The King's Game - Seven Calamities Arc (Part 2)

Chapter 30: The War is Near

A prytorst had passed and Shadow, making use of his ability, had almost reached the Weeping Shore. He knew that meeting Arazach was a bad idea, as he could be trapped in the demon realm, yet the message he had to deliver was too important. It was on this journey that Shadow met an interesting person, a person that would end up accompanying him on his journey to the demon realm.

Shadow had stopped at a tavern for a drink and some rest when a man dressed in rags entered the bar. The bartender first attempted to have the man removed yet the man simply walked pass the thugs blocking him and went straight to the man shrouded in black at the back of the tavern. The man took a seat and proceeded to just inspect the man shrouded in black.

"I have heard whispers of you throughout my journeys. It's a pleasure to meet one of the calamities in the flesh; so tell me Calamity of Pride, what could you possibly be doing in this tavern in the middle of nowhere? From what I've heard from the rumours is that the calamities have been spotted close to the Capital."

Shadow simply ignored the man and continued to stare off into the distance.

"Not a man of many words, then again you are notorious for not speaking at all; so I guess I will be doing all the speaking. You see I have business in a small village called the Weeping Shore and I can only assume that is where you are heading as well, otherwise why would a calamity be this far out all alone."

At this point Shadow turned his head towards the man in rags, the man in rags could feel Shadow's eyes locked on him.

With a slightly nervous gulp the man in rags continued, "This is dangerous times we live in and since we are travelling to the same destination, why not travel together? As you can see I'm but a poor man and would be an easy target for bandits, however if I travel with you I would feel much safer."

Shadow begun to stand up when the man in rags shouted, "I know many things from my journeys, as well as a way to get back from the demon realm."

The entire tavern turned and looked at the man in rags. Shadow walked up to the man in rags and placed a hand on his shoulder. The man in rags felt the air around him go cold, it felt as if his soul was being sucked from his very body and he was being dragged into limbo. He shut his eyes, trying to focus on keeping his soul from completely leaving his body. Once the feeling had faded and he opened his eyes, he was no longer in the tavern.

"Amazing, how did you manage to do that? We were just in the tavern, yet now it seems we are quite the distance away from it. Did you do that because of what I said in the tavern? Wait does that mean that you agree to travel together?"

Shadow turned and begun to walk away from the man in rags in the direction of the Weeping Shore.

"Wait up would you." The man in rags shouted as he ran after Shadow.

"It would seem that Conanus is starting to take out his enemies, we should prepare for him to attack us soon as well."

"Fear not Isamaya, Conanus does not have the power to take us on, however what happened at Midharbor does bother me. While they weren't strong enough to take on Conanus army, it should have been quite the battle for Conanus; however, what my little birds have told me is that the entire stronghold has been turned into the land of the undead. Raising the dead is something the Demon King would do, and even if Conanus managed to have a necromancer amongst his ranks it would be impossible to convert and maintain the entire stronghold without being an extremely powerful necromancer."

"Do you think that the Demon King is perhaps aiding Conanus in the war against the Gods?"

"It is possible, and if it is true; then this war is about to become a lot bloodier than we originally thought. Isamaya there is something I must confirm, leave me now."

"At once."

Niarajuel waited until Isamaya left the Meeting before she made her way to the depths of the Capital where the scrawny man's lab was. When she arrived, the scrawny man was seated waiting for her.

"I figured you would come sooner or later. Come take a seat." The scrawny man said as he gestured towards the seat opposite his own.

"How did you-"

"One of my undead scouts saw one of your little birds and notified me. I knew you would come here to confirm if it truly was me that turned that stronghold into an army of undead."

"Why are you speaking now? Before you never said a word, yet now you're talking to me." Niarajuel asked as she sat down.

"Ah that; let's just say I ran into a certain individual that I simply could not be silent around. Besides, it's almost time so I no longer have to keep the secrecy."

"Why are you using your power to help this scum Conanus? If you have this much power left, why not lend it to the Fallen and help us break the seal to free the Dark Lord?"

The scrawny man let out a low chuckle, "There is so much that you don't understand my poor naïve Niarajuel, my position as the mortal king's advisor is a necessity for what is to come in the future."

"What are you talking about? Why can't you just tell me what it is you're planning on doing?"

"Fear not, all will become evident in the near future. So do not worry about the safety of Silverdrift, for as long as I am Conanus' advisor, I can a sure you that he will not attack you."

Unable to get any more information out the scrawny man, Niarajuel left the depths and made her way back to Silverdrift. The scrawny man stood up and traced a finger along his chin, deep in thought before the bat flew into the room, breaking him from his thoughts.

"Are you sure it was a good idea to reveal that you could actually talk?"

"Trust me, it would have created more problems if I had been dismissive to her and remained silent. Do not worry, the plan is moving ahead smoothly. I will admit it was a shock to discover Haeferic is still alive, but it only helps strengthen our plans. All the pieces are coming together and soon Judesis himself will have no other option than to come down to this plane once more."

"Is Conanus' body almost ready for the transfer?"

"Yes, but it won't last long. If the Gods' are truly foolish enough to send their perfected faux then everything will fall into place perfectly. I cannot wait to see the Gods and Demons fall, those pitiful powers that think they can manipulate and control all others just for their amusement."

"Do you not fear that Shadow will be destroyed or trapped by the Demon King?"

"Shadow is a very smart and cunning individual; I would not be surprised if he is able to injure Arazach."

"I hope you right about that."

The bat flew off, while the scrawny man pulled a tome from one of the shelves and continued his research.