The Corruption- First Draft

Chapter 2

The inside of the castle floor was made of cobblestone, and no stairs were present, just semi-steep inclines. Havre had Jaryn riding on top of her back as he was getting woozy. They entered the infirmary; it was mostly devoid of life but cluttered with empty vials and jars, and an oddly pale human who was writing something down.
"Afternoon, Auli. I don't know if you saw, but my friend got into a fight and he needs medical care."
Auli looked to the two and nodded. "Sit him on the cot, I'll take care of him. I saw everything that happened, who was that? He looked like an ivierae, but. Usually they're like, not murderous?" she said, walking over to a nearby cabinet to grab a blue coloured potion. At that point Ryo had limped in. He had a gash in his side.
"Ryo, are you okay? What happened?" Jaryn asked as Havre helped him off.
'I, I caught up to him, but, he. Pulled a dagger on me. Bastard got away,' he explained in a huff. Havre stopped Jaryn from standing back up, and sat him down.
"Don't worry, we'll track him down, eventually," Jaryn said, pulling out the folded paper. "I found this after you started chasing after that elf. It makes sense now why he was by himself- he's a Benoist. Lennon Benoist, to be specific."
"That surname sounds familiar. That's theeee, uh, ivierae family who owns that demon embassy, right?" Havre asked. She helped grab a few ingredients for Auli, who mushed it up in a bowl mixed with the blue potion.
"His grandparents own it, but I'm pretty sure he left that a long time ago. I hear it was because he felt too entitled to have a job. But rumours aside, this'll probably help us figure out what the Hell is going on," he mentioned, teeth grinding. He opened up the paper to read it out loud.
｢Lennon Benoist,
Go with Kyazf to Symilf after you're done with your tasks, in the usual meet up spot. From there we will work out a plan to get your brother back by the time he and Lord Cassius come to the city for that meeting with the Highking on the 7th of Feyo. Your timing is of utmost importance. Kyazf has a spell in his wand to get you both back, aim for the 30th of Mereo at the latest.
-Ilflurer｣
"Ilfurer? I've never heard a name like that before," Auli mentioned, soaking a piece of cloth in the potion.
"It's the Silmfein word for butterfly," Jaryn murmured, his fist clenched.
'You can't seriously be assuming that butterfly from earlier is connected to this, are you?' Ryo asked, knowing exactly what he was thinking.
"Of course I am, this is all way too conveniently lined up for there not to be a connection, Ryo. Where have you seen purple butterflies flying around?" He asked, pointing his finger at him.
Havre and Auli looked at each other confused, before Havre grabbed a needle and some horse tail hair from a cabinet and walked over to Jaryn. "I, uh, didn't realise you could speak to animals. It's a neat gift," she said softly, laying him on his stomach to begin stitching the wound.
"You didn't know that? All orcs have that ability, they're spiritually bonded to foxes at birth," Auli said, blotting the damp cloth on the gashed skin and grabbing a needle.
Havre's face went red from embarrassment, and murmured a sorry. Jaryn paused and winced over the needle entering his flesh. "It's, it's fine. I'm sure you- don't get many orc visitors."
"I hope you don't mind me asking, but what on Mirthae were you talking about with the purple butterfly?" Havre asked.
He sighed, "Earlier today I saw a purple butterfly in my dreams. The.. mocker swallowtail I think it's called. It just gave me the odd feeling that someone died, and. I guess I was right, with," he trailed off.
"Your brother?" She answered, prompting him to nod. "I see. I've always read that purple butterflies were meant as a sign of wealth or luck, but. Maybe it was an agent of the Dark Lord?" She suggested, tying up the thread to finish off the suturing and dabbing his head with a cloth soaked in the healing potion.
"It must be. Anyways, uh, you said you're a governor right? Are you in contact with any Queens, or even the Highking himself? Maybe they know the Benoist family and can help us figure out what's going on."
"Yes actually, I'm in contact with the Queen of Jyalb, but I doubt she knows the Benoists very well."
