After leaving the dense tree line, the group rode north across the open terrain, their horses' hooves thundering against the ground as they approached the majestic, snow-capped mountains in the distance. The air grew crisper, infused with the scent of pine and earth, as the landscape shifted beneath them. After several arduous hours of riding, they finally reached the serrated edge of the mountain range and descended into a narrow ravine, where a crystalline river meandered through, its gentle gurgling music contrasting with the oppressive silence of the towering cliffs.
Devin, with steady hands and a determined expression, guided them expertly around jagged boulders that lined the ravine. Once they cleared the rocky outcrops, he produced a peculiar pendant from within his cloak. The pendant emitted a soft, warm glow, illuminating the surroundings and creating an almost ethereal atmosphere in the fading light.
As if summoned by the light, shadowy figures emerged from behind the boulders, their movements swift and silent. "Oy! You return!" bellowed one of the figures, a burly man adorned in the dark, menacing attire of a Black Rose Mercenary, his eyes glinting with both curiosity and malice.
"Yes! We return with our prize!" Jeremiah announced triumphantly, a proud smile spreading across his face.
The mercenary chuckled darkly, his voice rich with disbelief. "Oh! Never thought I would see a dark elf in my life." He stepped closer, the air thickening with tension.
"You better watch yourself. The Kings Slayer has granted her the right to defend herself," Sims interjected, flashing a mischievous grin at the mercenary.
"Really? That's a shame," one of the mercenaries taunted, taking slow, deliberate steps toward them, a predatory glint in his eyes.
"Like it matters. Looks like this one has a preference for women," Dietrich remarked slyly, sharing a knowing glance with his comrades.
"Huh? Really? I always knew dark elves were fucked up… But that should—" the mercenary trailed off, a smirk playing on his lips before he was abruptly interrupted by the palpable anger radiating from Jeremiah.
"She's NOT for fucking…" Jeremiah rebuked him sharply, his voice a low growl that silenced the group momentarily.
The tension escalated as they found themselves encircled by five men, each towering around six feet, their faces obscured by black masks and their hands gripping weapons with a menacing firmness. Rya felt a shiver of dread crawl down her spine as she registered the threat they posed.
A flicker of defiance ignited within her as she glared at the group, her mind racing with fury. 'Fucking touch me! I dare you! You are all ugly sons of bitches!' she thought, seething inwardly.
Jeremiah, ever cool and collected, broke the tense silence. "Is Rudolf awake?" he asked coldly.
"Aye, he's in the cave planning something. My guess is we are gearing up for an assault on Ironside. He had that same look back when we invaded the Dwarven Kingdom," one of the mercenaries responded, his voice echoing off the rocky walls.
"Good. With this combat slave at our side, we should make short work of Ironside's defenses," Jeremiah remarked, his tone dripping with expectation as he dismounted his horse, the others following suit.
"Yeah… I'll go fetch Rudolf and the rest. We can be on our way shortly," the leader of the group said, turning on his heel and striding toward the mouth of the cave.
"Follow, slave. You will prove useful here," Jeremiah ordered, a commanding tone in his voice that sent a pang of anger through Rya, even as her body obeyed against her will.
'FUCK YOU!' Rya shouted silently in her mind, battling against the urge to submit as she trailed behind the mercenaries like a reluctant puppy dog, dread twisting in her stomach as she contemplated the uncertain fate that awaited them all.
***
Rudolf was sitting in a dimly lit room deep within the caves near Ironside. He was talking to a woman and two men. The woman, a speaker mage named Ivy, was focusing on an artifact, while one of the men stood by as her bodyguard. He was a lean man with a jagged scar running down his cheek, Alac, the one who did the talking. The other, Bruce, was a hulking brute of a man, a massive axe strapped to his back, his presence alone enough to discourage any thought of aggression toward the mage.
"How long is this going to take?" Rudolf asked impatiently.
Alac responded, "Keep distracting her, and it will take longer. Or do you wish to anger Duke Alaric Revelia more after what happened to his son?"
'Tck! Dietrich, you better be right about this dark elf. My life will not end because of your failures!' Rudolf thought to himself as he wanted to make it up to the duke by ending the prince's life for his men's incompetence.
