Virion stared blankly at the man, who had so boldly proclaimed his presence upon their gathering. He was dressed similarly in the manner they were- But the distinguishing factor was that while the fabric of majority were still neat, his was nearly drenched in a spectacular shade of red. Even the collars of the once white Shirt unveiled specks of red. "Just who.." Viron began, as he momentarily glanced at the sword in the hands of the latter, which continued to deposit droplets of crimson unto the surface of the previously clean hallways. To be more precise, the impromptu visit of their intruder had been accompanied by a long trail of red. "Do you refer to me?" Egiel asked, as he used his hand to slick his hair backwards. "Oh, I am no one; nothing more than an insignificant character." The butler stated, in manner of reply. "What sort of magic lies within your domain?" Viron continued to interrogate, but at this period, a scowl had already made itself visible on his face. "Oh, you are more sensitive than I thought. But, I am not quite good at revealing secrets." Egiel simply stated, lightly swinging his already bloodied sword. 'I should have expected something such as this when I perceived their presence earlier.' Egiel speculated within himself, as he glanced towards their direction. 'But the main issue as of now, is how I could cause the stars to align in my favor.' "It is best for you not to interfere in our plans." Virion exclaimed, his brow becoming more strained now. 'How Is it that now that we are so close to our principal target, that an individual such as himself arrives ? Moreover.. is he not affected by the methane?' Viron's mental process was in a state of turmoil. Despite his body being blessed with the capability of harnessing magic, he still had to ensure protection from certain elements, irregardless of a mere mortal?
"You only make the process tedious." Egiel broke the silence, lightly shaking his head. "I was of the opinion that you Lots would not pause until your agenda was actualized- correct me if I am wrong?" The man asked, scrutinizing each of their faces carefully. His wandering eyes however, fixated themselves on the door for a moment. "As I said earlier on, I shall not permit for you to go through this door." Egiel declared, not even displaying the slightest bit of fear. "If you wish to go, then you will have to rid yourself of the obstruction before you." He added. "Why? Is the person within its boundaries dear to you?" Another one of the men asked. "If you all are no more than a bunch of fools, then, I reckon that you would have discovered the entity of the one who lies within." Egiel stated, while squinting his eyes at the man. His opponent gritted his teeth as soon as that statement was made. "I am willing to lay down my life for this family, come what may." Egiel stated, as he tightened his grip on his sword. "You are too full of yourself, for your own benefit!" The man, who had addressed Egiel earlier, had finally rid himself of his restraints, charging towards him. Egiel effortlessly blocked the strike, parrying the sword of the latter with his. The agitation of the infiltrator was the product of the aftermath, which led the man's movement to be even more frantic. "What are you standing around for? Render him support!" Virion scolded his men harshly. "Try your utmost best to keep him, until I am able to disencrypt this dammed thing." Virion stated, as he turned back towards the door. 'It so turns out that it is just five of them; I should be able to dominate for some time.' Egiel analysed, sliding directly underneath the sword of his opponent, without the slightest fear. 'But..' The butler felt a slight sting at the left side of his face, accompanied by a thick liquid oozing out. 'I should be able to hold on my own, for the now.' A smile came to his face. While he yet stood at a reasonable distance, his opponent charged in his direction. 'It has been years- I am actually of the impression that I am enjoying myself.' Egiel thought, as he ran straight past his opponents, dodging and deflecting their strikes. "Coward! Trying to abscond In the midst of battle?!" The first man called out, as he discovered what Egiel's true motive was. In the end, not a single one of them had managed to slice their blade through his flesh. "After him, this instant!" The man called out, as he led his colleagues down the corridor of which Egiel was last seen. The butler did not even glance beside him- By the mere sound of footsteps, he was certain that his strategy was almost complete. "How ignorant." He stated, with a click of his tongue. "Well, since you four are bent on taking my life, then.." He increased his acceleration, dashing further into the corridor. "Are you certain he does not possess powers?" One of the men could not Help but cry out on shock- It was as though Egiel had suddenly disappeared from their sight, and with such super human speed as well. They glanced amongst themselves in confusion, unsure of the right course of action to take. One person In the group however, ensured to keep his coordination in interest. "As slippery as an eel." The man muttered, with a smile on his face. The scenario had been altered, to one which was even darker and more sinister. "To think that such a place would exist in the manor." One of the men began, a slight whistle escaping from his lips. "Recall that you are not out of this present situation as of yet." The man, who had automatically taken the place of their commander, relayed to his group. "Nairo, do try to illuminate the surroundings- I have difficulty seeing in the dark." The man called out, but he