Chapter 446 - Answers

I didn't have a chance to go over this chapter so please forgive any awkward dialogue and things like that. Hope you like it anyway. I'll gi

I didn't have a chance to go over this chapter so please forgive any awkward dialogue and things like that. Hope you like it anyway. I'll give it a clean up tomorrow so check back then if you'd rather the more polished version. Will leave a comment to say its been done.

• Edit is finished. No significant changes.

Hump opened the door to Aldric. He was almost unrecognisable in commoner’s garbs, a heavy coat over his shoulder, more a street peddler than a wizard.

“Aldric,” Hump said cheerfully. “You’ve arrived far quicker than I expected. How was your trip from Yore?”

“Don’t be quippy with me, lad,” Aldric said, his eyes narrow though Hump saw the hint of amusement in them. “This is Otto, Ash, Karina. I vouch for all of them. Can we come in?”

Otto was a younger fellow, not much older than Hump. He had an olive tan—the kind Hump saw on farmers more so than Chosen or wizards—dark brown eyes that seemed amused at something. Hump caught sight of what could have been the silver handle of a wand on his belt, but it was largely concealed by his coat.

Ash was an older, dreary looking man that met Hump’s eyes with stone cold disinterest. He was squat, but with broad shoulders, and heavy boots. There was a long knife—almost a sword—on his belt. The woman, Karina, was the tallest of them all. She looked about forty, with discerning eyes and a nose like a hark. She bore a slender sword at her side with a curve to it. It seemed like a fine weapon, and a poor match for the rest of her attire. If she was trying to disguise herself as a common merchant or traveller, she was doing a bad job of it.

Hump stepped aside, gesturing for them to enter. “Of course. Do come in. My party are all here.”

“Excellent,” Aldric said cheerfully. “We must speak with them too.” As they shuffled inside, Aldric frowned, taking in the state of the living room. “You always live like such a pig? What did you do to the place?”

“Ah,” Hump said. “I’ll explain that another time.”

Inside, Emilia and Dylan were picking up chairs and clearing the table of the disaster Hump had left behind following his advancement. They offered the arrivals seats, however instead, Hump and his party were told to sit down. Otto and Ash started nosing around the room, checking windows, the backdoor, even the walls, while Karina and Aldric came to stand before them.

“What are they looking for?” Hump asked.

“They are checking for any damage to the enchantments over this house,” Karina said. “A precaution after your recent attack. And also for any new veils that might be in place.”

“There are none,” Celaine said. “If someone was listening or had been here, I would know.”

“We must still check,” Karina said, leaving no room for argument.

“Who might you be?” Emilia asked.

“Karina,” she said flatly, in a tone that indicated she would share nothing else about herself.

Emilia turned to Aldric. “And why, Wizard Aldric, is ‘Karina’ here?”

Aldric sighed. “My apologies for the secrecy. As I’m sure you’ve gathered, I have been part of a special operation here in Elenvine. For the sake of our task, we share little with each other.”

“Did Wizard Charles speak with you already?” Hump asked.

“Yes. I know about Menos. In fact, I had a very good conversation with him before coming here.”

“He talked then?”

“Oh, he talked alright,” Aldric said. “Didn’t even make an effort to hide anything. The man’s a coward. He held nothing back. He is a member of the Silver Circle—the last member, in fact. There were two others before him that still lived, but he tricked them into a ritual in an attempt to turn himself into a lich, the idiot. Two souls—even powerful wizard souls—cannot achieve such a thing.”

“He was the last of them,” Hump muttered. He felt a weight off his chest at the realisation that the Silver Circle was gone. The people that had tried so hard to take the Book of Infinite Pages from his master. They had been a constant burden on his mind, and now they were gone. One less enemy for him to concern himself over.

Celaine gave his hand a squeeze and smiled at him. “It’s good news.”

Hump smiled back. “It sure is.”

“He went into detail on the ambush,” Aldric continued. “The poison you ingested was given to you at the palace. A clever piece of alchemy from the sound of it—the poison was crafted to have a delayed activation, only entering your systems when the right catalyst of essence was applied. Menos mentioned you had a way to nullify it?”

“A general antidote for poison,” Hump said. “Quite an expensive one, but nothing you couldn’t buy at a good apothecary.”

“Good thinking,” Aldric said. “Many would have fallen to such an ambush. I am pleased to see you all in good health.”

“That’s very kind of you, Wizard Aldric,” Bud said, “but enough about us. That bastard made it sound as if the entire city was on the edge of invasion. What of the maps and the talk about other realms. Did it hold any weight?”

“They hold weight, yes. There is truth in what he said. Those maps of his were useful in identifying what we might be up against, but it was nothing we don’t know. Worlds are colliding, and if we’re not careful, ours might not come out looking too good by the end of it.”

“What do you know of the Twelve Seals?” Karina asked.

Her eyes wandered over each of them, but Hump’s party waited for him to answer this one.

“Not much,” Hump said. “After their victory in the War of the Firmament, the Pantheon crafted twelve seals to bind the old gods, presumably to keep them out of our world. The warlocks are trying to destroy them. First, in Sheercliff City, where they took out the Seal of Osidium. Then the assaults across Alveron. And now, with the fall of Fort Nordric, the only one left is in Elenvine. I have heard that when all are broken, the Path to Heaven will be revealed, whatever that means.”

