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2024-10-29 19:42:56As soon as Nelson returned to the mansion and to Sethis’ side, he knew something wasn’t quite right. Had the man ordered someone to follow him? He didn’t believe so, but then the way Sethis seemed to have been waiting for him with a knowing smirk told him to be wary of this man and what might come next.
Had Sethis been smarter than Nelson gave him credit for? Had he let his guard down enough to be fooled by this man?
Nelson took in a slow, deep breath and kept his expression natural and continued towards Sethis. He could feel his heart pounding, however, as he knew something was off about this whole thing. He mentally made a list of how he would escape if Sethis attacked him, including using several hidden items he had on him. If he needed a smokescreen or two, he wasn't against using them.
“You know,” Sethis began as he motioned for Nelson to join him. “I could get rid of your debt to the King if you asked.”
Nels
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The group made their way into Sethis’ mansion. They each felt the tension swirling between them, but none dared speak their minds. This plan had them on their toes. They knew Sethis was going to surprise them with something or another, but they didn’t know how yet.They only hoped that he tried to attack Fenryn when they were ready for it and not a moment too soon. From what Nelson had seen and known about everything Sethis had planned, he believed they would need to be down in that room with the mages for this to work, but he was prepared for that not to be the case.As they reached one of Sethis’ many large study rooms, he reached his arms out wide and offered an obnoxiously wide smile. “Ah, Fenryn my son! And Larry! Welcome! I’m glad you two were in the city already!” He said cheerfully.At first, Nelson gave his two companions a puzzled look that asked, ‘who is Larry?’ but when he noticed Vaughan’s irritated scowl, he realised it was him. Did Sethis get his name wrong deliberately
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Vaughan was getting more and more anxious with each second that passed. He hadn’t yet escaped the restraints, but he needed to give the two some time to get into place before he joined them. So far, everything was still silent in the room below, but he knew that wouldn’t last much longer.As he did finally get out of the bonds, he quietly sneaked over to the entrance and listened out for the signal to join the three below. He knew he couldn’t go down too soon, or else it would put his King in danger and that was never something he wanted to risk. He just had to have trust in the two men to know when it was best to act.Fenryn waited to act as well. He knew very well that Sethis needed his blood or life, and until he was ready for that part, there were other things Nelson would need to do to sabotage stuff if it was possible. In the meantime, Fenryn checked his surroundings for signs that he might also help with doing so.He spotted the gemstone
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Fenryn’s eyes widened as the soul was aiming straight for him. He was no longer unsure if a soul could possess a normal person in this fashion, as his blood had clearly changed the rules of how things worked. Mixed in with the ritual, he couldn’t take anything for granted anymore. He needed to find some silver, but he panicked trying to find some on his person.“Look out!” Vaughan’s voice called out suddenly from behind as Fenryn abruptly found himself being picked up and moved out of the way by force. Just as he landed on his hands and knees, Fenryn turned to face his old friend. Horror filled his eyes as the soul leapt into every hole in Vaughan’s face.Seeing what had just happened, Nelson knew they couldn’t stay down in this cavern under Sethis’ home for much longer. He had no way of knowing what foul monstrosities the possessed people would become and there was no guarantee Vaughan would be friendly towards them once
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Taking hold of the bed rope, Fenryn was the first to get down from their current location. Their side of the house had bent so much that he knew it wouldn’t be long now before the entire building would come down around them. Many of the guards had gotten out, but others were still calling out from inside. He felt for them, but he had to get out of the blast zone of the rubble that would surely pose a risk to him.Turning his gaze on Nelson, the King saw a large crack quickly zigzagging under the window. “It’s now or never, Nelson! You’ve not got much time left!” Fenryn called out, urging the man to hurry. They might not have had a good start to their meeting, but he had learned he could depend on the ex-bandit. At least enough to worry about his safety.Nelson peered down at the King. The bedsheets wouldn’t have held both of them, but now that Fenryn was on the ground, he could finally get down himself. With the way the King had urge
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While the King kept his focus on the chasm, Nelson looked around for signs of movement. He could hear something not far off, but he wasn’t sure if it was survivors below the rubble or the possessed group. The tips of his fingers were tingling annoyingly, but he ignored it and carefully made his way towards the sounds.He hadn’t known what to expect, as he had never seen a possessed person before. He wondered if they looked anything like the demons he had faced before. If so, he believed he could handle them just fine, but nothing could prepare him for what he finally saw.Stumbling down a large piece of the rubble, Nelson almost didn’t see the thing in front of him. Ashen black skin covered what had once been a human from head to toe. They almost blended in far too well with the rubble and the dust still lingering in the air.As they turned around to face Nelson, he noticed how tightly the skin seemed to cling to the bones, making them appear e
