Everyone gathered around Armand. Elle, with tears in her eyes, hugged him with Typhus giving him a manly pat on the back. Deacon stepped away from the Cardinal Unit to give them some space. In the back of his mind he knew there’d be a price to pay for such a miracle. It was then he decided to check his notifications.

Bael’s Blessing- Death Tax- Death Tax now takes two out of every ten souls from vanquished enemies as a tithe to Bael. Every time a Tax Refund is received the tithe will increase by one soul. At ten the blessing will be nullified along with all its benefits.

New message from Bael God of Change and Death- You would have found a way around permanent death somehow. Every champion does. This way I get what’s mine.

Deacon thought that made some kind of sense. He would definitely gone out looking for a way to bring any of them back. They have developed a bond through trials and tribulations. Then he wondered what the other champions were like and what they’ve done. There must be some record of their achievements somewhere. Thoughts for another day. Right now they needed to track down that vampire before it could do more harm.

“How’s it coming Verus?” Deacon asked turning away from his friends.

“Almost there. The truth ritual is complete. I’m waiting Jacob who is vigorously hugging the Cardinal Unit.” Verus said.

Sure enough Deacon turned to see all three of them wrapped up in the Canidae man’s arms. Deacon walked over to the trapped monster to gloat but saw Verus shaking his head slightly. The doors behind the hugging mass opened to reveal a frantic Lord Desentes flanked by two of the King’s Knights. He looked over at Jacob and the rest and breathed out a sigh of relief. The dining hall was a mess of blood and bodies.

“I was told my son had been killed. I’m delighted to see that isn’t the case. We have taken back the courtyard but fighting persists just outside the keep. Can I count on the Guilds to help in this time of crisis?” asked Lord Antonio Desentes standing up straight adjusting his bearing to that of a leader.

“The Adventurer’s Guild will be mobilized shortly. I’ve already sent out a guild wide mandatory defense quest.” Said Jacob releasing his three subordinates and switching to business mode.

“My Lord, if you would bring the guild master with you, I believe this subject is ready for interrogation.” Verus said.

“Nice work Verus.” Replied Lord Desentes.

“I just put the finishing touches on the ritual. You can thank young Deacon over there for trapping this one.” Verus replied winking at Deacon.

“Where is Lord Cullep hiding? The mine or his manor?” asked Lord Desentes.

“One and the same.” Came an answer from Rolento’s mouth.

“Has he been hiding circle members in the mine?” asked Verus.

“Yes.” Said Rolento through a clenched jaw.

“What was the whole plan?” asked Lord Desentes.

“Kill you all. Take over leadership of the Plateau. Surrender to Vasilly tomorrow and rule this region.” Shrieked Rolento trying bite off his own tongue, but the change had removed his lower jaw to favor the Vessels lamprey like mouth. At the mention of Vasilly and the timing everyone immediately looked at their slates.

Kingdom Notice- The Vasilly Empire has begun their invasion of the Southern Griffin Kingdom. The following defense bonuses have been applied. Intact Leadership, Agricultural Stasis, and Champion’s Advantage.

Intact Leadership- An assassination attempt has failed. The leaders of this region grant a plus ten percent defense bonus to all participants.

Agricultural Stasis- All farmland will remain untouched until the conclusion of the fighting to preserve regional value.

Champion’s Advantage- The Champion of Cheshire stands with Iron Mountain Plateau. All defenders are granted a random elemental based magic spell at no cost to the user for the duration of the invasion.

“Good, Agricultural Stasis. I was hoping we’d get that one. There have been too many scorched earth wars with The Empire. Champion’s Advantage is new. I assume this is your doing?” Lord Desentes asked.

“I have no idea.” Deacon said.

“This could be a problem. Should civilians find themselves fighting, they’d be granted magic they don’t understand. This is a very Cheshire way of helping. Also no cost means they can just keep casting. Madness. I expect there to be many fires.” Verus muttered to himself.