received no response. "Islez.." One of the men called out, In half of a stutter. The man who bore such a name, whipped around in order to witness what the source of commotion was. And complexion turned pallid- once he noticed the unconscious body that was on the floor. "How?" He could not Help but mutter in surprise. He had not heard so much as a muffled cry for help, despite there being clear signs of struggle. But Islez was unsatisfied- he Crouched down to the ground, peering at the body intently. "I knew that it was an impossibility for one of us to die so easily." Islez muttered, with a slight frown on his face. On the body of the corpse, thee were several lines of a dark color- it was as though the veins of the victim had been corroded. "And hence, ends the life of another." The voice made Islez to glance upwards. Penetrating from the chest of a specific someone, was a crimson coated sword. The pitiful entity could only widen his eyes in surprise, as he saw the blade that had pierced through his being. 'Is this, a dream?' The man thought, as he stared at his own bloodied hands. He thought so- and he would have believed so, had It not been for the searing pain in his chest which convinced him otherwise. The perpetrator of the incident however, smirked maliciously, before swimming the decapitated body from the blade. As his body came tumbling down to the ground like a broken door, he only had one thought in his mind. How? He was not even opportuned to utilize his powers to protect himself. Just: 'How?' That thought replayed itself in his mind, as he stared at the silhouette of his murderer. This process however, did not last for so long a duration, as his conscience slowly faded away...
"You do not seem as displeased as I expected." Egiel stated, as he glanced at Islez. The addressed glanced at him a soft sigh coming to his lips. "So, it has come to this." Egiel's eyes widened, he could not possibly avert from the path of the latter in time, and he felt the impact of his being being stuck against the wall. 'This bastard.. Did you have to make it ever evident that you utilize your powers?' Egiel gasped for air- The hand which relentlessly crushed his windpipe showed no signs of releasing. He had seen the sudden surge of essence initially with his eyes, but he could not bring himself to react on time. 'Damn this accursed body.' The man cussed inwardly, as he tried to pry off the hand of whose mercy he was being held captive. 'Not only has my cognitive process become much slower, but my movements as well.' He glanced at the one responsible for his apprehension. "Do not even dare to utter falsehood to me." Islez stated, as he glared at the former angrily. "You possess powers, do you not?" Egiel was surprised that he could still force laughter out of his lungs at such a crucial point. "What makes you to presume such?" He inquired of his adversary, but all he got in response was the increment in the grip of the latter. "Do you even know if my sword was imbued with poison?" Egiel asked. It currently felt as though all the vessels in his brain were in danger of becoming ruptured; and he was sure without a doubt that his eyes had long become bloodshot. But what his opponent was not aware of, was the fingers that twitched at regular intervals. "Are you really not going to speak?" Islez asked, with much irritation in his voice. "As I had previously stated.." The butler spoke with much difficulty this time. "I am willing..to sacrifice my life for the sake of this family." "This is complete unrelated to the issue at hand!" Islez exclaimed, Nearly unable to control himself. "But.. are you absolutely certain that you want to kill me?" Egiel asked, much to the perplexity of the latter. "Whatever do you mean? You are nothing more but a hinderance to our path." Islez stated, wishing to be rid of this man in an instant. "The council shall eventually come for you, once this incident gets to their knowledge." Egiel stated. "Or do you wish to abide at the mercy of the council?" He asked. This made Islez to frown even further. Was this man so afraid of death, that he had began to spew nonsense out of his mouth in order to save his own skin?
"Your master is a member of the council, is he not?" Iselez questioned. "What makes you to relay such crucial information to me?" He pressed on. Egiel squirmed in his grasp. "Given the fact that I shall pass on soon, what other obligations could I possibly regard towards My master?" Egiel asked, in a melancholic tone. "I did try to protect this family till my last breath- and that is all that matters. As for the council- they can consider It plausible to torture information out of a corpse, I suppose." Egiel stated. "Such audacity.." Islez began, but his words froze when he saw the smile on the man's face. There was a slight sound- like a scissor being snippped. 'Strange." Islez could not Help but mutter. 'Why does my arm.. grow further away from my body?" That was the last statement the unfortunate man would ever be able to asked, though he was unaware of the fact. Egiel glanced at the motionless corpse on the ground, as he brutally separated the arm from his neck. Despite it having lost its life force, it was still rooted in the last option it performed. He glanced upwards. "Come." He commanded, and the sword which had been motionlessly levitating in the air, came by his side like an obedient dog. "It seems that I have regained a bit of my powers- although it is a miniscule amount." He stated, as he stared at his outstretched palm. "But for the now, there are more pressing issues demanding of my attention." He stated, as he dashed out of the room.