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While leaving Fenryn to deal with Vaughan, Elena, the two guards, and Nelson went about looking for the other possessed humans in the area. There was nothing they could currently do about Sethis as he was far too large for the silver to even phase him, but they each hoped the others would be easier to contend with.The two guards quickly found another of the possessed mages. This one looked as white as snow and almost bone-like in appearance. Where there were once two eyes were now nothing but sunken holes with evil red orbs floating within.Meanwhile, Nelson took Elena back to the gnarled tree-like ex-mage closer to Sethis. He wasn’t sure how to handle this thing, especially if it kept screeching as loud as it did. He was sure if they were not cautious, their eardrums would explode from the sheer sound.Once the two arrived, Elena hesitated and looked up. She could barely see her father’s face from this close. She wondered if any part of him remaine
Adventures of the Crown: The Noble Bandit CH53
Slowly, the babbling Vaughan had been spouting was slowly calming down after Fenryn had finally slipped the bracelet onto his wrist. Yet even with the silver jewellery, it was obvious Vaughan’s possession was not being reversed. Although the result that Fenryn was more relieved to see was that Vaughan had stopped thrashing about now.It was at least a start to helping Vaughan, but Fenryn couldn’t help but fear for the sanity of his old friend. What if the silver wasn’t enough to free him from possession? It worked on mages, but this whole thing had not been normal and neither was this possession. It had slowed the old soul down, yes, but not stopped it entirely. That it had possessed a human with no magic was not normal. All the rules for what Fenryn had discovered and understood were now null and void.“Come on, Vaughan,” Fenryn said, still holding onto the other man’s hand while silently praying the silver would finally free his fr
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Of course, this confession of love had hurt Elena, but deep down she had always known she would never indeed find love from the King. Not because he was unkind to her, but because they had forced him into this arranged marriage as much as they had forced her. Not only that, but she had already known she could never really be the Queen or the mother of his children. She was a mage and not someone he could ever be with, even if to the public’s eye - they claimed her to be those things.With a soft sigh and a gentle smile, she silently forgave him and accepted his choice to find love with someone else. She didn’t feel any resentment and was almost glad it was with someone she believed deserved the King’s affection. Now that her father had shown himself a traitor, her place at the King’s side was no doubt over before it had even begun.Elena wasn’t sure if she would face punishment in place of her father if he didn’t come to his senses and accept punishment himself. Of course, he would ta
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It was a month after the meeting when the two kings finally sealed the deal with a wedding. Nelson, of course, attended, but he had spent most of the time trying to find any clues about who might have close ties with Sethis and was out for revenge.A few of the women turned their sights on him, but he politely turned them down, claiming he would not be ready to seek a wife until after he had finished building his mansion and settled into this new rank. It gave him time to mingle with as many groups as he could since the King was now officially off-limits for marriage.Being the King’s surrogate was not as glamorous as the young noblewomen hoped, and with it clear he had chosen Vaughan not just out of duty but love. They soon gave up the thought of being his mistress. Only those with no actual rank and nothing to lose still chased that dream.With the women who had turned their ventures to other potential rank improvements, Nelson no longer considered them
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Nelson still felt irritable from earlier in the day, but he knew that if he missed this meeting, all three of them would get on his case about it and he might miss his chance at getting the power and sway he needed to grow and survive the threats from those of his past who would betray him, eventually. When his past caught up to him, Nelson knew he had to be ready for anything.He lingered near the back of the hall while Lynnette saw Elena and the two of them left him alone to talk between themselves. Until the King finally started the meeting, at least.Nelson felt a small sense of relief wash over him. He leaned against the wall and watched all the nobles in the room. Not every noble was here, but every noble house had sent at least one person to hear what the King had to say. Many of the attendants were women which had not surprised Nelson in the least.It didn’t matter to them if the King was taken, they would constantly vie for his attention until the
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By the time all the nobles had arrived, it exhausted Fenryn from greeting each one of them. Even Elena had come. Two guards had escorted her, though she and the King had both decided they would need to handle things as best as they could. Regardless of what they claimed the narrative was for their breakup, people were going to taunt and mock her for losing her chance of sitting on the throne.Fenryn did not want to see her mocked and belittled because of her father, so he had to make it abundantly clear she was not at fault. That the two of them had split on equal terms and were both still going to be friendly with one another. The only issue was the King knew the other nobles wouldn’t care about any excuse. They would belittle her, regardless.Elena waited until every other noble had finished speaking with the King before she walked over to him and offered a shy smile. He returned it with an awkward one of his own.“You’re looking well. Sorry