“But it will bolster our ranks. Its up to us to lead them.” Lord Desentes replied.

“Also it’s a way of fucking with me. The fates know I can’t use magic.” Deacon said pouting as he leaned against the wall.

“What is the next step in this plan?” asked Lord Desentes. Rolento was now straining against the ice and cracking the stone, but the magic compelled him to answer.

“Sow chaos within the civilian population to keep you to busy to prepare for tomorrow’s invasion.” Replied Rolento whose eyes were now bulging out of its sockets.

“That’s enough. I must go see to the defense of the Plateau. I trust you will all be able to handle the disposal of this creature?” Lord Desentes asked as he began walking away.

“It’s too late. You can’t stop what’s coming!” Rolento screamed before four conjured arrows sprouted from his face forcing sending him to the next world.

“Glad your chat is over.” Elle said with finality.

They all met downstairs and said goodbye to Verus who needed to get back to the guild. He had an idea that might be able to buy the Plateau some time. He seemed manic about it but didn’t spend anytime explaining. Verus opened a portal right in front of the main gate and stepped through it. Jacob made it clear that they were to get to the guild hall immediately. Only stopping to help those in need. The Knights Garrison had been emptied out with all the soldiers up and in formation. It appeared a very bloody, yet one sided battle had happened out here whilst they were all inside. Deacon surmised the skirmish outside was just a distraction so Cullep could sneak in. Fenris was dealing with many crystals on a table of the town guard reporting in from different sections of the city. The Knight Captain was instructing and deploying the rows of knights to different sections of the city. One of them conjured up a silver sword that flew off and stuck in the wall of the keep. Laughter erupted before the Knight Captain squashed it. Getting used to a random magic spell was going to be tricky.

Once out in the streets Deacon noticed several Knights with lances pinning a Sanguine Vessel in place while another beheaded them. He was worried there would need to be message sent about how to kill them, but it appeared the secret was out. They all traveled one more block before a huge owl with antlers landed on a fence line next to Elle. It gestured south and Elle assured the spirit they already knew about the Empire’s invasion. Its feathers rumpled up around it and it took off into the air. It almost seemed annoyed.

“Was that the forest spirit from outside of Everhart?” Deacon asked.

“Maybe. It didn’t look happy.” Elle said trailing off like she lost in her own thoughts. At the same time Jacob, Typhus, and a fully kitted out Armand took down another Vessel. Armand viciously cutting into its head with a sizzle and pop from his blade.

“What’s the plan for the vampires?” Armand asked panting.

“What do you mean?” Asked Typhus.

“They are almost as fast as Deacon, but Cullep hasn’t always been a vampire. He’s relatively new to it and is already incredibly fast and strong. We don’t know how many actual vampires there are. I’d feel better if we had a plan.” Armand replied.

“I’ve got an idea, but I don’t think you’re going to like it.” Deacon said rushing over with Elle.

“You know, I was getting bored. Its about time some insane scheme came out of Deacon.” Typhus said getting a chuckle from the group.

“Laugh it up short stack. When I got rid of Cullep’s arm I used the sun blossom we got from the Temple of Astrael. There was a window box full of them. We could find where they are hiding and surprise them.” Deacon said.

“That might work. Unfortunately the blossom kind of died after you used it. It will have to be quick.” Elle said.

“Elle, do you have any spells we could use to make flowers grow? Maybe we could fill a tunnel.” Armand asked.

“Let me handle the flowers and the replication spell. I want the Cardinal Unit to find where the vampires are in the Mine. It’s likely guarded by these things. This is where we part ways. Deacon and Ralph, you are with me.” Jacob ordered as the two groups split up.

“Where are we going?” Ralph asked.

“First to the guild to organize and redistribute. We need some earth mages for the flowers and to get geared up. There’s about five hours left until dawn and vampires can do a lot of damage in that time.” Jacob replied.