"Then let's talk to her and see if she'll help you guys get in contact with the Highking. I know he frequently has meetings with Cassius to make sure the demon embassy runs smoothly," Auli informed, wrapping a clean cloth around Ryo's body as she already finished the stitching.
"Right, I'll have my butlers ready a carriage for us," Havre said.
"How far is the Queen?" Jaryn asked.
"Only 15 minutes by carriage. I'd suggest walking, but it's probably not the best idea to walk with your injuries," she said, leaving the room to arrange a ride.
"I'm gonna stay behind. I'm sure the other nurses are going to need my help patching up everyone attacked by Lennon, and, I don't do well in the sunlight," Auli mentioned, awkwardly rubbing the back of her neck. "But in the meantime, I'll pack together some medical supplies for you and your brother. Make sure to reapply the potion every ten hours until your wounds start to scar, okay?"
"Will do," Jaryn said.
After arranging the ride, the three set off to the capital, Blansade City. Havre, along with a servant, pulled the carriage holding a couple of bags of food and medical equipment, as well as the two brothers. They travelled northwest towards the capital. They all sat in silence, despite the thoughts racing through their heads. Ryo curled up to Jaryn.
After several minutes, they made it to an enormous stone wall with two centaurs guarding the gate. Both tipped their helmets to Havre. "Greetings, your excellency. What brings you to the capital today?" one guard asked.
"Good afternoon! I need to speak with Queen Esanai. I got a couple passerby's today with vital information about that butterfly killer," Havre said.
The two perked up. "Really? That's such a relief; she's going crazy in the castle trying to get clues with Sir La'et," the other guard said.
"Sir Akae is here? Oh perfect, we must see him then!"
The guard then wrote something down on a piece of paper, getting the other guard to sign it. "Go right ahead. I'll just need everyone coming in to sign the paper first, including the orc."
"What about my brother?" Jaryn asked.
"You mean the fox? Nah, don't have to, it's just a fox."
Jaryn and Ryo both stared at eachother confused.
After signing the paper, the two guards opened up the gates to let everyone in. Jaryn looked to Havre after entering. "So who is Akae? He sounds important."
"Oh absolutely! Sir Akae is the captain of the Moon Knights. You've probably never heard the name, but they're the highking's court of knights. He's a very sweet man, and he knows a lot about the whole situation. He's definitely going to help us."
A short satyr would stand at the bottom of the steps at the castle, dressed in a goofy bicoloured outfit and a deadpan expression. Jaryn stared at him before whispering "Is she the jester?" to Havre.
"It certainly feels like it some cycles," the man answered. "What a blessing to meet you all again. My name is Eilis. I serve her majesty, Queen Esanai. I'll take you to her," he turned around. A gush of wind swirled under his hooves, strong enough to lift him into the air, and it carried him up the steps.
"Eilis is a man, by the way. I don't blame you, everyone mistakes him for a girl," Havre whispered back, following Eilis up the stairs with the other three.
"It happens so often I just don't bother correcting them anymore. Not like it bothers me. Most people have a very limited scope on what a man should look like," Eilis added.
"Oh, um. Have we met before, by the way? I don't think I remember seeing you. This is my first time here," Jaryn asked.
"I'm all over the place. I serve more than just the Queen of East Jyalb, but yes. We've met countless, countless times. I know why you're here and I've already told my lady and Sir La'et about you all being here, they're waiting for you in the meeting hall."
Eilis escorted the group to an open area with a long table, and probably hundreds of seats. In there sat two people; one a human lady garnished in extravagant clothes, and a man in armour who looked like he couldn't have been older than 20. The only way you could tell he was important was the cape with the world crest on it. He sat with his arms rested on the table.
Seeing the group step in, the man stood up. "Greetings. It's nice to see you again, Havre," he said, shaking her hand, then turning to Jaryn and Ryo. "I don't believe we've officially met before, it's an honour to meet you both. I'm Sir Akae La'et," he reached to shake their hand and paw.
