Saria sighed gently as she stood before the giant bookcase before her, her mind wandering all over the place as she had a stack of maybe twenty books on a table behind her as she was looking for something, hoping the castle library had what she needed. She had been tasked by Maxwell to look into something for him but she had a feeling that it might be a stretch to do so. ‘Find out what Drazernon did to Inferno, Wesker and Silcia. I don’t believe they are in any real danger, but as their elder siblings we can’t just leave it be. That bastard did something, and we can’t allow it to go unknown.’ Saria remembered, her brother's words echoed in her mind as she scanned each book. “When we fought Ornstein, Lynx had retrieved Inferno from another room, if I remember correctly. And we somewhat knew about the ritual, or at least that’s what I assumed Lynx was talking about that caused that heavy wind. There are so many things I can’t process. We watched Bael kill Alucard, yet he’s alive, and now Maxwell thinks there is something wrong with them? What is that boy getting at?” She wondered out loud, before hearing some nearby noise and movement. She cautiously glanced over curiously, looking to see what might have caused it. She knew she was safe in the castle, but still had herself on guard most of the time, just in case. She quickly turned a corner and bumped into Silcia, the human woman gasping as she fell back and grunted. Saria stumbled back a little but managed to keep her ground as she looked down at the human woman. Silcia grumbled a bit as she stood and dusted off her pure white dress. “Watch it you shrew.” She said, using the first insult that came to her mind without thinking it through, which got a chuckle out of Saria as she rolled her eyes.
“Oh shut it.” Silcia groaned and looked at her sister. “What are you even doing here, it’s rare to find you doing any research outside of your room.” Silcia commented as she went and sat at the table noticing the stack of books, her serious expression becoming a bit more shocked realizing how long her sister was here. “Oh, just looking for something specific, my room doesn’t have all of the answers after all. And I could ask you the same thing, you rarely ever approach a place like this.” Saria remarked as Silcia rolled her eyes in turn, examining a few of the titles and nodding with slight intrigue. “What, just because I act like a proper and stereotypical princess means I can’t show an interest? I get that I don’t usually show it up front but I do enjoy some of the things I have studied back in the other kingdom, before it was destroyed of course. And what specific thing are you looking for?” She pressed on to get an answer out of her sister as she noticed Saria was so engrossed in that singular bookshelf, which seemed to be keeping her focus.
“Well if you want to be so nosey, I am looking for any clues on what your father did to Inferno, per request of Maxwell. He seems very adamant that Drazernon did something to him alongside that ritual that makes him so unique. Or something like that. I don’t press for details, if it’s a research worthy issue I would follow without issue.” Saria explained before realizing she gave away more than she should have a Silcia watched with shock on her face. She took a moment to process that before shaking her head and looking over at the woman once more. “You won’t find your answers here.” she said, suddenly turning very dark and serious as she stood up. “Get your stuff together, we are heading to the remains of Drazernon’s castle, whatever you need will not be here and we need to go right to the source.” She said, as if suddenly taking charge, which took Saria by surprise. She didn’t bother questioning it for now as she figured any help would be good, so she made her way over and followed towards the entryway. “Since it is closer than most kingdoms, it won’t take us long, but we have to hurry and be back before Aunt Nomad catches on.” Silcia said and tossed Saria a black cloak. “And wear this, any lingering demons or residents that foolishly stuck around will notice you in an instance.” She instructed.
Saria was a bit surprised but put it on and tied it around herself carefully, looking at the younger woman. “Why’re you helping me?” She asked finally, as Silcia opened the castle door, and froze at the question, he hand tightly gripping the door, shocking Saria by seeing a few cracks surround her hand on the door, showing that Silcia was stronger than she let on. “Why? That bastard hurt my brother, and if Maxwell actually has reason to believe that it is true, I am going to find out, maybe kick at Drazernon’s grave a few times. I trust you and Maxwell, for now… If Drazernon did anything to Inferno, I will make sure even his grave doesn’t last.” She said and walked out, letting the door go as a few small pieces fell off of it, Saria a bit shocked as she looked out towards her sister. ‘She’s cold, and dangerous. But the moment I mention Inferno isn’t okay, she snaps inside… Just what exactly are you Silcia?’ Saria wondered as she followed her out, closing the door behind her and raising her hood to keep herself undetected as Silcia lead the way. Watching from a distance was Mar, the jackal curious as to where they were going.