Karina gave a nod of approval. “You’re more informed than most. But you’re still missing a few pieces. The seals weren’t just created to imprison the old gods. During the war, the veil between realms—the very boundary that separates our world from the rest—was torn. The seals weren’t just locks, they were stitches.”

She folded her arms. “And those stitches are coming undone. With eleven seals already destroyed, the last one in Elenvine isn’t strong enough to hold the veil together alone. Whether the Order of Ancients finishes their work or not, the tear will reopen. It could be tomorrow, it could be weeks from now, but someday soon the wound in the veil will open once more, whether the Order of Ancients succeeds or not.”

A cold silence settled over the room.

“You’re saying its too late?” Dylan asked, eyes wide. “There’s nothing we can do?”

“There’s always something we can do,” Bud said firmly. “The gods mended the veil once. They can do it again. We only need to buy them time.”

“Exactly,” Karina said, with a flicker of approval in her voice. “We’re working on ways to reinforce the seal or at least delay the inevitable. And the gods have shown us their support in more ways than one.”

 “How do you know all this?” Emilia asked. “You do not need to tell us your name, but who do you represent? Why are you working with Wizard Aldric?”

“I cannot say.”

“She is clearly Chosen,” Celaine said. “Not a practitioner. I can feel it. and the older man too.” She nodded toward Ash.

Karina narrowed her eyes, but she didn’t deny it.

Hump started to fill in the gaps. There was only one reason he could think of that a Chosen would have such knowledge of the seals.

“You must have been tasked to protect the seals,” Hump said. “That’s why you know so much.”

Karina hesitated a moment and turned to Aldric.

“You might as well tell them,” Aldric said. “We’re here to bring them into the fold.”

Otto and Ash returned to the table after finishing their search.

“Find anything?” Karina asked.

“Nothing,” Otto said with a shrug.

“It is clean,” Ash said.

Otto’s eyes flicked toward Nisha. “I can’t believe you really have a dragon? I thought that was just a rumour.”

Nisha huffed, her tail thudding heavily against the floor. She watched him with sleepy disdain, golden-tipped scales glinting faintly in the light.

Hump raised an eyebrow. “What exactly have people been saying?”

“Enough,” Karina snapped, her voice regaining command. “Focus. You ask who I am. Your assumption is correct. I am part of a group that exists to protect the seals.”

Celaine’s voice was cold. “You haven’t done a very good job.”

Karina didn’t rise to the bait, though the tension in her jaw betrayed her reaction. “There have been many failings, I cannot deny that. But no more.”

Aldric stepped forward. “Kassius is only one threat among many. We’ve found people across Elenvine with their eyes burned out, identical to the attacks that took place in Sheercliff City.”

“Has a Tree of Damnation been discovered?” Hump asked.

“Not yet,” Aldric said. “But we suspect it is only a matter of time. The warlocks have long been at work in Elenvine. It seems likely that they will use our attack on their stronghold in the Remnant Realm as an opportunity to strike us with full force here. That is why I mislead you, Hump. Thousands of soldiers are being deployed to lay the bait to bring that attack to fruition.”

Bud crossed his arms. “What do you need from us?”

Karina met each of their gazes in turn. “You’re to be brought into the operation. From now on, you operate under our directive.”

“And what directive is that?” Emilia asked.

“You will join Prince Gregory’s personal guard,” Karina said. “The royal family have already been targeted by assassins. We believe there will be more incidents.”

“The prince?” Hump said, frowning. “Why would you trust us with such a task? Why would anyone?”

“Prince Gregory has already put in a request for your support,” Aldric said. “We were to approach you in the coming days even if this incident with Menos hadn’t take place. The timing was fortunate in a way.”

Hump’s mind was racing. Why did the prince want them of all people? They had spent some time together in the Remnant Realm, but he hadn’t anticipated the prince to want to work with them directly, let alone for something so important.

“This doesn’t feel like a task we can turn down,” Hump said.

“You know too much now,” Karina said. “The kingdom requires your service, and you will answer the call.”

Hump bit his lip, thinking. He didn’t like that this would put them directly in the action when the warlocks decided to strike, never mind the assassins that they might have to face, but he had seen something in Prince Gregory—a quality that he liked. If he was to be targeted, Hump wouldn’t mind being of help.

“This is our opportunity to remain in Elenvine,” Bud said. “Our chance to fight here and defend the kingdom itself.”

“I must admit, I would feel better staying here with my family,” Emilia said. “If things do truly become bad.”

Hump turned to Celaine and Dylan.

The druid gave a shrug. “Any excuse not to return to the Remnant Realm.”

Celaine nodded. “Agreed.”

“Alright,” Hump said. “We’ll do it.”

“Excellent,” Aldric said. “Then for now, you must come with me.”

“To where?” Hump asked.

“There are people you must meet,” Aldric said. “One of which is Lady Kaisura, first servant of Emirai, and ninth circle Chosen. She is watching over the final seal personally, and after the betrayal of Godfrey, everyone involved in our task must first meet her eyes.”