Chương 6: Tiberius Oolathil

Tiberius Oolathil wiped grime off of his white-gold paladin helmet. As an Order of Dawn member, appearances were everything. Even though he was in the lower ranks, he always conducted himself with poise. His orange hair betrayed his Oolathil lineage, pressing against his head when he put on the metal helmet. His father stood in the doorway, inhaling smoke from a long white wooden pipe.

"Has the order called for you again, my boy?"

"Yes Father, it seems they will not wait any longer for a resolution. Besides, they said it was about time to investigate that forest." His armor clinked as he walked towards the door. The silver sword sheathed on his waist shone with the Dawn's crest on the hilt. A ring of sunlight hovered around their lady's outstretched hands. Father pressed a cane in front of Tiberius's path.

"Just be careful. Anything connected to that forest can't be good." Tiberius nudged the cane out of his way and pushed on the door.

"I swore an oath. I will fulfill my duty." The paladin clicked his tongue once he was outside, looking back at their white manor with a scowl. Since when did you ever care about my well-being father? Tend to your desk work and let me handle my duties. A nun in white with the Order of Dawn met him at the gate, their lady's emblem sewn onto her shoulder. She bowed next to a horse drawn carriage.

"Master Oolathil. The preparations are in order. The detachment will meet us outside of Hammerlin."

"Good," Tiberius said, climbing into the stagecoach. As he sat down on the cushioned seat, pieces of his metal armor clinked. He opened and closed his hand, testing the tightness of his gauntlets. The nun, Esmeralda, sat across from him and crossed her legs. She lowered her hood when the carriage started moving, exposing her pretty face. Long blonde hair was tied into a bun, and her sky-colored eyes shone with light.

"Isn't it a bit early to don your helmet?" Tiberius shrugged and released a long breath.

"The less my father sees of my face, the better." He looked out towards the soft hills in the distance that would soon become the forested valley.

"Does the church have any further information, other than happenstance?" Esmeralda pulled out a small sealed envelope and handed it over.

"I am afraid there is not much, but that is why you are being dispatched. If you succeed in your task, the upper echelons will review your promotion." Tiberius unsealed the envelope, and he could only shake his head. That foxy woman never lets me in on anything. Really?

'Have a safe journey'? My father could have come up with hundreds of better messages. Esmeralda smiled.

"Try to stay calm. I know she is a bit aloof, but I promise you she cares about you. If all goes well, I am sure you will see another side of her. The high priestess would surely astound you." Tiberius rolled his orange eyes beneath his helmet, ensuring that his gesture wasn't seen. The carriage rolled through the morning, the day, and into the evening before they finally arrived at the outskirts of Hammerlin. The city was big for a barony in the Bjorn Kingdom.

Still, even gifted such land, the baron had to contend with the gloomy forest.

"Looks like the detachment is ready."

"Be careful," Esmeralda said, "that old forest spans for miles, so try not to get lost. If anything goes wrong, retreat right away. I will wait for you in Hammerlin. Lady Dawn guide your steps." Tiberius stepped out of the carriage and gave a bow.

"Praise The Lady." He watched the carriage roll on to Hammerlin for a moment before turning his attention to Bjorn's detachment. They were all local soldiers, bearing the crest of the kingdom on their leather-armored shoulders. It was the black emblem of the dragon knight, a sword overlaying the head of a ferocious dragon. Their chatting quieted when they noticed Tiberius Oolathil had turned his attention on them. The leader of the squadron wore distinctly different armor from the others.

Rather than standard issued brown leather, he strolled towards Tiberius with plate armor and the helm of a knight. Though, Tiberius could make out some casters in the formation behind the trained soldiers. I guess they're taking this seriously enough. When the knight finally reached Tiberius, he performed a practiced bow.

"Lord Oolathil, the detachment is ready." Tiberius nodded.

"Might you be Sir Baron's knight?"

"That's correct. I am with Lord Edmon."

"Good, what can you tell me about the woodland? Do you have a map?" The knight nodded and a group of mages chanted their magic together. When their spell finished, a map hovered over the air between them. Tiberius looked down at it, admiring their handiwork. They must have had some formal training with the Mage Society. Though, after looking it over for a second, Tiberius frowned. The only points of interest weren't too deep into the forest.

"It's as I suspected. Nobody has been able to map further into the forest?"

"I apologize, Lord Oolathil..." The paladin shot a hand up.

"Please, I am not a lord. That is my father. Call me Tiberius."

"Right, Sir Tiberius, it's as you said. The forest is dangerous, and the deeper one travels, the worse it can get. Even if people don't die to monsters, it is said that the forest itself makes people lose their way. Usually, we keep barrier stones along the edge, and that prevents most monsters from leaving. But recently..."

"Something has awakened within," Tiberius finished.

"How long can those mages hold up this spell? It could be useful to track our movement and document what we find."

"They'll be able to keep it up for several hours, provided we use some mana potions. Are we going to leave early in the morning?" Tiberius shook his head.

"No, we leave tonight."

"What? But I thought..."

"Orders from on high. We leave tonight. The situation is dire." Tiberius heard the knight sigh beneath his helmet and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I know how you feel, and I would love if we could have put out a request sooner with the guild. However, we've been sworn to secrecy. Adventurers have their own code, but we can't rely on them to keep our findings under lock and key."