"It's nice to meet you as well. I'm Jaryn, and this is my brother Ryo," Jaryn said, the two of them eagerly shaking his hand. "Is it true that you can help us? With this butterfly murder situation?"
"Yes. With everything I have at my disposal, I should have no issue taking down that bastard. So tell us everything you know." he beckoned them all to sit whilst he took his own seat.
Jaryn explained everything that happened throughout the day. "... after reading this letter, we discovered Lennon Benoist is working with someone named Kyazf and Ilfurer. He's the one that killed my other brother and terrorised Havre's village." he took out the paper from earlier, and handed it to Akae. He stared at Jaryn in shock for a moment before grabbing the paper and reading it.
"I. I, I can't believe it. Lennon and Kyazf? I could maybe see Kyazf doing it, but. Lennon?"
"What do you mean? You know them both personally?"
"Yes. I'm Lennon's godfather, and I work with Kyazf and his owner, Hyalbtz. Kyzaf, eh, has a pretty violent past, but they supposedly fixed him. But Lennon is a pacifist, he's been busy building a village for former slaves. Do you know where you saw Lennon run off to?"
'I saw him running towards Lyniça Lake,' Ryo said. Jaryn repeated what he said to Sir Akae.
Queen Esanai stood up. "Eilis darling, please send out troops A and B to Lyniça Lake. I won't let them escape on my watch!" she bellowed. Eilis bowed to her and walked off.
"Sir La'et, can you take us with you when you go back to Darʌkys? I won't be able to live with myself if I don't take down that murderer," Jaryn said.
"Who am I to say no? I know the pain you and your brother are going through. But we're stopping at the Demon Embassy first. I need to warn Cassius and his family immediately about this plot. Eilis, repeat everything said here to Highking Gyala. He's going to need to lock down Darʌkys," he ordered as if Eilis hadn't left.
"Will do, sir," Eilis said, appearing suddenly by the doorway, causing Jaryn and Ryo to jump. "I'll also prepare a ship at Inlet Bay. The waters are calm enough to allow transport."
Thanking Eilis, Akae ran off to gather his things. Queen Esanai turned to the brothers. "I'm sorry about the loss of your brother. I promise you we'll stop this madness. I promise you once this is over I'll make sure you're properly rewarded. Come with me, I'll take you to Akae's carriage," she mentioned, walking towards the door on the right.
By the time Akae had made it to his carriage they packed everything together. Jaryn from inside opened the gate-door for Akae to climb in, and then they were off.
"The driver will get us to Inlet Bay as fast as possible, but it's going to take a day. Can you two handle the cold well? Nirilf is a freezing continent, even outside of the snowy provinces," Akae asked.
"Not that well, no. I prefer warm temperatures," Havre said.
"Us too. We never got used to it even after all the time we spent in the mountains," Jaryn chuckled softly.
"Where the ice dragons are, right?" Jaryn nodded. "Yeah, I get that. Eilis packed us jackets and everything."
"Eh, speaking of Eilis, how does he get around so fast? He looks like he keeps tripping over himself with those puffy shorts."
"No clue. He's got to have some sort of magic that lets him move around quickly. Sure as Hell would be useful to have someone like him transporting us. He always gives the most pathetic excuses about trauma or whatever." He rolled his eyes, sitting back in his seat. Havre bit her lip, not expecting that kind of comment. Ryo curled up to Havre to comfort her.
"There's nothing pathetic about trauma. Some of us just don't handle it well." Jaryn retorted.
"Don't waste your breath, Sir La'et's very stubborn about his opinions." The driver chimed in with a smirk.
"Whatever, look, we're not here to debate drama, there are more important things to discuss; like Lennon and Kyazf. What did Lennon look like when you saw him? Anything odd?"
"I mean. Aside from him not wearing shoes, he wasn't wearing a cae, and he had weird squiggly markings on his face," he said, tracing the shape of the markings on his own face with his fingers.
Akae squinted when Jaryn mentioned the markings. "That- that looks like an ivierae tattoo. A magically induced tattoo, but that- that doesn't make sense." He brought his curled index finger to his lips to ponder.