“Hmm? What are those two up to?” He asked himself before he quickly leapt into a tree and watched them from there, keeping out of sight. He noticed the two stop to talk for a second, and from reading their mouth movements he could tell they were making sure they were ready to leave. Mar got curious and looked back at the castle. “Maybe I should follow just in case. Silcia was allied with Drazernon before after all. And I don’t want to see Saria getting hurt.” Mar stated and leapt from the trees and got closer to the duo as they left the gate. The Jackal nodded and watched them.
-
Inferno returned to the castle with Marz and Marik after the dragon boy had tired himself out enough to finally need a nap, the two princes chuckling softly seeing Marik doze off and sleep in his father's arms, he was rather cute, and Inferno was thinking just that as he chuckled silently. The trio arrived at the castle as Inferno blinked softly noticing the door pieces on the ground and the cracks, motioning Marz to slow down and stand behind him, as he drew his blade carefully. “Someone might be in there.” He said silently as he approached the door slowly. He crept carefully to the door as he had his weapon ready, Marz keeping his distance as he watched him cautiously, ready to step in if he needed to, but worried since he was holding Marik. Inferno got to the door and without thinking, when it flung open before him, he swung with reckless abandon and screamed to scare the attacker. There was a gasp and the sound of metal hitting against metal as everyone got their bearings straight, Inferno staring wide eyed at what he saw. Draco stood there cluelessly as he held Inferno’s blade in his hand, Lea and Maxwell staring in shock at the situation, Marz chuckling softly as he finally calmed his nerves enough. “Inferno, Why are you trying to hit me?” Draco asked with an unamused look on his face as he left the sword go, Lea chuckling like Marz as this was a bit silly and humorous. “If it was anyone else, you might’ve just taken their head clean off.” Draco lectured as Inferno sheepishly sheathed his sword and scratched the back of his head.
“I saw the door was cracked and there were pieces of wood on the floor and so I thought some bandits got by without anyone noticing, and when you opened the door I was already on edge and ready to fight, so when it opened I was ready to hit whoever was there. Although now I realize how foolish that was knowing there’s no way the guards let someone through that easily.” Inferno said, his face brighter red than normal from embarrassment as Lea laughed seeing that. “Heh, he’s cute when he’s flustered.” Lea teased, making Inferno groan and cover his face as it got even more red, Maxwell placing his thumb and index finger to his forehead in slight frustration at the incident. “Okay, my brothers goofy nature aside, you were right to be cautious Inferno, but you really need to learn to analyze the situation better. There isn’t an intruder thankfully, but it seems someone might’ve been putting a bit too much pressure on the door.” Maxwell stated as he went on to examine the door, showing that was what they were doing before Inferno freaked out. “If I had to guess, it was someone walking out of the castle, as the pressure shows the palm of one's hand was inside and the fingers were outside, so there’s a good chance it was someone leaving to go to town or the noble district.” Maxwell assumed as he stood up and looked at the others, before an idea struck. “Inferno, Marz, did anyone pass you on the way by?”
“Uh, not that I recall, I saw Mar on patrol, and Raigh was walking around town with Marianne. Given the look on his face he didn’t want to be shopping for dresses like that, so maybe he was mad and smashed part of the door?” Inferno guessed, making a slight joke as the others ignored it, immediately shooting him down. “As for me, I saw the same, but I also saw Silcia and some cloaked figure wandering towards the gate, So maybe it was an intruder and Silcia caught him but is letting him go?” Marz reasoned curiously as Maxwell shook his head. He thought and put his hand to his chin as he did. “There is no way our sister would just let a man go like that, she would kill on sight if allowed. But a cloaked figure is concerning, because that just means there is someone else in the picture that we don’t know about.”
