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TASK F - Meeting with the Powerful - The Sator's Quest.
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~ Meeting Recap: Angel Kaydro was given a task by the Sator, to prove he is worthy of a higher ranking. It went as follows:
[10:33] Таѕна Ѕтая Нєᴌᴄаяаxё (tashaelove): The Apothecary is in a undisclosed fortified location and is currently being guarded by several high ranking demons. You task is to take another angel along with you and find the location of the Apothecary. Once you find him you must try to rescue him. Whether you fail to save him or you succeed will depend both on luck and on your skills.
[10:34] Таѕна Ѕтая Нєᴌᴄаяаxё (tashaelove): Whether you fail or succeed, you must report back to me within 1 weeks time.
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Chapter 1 - Preparations in Haste
A droplet of sweat flowed down his temple as angel Kaydro stepped outside the building after meeting with the Sator and Arches. "What to do... what to do... time is pressing" he whispered to himself as he paced back and forth.
'I need someone I can trust with my life for this mission.' Kaydro pondered. 'Chevy? Nah... he is too young for the risks involved... Nino? Hmm maybe.. Rogiet? No... He had his hands full with new angels lately.'
'Ah, I think I know who might be a good choice. I just hope he is not busy though.'
It was a chilling dusk where the Cardinal could be seen gazing onto the lakeside within the choir's territory. 'Aura's Unity', marked a row of banners as Kaydro walked towards the angel. Dressed in a white robe and pants, wings flapping slowly to the breeze, stood the man he was looking for. He looked so calm, that Kaydro did not want to disturb him. But, the hourglass was flowing.
"Cardinal Mega?" Kaydro called out from behind.
The majestic figure turned around gracefully as the wind caressed his luscious hair. "There you are, my Herald." He smiled and continued. "I was actually coming to see you, Kaydro."
Surprised, Kaydro bowed slightly in respect towards the choir leader and said: "Oh, is there something you needed me for, Cardinal?"
"Indeed. I wanted to make sure the brightness tanks are sufficiently supplied and the erg depositories are in good condition. The fields need to be maintained as well. The usual regular checks. You know the drill." Cardinal Mega smiled.
Kaydro nodded in affirmation. "I believe we will have to trust our dear Acolyte Chevy to take care of these matters this time around, Cardinal." He paused. "We have pressing matters to attend to, If you will be free for the next couple of days. There is a mission for us to accomplish." The tension in his voice explained a lot more than the words that were conveyed.
"Let's have a seat in my study." Cardinal Mega motioned as he walked to the choir's chambers. Kaydro followed his steps into a vast living area past a semi-circular desk in the middle. A crystal chandelier showered the room with light, sparkling pieces of lunar steel armor displayed on the sides. Books and scrolls scattered all over the table, the Cardinal took his usual spot and asked Kaydro to do so as well.
"Now, tell me what is bothering you. I will only be here for a fortnight then I have to visit the other Cardinals in Heaven for an important meeting."
"Well, thats convenient. It will take a couple of days only Cardinal. We have a short time frame." Setting his traveling coat aside, Kaydro adjusted himself comfortably on a chair across the table. He started to recount the Sator's task to his Cardinal.
"I see." Mega paused in thought. "It does not sound easy, but I will go with you. The Apothecary is an important person for the high heavens. His safety is our priority right now." The Cardinal looked down and rumbled through some pieces of parchment on the table.
"Do you know where we can get information on the supposed location, Cardinal Mega?" Kaydro sighed as he asked.
"Heaven's Guardian perhaps. She might know where he was last seen." Quill in hand, Mega seemed to be scribbling a note. He rolled it into a scroll, stamped the choir seal and pushed it in front of Kaydro. "Here, take this. It should give you permission to visit the Guardian."
"I thank you my -" Kaydro could only say before he was interrupted.
"Listen..." Mega said calmly. "I know you are tired, but here's a short briefing. You should rest for today, tomorrow will be a long day for us. When the light shines again at dawn, go to Heaven's landing point, find a greeter and ask them to show you the way to the Guardian. This scroll should help if they deny you."
The Cardinal stood from his seat and walked towards the armors in the room. Hand placed on a chest piece, he continued. "We will use these armors when the time comes. Hopefully after you receive some information, we should ready ourselves for an expedition. There might be a fight, we should prepare for anything. You have more experience in battles than I do, I am counting on you to take initiatives should there be need. I will support you as much as I can, my Herald." The man looked back at Kaydro. "Let us begin this search and rescue mission. May the light be with us."