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"Almost.." Viron muttered to himself, a slight bead of sweat trailing down his face. He had stood there for hours now, constantly pouring in his Essence into the gem before him. "The main hurdle now is for it to recognize me as its owner- if that can be done, then the milestone of decrypting it would be taken care of." He soliloquised. But the problem was, despite the amount of essence he poured in, he was nowhere close to the actualization of his goal. "Just what sort of artifact is this?" He could not Help but call out, a slight sense of unease settling into him. The skies overhead began to display a slight shade of crimson- an indication that the hunt was beginning to approach its climax. "I apologize for keeping you in solitude." A voice called out, making Viron to flinch lightly. The man turned around, and goodness, what a grand sight. The butler stood with a smile on his face, with a levitating sword by his side. How was such a weapon floating in the first instance? 'He is..unhurt.' Viron stated, as he inched closer to the door, in a subconscious state of mind. 'But the only ones would a strong affinity with Magic were those men.. which Is precisely the reason we waited for them to leave the den first.' Viron thought. 'But how can a mere underling.. be gifted with the ability to harness such an element? Were there fallacies in the Intel accorded to us?' The man stated, as the sword once made itself manifest in his sight. "Frightened?" Egiel asked, as he walked towards the man. "Do not worry- I find no need to kill you. Let me... Possess the sentiments of a human for once." Egiel simply stated. "Before you proceed further." Viron began, causing the approaching man to Halt. "If you release the maiden to us, we would leave the rest of your Master's family members be." Viron stated, a slight smile on His face. "An amazing proposition, is it not?" He added, and was pleased to see the butler nod his head in agreement. "Indeed. The price of one is by far lesser than the price of four." Egiel stated, as he walked to the man. "E-exactly- we hit off quite well, do we not?" Viron asked, but the countenance of the butler faced an alteration without warning. "Do not dare to compare me to a lowlife such as yourself- we operate from different spheres." Egiel stated, causing Viron to be more perplexed. 'Are you not the lowlife in this setting?' Viron asked. "Did you not noticr that your men are yet to be discovered?" Egiel asked, causing the man to look around. True to the statement of the latter, the dispatchees were nowhere to be found. ''Do not inform me..' Viron muttered, taking a glance at the Man before him. "What did you believe I aimed to achieve, by separating you from them?" Egiel asked with a smile, after noticing the man's bewildered eyes. "Without your leadership, there were no different than marionettes with their strings cut." Egiel stated, walking up to him."Unfortunately, I shan't kill you now, you may prove useful in the near future" Before Viron could ready himself, he felt a slight poke to his nape. When he glanced upwards, he noticed Egiel standing by his side. "You.." He really wanted to ask, to know the true identity of this butler. But unfortunately, his body failed him- he slowly slid to the floor. 'Given how inexperienced they are it would imply that the real perpetrators are the ones holding them captive- it would only make sense that way.' Egiel analyzed, before glancing upwards- towards the fluctuating field of energy. "Should I have waited for him to decrypt it fully first?" He thought, as he closed his eyes. But soon, his furrowed eyebrows automatically relaxed- as he glanced further down the corridors. "I should be glad that the memories of this body are not obsolete, I suppose." He muttered to himself, a slight smile coming to his face.
