B3 – Chapter 45: A demonic plot

Bertram and Rory did not join Tristan; only Felicity flew over to land on his head, making her paw-claw biscuits on his scalp. “I found them lounging up on the top boughs with some starberry wine. No interest!”

Tristan spun his crucible, activated the ring, and warped back to The Mortal Realm, to the Citadel of Essence, outdoors near the inter-Realm marketplace. It was late morning, with the sun high overhead given the shorter days in the southern hemisphere with the deepening Wither Season upon them.

“Only…” Felicity reached into her extradimensional storage space and pulled out her Omnitome, flipping open the cover. “Wow, time flies when you’re busy! 20^th of Wither Season. Sixteen days until the first student visit from here to the Fey Realm.”

Tristan walked over toward the inter-Realm market, activating the Disguise Form spell inside of his Anorox Family Crest. His appearance was that of his Bhant human guise, and not a single eye drifted toward him with suspicion or alarm as he walked through the market. Stopping by a food vendor stall, he purchased a few pastries and handed one up to Felicity, who snagged the nut-filled pastry from him and scarfed it down.

“What’s the plan?” she asked through crumbs.

Tristan looked about, “We need to check in with Eloise.” Spinning his crucible once more, he pushed the powerful magical energy into his Citadel Student Pin, activating the Limited Teleport inside, and traveling to Eloise’s desk in the administrative part of the Citadel.”

She looked up from a book she was reading; several parchments unfurled next to her on her desk in orderly, organized piles. “I was wondering when you would show up.” She tented her hands and rested her chin on them. “Please, sit.”

Tristan did so, and Felicity appeared with a pop a split-second later as she flapped down to sit on the other chair next to him. “Sorry for being abrupt,” Tristan said.

“Last we spoke you were being chased by assassins and sought refuge in your Fey Realm,” Eloise said calmly, her solid, glowing, red eyes boring into him. “And I told you I would acquire information.” She tapped the pile of missives to her left, “We have some answers.”

Felicity frowned, “Then what are you waiting for? Who is trying to kill Tristan?”

Eloise leaned back in her chair for a moment, pursing her lips, before she stood up and grabbed the parchment, rolled it up, and put it into one of her cloak’s pockets. She also grabbed her stave. “We should meet with and discuss with Markus.”

Right. That’s the Headmaster, Tristan recalled. “Very well,” he said as he stood up. Felicity hopped up onto his head.

Eloise came around her desk, tapped her stave on the ground, and the trio were warped to the corridor of offices, with the one before them labeled “Headmaster.” Eloise walked forward and rapped her knuckles on the solid wood a few times.

The door opened seemingly of its own volition, and Eloise gestured for Tristan and Felicity to follow her in. They did so, and the door shut behind them. The small foyer was the same as before, but the main office itself was slightly different – the furniture had been moved around so that the desk which had been dominant in the center of the room was pushed against a wall.

On the ground was a huge grid of complex, entwined coils of metal that made out a mesmerizing pattern that sparkled and glittered. Markus Vrilz, the Human Headmaster, sat on a cushion in front of the small array. He glanced up, “Eloise, Lord Tristan, Student Felicity-”

“I’m the court Jester, thank you very much!” Felicity interrupted.

That got a slight smile from the man, “Well, my apologies. Welcome. Eloise, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

She produced the series of scrolls and walked around the metal array that clicked and sparked, “Professor Ghavron was able to determine that the assassins that stalked and nearly killed our enrolled students in the Wild Realm are, in fact, coming from the Demon Realm. A base of operations whose location is still hidden…but we know who is sponsoring them.” She glanced back to Tristan, “Ever heard of the Demon King, Duberceix?”

Felicity laughed, “Ha! I called it! He kidnapped bloodlines and killed the rest off. He’s breeding replacements and is going to take over the Mortal Realm!”

Elosie looked genuinely impressed and confused at once. “How could you possibly know that?”

Felicity trumpeted, “I’m an evil genius when I want to be!”

Tristan interrupted, his tone deathly serious. “So we know who is responsible. A Realm Protector who plots against the Mortal Realm. What are the Realm Protectors, the gods, going to do about it?”

Headmaster Markus sighed and shook his head, “The gods of our Realm are not as invested as other Realm’s Protectors. Mostly because of the sheer population numbers for people. As long as this…insidious takeover does not overtly disrupt the status quo, they will not care.”

Eloise nodded and looked at Tristan, “Now that we know who is responsible…I am afraid to say, but the rest would be up to you acting in a non-student capacity.”

Tristan took his Citadel Student Pin and slotted it into a spare opening on his amulet belt, slightly adjusting the pin to dig into the leather and stay affixed. “I understand. You cannot have the Citadel mixed up in my personal vendetta.”

“Glad you see it that way,” the Headmaster stated. “Eloise…I believe you have a sabbatical coming up, do you not?”

“I do in a Season.”

“Take it when Tristan here goes to do what he needs to do, if you desire to help him out.”

Eloise looked to Tristan and a smile flicked across her lips. “I would offer my help if you would take it, Lord Tristan. I have a bone to pick with Duberceix.”

“What kind?” Tristan asked.

Eloise’s face turned to a frown. An angry frown. “He…well, one of his early moves when I was a little girl was to enslave my village. I escaped here, to the Citadel. I wouldn’t mind getting revenge of my own.”

“I would be happy to accept your help,” Tristan replied. “First off, though, we need more intelligence. Where the assassins are headquartered, how they are able to come back from the dead, how to stop that from happening, and finding allies.”

“I doubt you’ll find many there,” the Headmaster replied.

Felicity spoke rapidly and with excitement, “We can surely find some Demon Lords who hate the current Demon King and want to displace him. All we have to do is go there – in disguise of course – and do some work to make a reputation, get into some audiences, and make some friends in high places. Then, we reveal ourselves, and our grand plan. Get a whole bunch of the Demon King’s underlings to turn on him. Then, we attack!”

The Headmaster smirked, “They do have a predilection for undermining one another, not a bad plan, all things considered.”

Eloise grinned, “Sounds excellent. Although, it may be better if we split up once we are in the Demon Realm. I can stay in the largest city and gather information there, whilst you go to the outlying cities and interact with the different Demon Lords to see if you can accomplish your plan.” She pointed to the silver ear-cuff around his ear. “We need to prepare with artificed items.”

“Agreed,” Tristan replied. “I recently acquired access to Fourth Order spells.”

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The Headmaster grinned, “Congratulations, Sorcerer Tristan. Fourth Order is a mighty threshold that many Humans finish their education here at achieving. And you have been essence-weaving for how long now?”

“Under a year,” Tristan replied.

“Rapid advancement,” Markus replied.

Felicity spoke with confidence, “I can use Third Order! And I have transmutation.”

“It’s not a competition,” the Headmaster said with a slight smirk. “Although many students do treat it as such.”

Eloise cleared her throat, “Congratulations aside, how long do you need to prepare?”