Sorcerer… Cyborg???

Chapter 62: Another Portal

Kothar made to follow Xerev, he seemed to have no other choice, but he was reluctant to trust the strange man. As Kothar neared the portal, he felt a resonance from the artifact, the spatial energy from the open portal seemed to have revitalized it.

[Don't do it, Kothar.] Silane warned, worried about where the diamond shaped crystal would take them next.

[Artus lived long enough to write about all his journeys, it can't be that bad.] Kothar replied, and channeled his spatial mana into the stone. As before, the stone began to pull Kothar's mana in uncontrollably, and sure enough, a portal soon opened beneath Kothar, and he plummeted through it, legs bent for the inevitable impact.

There was a soft thud, and Kothar landed cleanly on the polished wood floors of the Duke's labyrinthine library. He sat down with a thud and let out a massive sigh of relief. This time, he had definitely been far too reckless, even powerful beings waited hundreds of years to meet Omkhu, and he had waltzed into her domain with the aid of an artifact.

[You have been too reckless, Kothar, but you can't do much. This is what the mind of a teen is like, you had it easy on Garden with those chemical cocktails they had me dose you with.] Silane sensed Kothar's melancholy mood and reassured him.

[I never thought that they'd be this much trouble. Emotions, that is.] Kothar slowly picked himself up, and headed out of the library, brushing the worst of the wear dust and debris from Idwa from his clothing.

[I'm sure I can synthesise something similar here on Eclat, it won't be too much trouble.] Silane showed Kothar a potential formula made from some medicinal herbs.

[No, that's not necessary. It seems that most people can learn to deal with them.] Kothar gave a sarcastic laugh.

"There he is, subdue him!" One of Anteris' guards spotted Kothar emerging from one of the hallways that led to the library, flanked by a pair of massive statues. Kothar hadn't seen this part of the mansion yet, but the guard's yell meant he couldn't take the time to fully appreciate it.

"Hey, I'm not trying to run, I've just been in the library, that's all." Kotar protested as a trio of guards grabbed him and marched him through the winding hallways and twisting staircases of the mansion, taking him all the way to the Duke's study.

"We've recovered the boy, Sir!" The guard who had initially spotted Kothar announced as they entered the study, stirring Anteris from his stupor.

"After you let him disappear! Get out, you imbeciles!" Anteris threw an empty decanter at the guard, narrowly missing him, the decanter shattering against the bookshelf behind him. The Duke looked like he hadn't l;eft the company of his liquor since Kothar had disappeared, all 12 hours, but in this short time Anteris had managed to drink himself into a wreck.

The Duke's eyes were red, and his face was flushed, and all around him were empty decanters. His fine table was scorched and papers and books lay scattered all around the usually tidy study.

"Come, boy. Sit." The Duke slurred, beckoning Kothar with his gnarled hand that tightly clutched a fresh bottle of liquor.

"Thish stuff ish the best. Dragansh Breth, they call it." Anteris was well and truly drunk, and grinned as he praised his favored drink.

"Look, shon. Don't dishappear like that. I've come to shee you quite fondly. Remind me of young Anterish Junior, you do." The Duke sobbed as he spoke.

"Y'know, sheeing as we come fromsh the shame blood. You could be my heir!" Anteris declared, tears streaming down his face as he yelled out the last sentence, his head slamming face first into his desk right after.

[That was quite something.} Silane commented, as the Duke's snores filled the study, still clutching his favorite Dragon's Breath, the Duke muttered and mumbled in between massive snores.

As a dumbfounded Kothar struggled to make sense of the slurred words of Duke Anteris, Xerev marched through a tall, narrow hallway. The hallway was lit by glowing glass tubes that ran the length of it, illuminating the featureless walls and floor, all hewn from the same gray rock.

Xerev pushed open a pair of tall doors, which swung smoothly to let him emerge into a massive throne room, as featureless as the hallway. The only feature of the room was the stone hewn throne that stood at the far end.

"Xerev! What tidings!" The man on the throne thundered, he shared Xerev's pale skin and dark hair, but his nose was crooked as if it had been broken countless times, and his brows scarred and torn. A thin crown inscribed with markings like those on Xerev's devices circled his brow.

"Your Supremacy. I bring news of a new plane, ripe for plunder." Xerev bowed down on to one knee, looking down at the rough stone floor as he spoke.

"Tell me more." The man gripped the arms of the throne and leaned forward, his eyes wide with excitement and a rabid grin on his face.

"On my most recent exploration, I came across a young man who had accidentally meandered on to Idwa. I tried to bring him along, so we could try to use his tool to triangulate the location of his plane, but he decided not to follow. Fortunately, I managed to stick him with a proximity tracker. If we get within-" Xerev was evidently anxious, and began to babble.

"Enough of your nonsense ramblings, Xerev! Why! Why would we want to go plunder this random backwater?" The man boomed out at Xerev, who hunched up even further, kneeled as he was before the throne.

"Energy, your Supremacy. The boy himself would have been enough to power a quadrant for a whole week. The ambient levels of the plane must be insane!" Xerev finally looked up and met the man's eyes, a crazed expression on both their faces.