Lea listened before gasping and looking at them. “Could it be that demon you were talking about your highness?” Lea asked Maxwell, referring to Nelvona, the demon Thanatos nearly lost to. The rest all looked in shock and concern now as Lea spoke, now realizing how likely of a possibility that is. “You may be onto something Lea, but we can’t jump to any conclusions just yet.” He spoke as Lynx walked up, bowing before addressing everyone. “If I may interject, I was listening, which I apologize for, but Lea might be right on the nose, but not in the way you are thinking. Silcia was talking about Drazernon, from what I was able to gather when I was eavesdropping in on the foyer earlier, but I couldn’t fully tell who she was with. There is a chance she is going to Drazernon’s kingdom to revive Drazernon to try and kill him again. So the cloaked figure could be that demon, and maybe she made a deal with Silcia?” Lynx tried as he was showing he was slipping in his skills, but the fact they now knew it was Silcia was a step in the right direction.
“Everyone, go meet in the training hall, after Marz puts Marik down for his nap of course, and I will see you all there. I am going to discuss this with father. If what Lynx says holds much ground, I will tell you our next course of action. Dismissed. Maxwell said as he turned and walked away, the group looking at one another before nodding, Lea going with Marz to help put Marik to bed, while the other three headed off to the training hall. Lynx stopped for a moment and grabbed Inferno by the arm, and sighed. “Listen, I need to tell you something Inferno. Remember when I saved you from the ritual?” He asked, suddenly growing very serious, Inferno looking back in worry as he nodded. “Yes, of course, I owe you my life.” Inferno said. Lynx’s hand shook for a second, as his heart raced suddenly. “Listen… When I saved you, there was more to what I had to do. To the others, it seemed flawless and seamless, but…” Lynx froze and looked down, before shaking his head and letting Inferno go. “Just… Promise me you won’t die if we do end up facing Nelvona, okay?” Lynx said, hiding something, Inferno could see right through his defenses, but he didn’t want to push. “I promise, but you do the same.” Inferno said before catching up to Draco. Lynx chuckled, as a few tears left his eyes and slid down his cheeks, streaking his face as he chuckled. “Dammit… You don’t make this easy, do you Inferno.” Lynx said before coughing a little bit, and wiping his eyes. He shook his head and ran up to them, ready to train. ‘You don’t make this easy.’
-
Judas sighed as she groomed back her long silver hair, looking into the mirror and nodding softly as the sun finally set on the city, and she was now going out to do some talking at night to get some info on anything useful. She tied her hair back with a red ribbon, and she smiled softly standing up and heading for the door. Despite being a demon, Judas liked to make herself presentable to the people around her. She closed the door behind her and made sure it locked before stopping to talk to the innkeeper once more. The elderly man smiled at her and waved softly. “Good evening, I hope you rested well after that little bout outside. You sure clean up quite nice.” He complimented her genuinely as Judas smiled warmly. “Thank you sir, I did rest well. I just figured if I am going to go around town and talk to people, I would at least not look like the horrid demon I am.” She said, as she was accepting of the fact people looked down on her for her species, but this man was definitely different to her. He chuckled softly and nodded in understanding as he watched her. “Well, I don’t speak for everyone, but I don’t care that you’re a demon. You are quite the beautiful young woman, and you’ve shown to be a good individual, when you took care of the rowdy crowd earlier.” The innkeeper told Judas, which actually helped make her relax more.
“Your words are kind sir, and I appreciate them. It actually gives me a little hope for the world, since most people would rather shun a person for what they look like, or what their species is.” Judas said, letting her thoughts out as she thanked him. The two shared a gentle smile as Judas walked out into the town and glanced around. It was a lot quieter now than it was earlier in the day, which was a bit surprising to Judas, as she expected it to be more lively given people were seen to drink much sooner, meaning the night would’ve been expected to be livelier, but she felt it was better this way as she silently walked towards the center of town to start hear little quest for info, just to help her for the rest of her journey to Elderitch. She got to the center of town and it was a nice little roundabout path, in the center a beautiful yet small garden of flowers of varying colors and looks. Judas smiled gently as she admired the garden, as night owl people wandered the streets around her. After some seconds of admiring, the silence she was in broke with a gentle voice. A woman, human, with long black hair, and soft blue eyes approached her. “Quite the sight isn’t it? The kids at the school put together this little garden to make this dreary town a bit more appealing. I think it works, wouldn’t you agree?” She asked, as Judas smiled and nodded. “Oh, definitely. The kids have an eye for beauty.” Judas said as she knelt a little and examined one, a pink tulip. Judas gently touched its petals with a soft hand. “Tulips, especially the pink ones, they’re actually my favorite. My father says I was born near a field of them. They signify happiness and confidence.” Judas explained, much to the woman’s pleasant surprise at how knowledgeable Judas was.