"Ivierae tattoos?" He asked, reaching over to stroke Ryo's fur as he napped.
"Each Ivierae has unique powers, and when they use it those markings appear. But Kyazf's ability is to shapeshift into small animals, not mind control."
"Is it possible for him to learn a second special ability? I mean, Lennon did with that butterfly killing spell. The markings on him changed when he used that and when he did that plant manipulation."
"Well, skilled ivierae can sometimes, but. Wait, what was that about the spell?" He looked at him.
"He tried hitting me with that killing spell, the same one used on other humans I assume. His third eye even changed to purple."
Akae blinked and looked down, then looked back at him. "Usually when their eye colours change to purple it's a spell they learned from using a scroll. So... Whoever he learned it from must've been a powerful wizard."
"Do you know anyone who can create scrolls?" Havre asked.
"Yes, several. Cassius Benoist, Hyalbtz Eno, Aldmae Frur, Cherry, and some of the professors at Saint Mirnich's School of Magic. The only one I can see make a scroll like that is Cassius, but Eilis would've notified Highking Gyala if he made it. It's his job to report illegal acts of government workers."
The carriage halted to a sudden stop. Akae looked forward confused until hearing a familiar voice shout out: "I'm not giving anything to you!"
"Aldmae?" he called out, hopping off the carriage to confront the two.
The ivierae merchant looked at Akae as he backed away from a tall high elf, fixing his mask. "Oh, thank Erebos you're here! This elf is trying to steal a ring I'm trying to deliver!"
Akae looked at the high elf with an expectant look. "Seriously, Mr. Yiro? Even after you were fired for theft, you're still doing it?"
"I know what you're thinking sir, but that ring he has doesn't belong to whoever he's bringing it to! It's an agent of the Dark Lord and needs to be destroyed."
"Do you even hear yourself? You're more paranoid than Aldmae. Sorry, but you're under arrest. Stay put until a guard arrives." He pulled out a wand, casting a spell at him. A force field surrounded Mr. Yiro while a bright blue beam flew up and away to notify the nearest guard. "I'll interrogate you when I have the time."
"You're making a mistake, we're all doomed if that cursed ring is delivered!" His voice cracked as the two walked back to the carriage.
"Thank you so much for your help, Sir La'et. Where are you headed if you don't mind me asking?"
"The Demon Embassy. Do you need a ride?"
"Oh yes, absolutely! I'm actually taking this ring to the Angalt's family."
"That makes things a lot easier then, carriage is a bit cramped but I think you'll fit," he said, helping him take off his backpack to store it, then pulled him up like it was nothing. The carriage started moving once everyone settled in.
"Aldmae, this is Havre, Jaryn, and his brother Ryo."
He shook their hands with enthusiasm, "It's such a delight to meet more of Sir La'et's acquaintances. I'm thankful you came when you did, he looked like he was ready to murder me," Aldmae sighed.
"If you don't mind me asking, why was that elf trying to take it? Is it enchanted?" Havre asked.
"It's not, no. I believe they told me it was a family heirloom? Made from a rare metal only found in Hell. Belonged to Cathal I think their name is. Or Cathal?" He answered, getting comfy on the hay bed.
"Cathal without the 'th'. But them? Haven't heard from them in a good while," Akae chimed in. "If we weren't in an emergency I would've liked to stop to chat."
"I'm sure there'll be a little time for everyone to say hi before Lord Cassius goes off to the capital. Speaking of the Benoists, have you seen Garbone and Lennon recently? They haven't returned any letters to me yet," Aldmae asked, facing Akae.
"Not recently, no, this whole situation with the serial killer has kept me busy 24/7. Though, if what Jaryn is telling me is true, then Lennon, and potentially Garbone, are in danger."
Jaryn spoke up to include, "Sir La'et thinks Lennon may have been possessed or something like that. I watched him burn down my vill- my brother's village."
"He has to be. I know the boy's always had a sneaky side to him, but he's never had a malicious bone in his body. At least I can say that for Lennon, if the targets weren't human I'd think Garbone would choose to get involved. If he weren't so lazy, that is." Akae huffed, crossing his arms and looking up to the sky.