"Fine. Do whatever you need to do," Rudolf said, his voice laced with irritation. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, watching the woman intently.
The air grew heavy with anticipation as she stood at the table, her fingers delicately tracing the contours of the ancient artifact before her. With a few moments' concentration, she began to whisper a spell, her voice barely rising above a murmur. A faint shimmer of mana swirled around her like a gentle breeze, gradually coalescing into the artifact.
Finally, she placed it down on the table, releasing a surge of energy. The artifact pulsed with a vibrant blue glow, illuminating the room in a spectral light. From the swirling particles, a figure emerged, steadily taking shape. Standing no taller than one meter, the apparition resembled an older man, regally adorned as if from a time long past. His face was etched with the fine lines of age, hinting at wisdom and experience; yet his eyes burned with a fierce combination of intelligence and indignation.
"Rudolf... What is the meaning of this outrageous claim regarding my son's untimely demise and the cowardice of my pathetic excuse of a nephew surviving the Tomb of the Horde?" Duke Alaric Revelia's voice was filled with wrath, echoing through the room.
Rudolf took a deep breath, his heart racing under the duke's piercing gaze. "I am truly sorry, Your Grace. It appears I was mistaken concerning the prince's fate. He has a dark elf ally who assisted him in vanquishing the dungeon core and, regrettably, in the process, caused your son's death. If I had been aware of these circumstances sooner, I would have ensured Jeremiah accompanied—"
But before Rudolf could finish, the duke's furious voice thundered over him, drowning out his explanation.
"EXCUSES! MY SON IS DEAD! AND NOW MY INCOMPETENT BROTHER'S SON HAS WON THE FAVOR OF MOST OF THE NOBLES! HE IS ALL BUT GUARANTEED THE CROWN!"
Rudolf tried to compose himself before speaking to the duke.
"Your Grace, I am sorry. We are stealing the prince's battle slave as we speak, and if what my men say about her is true, we'll use her to destroy Ironside and the prince. We'll blame it on the goblins, so the current king is blamed for the failure. At least you will be on the throne when this is all said and done, Your Grace."
"How is all this going to bring back my son?"
Rudolf thought to himself for a moment.
"It will not, Your Grace. But if this dark elf is as powerful as we think she is. We'll give her as a gift to you so you can take the throne." Rudolf said.
"A gift? You still wish to be given lordship over Fiafyr lands?" Duke Alaric asked.
"Yes, Your Grace. I have never been given a chance to rule lands, and I wish to be one of your lords if you still wish to keep our deal."
The duke shook his head. "I will be sending assassins after you if you fail to kill the prince... But I will consider keeping some lesser version of the deal if you do bring the prince's head and give me this dark elf. Do whatever you wish to Ironside. They're mostly dwarves anyway."
'Hmm? So, the duke might keep his end of the bargain? Well, if he doesn't, I might have to use this dark elf on him if he thinks he can assassinate me.' Rudolf thought to himself.
He walked up to the duke and bowed his head.
"It will be done, Your Grace. The Black Roses always come through in the end." Rudolf said.
"You'd better, Rudolf! Failure doesn't look good on you." Duke Alaric warned.
"If you require anything else from me, I shall do what I must to complete our deal," Rudolf said.
With that, the magical connection was halted as Duke Alaric vanished from the artifact.
The woman in the robes opened her eyes and grabbed her artifact.
"I hope you succeed, Lord Rudolf. It usually gets ugly for those who fail the duke," said Alac, the scarred bodyguard of Ivy, the speaker mage.
"Worry about yourself, I'm used to dealing with men of Duke Alaric's ilk. You two should leave if you know what's best for you!" Rudolf said.
The speaker mage and the bodyguard looked at each other and nodded.
"We'd better get going," Ivy said.
"Aye... Lead the way, ma'am," Alac replied, with Bruce falling in silently behind them, his axe glinting in the dim light.
They left the room and walked down the corridor of the cave, leaving Rudolf by himself.
"Tck! So, the toothless lion has nine lives? Well, he's not going to have any left after tomorrow." Rudolf thought to himself.