Greetings all!
I hope you have all had an awesome week and will have a relaxing weekend coming up. Be sure to read the update by @zakludick before getting stuck into the story, or you won't know where in the story you are.
Mortis could feel irritation bubbling up inside of him. He didn’t understand where all these feelings were coming from, but he couldn’t help but feel these emotions were linked to the mortal who insisted on praying to him. He scratched at his forehead and simply asked.
“What is missing?”
“And don’t tell me it’s another quest, because we are already on too many!” muttered Sebastian.
“You’re not going to like it.” Warned the Prince as he got to his feet.
“Spit it out.” Snapped Magna.
“Prince Adrian says the final part of the spell was a riddle that Adiran left with him. Why a riddle only uncle will know, but it seems he wanted to protect Rhys from being found by someone other than those he trusted.” Adrian started pacing back and forth. “I’ve figured out the riddle, but it doesn’t make sense in terms of the spell. They’re ingredients we need.”
Sebastian muttered a series of profanities that not even Mortis had heard in his time, but Trix seemed to put a hand on the Lifedrinker’s knee and said something softly to calm the man. She then turned to the prince and said, “Not all spells are pure words and manifestations. Ancient seeker spells often required items of the one lost to find them. Does the riddle allude to something like that?”
“I guess.” Adrian frowned, “But the ‘ingredients’ in the riddle have nothing to do with Rhys and seem to have more to do with us.”
Trix, who generally preferred to have her helm firmly in place to hide her face, took it off and seemed to grin, “Ah! Not a seeker spell, but rather an entrance spell.”
“A what now?” asked Magna.
“An entrance spell.” Said Derrick. “It’s what Millmor uses on the forest to prevent anything other than prey entering it.”
All eyes turned to the other prince.
“So Millmor targets specific people to eat within his forest?” asked Mortis.
Derric let a wolf-like whine escape his lips to show that Mortis wasn’t entirely wrong in his assessment, but also not correct.
“A bit of yes, a bit of no. The land’s occupants are free to move through the forest unharmed unless they wish ill on others. His spell is very complicated, so it only really catches those with intent to cause harm.”
Trix got to her feet and came to stand next to Adrian, “I will assume the riddle demands something from each of us to allow us to enter a specific place, probably within the direction we should be going.”
“Yes, that’s the first part of the riddle, the second is that those who are subjected to the first part are those who are guided.”
“So, we aren’t all privy to this place?” demanded Sebastian.
“Yes…no.” Adrian struggled with the thoughts in his head. “We can all go, but I am not strong enough to cast a spell strong enough to affect all of us, not if it has to be broken into two parts.”
Sebastian looked at Magna with a mixture of fury and disbelief, “Do you see what your father’s idiocy has brought us?”
Mortis stepped between the two seething warriors and simply said, “King Johnathan had many faults, not allowing his clearly magic-gifted son to learn what he needed to is one. However, we are not here to discuss your dislike for the man. You cannot approve of his offspring while despising him.”
Sebastian snorted. Mortis turned back to Adrian, who looked a little upset. “What do you need for the spells to work?”
“Lifelinks.” He muttered.
Mortis sighed heavily, “Then I cannot have the spell cast upon me.”
“What!” Magna looked upset.
“Wait.” Trix placed a hand on top of the prince’s head. “How many people could you cast this on?
“Three at most.”
She seemed to be thinking and while she did so, she was muttering under her breath. She turned to the two Blaze knights and asked, “You’re related, right?”
Leopold shrugged his shoulders and said, “We share a great-grandmother or great-aunt.”
He looked to Anna, and she nodded her head, “That’s what the records showed when I joined the Blaze knights. How can you tell?”
Trix ignored the question and said, “Good enough. That’s one.”
She then tapped Adrian’s head, “You and your sister are another.”
She then looked at the revenant, “You will have to add to the scars upon the princess’ wrists for this to work.”
She then looked to Sebastian, who had a look of regret on his face, “And we are one. That is three.”
“You’re thinking of using familial links to cast this spell?” Mortis was impressed, but also a little confused. While he understood how consuming Magna’s blood would give him a life link to her and her brother, he didn’t understand how this would affect Trix and Sebastian.
As if sensing the question, Trix looked over to Sebastian with a sad smile, “He turned me. By Lifedrinker’s lore, he is my father.”
Adrian seemed to think this over a little and nodded his head, “I will confirm, but I think this can work. That; however, leaves Derrick out.”
Everyone turned to look at Derrik, but the boy grinned and said, “Animals move freely within the confines of Millmor’s forest. If I remain in an animal form, then I will likely be granted entrance to where we need to go.”
Adrian nodded his head, “I will need time to prepare.”
He turned to Magna, “And so will you.”
Magna curled her hands into firsts. She remembered all the times she had given blood freely to Mortis, and the pain it brought her. She would need to steel herself for what was to come.
“I do not agree to this.” Said Mortis.
“You have no choice.” Said Magna strongly, “My blood, my choice.”
She drew her blade and was about to open a vein when Sebastian stopped her.
“Think girl, you are a warrior, we don’t open wrists, we don’t damage the inside of our hands.”
He turned her hand and lashed out with his feral claws. At first, there was nothing, but then the blood started to bead.
“And he doesn’t need a lot, just a trace to last for a day at most.” Sebastian held his niece’s hand out to the revenant. “Well then “God”, are you prepared to kneel before a mortal queen?”
Mortis knew the Lifedrinker was looking for a fight, but he wasn’t prepared to give it to him.
“From what I understand, a warrior is looking for help. I am well within my power to do as she needs of me.” He knelt and accepted the hand.
Magna allowed the blood from the back of her hand to drip into the open, desiccated maw of the undead before her. She didn’t understand what kind of powerplay her uncle was making, but for now, she would continue to watch him.
Now it's up to Zak to continue.
Here is an explanation of Chain Stories and here is the current Chainstory Library
Mortis Custos
Sanguifex
| by @zakludick | by @lex-zaiya |
|---|---|
| Part 1 | Part 2 |
| Part 3 | Part 4 |
| Part 5 | Part 6 |
| Part 7 | Part 8 |
| Part 9 | Part 10 |
| Part 11 | Part 12 |
| Part 13 | Part 14 |
| Part 15 | Part 16 |
| Part 17 | Part 18 |
| Part 19 | Part 20 |
| Part 21 | Part 22 |
| Part 23 | Part 24 |
| Part 25 | Part 26 |
| Part 27 | Part 28 |
| Part 29 | Part 30 |
| Part 31 | Part 32 |
| Part 33 | Part 34 |
| Part 35 | Part 36 |
| Part 37 | Part 38 |
| Part 39 | Part 40 |
| Part 41 | Part 42 |
| Part 43 | Part 44– Coming Soon |
| Part 45 – Coming Soon | Part 46– Coming Soon |
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