"I know I've only seen him a few times, but I couldn't imagine Garbone wanting to do something like murder. He looks like more of a gentle type," Havre said.
"Oh please. I've known him since he was a baby, he's full of hate. I get not wanting to stay at the Demon Embassy, but his hatred for his own kind is disgusting. I might be a dark elf, but I don't even hate my own kind despite the fact that we were all exiled from Lady Merthicz' religion. He should just bite his tongue and do what's needed of him so he can leave faster."
"I've known him almost as long, and there's no way he's that hateful. I mean, I know he's pretty argumentative, but surely you have to understand what conditions he lives in. You remember how long it took to wake him up from the depression sleep, don't you? I think if he had a better role model than his grandfather he wouldn't have turned out the way he did. Maybe you can try knocking some sense into him, you do know a lot about our culture," Aldmae argued.
"Look, I'm not discussing this any further," Akae firmly stated, staring daggers at the group. "He's always rejected my help. I think he just wants to be a victim."
An uncomfortable silence permeated the carriage as the driver continued onwards. He motioned to the group to not push him further, as if Akae would explode.
After several minutes Havre cleared her throat, "So, anyways. How have you been doing, Sir La'et? Anything new with you?" She said, trying to lighten the mood.
Akae took a deep breath to relax himself before answering, "Things have been alright despite everything. A few months ago, my son Oidyt became a page."
"He's been dying to become one hasn't he? I'm glad to hear he finally got anointed."
"Yeah, ever since I adopted him. I'm proud of him for having aspirations at such a young age. Anyway, how's your mother doing, Lady Havre? Is she feeling any better?"
"Actually, she uh, passed way recently." Havre mumbled, rubbing the back of her neck.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Jaryn chimed in, with Akae nodding along. "I'm still in denial about losing my family."
"Same," Aldmae lowered his head slightly. "They were kidnapped by the SES."
Akae remained silent, lost in thought and debating if he should speak.
"Well, we all seem to have lost family at some point. It's like the universe's way of keeping things interesting. I mean, at this rate, I'm starting to think my family reunion will be a solo event!" He finally blurted out.
Only Havre and Ryo chuckled at the joke.
"I guess knights really like their dark humour, huh?" Jaryn said.
"Got to have some method to deal with all the loss of life we see. You get used to it."
Jaryn thought for a minute before forcing out a chuckle.
********

[Insert when they go to sea. Inside things that makes Akae suspicious of Aldmae]

Aldmae stretched as they all walked off the boat. "I suppose this is there we split up. Thank you for your help Sir Akae, it means a lot. Lord Cathal is gonna be very happy to see his ring returned to him," he said as he began walking south.
"Wait, before you go," Akae suddenly said, causing Aldmae to stop, "Why don't you come with us to visit the Benoists? Surely Lord Angalt won't mind waiting a little longer. I'm sure Lord Benoist and Garbone would want to see you."
Facing away from the group, Aldmae mumbled to himself as he fidgeted with the ring. "I..." he turned to face Akae with a crooked smile hidden by his mask. "I suppose it couldn't hurt. I have been wanting to catch up with Garbone," he said as he started heading north west, the group following closely behind.
"How long have you known Garbone?" Jaryn asked Aldmae.
"I think I mentioned when we were on the carriage, but I've known him pretty much all my life. We met sometime before my family and I were captured by the Slave Enforcement Services. We kept in touch after he helped me escape my former master."
"I'm surprised they haven't gone after you since escaping."
"Oh trust me, they have. Why do you think I'm such an anxious mess?"
"You're very well composed for someone with high anxiety," Havre chimed in with a smile.
"Thank you, Havre! It takes a shit ton of potions every day but it's worth it."
"What ingredients do you need to make that?" Jaryn asked.
"I use lavender and chamomile, can't really tolerate anything else. Orange makes it more potent so I recommend that," Aldmae answered. "I'd use it but I'm allergic to citruses."