“I have read that. The legend is different from region to region, so I hope this doesn’t offend you, but is it true a demon's personality and lifestyle can mostly be predetermined by when, and where they are born?” The woman asked, sounding genuinely curious, rather than attacking Judas. Judas smiled softly, showing she was fine with the questioning as she thought for a moment, to get her thoughts straight before answering. “The legend does vary, but what you say holds some truth. My father always told me that the reason I am so confident and protective of the one I was raised to follow is because of the type of flower that he associates with my birth. Not all demons follow this mentality though, as some cultures just don’t have a story and demons are raised to be attackers, hate filled monsters. My father was once one of them, until he met my mother. I don’t know the full story but my father says his parents raised him as a cold blooded killer, despite being born under a circumstance that would be calm, and peacekeeping.” Judas explained shorthand, just from memory. The woman with her listened intently and was quite intrigued by Judas and her knowledge. Judas sat on a nearby bench and offered the woman to sit by her to learn more if she so wished. “Thank you for your insight, I was honestly just curious because when I saw you were a demon, something in me was yelling for me to get a question answered. This town used to be a peaceful haven for demons and anyone hated on for their kind of species, you know?”
Judas looked at her with a little shock expressed on her face, as she was now caught up in this topic. “A safe haven you say? What happened to it?” She asked curiously, leaning forward a little as she clasped her hands together, fingers laced as she gently rested her head on them and looked to the woman, to get comfortable to listen to her story. The woman took a moment of silence, breathing slowly as she prepared herself and looked to Judas. “The owner of the orphanage, Fawkes. Some of the details are hazy, or just no longer remembered, but some say he has been here for over a decade, and has led a resistance against anyone who wasn’t human. I am unsure why, but no one ever seems to fight back against Fawkes, no matter what he does. Those of us who actually care for others despise him, but because he keeps the orphanage running, we are afraid to fight back, living in fear of what will happen to the kids.” She said, her voice softening as she let a few tears escape her eyes, Judas gently sighing as she listened. “Protects the orphanage huh? Yet I had to witness that young man getting assaulted by those older men. What kind of place is this that they let people get abused and harassed just because they’re an orphan.” Judas said, in anger.
The human woman gently moved her hair out of her face and looked to Judas once more, after wiping her eyes to clear the tears. “That also has an explanation. Most people know Fawkes is a horrible person, and it isn’t because they are orphans that they get hurt, or harassed, it’s because Fawkes uses the kids to do his dirty work. People have grown to hate the orphans for it, and because they can’t get to Fawkes, they take their anger out on the kids. The poor children… I even saw one kicked to death by someone. Even though he was caught and executed… the fact we have let the world become this is horrible.” The woman said gently, her voice shaking and breaking as Judas gently placed one of her hands on her shoulder in comfort. Judas nodded softly as she resolved herself in her mind. “What is your name?” Judas asked her, the woman looking to Judas in surprise, before shakily answering. “My name… it’s Belladonna.” She told her softly, as Judas nodded and stood, smiling gently at her.
