*"Bring Vel here!" Caius shouted at the empty hall he saw. Couple of men left to fetch him.
"Sulla" Caius turned to his Optio, Sestius Sulla. The old mage veteran stared at him with indifferent eyes. "Bring my praetorians, march them to the Galatea´s office. Bring her here, alive, that is all I require. How you do it, I don´t care".
Sulla nodded, a slight smile appeared on his scarred lips as he left. "Guard Captain!" Caius roared, captain Aellos rushed to him. "Secure this building, set a perimeter around it. No one leaves, no one enters". "Yes my lord!", the man bolted to work.
Caius walked around the building searching, he climbed the stairs to the second floor stopping by the hallway. Caius turned slowly around, "there is something here... ". He closed his eyes, reached out touching a ring in his right arm. It was secretly enchanted to be in connection with one of Elowyn´s jewels. I hope she had it on, just a small ring.
Elowyn, Caius let his thought flow concentrating on her with closed eyes. Where are you? Was there something? He tilted his head, a slight feeling. Here but not still here. Fade? Caius opened his eyes.
In the end of the corridor there was a door with small slide window. Caius walked slowly towards the door, the Veil was thin. He could feel it. His black hooded character walked in the middle of the room. What is this? Ropes... anyone residing here likes to make knots it seems. His eyes wondered around the room. This was the center of his feeling, of that he was sure.
Caius raised his arms calling for his power closing his eyes, he ladled more and more power to himself causing small electric ripples run across his skin. Then power ripple started to flash around him with lightning arcs crackling and illuminating the room. Slowly his feet raised from the floor, Elowyn! His thought expanded to all direction.
Power died down and his feet touched the floor. Caius stood there contemplating for a moment, now he was sure. She had been here. And she was present, but in the Fade.
"My lord, we have her!". A shout echoed from downstairs.
Caius turned around and walked out of the door. In the hall, a group of soldiers stood around a tied and gagged woman. Her fiery eyes followed Caius as he walked down the stairs. "So you are Galatea", Caius said softly, "we have so much to talk about". A cold smiled appeared slowly on his face.
"Take her to the backroom, with precautions", he said to Sulla. The Option nodded and they dragged her away, she screamed something under the gag.
Vel walked into the hall. He had cautious look on his face, "boss, you wanted to talk to me?".
"Not really", Caius said turning to him. "I just wanted to tell you. You have made your point, now live with it". He gestured to the praetorians who grabbed Vel by the arms. "Strip him of his items and throw him into the dungeon".
"But boss... I..."
"I don´t care", Caius said turning his back on him. Caius whispered to Sulla, "make sure a anti-magic ward is placed on him so that he cannot be found by any magical means".
The guards took Vel away.
Galatea tried to struggle with the ropes she was bound with but quickly noticed that there was no escape from it. She glanced around the room, it was one of those little rooms most shady people had where silent affairs were conducted. Couple of chairs, a table. No windows,nothing more.
Caius men had stormed into her office taking her into custody despite her resistance. These men were professionals, they knew exactly what to do. Scarred men with blank stare, probably veterans from Qunari wars. She had given one of the a bloody nose thought, with a nice headbutt.
The door opened, and Magister Vaellanius stood there looking at her silently. She stared back at him. Caius stepped in to the room closing the door behind him. "You and me, we will talk now", Caius said walking before her. He pulled the gag out of her mouth.
"You f**king as**ole! Release me!" she screamed right away. "A small smile lingered on Caius lips for a while. "That is not going to happen, and if you keep shouting profanities I will gag you again. Understood?". Galatea thought quickly, she knew Caius by his reputation.
She was now in dangerous waters. Galatea took a deep breath, "at least you could untie me. This is uncomfortable as you can see".
Caius shook his head, "first you start telling me everything that has traspired here. What were you doing here with your merry little band of misfits, and Elowyn. Abolitionist", Caius snorted.
"How do you know that?", she asked suspiciously.
"I know you run this little freedom group and raid slavers at times", Caius leaned forward. "Yes, did you think I would not know what is going on in my city?".
Caius folded his arms behind his back, "I have allowed your actions because it has been a nuisance to my adversaries. The moment you would have become a nuisance to me, I would have disposed you". His cold eyes locked with hers, "just like now".
"I.. Archon protects me", she couldn´t find anything more concrete.
"Do you really think I care?", Caius walked slowly around her. "Your life means nothing to me, your actions are the buzz of an insect". He stopped behind her. After a moment of silence he leaned forward and said into her ear, "and now I am annoyed about the buzzing".
