Evil

You'll Come to Find...

"Hello earth walker, I am Eoin Palter, advisor to the king of Ypogeios." The old man spoke with what sounded like an Irish accent to me.

"I'm Artemis Blythe, pleased to meet you." Once more, smug satisfaction from not being the shortest in the room. Then again, I was going against dwarf-like creatures, it was practically a rigged matchup.

Eoin turned to Lucius,"Are you injured? Do you feel uncomfortable? Show me your w—"

"I am fine, Eoin," Lucius shook his head,"Artemis has used her magic to heal me." At the sound of that word being enunciated, Eoin quickly turned back to me,"Magic? You have magic?"

This was a befuddling sight. Magic, while uncommon, wasn't that rare. Most likely, some reason or restriction forbade them from having magic. The reason in question, I was keen to find out more about,"It's not very powerful but yes."

His grin was so wide I could swear that his mouth was nearly split by it,"Artemis, would you be willing to make a transaction?"

"What kind?"

"Your services as a mage for some...Precious items?"

It was rather awkward standing and talking while several hundred dwarves surrounded me,"Ahem, Mr Palter, the others..." I started, licking my lips.

Realising the rest were quietly waiting, he stiffened up before coughing awkwardly,"Everyone! Please bring Lucius around!"

I patted the man's back,"I'll catch up to you later, alright?"

"No, I want to go with you."

"It's just going to be an hour or so. I'll be back 'fore you know it. I won't get attacked here. After all, you trust your friends right?" He still seemed reluctant, wanting to rebut,"I can take care of myself. Don't worry."

Not giving him a chance to reply, I quickly walked off with Eoin,"This way Artemis." He led me to a small house. It was like a shrunken down condominium. I hadn't taken the time to enjoy the view before but it was rather phenomenal. White quartz-like crystals hung from the wall emitted bright light which illuminated the city. Buildings were more compact then the city's, most houses being terraced ones. Numerous contraptions of all sorts lined the streets, some cleaning the streets of rubbish, others blowing fresh air presumably from the surface.

The level of technology I had witnessed here was leagues beyond anything I'd seen above ground. I wondered to myself if this world would've ended even faster than mine if they managed to mix magic and machinery into an amalgamation of terrifying power.

I wonder when he'll—

"Keep walking, and don't you forget it, the power is in our hands now." Eoin's voice suddenly turned cold.

Jackpot.

"Power?"

"Your soulmate is in our hands now, Artemis. Now follow our orders or he'll be killed."

I sniggered with mockery,"Threatening? You know I'd usually be the one doing this but it seems the roles have been reversed."

"Enough joking around, listen to my—"

"You still don't get it do you, I couldn't give a flying fuck about your threat," I licked my lips,"I do like prey that resist a little. Lifeless ones aren't all that fun."

The subtle nuances of lying, acting and such were very, very difficult to mask. In front of a person like me, it was child's play, really. I felt like an adult in a boxing match with a child.

Though I didn't know what exactly they were planning, I did manage to sense a glint of madness in the elder kosmimarian, Eoin's eyes. The others at the back had blank ones. As if they were mere puppets or reduced to such.

That pat on him wasn't just a reassuring gesture, it was a little barrier magic alongside a basic security measure. As long as the barrier was broken, I would be alerted.

Control—It was a beautiful thing seeing everything unfold before you exactly as you commanded. I had expected to have been led to somewhere more private but it seemed he truly was excited. Too excited to think deeper.

Letting Lucius go was throwing caution to the wind, but a necessary risk to smoke out the hidden intent.

"Lucius will die if you don't follow my command. You don't want that, do you?"

"Your entire city will be burning if he dies. You don't want that, do you?" I shot back with an arrogant smirk, eyes filled with mockery, as if daring him to make a move,"I don't like taking unnecessary risks or actions. But if the situation calls for it, I'd level this entire thing into a flatland."

"You're lying. You're scared. I tell. I see it in your eyes." He answered viciously, grinning triumphantly.

"Calling my bluff, hm? Okay. Go on then." I gave a patient smile.

"What?" He was taken aback by my answer.

"Go on. Kill him. Give me a reason to end every single one of your lives. You obviously need my help with something and if he dies, your leverage over me is gone. I'm a very ruthless person, Eoin, be it to myself or others, I don't take chances. Every step you move, I move fifty. Every action you take, every minute twitch, I see. I'm very careful. Very cautious."

He remained silent, peering up at me.

I smirked,"Eye twitch. You're angry. But you don't want to show it. Left leg, limping. Obviously a mental wound. Right-handed, I assume from seeing you point to everything with your right hand. Unarmed but it seems that you have hidden machinery that activates with a sort of remote I'm guessing. The one hidden in your left pocket. Slight bulge gave it away. Scars on your hands, most definitely self-inflicted. No one would spend that much time carving straight lines. So begs the question, Eoin, just what are you after that requires blood and magic?"

"You..." Fear. Very, very visible fear. Hell, it was even audible from his voice. I could taste it in the air, feel it in my soul. This was the scent of terror.

"Eoin," I placed my hands on his shoulders, slowly sliding them down to his elbows,"You'll come to find, that despite your planning, your patience, your sub-par acting, the machinery you hold so much value on."

He was frozen stiff. It was child's play. I fished out the controller and a few other items from his pocket with practiced ease, like how I'd pickpocketed people back on earth,"That in the face of attentiveness and overwhelming power, no amount of planning is going to save you."

I looked down at the controller. It had a bunch of weird sigils printed on it. Storing it along with everything else, I waved my hand as I walked off,"I look forward to how you respond to this. Don't let me down, little Eoin. Challenge me. Show me something better than this pathetic display of threats."

King of Ypogeios. Eoin had given away that there was a man above him. There was this thing most people who were powerful or affluent did: They liked building grand and magnificent things for themselves. For others, it was a sign of prestige.

For me, it was a big, red target.

I made my way to the largest building high atop an elevated platform, staring down at the terraced houses, walking by at a brisk pace.

There was looting to be had, a king to be slain and a race to be eradicated.