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"My lady. My lady." Those words echoed into Diane's hearing, causing her to frown lightly. Rather than render comfort- those words caused her to feel a slight pain In her head. Of the opinion that it was Dorothy- she compelled herself to open her eyes, but what came into view was nothing the face of a woman- but was rather of a masculine nature instead. "You really had me transcending to the next realm, lady." Egiel stated, a smile on his face. The damsel squinted her eyes at him- her vision was still slightly hazy, impairing her sight. "Egiel." Diane called out lightly, as she sat upright. "How did you gain access? I was of the opinion that the door was sealed..." Only this time behold the presence of the butler, who just directed a delightful beam in her direction. "Egiel, this.." "There is no need to worry my lady, I am alright." Egiel rudely cut her off, as he grasped for the sword beside him. "Fate can be rather unpredictable- but for the now, it is best that I get you to safety- in the incidence of a further mishap." Egiel simply stated, surveillance the library cautiously- although he was aware, that they were the only ones present. "Pardon? I don't quite.." Diane stated, standing up to her Feet- but she Nearly ended up stumbling afterwards. Fortunately, Egiel was in a close proximity to render assistance. "Take it steady, My lady." Egiel said in a calm tone, as he grabbed the lady by her shoulders, in order to prevent her from falling to the ground. 'It is quite evident that the methane is yet to depart from her system.' Egiel pondered, as he heaved a low sigh. "My lady, permit me to act based on my intuition, just this one time." Egiel stated. Before Diane could give her consent however, she had already found herself in the man's arms. "Egiel!" Vociferated the damsel, the initial shock still present with her. "This.. does not go right with me." She expressed herself, in a lower tone. "Now is not the time to ponder about morals, my lady- It is an issue concerning survival. Do you not trust me, my lady?" The butler asked, staring deeply at those blue eyes of hers. Diane was the first to break contact. "Of course I do." Diane simply replied, the grip on the man's neck intensifying slightly. Who was she not to have faith in the one, who stood beside Diego from dawn till dusk?
The corner of Egiel's mouth tilted slightly as he heard that. "It is an honor to warrant your trust, my lady." The man stated, as he proceeded with his movements. Diane on the other hand, threw a casual glance over his shoulder. Egiel momentarily came to a halt- The damsel had taken a hold of his tie. "There be any issue, my lady?" Egiel interrogated, glancing at the woman within his arms. "I seek you disturb- but we move opposite to the door." Diane stated in a soft tone. "My lady, that door is actually out of commission, for the now." Egiel explained, as he Moved ahead. Diane glanced forward- and was surprised to see that one of the floorings had come lose, leading to a dark and Nearly bottomless abyss. "Ah." A soft man escaped from her lips, as the darkness began to slowly envelop her. "Do you feel uncomfortable, my lady?" She could hear Egiel's voice emanated from the pitch blackness. "I am alright- I just have a bit of phobia for dark spaces, that's all." Diane explained to the man, although she could not quite behold his face. "That is quite an astounding statement- I would have never imagined such a scenario, save for the aspect that you told me." Egiel replied, feeling the grip around his neck tighten. "Egiel, you do not mind me asking- but to whence exactly does this place lead to?" Diane asked, while Egiel navigated his way across the labyrinth. "Ah, this is the pavilion, which bridges the library to the corridors- I guess my lady was not aware of it." Egiel elaborated. "Indeed, I wasn't." Diane replied, a bit absent mindedly. Egiel could feel the sensations of the damsel getting even closer to him. 'Please, let us leave this horrid place quickly.' Diane shut her eyes tightly, as she silently muttered that request. As though in response to her pleas- a slight vibration could be heard, echoing across the tunnel. "That is.." Diane's eyes opened briefly, the hum appealed to be familiar to her hearing. She groped among her clothing, searching for the particular item, causing Egiel to Halt in his footsteps once more. "It seems that I am being more of a burden to you, Egiel." Diane stated, with an awkwardly smile. But the man only gave a single ear to her words- he also fumbled amongst his clothing himself. "My lady... Could this be what you seek?" The man asked, bringing out a spherical item, which turned out to be the source of the disturbance. Diane nearly exclaimed for joy as she came into contact with it- not only did she gain comfort from the warmth it radiated, but it served as a source of light as well; illuminating this dark world treaded by her guide and herself. "I ought to have given it you you sooner." The butler admitted- They currently treaded in an upward direction. "It was still in your grasp when I discovered you, and.." "Thank you, Egiel." Diane cut the butler off. "I may have lost It, have it not been for you." Egiel gazed at the woman, who held the medallion excitedly like a child, who had received the toy she had yearned for so long. "The lady flatters me too much." He simply stated, finally placing her on the ground. "Lean against me." The butler instructed, when he observed that the damsel wobbled slightly. Diane did as she was told; lightly placing her hands on his shoulder, while Egiel raised the flooring, permitting for light to stream into the area. But the damsel was not mentally prepared, for the scene she was about to witness....