Marked Ones: Advent of the Demon Prince

Chapter 214: What Do You Want?

After seeing nothing more than some shadows dancing around only to be absorbed by some rocks, the group felt more than a little defeated. Desmond expected a little more fanfare when they arrived. Lucius seemed so sure when they went to the tower that it would open for him. However, now he was saying they had other things to do before it would work.

They went ahead and returned to the village of Spire Hollow, bypassing the camp. Since their paperwork had already been signed showing that they completed the request, there was no need for them to trek back to the camp when they could simply head back to the village proper.

Once they left the perimeter of the ruins, Lucius moved to the head of the party, staying a few dozen paces ahead of the group. Desmond watched with admiration at the skill and concentration the man had when it came to scouting. Though Lucius was only a half-beastman of a feline lineage and had no ears, Desmond could almost imagine them twitching at each and every sound he heard.

Every once in a while, he would ask them to stop and hold while he vanished into the trees away from sight. He would then reappear silently and advise them to continue towards Spire Hollow.

The village came into view several hours later at the pace they moved. According to Lucius, he made sure to avoid monsters on the return trip because he had to get back to the academy in a hurry. When he was asked if they could have avoided the Ent from before they went to the ruins, he looked at Desmond like he was insane before answering, "Of course."

At first the villagers were hesitant to let them back inside their walls, but after one of the village women informed them of Lucius's feats at the battle against the undead last night, the guards relented. It seemed that the research camp sent word to the village for supplies while they went to investigate the spire.

When they fetched the supplies, they of course exchanged information which was how they knew that Lucius had killed a vampire. If that vampire had crushed the research camp, it was highly likely that it would have continued and attacked the village next.

Despite knowing of what he accomplished, many of the villagers still looked at Lucius with scorn. Not that any of it seemed to bother him. Like a duck in the rain, the insults rolled off his back.

Desmond could not fault the villagers for feeling this way, though the man was their savior by circumstance. There was no way it made up for what many of the people felt about him. Some of them were among the survivors of the spell that Lucius used at the beginning of the war.

"Two rooms please." Rena ordered from the innkeeper, who seemed like a kind and homely woman. "Meals and drinks for all of us as well. To prevent conflict, perhaps we shall take them in our rooms?"

"Yes dearie, that sounds like a fine idea. I will have the food delivered to your rooms. They are next to one another for ease and security."

Rena took the group to one of the rooms and found that one had three beds while the other only had one, large one. It seemed the innkeeper remembered them from their last visit and already knew the sleeping arrangements.

"Now I want you to behave this time, Lucius." Rena chastised lightly, "My cat seems to have gone slightly feral since the last time we lived together."

Desmond, Jade, and Natali all choked on their spit simultaneously. Rena looked at them confused while Lucius seemed to have what looked like a slight tinge of flush to his cheeks. Honestly that part was more surprising than what Rena said.

After they entered the room with three beds to talk and share their meal, Jade chimed in with a question they all had on their minds… "Why did you call him your cat?"

Rena explained that one of the first things she said to someone about Lucius was that she had 'found a feral cat' in the woods and thought he was 'quite cute' so she asked her father to keep him. From that moment, throughout their childhood she would tease him by calling him a cat or her pet cat.

Once again, that strange and rare flush entered Lucius's cheeks as he listened to his wife tell the story of their pet names. Which then devolved into the telling of their love life, and almost continued into Rena explaining to the girls the more rigorous parts of their love life.

Lucius cut the chatter clean when he turned to Desmond and asked, "What do you want?"

"Pardon?" he answered.

Lucius sighed and explained, "You receive a letter to befriend me and join the academy. So, you join the academy, then give me this letter, and still continue to try and interact with me despite literally telling me that you were doing it on orders. So, what do you want, Desmond? Jade?"

Desmond knew this talk was coming, but did not expect it to happen so soon. However, if they could at least start on the same page, then maybe they could improve their relationship.

"I want my sister to live a normal life." Desmond answered. "She is marked and I am not. Even though we are twins, I was always treated as her better, but she is part of me. When our family treated her like trash… I felt it too. I felt her pain, I felt her sorrow… from a young age I knew it was us against everyone else.

"My dream was to get her to Eroa, where one's mark was less likely to determine one's fate. Strength determined your fate, and I figured if we went there, and I showed them how strong I was… then maybe Jade could… finally be free."

"I see…" Lucius nodded.

"Then I lost to Thomas." He continued, gritting his teeth. "I lost my chance. However, you won. You were a champion of the very nation I wanted to join. Not only that… you are a noble, and still a Marked One. Lucius, you are the proof I needed that my goals could be realized."

"I'm a special case, if I am being frank. My house is not a normal one, so I cannot say that your desired future is guaranteed even if I could help you." Lucius explained.

The words dashed Desmond's optimism and hopes before they could be realized. "I see…" then he had a thought. "Wait, you're a beastman, maybe if Jade could…"

"Desmond, I advise you not to continue with that line of thought." Lucius said. His eyes burned with intensity and the words he had for Lucius crumbled into nothing. Food arrived a short time later and the group ate in silence.

When everyone finished, Rena and Lucius stood to leave. Desmond caught a glance from Rena who tugged gently on her husband's sleeve before gesturing towards Jade and Desmond with her eyes.

Lucius looked at his wife, then up at the ceiling and sighed. "Desmond Adler." The man turned back to face the twins. "I make no promises for the outcome. I will not try to persuade anyone of anything… but, I am required to write reports to King Verdayl on occasion.

Should you continue to work with me, the likelihood of your cooperation being mentioned is quite good… so, think about what I said the last time we were in this village. Have a good night."

The duo left the room quietly, leaving those words and hopes dangling in the air for the twins to grab, should they choose to.