That said, Kaydro excused himself to his chambers. His body was calling for a hot bath.
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Chapter 2 - Seeking Answers
Engraved on the crimson coloured wood were the words 'Heaven's Guardian'. The door had two stone guards on each side. They appeared to be adorned in nicely sculpted armor holding a sword pointed to the ground. Most remarkably, they had eye slots embed by ruby crystals. A few seconds after admiring, Kaydro took a deep breath and raised his hand to knock.
The red eyes on the stone statues glowed as the angel made contact with the wood. A voice. Female. It had a soothing tone yet commanding presence.
"Greetings dear Angel. Please state your purpose here or take leave."
Surprised by the sudden voice, Kaydro stepped back and responded. "I seek your guidance to look for an important person. The Empyrean Reaper gave me a mission to accomplish."
"Who are you looking for?" The stone guardians' eyes glowed again as the voice emanated from the door.
"The Apothecary." Kaydro looked down, averting his gaze from the statues.
"Come in." The door creaked open slowly.
The light that came from the opening was blinding. Kaydro shielded his eyes as he walked in. SLAM! The door shut down behind him.
'Well, this is fascinating...', he thought in awe of the scene in front of him. 'Who would have thought this was in here...'
"Wow!" Kaydro exclaimed.
"Welcome to my little world, Kaydro." Said a brown haired lady dressed in a white tunic covered to her ankles. Adorned with golden necklaces and simple bracelets, she smiled. The room around her was vast with lush green grass and flowers blooming everywhere. Vines were growing from the ground wrapped around various wooden furniture.
"You must be Heaven's Guardian, If I am not mistaken my lady." Kaydro bowed in respect.
"That is right. I look upon all the young angels that enter and leave the heavens." The Guardian paused. "Follow me," she said.
'And she knows my name too?' Kaydro thought as he began to follow the lady. The flowers gave a wonderful aroma as they walked past the furniture laid around. They continued walking till a fountain was in sight. Water was flowing slowly from a large perfect diamond gem above.
"Yes, I know the names of everybody in the heavens, young one." Breaking the silence, she stopped and giggled. "Here, have a seat." She motioned Kaydro to sit besides her on the grass next to the fountain.
'She can read minds also... that is amazing.' He sat down in a lotus position trying to make himself comfortable.
"Let me see... The Apothecary you said?" The Guardian asked and the diamond started rotating gradually fast.
"Yes, my lady." Kaydro was staring at the gem, mesmerised.
A few minutes passed. The lady's eyes started to glow bright white.
"He was last seen four days ago by an old angel who was visiting the mortal realms for trading purposes. The angel has not been seen recently." Her eyes reverted back to normal. She looked at Kaydro and smiled faintly. "I fear that is all the information I can give you about the Apothecary."
"I thank you so much for the help, my lady. I will have to take leave now, if I may." Kaydro replied, getting ready to stand up.
"Wait." She gracefully placed a hand on the angel's knee. "You won't have some refreshments with me? I barely have visitors here you know."
Kaydro was surprised on the invitation but he knew time was against him. "My apologies, my lady. I wish I could stay longer, but I have to go unfortunately. The Apothecary may be in danger from the demons as we speak. I need to find his location as soon as I can."
"Awww. Very well. You may go." She paused and removed her hand from the angel. "Be safe on your travels, Kaydro. And oh, give my regards to the Archangel of Fate, Zahney."
"I will do so, my lady. Thank you once again." Kaydro smiled and stood up. The Guardian accompanied him as he made his way back to the door, while his mind was racing.
'I wonder who else might know... Some fighters maybe?... We don't have much time to find him... I guess I will resupply on resources and spells for the time being then report back to the Cardinal... He was right... We have a long day ahead... Where could the demons have taken him... I will go scout some places later...' He thought. They both stopped in front of the door.
The Guardian waved her hand in a circular motion and the door creaked open slowly once more. "Thank you for coming, young one. May the light be with you." She smiled.
"I wish you a good day ahead, my lady." Kaydro bowed and stepped outside. The door slammed shut and the two stone guards looked lifeless again without the ruby eyes glowing.