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Later that day, once the group had completed every task, Nelson stood out in the gardens to get some air. He was getting tired from running around on the King’s behalf, but it would all be worth it later that night. The King had decided he was going to make the announcement at a social gathering of all his nobles.The plans had already been in place since he had confessed to wanting to marry Vaughan, and now all they had to do was wait and make sure the man in question did not suspect a thing. As far as anyone knew, this gathering was going to be about Sethis’ betrayal and Nelson’s promotion.They would not go into details about who defeated Sethis or what had happened in full, but some of the truth might come out, depending on the guards. Nelson wasn’t sure if he wanted to assassinate them just to keep the truth safe. However, he couldn’t just do so without knowing if they were a danger or not. So far, the two of them had stayed quiet and
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By the time Nelson returned to his own bedroom, he could hear the servants waking up other guests in the castle for breakfast and knew he wouldn’t be able to grab more sleep, as he had hoped. However, his tasks for the morning had been completed and now he just had to deal with Fenryn and the others. A far less complicated matter, but one far more timely.As Nelson’s door was knocked, he answered it with a cheerful smile and allowed himself to be guided down to the King’s dining hall. Lynnette had joined them, though she seemed to be deep in thought. Nelson wasn’t sure if she had heard something. Perhaps him returning to his room? Or perhaps she was noticing the effects of the tonic and was trying to figure out what was happening.Nelson decided not to mention it. If she brought up her thoughts on her own, then he could play innocent, or happy, depending on what the situation was.Fenryn and Vaughan were already sitting at the table and,
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It was still quite dark when the ship docked at the riverside port. Nelson and Lynnette had more land to travel across before reaching the city itself, but thankfully, Fenryn had arranged a horse-drawn carriage for them. It had to have been him, as there was more than enough room for Lynnette’s chair on wheels.Lynnette hated being constrained by the thing, but it always made her feel less upset when Fenryn would do small things to make her life a little less awkward.When they arrived just outside of the castle, several guards and servants were there waiting for them. They were sure Fenryn was inside, still awake, waiting for them to return. Lynnette had thankfully slept for a little while on the boat, but Nelson had been awake. He couldn’t sleep. He had wanted to prepare himself for anything that would happen between now and the wedding. So much could go wrong and many people would be unhappy at the union. They all wanted a piece of that crown for themsel
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Lynnette woke to a start when she heard Nelson calling for her. He had been acting strangely and had refused to tell her what this was all about. She never could get over the fact that he was now on the King’s side. She always expected him to betray them and have her assassinated in her sleep, yet he hadn’t even attempted it. Perhaps he truly had changed his ways and was willing to use his skills for Fenryn from now on.She sighed and grumbled a tired reply to him. Lynnette had finally grown accustomed to sleeping in a bed, but now that she had, she never wanted to wake up in the morning. They were so comfortable, even in the winter. Though it wasn’t winter now, and she knew she really had to get up.As she pulled herself up, Lynnette leaned over to grab her chair on wheels. She took the clean clothes from the seat and got dressed. She could hear Nelson pacing outside as he waited for her, but Lynnette was in no rush.Lynnette then pulled herse
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After being led to roughly the right place, the young serpentine lingered back out of the way. Nelson could tell he was afraid to go any closer to where he believed Ket had made her nest. Though it seemed so strange to see a serpentine afraid of anything. Perhaps the only thing they did fear was their own kind.“Wouldn’t it be more impressive to the woman to show up yourself and show your bravery?” Nelson asked as he halted the anxious horse’s steps. The serpentine had been mindful of the beast’s fears. The hopes of having Ket as a mate this year seemed to be far more important than food.The young lad gazed up at Nelson silently for a while before he said, “females are bigger. Stronger. It is not the breeding season yet. She will kill me as this has become her space. I will not go beyond this point.”Nelson dipped his head to the side in a vague, understanding motion. He wasn’t sure if he liked the thought of bein
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The following day, Nelson left Lynnette in the capable hands of the inn staff should she need anything at all. He had said his goodbyes to his mother and Inleet before heading towards Rattail Peak. He had gotten in contact with a person he thought might have the information he sought.Nelson took only a single guard with him, and that was only under protest. He knew that from now on, he would have no choice but to rely on loyal men to keep him safe. Thankfully, this man was one of Fenryn’s, though that bit of information was never offered to anyone except himself.Thankfully, the people within Ameathon City and Rattail Peak had not yet learned of who exactly had taken over from Sethis. Everyone had known there had been a change of leadership, and that Sethis had become a demonic force of nature that had destroyed his own home, killed many of his people and eventually been slain.As Nelson journeyed through the rattus city, he couldn’t help but think
