Over a Good Wine and Cheese

“SO YOU WERE AMBUSHED BY THE CULT OF CROXAS,” said Godwin, digesting the story we’d just told him about my meeting with the girls. “I thought we rooted them out decades ago, but the bastards are as tenacious as roaches.”

We’ve been sparse with information about myself. He knows John is an alias, but we’re erring on the side of caution not to be too open with him. Given his closeness to Silvano, there’s a chance Godwin could also be compromised, so we’re keeping a few cards under our sleeves.

“The Cult is embedded deep into the Kingdom’s leadership,” Amelia said. “They are the ones responsible for sabotage of the Guild’s latest operations, including ours.”

Godwin stroked his beard as he pondered on Amelia’s words.

“I’ve been looking into that for the past several weeks, and had Anathema on the trail of a vampire thrall,” Godwin explained. “But it struck me as odd to have a vampire presence in the Kingdom, after we killed Vandrikar. We set up plenty of wards against them at the time, and they’re still active now.”

“And who was it that tipped you about the thrall?” asked Amelia.

“One of Silvano’s informants,” Godwin replied.

That explains a lot.

“I’m sorry to say this, Gramps, but you’ve been had,” said Xana.

Godwin took a long puff from his pipe, deep in contemplation.

“So in the end, Silvano did turn coat,” he said as he exhaled a wave of smoke, turning the room’s atmosphere heavy and somber.

“Did you suspect him?” Amelia asked, carefully observing Godwin’s expression.

“No, but I was afraid of it,” the Grandmaster replied, his gaze distant as he elaborated. “Silvano was never the same after Meredith died.”

The name doesn’t ring any bells.

“Who’s Meredith?” I asked.

“Our party’s healer,” replied Godwin. “She was a Cleric of Faydan, and Silvano’s lover. They were to marry after our final mission, but she was killed by Vandrikar.”

Ah, shit.

“It was a terrible battle,” Godwin reminisced. “We were deep inside the ancestral catacombs of Caelum, the old capital of Sylphadim, fighting alongside the Silver Shield and the Royal Guard against an undead legion. There were zombies, ghouls and vampires everywhere, led by Vandrikar the Fell riding the undead corpse of the ancient dragon, Vizherix. I hope he was no friend of yours, John.”

“Never heard of him,” I replied.

“Heh,” Godwin snorted with amusement. “Vizherix would roll in his grave, if we hadn’t burned him.”

Must’ve been a famous dragon, by the looks of it.

“Vandrikar didn’t die easily,” Godwin continued. “It took every spell, every scroll, every miracle in our arsenal to bring him down. And as he lay impaled by the spear of Grandmaster Schwartz, engulfed by the holy fire invoked by Meredith… the bastard struck one last time with his foul magic, piercing her heart.”

Godwin’s face darkened as he delved into the painful memory.

“No manner of healing we could muster would mend that wound,” he said. “She bled to death in Silvano’s arms, as he begged Lady Faydan to save her. Try as we may to intercede on her behalf, Vandrikar’s spell was too dark, too deep, like a gaping abyss...”

His voice trailed off, tears welling in his eyes, though they didn’t fall.

Amelia, in turn, was openly weeping, struggling not to make a sound. As a fellow adherent of Faydan, this story must be difficult to take.

“But why would Silvano join the Cult of Croxas?” asked Cerys, trying to piece the mystery together. “Meredith died to save the Kingdom. It makes no sense for him to betray us like this.”

Indeed, that is the question. Demons typically offer power, but Silvano already had it in spades. Serving a Demon Lord would make no sense for someone like him.

“They must’ve offered to resurrect her,” Godwin replied.

“What?” asked Cerys, surprised. “But resurrection magic doesn’t exist. That’s common knowledge, even for the most novice of mages.”

“It does exist,” Godwin refuted, his face grim. “But you can only find it in the Dark Pantheon. Resurrection is a form of necromancy, and it demands a soul sacrifice to function. To the Gods of Order, such an offering is sacrilege, and is forbidden to us. But to a demon, on the other hand...”

Fuck.

If the Cult of Croxas dangled the life of his beloved in front of him, it wouldn’t be strange for Silvano to be corrupted. Love has been known to drive even the most noble of people into the extreme.

“That’s impossible,” said Amelia in stiff denial. “Meredith would never accept resurrection, and Silvano knows it!”

“I know,” replied Godwin. “She’d try to kill him if he brought her back, so I put my faith in him to not pursue his base desires. I thought his character and mettle to be incorruptible, but it appears my trust has been misplaced.”

Amelia gritted her teeth, shaking in frustration.

“In that note, Thorns,” Godwin turned to us, “I would like to trust you and your dragon friend. It seems like you already knew about Silvano’s treachery, and I would appreciate it if you told me how.”

Now it’s our turn to play ball. Godwin outed Silvano as a traitor even before we presented him with evidence, so it only makes sense to oblige. The question is, how much should we tell him?

“I have a history of enmity with the Cult,” I replied, obfuscating the truth, but still being honest. “Weeks ago, I infiltrated one of their temples and left a surveillance spell inside. Silvano triggered the spell last night, and it allowed us to witness his involvement with them firsthand.”

“Is that so…?” asked Godwin, before he opened a drawer in his desk and took out a rune-inscribed blue crystal. It was encased within a golden metallic frame, and looked quite expensive.

“Would you mind showing me?” he asked, sliding the crystal across the desk.

“It’s a memory crystal,” Cerys clarified as I reached out for it.

“Of course,” I replied. Then, I ran my mana through the crystal, and cast a telepathy spell. Its runes glowed white with intensity, and I transcribed into it the vision I saw with Amelia last night, unredacted.

After a few moments, the crystal’s runes dimmed, and I offered the item back to Godwin. He took it without questions, and activated it, his eyes glowing a blue hue.

The room fell quiet for a couple of minutes, until Godwin was done watching. Then he turned his gaze up to us, his expression giving a hint that he was impressed about something.

“That was Silvano, alright,” said the Grandmaster, fiddling the crystal in hand. Then he turned to me and added, “But to think he and the Cult are after the Dread Dragon, of all things. Would you happen to be related to that, John?”

“Who knows?” I replied with a sly grin.

“Heh, this cheeky bastard…” Godwin said with a laugh. “Have it your way, then. You didn’t come here to chat with an old fart like me; you’re here for my help. So, my esteemed Thorns, and your dragon friend, how can I be of service?”

When we first met, Godwin threw our plans straight down the drain, but it seems the situation has been salvaged. Now, the time has come to rope him in for our actual operation, and we’re one step closer to tying a noose around the Cult’s neck.

Just you wait, Silvano.

The hunt has begun.