'Ah! I forgot to ask her name. Oh well, next time if I have the chance to meet her again.' He thought as he walked back to the landing point. The greeter was nowhere to be seen, Kaydro decided to do his usual routine.
Clink! Clank! Clink!
The pickaxes hit the rocks. Angels were chatting and mining for ores. "The day's gone by... Got work to do..." Kaydro whispered to himself as he saw Cardinal Mega enter the mining cave.
"Can we have a minute, Cardinal Mega?" He asked, resting his pickaxe on his shoulder.
"Sure thing Kaydro, let's go by the gardens and pick some plants."
Making sure nobody was in earshot, Kaydro reported to the Cardinal about the Guardian's findings. "I think we'll need to go out and scout some areas, get information the hard way from the mortals, Cardinal."
"Yes I think so. Four days since he was last seen... Hmmm." Mega appeared to be lost in thoughts. "Let's go. We'll try the populated mortal areas and ask around."
"Sounds good, let us meet back at the choir tomorrow then my Cardinal." Kaydro said as he spread his wings wide ready to take off. "Be safe out there, Mega," He then jumped in the air.
"See ya on the other side!" The Cardinal chuckled.
The angels were just about to leave when they heard someone scream from far away.
"KAYYYDROOOOOOOOO! WAIIIIIT!!"
Hovering in mid-air, Kaydro landed back down again. Both him and Mega stared in the direction of the voice.
"That sounded like Ripsu, didn't it?" Mega wondered.
"It sure did. I wonder what I did this time." Kaydro laughed as he saw the angel flying towards him.
"Waiiiit" Ripsu said, panting in front of the two angels.
"I am here, Ripsu. I did not do it. I swear." Kaydro chuckled.
"Nor did I." Mega chimed in.
Ripsu took some deep breaths to regain her composure and took out a scroll from her backpack. "Here. I was told to give you this, Slacker."
The scroll was tied with a blue ribbon and sealed with a stamp he did not recognise. 'To Angel Kaydro' was written elegantly in a corner. Kaydro took the scroll and smiled. "Thank you so much Ripsu. We were about to leave, I guess you were lucky to catch us." He laughed.
"Shush. I am always lucky. And greetings Cardinal Mega!" She teased and Mega laughed. "I saw you hovering from the smithing area and ran as fast as I could."
"I am very grateful Ripsu. You are helpful as ever." Kaydro smiled and Mega nodded.
"It is a pleasure. I should go now, I am still on my greeter shift for the day." She did a quick hop and went flying.
"Have a good shift!" Mega shouted in her direction.
"Let's see what this is about." Kaydro unwrapped the scroll carefully and started reading to himself. He then looked at Mega and relaxed a little.
"Change of plans. It seems we are going to hunt tomorrow instead, Cardinal."
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Chapter 3 - When Fate Calls
Cacophony. Heaven's landing area was full of angels.
"What is going on here, let me through! I want to see!" Kaydro stood on the side and observed a young angel crying out and trying to push his way through the crowd.
'What Theresa said in the letter was true. The old angel came back. Heaven's Guardian is truly amazing... To think that she read my thoughts as I left the room though... That was unexpected... She signed it with her name... Theresa... a sweet name indeed.' Kaydro shook his head and chuckled to himself as he watched the commotion.
Around an hour later, the crowd dissipated, leaving what appeared to be a short angel with a stall behind. The man had a large curly mustache and was wearing a dark cloak with a tall top hat bearing a moon symbol on it. His dirty woolen shirt clearly indicated that he had traveled a long distance for some time. The man was hastily rummaging through his items, packing them in a bag. "Excuse me, Sir." Kaydro cleared his throat and said calmly.
The angel jumped a little and turned to Kaydro's direction. "Oi, ye startled me there, ye lad."
"Ahh, I am sorry, Sir. I did not mean to scare you." Kaydro apologised.
"It's alrigh' lad. Now, if ye looking for some lunar steel ores. I have sold em' all." The man said doing dismissive gestures.
"No no. Since you traveled far, I wanted to ask you something." Kaydro looked around to make sure nobody was listening.
"Aight, ask away. I don' got all day yanno." The angel continued packing his things into the bag. Among the items were various types of chains, bracelets and rings. But what caught Kaydro's eyes most was a small ivory horn. It had a golden symbol painted on it and a brass mouth piece.
