, yet a slight, barely noticeable tension ruined the flawless mirror from time to time. Nevertheless, the council's leader seemed unphased, focused on something that only she was aware of. Through the partially fading shadows, more and more details could be seen. It appeared that the sarcophagi were laid on a circular plan as well. Each ring was constructed a step below the previous one, making the platform the construction's final apex.
For a few brief moments, the white-haired vampire stood still, contemplating. Some conflicted emotions ran through the leader's face as if she was not entirely sure whether to commit or not. Akali's left hand changed alternatively from clenched to fully open, depending on the rising tide of emotion within her consciousness. Finally, it seemed that the influential woman had made the final decision. As her right hand vanished between her coat's folds, something snapped. In a moment lasting less than a blink of an eye, Loghain and Duncan seemingly materialised out of thin air.
"I hope you're certain of this decision," Duncan said, unusually cold and stoic. "You, of all the people, should know that some decisions have consequences."
"I presume you share his vision, Loghain?" the council's leader hollowly asked.
"Unfortunately, I do," Loghain responded calmly, extending his right hand toward the white-haired vampire. "Let it go. It is not the time nor the place."
"Eh," a loud sigh echoed through the chamber as Akali let go of the item she held. "Fine," she added quietly.
Then, the woman focused on a sarcophagus in the first ring directly in front of her. For a fleeting moment, one could sware that the sadness overtook the proud vampire. But, as quickly as it had appeared, it faded away, leaving a mask of emotionless behind.
"So… in that case," Akali slowly started. "I do not like wasting time. And… thus, you two, fight me," she growled, leaping forward without hesitation.