Fay fell into silence as she nodded her head smartly. Good, thought Jennifer. At least the Navile shouldnât cause any further issues. The front doors burst open then, a dull clap of wood against marble. She reeled at the sound but was disappointed to discover that not Talon, but some half deranged elf had staggered from the entrance. The young elfâs appearance was horribly marred and caked in a blanket of grimy sweat. Even from this distance, she could tell his breathing was irregular, likely taxed from a physical abuse.
Whatever the elfâs circumstances, his sunken eyes seemed to recognise them immediately upon exiting. He carried himself rigidly towards her and took a moment to gather his strength before speaking. Jenniferâs dark eyes assessed him impassively at first, uncertain of what to make of the elf. If not for the presence of Fukayna, she might've dismissed him entirely, but Jennifer guessed he mustâve been isolated in the dungeons for his unwashed stench was wrinkling her nose.
"Did you come here with Fukayna? Torak is dangerous. You should leave as soon as you can," he blurted out, desperate to deliver his message.
Jennifer grinned as she raised a thin eyebrow at the young man. âDangerous?â the mage scoffed, her chest hiking incredulously beneath her crossed arms, âYouâve got the situation around the wrong way kid. Sure, Torak can use a bit of magic, but Lord Vâlyn is more than capable of handling someone like him.â Talon had the power of the old god after all, assuming his already formidable combat skills werenât enough.
Fayâs reaction was quite the opposite however. The Navile edged towards Jennifer to have a word with the mage, concern audibly creeping into her tone as her eyes warily darted about their surrounds as though they were being watched, "We have to get your friend."
Jennifer opened her mouth to reply but the doors blew open again, disrupting her speech before it had even began. This time, one of the panels flew clean off its joints, ripped apart by whatever energy lay behind it. The door transformed into a deadly projectile as it flew into Fay, only to be deflected by a hastily erected shield. Basking in the yellow luminescence of Fayâs bubble, the mage frowned at the sudden turn of chaos, acting like this was an average day in the Order of Riena. âAnd thatâs probably Talon using the good old scare static,â she smirked. The smirk only lasted the whole portion of another second before an overwhelming force threw Talon out of the doorway. A mist gathered in thickness as the unsettling scenario engulfed the party.
"Insolent assassin! You dare threaten me and my Kingdom?!" Torak vocalised his anger from the top of the staircase. A silver glint caught her attention and Jenniferâs eyes locked onto the gauntlet encasing his wrist. The artefact angrily discharged magical power as the Steward marched closer, his expression glowing red with fury. Jennifer took an inadvertent step back, startled by the madness she saw reflected in the Stewardâs beady irises.
"This isn't you're kingdom, Steward!" Talon retorted, but Torak was having none of it.
The Steward glowered at them from the top of the stairs, possessed by an uncontrollable power, "There is no heir to this throne, V'lyn! This belongs to me as it always has." Torak was mad, truly mad. There was no reasoning with him, but now they could verify that some of the rumors they'd been sent to investigate were true. Jennifer released her breath and prepared herself, sensing the situation was approaching the imperceptible line of no return. She just prayed that Torak wouldnât notice the elf prisoner Fukayna had released.
"Like the gauntlet you wield? Relinquish it at once, Steward, or you'll give me no choice."
Torak had suddenly noticed the young elf and Jennifer swore she could see the veins popping over his forehead, "And now you're trying to release criminals right under my nose! You're filthy, V'lyn! How dare you come in here, pretending to check up on me! You're true intentions were to free this man weren't they? And now you'll try to usurp my power using him! I won't allow it. You won't succeed and you won't leave this city alive either! Any of you!"
"Jennifer!" Talon yelled. A small frown of disapproval grew on her lips as she complied with his orders.
âI never liked negotiating anyway.â She mulled and ignited the illusionary magic sheâd been leaking into the courtyard. âWorld Fracture!â
Tinted goggles materialised over eyes of Talon, Fukayna and Jennifer, protecting the trio from the concussive effects of the assassinâs impromptu flash bang. It was all she could do on short notice. Jennifer redirected the rest of her energy to Torak's senses, plying her fingers like she was playing harp, and masked the party's presence from him. "Whatever you want to do Talon, do it now."