'No time to be distracted Kaydro, focus, focus.' Kaydro thought to himself. He leaned and then asked softly. "I am looking for a man. He looks rather elderly, with a long white beard. He is usually known for wearing a tall hat like you do and white robes with a red cross symbol on it. Have you come across someone like him before?"
"Hmmmmmm. Let me think, me lad. I have seen many people recently.. Hmmmm." The angel started stroking his mustache over and over again in thought. Meanwhile, Kaydro was looking at the other items on the stall, touching a pendant that was embued with a beautiful topaz gem.
Ouch!
The angel slapped Kaydro's wrist abruptly. "Don't ye touch if ye not buying!"
"Okay okay, my apologies, Sir." Kaydro kept his hands to himself, waiting patiently for the man's response. 'What he says here could change everything... Fate... Please be on my side..' He prayed in his mind.
"Hmmm... I have seen the man ye asked for... me thinks." The angel tugged on Kaydro's clothes. "Yanno, I'm a trader of many things. How much ye payin' me for this piece of informa-shun, ye lad."
"What are you asking for in exchange, kind Sir, and how much?"
"Gimme 50 Tairise Relics and I tell ye. No more, no less."
"Can you make it 25, please?" Kaydro tried to haggle.
"Nay! 50 Relics or me gone."
"How about 40 Relics and a mandrake root beer on me." Kaydro hoped his hobby on making beer from herbalism plants would come in handy after all these years.
The trader stroked his mustache again in thought. "Hmmm... the beer sounds good and me neva had it... ye lad is sh-mart." He paused. "Fine fine.. Just gimme 30 Relics and 2 Beers."
"Deal!" Kaydro exclaimed happily and extended his hand forward.
The man shook the hand smiling from ear to ear. "Me rich, me beer... Me rich, me beer." He sang.
Kaydro reached into his backpack and counted thirty Tairise Relics exactly. "Here, please accept these. I will make you the beers after I hear what you have about the man I am looking for."
"I am no fool, ye lad! How do me know, ye not fooling me?" The trader asked.
"I will show you how I make it, it will bring you a lot of profits when you sell!" Kaydro tried to reason with the man.
"Argh, fine fine. Ye win. I will tell ye." The trader finally agreed and Kaydro had a smile on his face.
"Here... Listen ye lad." The man continued. "That man ye looking for is one fine ol' man. He helped when me got sick in the valley of Marrynvale. Thomas, he said his name was... and said he was an apocathy shing-something.. Argh.. me can't say it."
"Apothecary?" Kaydro's eyes widened and gave the man his full attention.
"Ye, that."
"When was that?" Kaydro could not stop himself from asking.
"Around two nights ago, me thinks.." the trader counted on his fingers and looked back at the angel. "Ye, two nights ago. He gave me this horn here... said it was a gift.." The man rummaged into his bag and took the horn that Kaydro was looking at earlier. "Aight, thats enough... now show me ye beers." He rubbed his hands together and smiled.
Kaydro offered to help the trader pack his items and then led him to an alchemy desk further away. He prepared some clean flasks, mandrake roots, blackthorns with mortal and pestle.
The trader watched attentively as Kaydro started making the beverage. The froth that appeared at the end made the man's mouth water visibly.
"There, all done." Kaydro said as he poured the mixture in two mugs. He then gave both to the angel who was staring at his hands the whole time.
"Thank ye, me lad. It better taste good." The trader took a sip and gasped. "Ahhh... Mmmm... This feels so good."
Kaydro enjoyed seeing the man smile and bowed slightly. "The pleasure is mine, kind Sir. I am glad I met you."
"Me go now. Thank ye for this." He took his mugs and started going back to his cart then stopped midway. The trader looked back at the angel and called him over. "Here, take this horn... ye can have it." He offered the horn to Kaydro.
"Thank you so much Sir, you don't know how much you helped me today. I am forever grateful." Kaydro bowed as he accepted the horn from the trader.
"Be safe, wherever ye go lad. Life is full of surprises. I'll go back to trading with the mortals." The trader tipped his hat and went back to his things.
Kaydro sighed in relief. 'Finally a good lead to the Apothecary. I need to see Cardinal Mega soon... then we fly... the sooner we find the man, the better... days are counting...' He thought as he walked back to his choir land.
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Chapter 4 - Marrynvale Valley
The night was young and the wind was howling. Cold. The two angels walked out of a portal, dressed in black shirts and jeans.