Caius walked before her, he leaned forward looking into her eyes and whispered, "where is Elowyn?". Galatea leaned fast forward trying to bite Caius in the face. A surge of power threw her against the wall with her chair. "Really?", Caius said tilting his head.
He gestured and Galateas seat rolled back before him.
Galatea stared into Caius black eyes and swallowed, "I don´t know. I really don´t".
"Do you really want to go down that road?", Caius asked smiling.
"I swear to you, I do not know!".
Caius straightened his back and stroke his goatee looking at her. Then he gazed around the room. "Alright then, we will do it the hard way". "I really don´t know" Galatea screamed.
Caius started gesturing and a energy buble surrounded them. "I don´t want them to hear all", Caius said calmly. Galatea grind her teeth, a rush of memories filled her mind, "do your worst bastard!".
"I will do something, that is sure", Caius said walking next to her pulling his sleeve up. He drew a silver dagger from his belt. With a smooth move he drew the blade across his arm. Red bloodstream started to flow down his arm. Bright red drops of blood fell on the floor.
"We are in a hurry so I will just start", Caius said with apoplectic voice. He started chanting with ancient tevene. Caius place his arm on Galatea´s head. She tried to shake it off but it was useless. "What are you doing?" she screamed feeling the power of the spell.
The blood flowed down Caius arm in the rhythm of the chant. Then it started to move. Each stream formed a small tentacle feeling their way across Galatea´s face, looking for way to enter her head. Through her ears, eye sockets, nostrils and mouth blood tentacles forced their way inside her.
Then the pain begun. A primal scream filled the air.
After he was done Caius transformed the spell healing his own arm. "How are you feeling?" he asked her casually rolling his sleeves back down after he had released her from ropes.
"Strange, but alright otherwise" Galatea said calmly looking at him. There was no anger, no anguish. She just loved this man. "I never realized but.. I love you".
Caius smiled softly, "you can start now by telling me everything you have done here and how Elowyn is connected to it. And Monkai and Zera. And I want to know where Elowyn is now".
Caius listened her story standing silently before her. When she started to tell him what she had done to Monkai and Zera Caius took a deep breath. His stare deepened into something pitch black, a twitching muscle appeared on his cheek. Caius rushed forward his hand pulsating with power. He grabbed Galatea by her throat lifting her in the air. With a couple of steps he walked to the wall slamming her against it, several times. His grip tightened around her throat.
"IF YOU EVER TOUCH MY DAUGHTER AGAIN I WILL DISEMBOWEL YOU!". Caius face was twisted with rage, "YOU HEAR ME NOW, NEVER AGAIN!" he roared against her face.
Galatea made gagging sounds, her feet drummed against the wall. She tried to hold on Caius wrist but his grip was made of stone. Her eyes started to turn around.
Caius took a deep breath and released her. She fell down to the floor slumping against the wall gagging and trying to gasp for air. Caius paced around the room like a caged beast his eyes locked in her. "You will continue your life as you have so far. But you will never endanger or intervene in the life of my daughter, any daughter, again. You will report all your activities to me, monthly. That is a command".
Galatea gasped and nodded whispering, "I understand master".
Now get out of my sight", Caius said turning his back on her. Galatea stumbled out of the room holding her throat.
Sulla knocked at the door, "we have rounded up the people working in this establishment. Those we could find. What shall we do?".
Caius twisted his neck for a while, then relaxed his shoulders. "Find out who has been living in the room at the end of the corridor in the second floor". He turned to look at Sulla, "there is a little window in the door, it is unique". Sulla nodded, "what then?".
Caius walked out of the room, "dispose of them, all".
He stopped at the main hall looking at the wall paintings. A sudden creaking sound from the second floor caught his attention. Darkness twirled around Caius and he appeared in the room at the end of the hall.
A man was there, he was rummaging through a wooden chest muttering, "where is it?". He had Elowyn´s staff in his hand.
"That is not your staff" Caius said with a deep cold ominous voice. The man twitched and turned around, he had aquiline features. Long hair flowed freely down his back. "How did you..? I thought I locked the door".
Caius took a silent step forward his dark eyes gleaming in the dim room, "where is the owner of that staff?" he whispered.
"What do you care?" the man exclaimed chagrined. "I am Magister Vaellanius and I already asked you a question", Caius whispered taking another silent step towards him. "There will not be a second".
