Whispers at the Opera
The Obelisk Theater was packed that night, as was to be expected of the most prestigious theater in the wealthiest city on the planet. The famous and dramatic play, Child of Hell written by the late playwright Valerio Celenza was on schedule for the night, and as expected it had consumed the attention of the entire audience. Above in one of the theater boxes, two men spoke in hushed tones, one a prominent local, the other a secretive foreigner covered in dark red robes.
"It won't be long now until they are at your doorstep, are your preparations complete?" The man in red asked.
"We are more than ready for them, we have practiced dozens of times, their chances of survival are.... less than concerning." The local dressed in fashionable orange armor, suiting one of high rank in the circles of nobility.
"You may be certain but I still have my doubts, the seers of the home city have come to an agreement, it is them, it is the Arch-Enemy. Those who have hunted us for centuries, their latest generation has revealed themselves."
"And the seers are all fools, the reincarnation cycles that the Elder Bloods spoke of is nothing but a myth. What happened to Father Atela was regrettable, but one source diminished does not prove that they are the ones you seek." He turned his head back to the stage, it was time for the hero Amato to make his choice between his love and his infernal heritage.
"Do not be so blind and arrogant as to dismiss centuries of experience simply because you did not experience it yourself." The older man spoke angrily and harshly "The Elder Bloods have guided us through millennia and are not to be questioned, if we were home and you spoke of them like this, you would be made an example of, do not be so careless just because you are so far from home."
The Durac rolled his eyes to himself. He was barely paying attention to his guest, his favorite part was coming up.
"They are scattered and only concerned with their own businesses they have no idea what kind of a trap they have walked into by making camp in this wretched city. How many have you turned for the task?"
"Three dozen, maybe more. I have gathered forces from the Dens in the rest of the country, everyone wants a crack at them. But they are nothing compared to my own forces, just there to grind them down and nothing more. And..." He trailed off.
The other cut in, "Do not hesitate to use It, I do not care if you have to bury the entire complex on top of them, I want them dead." His tone turned from its usual unpleasantness to something darker. "Calling forth aid from Beyond is no small ordeal, there is a price that you will have to pay, and pay it you will."
He nodded in agreement, though his voice hardly backed up his bravery, "I am....prepared for the sacrifices necessary to complete the ritual. They say some things are worse than death..I hope this isn't one of them."
The Tolosan smiled wryly, "Being one of the few chosen by The Hunter is a great honor, you should be proud."
"Somehow I doubt that there are many who are envious of my calling." He grimly laughed to himself. At least he could find some solace in that he would not live to regret his failure if things did not turn out to plan. The end of the play was at hand, Amato screams in anguish at the choice he must make.
"Take caution, the Ancient One watches us even now, we are beneath His interest but we must still act slowly around Him lest we become the next target of His ire. His son has become to hero of the nation over the course of this war, he has replaced you, even if you are not aware of it yet. Your gamble at Asov paid off but not to the full extent you had hoped."
"Asov had the desired effect among the Pireks, even now their foolish leader censures the Limavans." The armored man chuckled.
"Is that wise though? The Ancient One will reveal Himself to the world in but a few days, we should not so easily hand him more allies."
"The Limavans have many enemies now, so what if the Pireks reclaim their homeland, it is beyond the scope of our interest. And once the Pireks find out what He really is, I doubt they will be so quick to align with Him."
"Perhaps, but do not be so certain of what you do not know, that is why you are still here at the ends of Dihat and not in the homeland." He commented sneeringly.
The Durac turned from his play angrily. "Do not tell what my actions have cost me! Do not lecture me on my failures, I will do what must be done to stop the Interlopers, and then our people will no longer be concerned with petty distractions." He stormed out of the theater box.
The elder Tolosan Half-Elf grinned to himself and to the stage. Amato held tightly his love, as he plunged a dagger repeatedly into her back. Amato's dark master praised the young Tiefling's work promising him the power he sought.
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