"Here we are, Mount Marrynvale." said Cardinal Mega.
"Brrr. Why cold..." Kaydro rubbed his palms together.
"Let's go. The village is down there. It will take us a few hours at least." Mega said.
"Yeah, we can't fly in and have to act like mortals. Hope we can deceive any demons there if there are any." Kaydro started walking ahead, his boots making sounds on the rocky surface.
"The Apothecary better be there." The Cardinal stated as he walked behind, amongst the many trees.
After what seemed like ages, the lights coming from the village entrance could be seen. The angels were around fifteen minutes away from their destination.
"We should cast incognito spell and cover ourselves a little bit with dirt my Cardinal." Kaydro whispered.
"Do we really have to do the dirt part? I like my clothes." Mega groaned.
"If we don't want to be caught, unfortunately yes. We don't know whats in store for us." Kaydro checked his armor and supplies, then casted incognito on himself. "Are you good on supplies, Cardinal?" He asked.
"Yeah, all good. Let's go." Mega got his serious face on, ready for anything.
"Wait. What is the escape plan though?" Kaydro asked as he remembered the Archangel of Fate's words after the meeting with the Sator.
'Do not go forward with blinders on, keep your eyes open and look a few steps ahead of yourself, when you only see whats directly in front of you, your wings can be clipped.' He remembered those words as clear as if it was yesterday.
"If we get information on the Apothecary, we should try and make contact with him somehow. Then retreat to the forest after scouting. We can take a portal back to heaven from the mountain."
"Sounds good. And if anything happens... like emergency... we should get out in open space and fly off if possible. To the mountain." Kaydro paused. "Avoiding combat is better for now, we don't know their forces. The Sator said he was being guarded by several high ranked demons."
"Alright, thats a good plan. I hope we find him here at least. May the light be with us." Cardinal Mega began to walk towards the entrance of Marrynvale village.
Prepared, the two men walked past the entrance into a large open space. It was quite deserted for this time of the night, except for some lights in a large building on the side. Cheers and applauses could be heard from there. The door was wide open and a sign above it said 'Hydren's Tavern'.
Kaydro nodded at Mega. "Let's do this." He then entered the building. Cardinal Mega followed.
The tavern was packed with people, chatting and drinking. Kaydro scanned the room fast with his eyes for any signs of demons. 'Nothing yet.' He thought. Mega went to the bar and sat on a stool.
"Two beers please, large ones." Kaydro heard his Cardinal order from the bartender. It was a lady wearing a brown shirt and red skirt. Her golden coloured hair tied in a bun made her look quite adorable, he observed as he sat down besides Mega.
"Coming right up!" She smiled and turned towards the bottles and glasses.
Kaydro leaned and whispered. "All clear here so far... Also large beers huh? Good choice." He chuckled.
"Hey, might as well enjoy it while we're out here." Mega laughed.
"Here you go, gentlemen. Two large beers, nice and chilled." The bartender placed two large glasses in front of the men and crossed her arms.
"Thank you m'lady." Both angels responded in unison, then laughed.
"Cheers." the lady giggled. "You folks are new here? First time seeing your faces." She continued while polishing clean glasses on the counter.
"Oh yeah, we just got here some minutes ago." Mega said. Kaydro stayed alert of his surroundings while sipping on the beer. There were some cheers from behind, apparently from gambling. The men could hear the rolling of dice hit the table.
"Woooo! Go Robert!" The bartender cheered and the angels looked back in time to see a tall guy with his hands over his head, celebrating.
Splash!
Kaydro got wet from his right side. 'Oh no... not now.' he thought. "Hey, easy bud." He said to what appeared to be a drunk man that spilled his drink.
The angels heard a gasp from across the counter. "Oh I am so sorry." The bartender said, quickly grabbing a towel from underneath. She leaned across and dabbed it slowly on Kaydro's shoulder. "There." She smiled.
"Lucky you.." Cardinal Mega whispered, his glass still near his mouth.
"Thank you sweet lady. It's nothing." Kaydro looked at the lady and smiled back.
"Heyyy! Are ya flirrrrting with ma gurrrrl?" The drunk guy slurred besides. "No, ya don't.." And Kaydro felt it hard on the face.
Floor. Agony. Darkness.
"Kaydro.... Kaydro!" He heard a voice. "Wake up!!"