“It won’t be immediate, but I want to help you guys Belladonna. I am Judas, the royal guard of prince Ashford of Sanctuary. When I get back home from my mission, I will inform his majesty and his father what is happening here and I promise you, I will make sure Fawkes gets brought to justice. Trust me.” Judas said, showing a sincere, gentle smile as Belladonna jumped up in joy and quickly hugged Judas, smiling now. Judas was taken by surprise and stared for a second before gently hugging back, before the finally broke it. “Thank you so much Judas. I will keep my head high until the time comes. To think, the world frowns on people like you. You are a wonderful person Judas, don’t let the world hurt you and drag you down.” The woman said, before realizing what time it was as it was now dark and the street lights had finally turned on. She gasped and looked up. “Goodness me, I didn’t realize how long we had been talking. If you would excuse me, I have to get home quick. Stop by the bar before you decide to leave town, and we can talk a little more. And bless you and your kind heart.” She said and quickly ran off towards the western side of town. Judas smiled gently as she watched the woman fade from sight, gently placing a hand over her heart and chuckling. “This world is so strange, sometimes it’ll make me feel unwanted by people… and sometimes, I meet people like her.” Judas said as she made her way off and looked around some.
Judas started making her way away from the garden, before hearing the sound of a portal opening. She blinked in surprise and hid behind a corner and looked to see Alucard walk out and look around, closing the portal behind him as he walked around. Judas recognized his face and grunted as she knelt down to keep out of sight. “Damn, this can’t be. Alucard? I thought he died when Ashford and Maxwell raided Drazernon’s castle.” Judas said in disbelief as she watched him, and noticed he was talking to a kid in an alleyway. She focused her sight and noticed that he was talking to Kimbley, which made her grow worried. Judas stood up and started walking towards them, but stayed behind anything she could. She soon got behind a tree and listened in, curious to what he was talking to a child for. She listened closely. “Kimbley Argen, was it? I’m not here to cause a problem, I am just interested in what you can do with your little magic acts.” Alucard said, Kimbley watching him skeptically as he watched Alucard, slowly easing to the man, Judas watching curiously. “My acts? Sorry man, I am not really doing it at the moment, I am currently a bit banged up and bleeding some.” Kimbley said as he was getting ready to walk away, but Alucard however gently grabbed his shoulder. Alucard’s paw gently started to shine as Kimbley gasped, before looking and coughing, but the blood wasn’t coming out anymore like earlier.
“What did you just do?” Kimbley asked in awe as he watched the crazy wolf, who just chuckled. “Now, do you feel like showing me?” Alucard asked as Kimbley watched him curiously, but did pull out the cards and pulled over an old cardboard box, setting it out and gave the little act to him like he did Judas, and Alucard watched. Judas kept an eye on the pair and noticed that once the trick reached the peak, Kimbley’s hand was almost invisible, and she would’ve been deceived if she was in Alucards spot, she was a bit surprised he took her words to heart. Alucard chuckled once more as he had already caught onto the trick but decided to play this in his favor, and chose wrong, but Judas could tell by his eyes that he knew. Kimbley was surprised and smirked and flipped it over. “To bad man, good try though.” He said as he took the gold Alucard gave for the trick. Alucard nodded and turned to start walking, but glanced at the kid. “War could use people like you Kimbley. The name is Alucard. If you ever want to learn more about how to get your powers to actually become worthwhile, I am always around, just got to look for me.” He said as Kimbley looked at him confused. “You keep saying powers, you and someone else said it. What do you mean?” Kimbley asked, confused, as it was just a simple party trick to him, not thinking much of his speed. Alucard just chuckled and walked towards where Judas was hiding, Kimbley sighing but accepting that and leaving to head back to the orphanage.
Judas grunted as Alucard walked around and looked at Judas. “You were quite good at keeping yourself hidden. I could always use someone like you.” Alucard smirked, but sighed constantly. “However, I know you serve another.” Alucard said and just left it at that, catching Jufas off guard. She sat down for a second to think. ‘Just what is he getting at? That was something I was not expecting. If Alucard is saying Kimbley has an actual power, is that speed not just practice? Kimbley might be worth keeping an eye on.” Judas said as she thought to herself, looking around realizing how late it had gotten at this point. “For now, I think I need to get back to my room and sleep. I have a long road ahead of me to meet the Elderitch Royal Family.” Judas said softly to herself as she made her way back to the Inn now in complete and somewhat painful silence.
Inferno_the_dragon_wolf
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