The man panicked and started gesturing, he understood the elven girl had some connection to this Magister. Maybe even his favorite slave. Air started to ripple around him, something was coming. Caius raised his arm and a volley of massive lightning arcs shot at the man. The staff generated a shield around him when the lightning struck it blocking most of it. But the massive power of the spell penetrated the shield partially cutting his arm, making him drop the staff with a scream.
A demon appeared next to him roaring, "kill him!" the man shouted. Caius smiled coldly and struck his staff on the ground. A massive desire demon appeared to his side, "play with that one". Caius said to the demon. It charged with a roar grabbing the one this mage had summoned. Demons crushed through the wall into the next room.
The mage tried to grab the staff from the ground but a gesture from Caius threw it out of the room. "Final question, where is she?", Caius said stepping forward, this time power twirled around him crackling in a form of several lightning arcs.
Mage gestured and Caius could feel how Waking Nightmare fell on him. He grunted shrugging it off him, and a bolt of lightning was shot at him by the retreating man. Caius raised him arm and waved sending it back to him.
"That is it", Caius said, a mana clash exploded from him to all directions disrupting the mage just as he had started to become translucent. Caius raised his hand and a single massive arc of lightning struck the man into his chest carving it´s way through him. His body flew through the air slamming against the wall.
Silence fell into the room, Sulla with several guards ran in weapons ready. "It is over" Caius said looking at the man. "take the staff and leave this room". Sulla nodded and left with his men. Caius walked to the mage turning his smoking body into his back with his foot. "Who are you?", he whispered.
Caius stood there for a while contemplating. The he turned to the body, "let´s find out".
He started gesturing with a complicated series of moves his fingers weaving a peculiar pattern in the air leaving the air rippling with power, he enforced the spell with low chant in ancient tevene. Ominous words which seemed to make the air move with each syllable. The air started to feel colder and it seemed to be get darker. Chill wind blew through the room. Suddenly the man twitched.
Caius crouched beside him, "now, tell me everything. Who you are, what are you doing here and where is Elowyn. And how can I get her back?".
A eerie voice filled the air as the man started speaking.
Elowyn felt like it had been forever since the man had left. She tried to struggle with her ropes but they were immovable. Had to be the book. How could she be so careless, walking straight into a trap? What would happen now?
Suddenly a tiny spark appeared in the air by the book. It twirled and pulsed softly. With a humming sound it started to expand, slowly first but then the pace grew faster. It grew into a massive hole, and in the other side stood Caius in darkness. Drenched in blood. He took few step through the hole struggling with strange pull trying to throw him back where he came from. "Elowyn!" Caius roared.
"I´m here!" she screamed forgetting her situation. He had come for her! Caius turned to her, for a moment he gazed at her then moved forward. "I will release you" he shouted to overcome the roar caused by the air running through the opening. Step by step he got closer to the book on a pedestal. A hurricane strength pulled his robes sending a shower of blood through the opening.
Caius reached for the book. Power started to glow around him as he opened it. A bloody quill in his hand glowed like a bright red star. Caius reached out and started drawing in the page. From distance Elowyn could see movement, demons. The opening called out to them like a beacon.
"Hurry up!" she screamed. Caius finished his sketch. He concentrated and power started to twirl around him raising a vortex of bloody mist off him and into the book. The bed where Elowyn was tied to started shaking, then a massive explosion threw her in the air. "I´m free!" she was overjoyed despite her trip through the air. Caius raised his arm and Elowyn was pulled to him. He took her arm with a firm grip, "we have to leave now. The opening needs to be closed".
He turned around running towards the opening Elowyn at his heels. With a flash they traveled through to the other side. Darkness was almost impervious after the bright Fade. Caius turned to the opening chanting and gesturing with haste. It curled up and disappeared.
Elowyn tried to see her surroundings but it was too dark, she felt like she had stepped into something soft so she called for light. And was struck speechless. Under her foot was a pawn of a woman. And her glazed eyes stared at her. Dozens of bodies lay around the ancient altar, drained of their blood. Pale and dead.
Caius turned to her, "that is the price I was willing to pay for your salvation". He looked into Elowy´s eyes, "think about that, since it was the only way to bring you back. Was it worth it? My answer you already know".
A small light appeared over Caius, he took a firm grip of his staff. "Come, we have to go now", his voice echoed in the ancient space as he started walking forward.
Elowyn followed him dazed of the sight she had seen. So many lives. The walked across the dark and dusty ancient hall.*
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