He could feel something damp over his forehead, as Kaydro opened his eyes slowly. Panicking, he sat upright. "Where am I? How much time has passed?" he asked hastily.
"Calm down Kaydro, it's me, Mega." Cardinal Mega reassured the angel. "We're in a room upstairs in the tavern."
'Oh right... We are still on a mission..' Kaydro's mind started running.
"Quick! Cast Incognito! Fast!" Cardinal Mega ordered suddenly.
His heart began to beat fast. A familiar sensation. 'Uh oh... There's a demon coming.' He thought. On instinct, Kaydro did what he was told. Just in time as the door opened, he was pushed back on the bed from his left, face covered partly with the damp towel.
"Are you DONE here OLD MAN?" Another voice appeared. Kaydro wished he could see the face, but the towel only allowed him to peek on his right. He could barely see Cardinal Mega looking outside the window.
"Yes yes. They will be fine now." An elderly voice said.
"LET'S GO!" yelled the one that just arrived.
Kaydro did not move as he heard the footsteps dissipate from the room and the door was closed shortly after.
"Shhhhh. Don't move yet." Mega said. "They are still around, I see them from here. Demons. Five of them."
Kaydro took the towel off his face and took some deep breaths. "What happened?" He asked.
"Lucky you, Kaydro. Oh, lucky you." The Cardinal continued. "We found him. Or rather, he found us."
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Chapter 5 - The Mission
Dawn arrived. Birds could be heard chirping along with the sound of someone chopping wood nearby. It was a good day at Marrynvale village.
'So we found the Apothecary.' Kaydro thought as he looked at the clouds, sitting against a tree. 'Now, how to save him...'
"You good there, Kaydro? You were out for almost half an hour." Mega stated calmly.
"Yeah, that punch knocked me out last night."
"It sure did, allow me to tell you what he said, while he was treating you." The Cardinal sighed.
Kaydro stayed quiet, listening attentively.
"You know, that horn you're wearing as a necklace? He saw that and got agitated a little and asked how you got it. I told him that we are here to help. That's how it all started." Cardinal Mega paused a few seconds, then continued. "The Apothecary is being held here unwillingly. A group of people, presumably demons, are forcing him to treat the mortals in Marrynvale everyday completely with his medical expertise, for reasons unknown.
"Every Friday evening, they take some residents to the warehouse and toy with them. Some people have been missing, others return with minor scars on their backs, with no recollection of what happened to them. The Apothecary was ordered to treat every mortal that was injured since then. He mentioned that the group of people that was after him was around a dozen of men." The Cardinal stopped.
Kaydro sighed and stood up. Stretching his arms and legs, he said. "This will be tough. Is he being held at that warehouse too?"
"Indeed. He told us to leave before the people find out that we are trying to free him. He also said he noticed some of them had inhuman strength. I would assume that those are the demons."
"He is a kind person though, like the trader said, I owe him one." Kaydro said softly. "What is your take on the current situation, Cardinal?"
"From what I saw yesterday, I don't think we can handle it with just the two of us. Security is too tight. We don't know for sure how many of them are demons in disguise, since he can't sense them like we do normally."
"How long was he alone with us last night? I think I can come up with a plan to get him out of here using that time frame. You might not like it though, Mega."
"I don't think I like the sound of that. But tell me anyway. If it is worth it, we can do it." The Cardinal said sternly.
"Alright. So tonight, we are going to the tavern again..." Kaydro paced back and forth as he told his plan to the Cardinal.
A few minutes later, Mega sighed. "I don't like the last part. But, we can pull it off if all goes accordingly. It is a little risky, I should say."
The day passed by and both angels were at the tavern again, ordering beer. Mega was chatting with the bartender. Kaydro took his glass and went to the gambling table where the guy named Robert was sitting casually.
"Want to go a round bud? This beer is untouched and yours if you win." Kaydro asked as he sat down across him.
"Aight, aight. The night is young. Let's do best out of three." Robert said. A crowd slowly gathered round the table, ready for a show.
"You got yourself a deal." Kaydro shook his hand.
"LISA!" Robert called. "DICE!"
The bartender came to the table shortly after, bringing a pair of dice and a small glass cup. Mega kept an eye on the crowd, a glass of beer in hand.
The rounds went by fast. A loud cheer roared as Robert won in the end.
"As promised, here ya go man. You beat me fair and square." Kaydro shook his hand again and left him the glass to celebrate. Seeing Robert gulp it all in one chug, he smiled.
Mega looked at the table and gave a thumbs up. Kaydro went to join him at the bar again. "I am ready whenever it happens, Kaydro." The Cardinal whispered.
"Any moment now... hope you have a safe location to drop him at in mind." Kaydro looked at the crowd enjoying themselves after a few more rounds of gambling. "Blackthorns is a strong intoxicant.." He whispered.
THUD!
Someone collapsed. The crowd panicked and the bartender left the counter to investigate the situation. Seizing the opportunity, Kaydro motioned Mega to go.
Some minutes later, the Apothecary was called in by the mortals. Kaydro confirmed by his appearance, a robe with a cross sign over it. "Take him to the room. I will treat him there." The man said.
'So far so good.' Kaydro thought as he watched some guys take Robert to the room, where Mega was hiding in. 'Well... it's time for fun.' He smirked as he donned his armor and went outside. To his surprise, there were 3 individuals in hoods. 'I think some of these are the demons guarding him tonight.' He pondered.
Running towards the opposite side of the mountain. Kaydro dispelled his incognito spell and took flight to the nearest roof hoping to catch the attention of the guards. He then quickly casted a Magic Reflection on himself. The angel was ready for a fight.
"HEY! YOU THERE!" A voice came from the taverns direction followed by a growling sound. The guards started running towards him.
"Bingo, only demons can sense me." Kaydro smiled as he began to chant a Flame Strike Spell in the demons' direction. Taking flight, he blew the horn he was given by the trader around five houses away from the tavern. A long piercing sound resounded from the little horn.
"I hope they heard that." He said to himself. "If not... the fire will be the sign." As if on cue, the Flame Strike was casted towards a demon, lightning the night sky briefly in orange shades of fire. The scream that came afterwards was deafening.
'He's fast.' Kaydro thought as he felt a pyrokinesis hit his armor. 'The other demons are coming too... Hurry Mega... you can do it.' He prayed.
"Where are you going, angel?" One of the demons yelled, catching up.
Kaydro zoned out the yelling and tried to focus on his aerial maneuvres. 'I need to make time for them to leave...' He thought as he flew in circles higher into the sky, throwing some Smites blindly behind himself. The demons threw some harms his way, one got reflected, the other two hit hard. Kaydro winced but kept flying.
From the corner of his eye, he saw a pair of white wings launch in the air. They went fast towards the mountain. 'He did it, the Cardinal.' Kaydro sighed in relief. 'Now, I will wait for the signal, then flee from here... If I can.' He hoped.
Distracted, Kaydro took an energy bolt onto his wings. "Ouch! That hurt!"
SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! A shriek came from below.
"YOU FOOLS!" The voice screamed. "IT'S A BAIT! GO GET THE OLD MAN!"
Kaydro looked back to see the demons chasing him. They slowed down and two of them stopped following.
'Uh oh... I think the leader found out.' Kaydro chuckled. 'Time for me to run too.' He tried to avoid it, but a flame strike hit him hard on the back. The one demon made his feathers burn badly. In pain, the angel looked for a potion to take, flying towards the mountain.
Finally a lightning bolt from the mountain showed up. Upside down. "Target secured." Kaydro said to himself.
Stalling for time, the angel kept flying as fast as he could, towards the mountain. Avoiding hits left and right, taking some he could not avoid. Thankful to his lunarsteel armor, Kaydro fled his way to a portal straight to heaven. Cardinal Mega was nowhere to be found near the mountain. 'I hope they made it out of here... Sometimes... You just have to run from fights..' He thought.
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Chapter 6 - The Aftermath
A portal appeared and Cardinal Mega was standing at the landing point, waiting.
The poor angel had burned feathers, but smiled as he let himself fall on the stone cold floor of heaven. Kaydro laid on his back, exhausted. "I made it... Is he safe?" He whispered.
"Go rest. I took the Apothecary to a safe location that is usually frequented by angels in the mortal realms." Cardinal Mega said. "We did good... I was worried for you, you crazy angel."
Kaydro just smiled and closed his eyes falling asleep at heaven's landing point.
The angel woke up in his chambers and decided to write a report to the Sator explaining the events that happened as detailed as he could, including the plans the demons had for Marrynvale village.
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THE END.