"Please guide us, Sir Tiberius." Tiberius suppressed a grumble and waved his arm. He took a deep breath inside of his armor and took his first steps into the forest. At the very edge, one could hear the hooting of owls and the scuttling of small game. They were all preparing for the night. The further Tiberius walked, the more that darkness surrounded them. The light of the full moon bore down on the group of soldiers. It was a small company of about fifty men and a few women spell casters.

They walked for hours in the night, the moon only climbing higher with it. The trees eventually started thinning out, and Tiberius could have sworn the moon glimmered red. However, when he looked up towards it, it was pale white as always. Though, he noticed a faint energy settling around their group. Is this what they were talking about? We didn't run into any monsters for miles, but this? What is this? Tiberius pulled out a talisman in the shape of a gold sun and held it up in the air.

"Lady Dawn, give me the power to light the way through the darkness. Heal these accursed lands and let our path be free of influence. Holy Sanctuary!" The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. The light of his goddess spread out around him and dispersed the tainted miasma in their vicinity. He continued to hold the emblem, a gift for all paladins within the Order of Dawn. Holy light followed them in their path, even as the forest started becoming more decrepit.

The trees appeared dead, not even a single leaf hanging from their branches. He swallowed, a tight feeling welling in his chest.

"Sir Tiberius, this is strange. We should have encountered a monster by now." Tiberius nodded.

"It seems like something is inviting us into their den. Be prepared for the worst. How many hours has it been since we started walking?"

"It's been about 4 hours, Sir. We've traveled 10 miles in without anything. Should we make camp for the night?" Tiberius took a breath and shook his head.

"No, we shall continue for a little while longer. The emblem will react to malicious forces, and it might point the way towards the heart of this madness." He turned back, marching on into the ruined forest. A raven landed above him, red beady eyes digging into him from the branch of a tree. He watched it as it cawed, shaking feathers from its body in one motion. Wait? A red-eyed raven? Is it a monster? Tiberius readied his sword, but another sound stopped him.

It was the whisper of a high-pitched voice in the middle of the night. And when he turned his head, he saw a small silver-haired girl with ominous silver eyes walking hand in hand with someone else. He clenched his teeth tightly together. A vampire? The Dawn emblem reacted and the air vibrated malice. While looking at the vampiric woman with glowing red eyes, he felt like his heart might stop. It wasn't her beauty either.

While she was likely the most gorgeous woman he'd ever laid his eyes on, his heart pounded with unrest from the miasma leaking around her robes and ominous bat staff. Every fiber of his being told him that he should run. His hands shook and his knuckles turned white in his tight grip. He opened his mouth to protest the fear gripping his heart.

"Stay back vampire, I am with the Order of Dawn." She smiled, showcasing a pair of fangs as white as the moon's light. She spoke with a tender voice.

"The Order of Dawn? That sounds vaguely familiar. You can either become my thrall and enlighten me more, or you can choose death." When faced with a paladin, she scoffs? What lineage is she from? Is she of noble blood? He looked up towards the sky, but the sun was hours away. Maybe with my holy magic I can fend her off until reinforcements arrive? The vampire pulled out a pocket watch and dangled it in the air.

"Time is ticking." /// Elise sat on her throne, considering the day she'd spent away and information her subordinates returned to her. She wanted to go over all of it, but there were pages and pages of text. Ava'Koz is surprisingly diligent in her duty. Before she could continue, a little silver-haired girl climbed into her lap with eyes half-lidded.

"Bisque? What are you doing?" Those silver eyes pried themselves open, struggling against the sloth that tried to consume the automaton girl. Though, she was no true automaton, it was more accurate to call her a golem, yet she contained a true spirit inside of her. One that was dead set on sleeping for all eternity. The little girl yawned.

"I am getting comfortable, Mother Shadow." Elise Shadowspill smiled wryly. Getting transported to another world just to have a little girl sit on my lap as I review my plans. This isn't exactly what I'd expected. Nonetheless, she reached down and pet the girl's hair. The silky silver strands ran through her fingers as if it was normal princess hair. It only occurred to her after a few seconds that the golem had referred to her as mother.

"Mother? Don't tell me you are going to sleep on my lap."

"Mother's lap is the best place to sleep." Elise groaned, but there was something in that small cute face that made her unable to rebuke the little girl. She was not this cute behind the monitor. The queen took a deep breath and swallowed after a moment. She noticed that the girl had already fallen asleep, so she reached down with her finger and poked one of Bisque's squishy cheeks. Ah, is this what is called bliss? Perhaps the reason I died was to take care of this little one?

Bisque's eyes blinked open, and she rubbed them.

"Someone is coming, Mother." Elise narrowed her eyes.

"Did your defensive magic go off?" The little girl nodded and climbed off of Elise's lap, reaching her hand out eagerly.

"I want to come." Elise chuckled.

"I am a bit surprised. I thought you'd want to sleep more. You didn't even come out when we were transported here."

"Mm, but Mother is closer now." She grabbed the little girl's hand. It should have been bad parenting to deliver a child towards a battlefield, but Bisque was eager. Besides, I can protect her if something goes wrong. Though, there was a strong feeling inside of her pulsing. It told her that no matter what happened, everything would work out. It was the same sureness she wore when she was role playing as her character. As someone who'd devoted countless hours into the game, she held the certainty to match it.

Losing is not a trait of Elise Shadowspill. However, realizing that this was not a game made her want to push that feeling down. She needed a grasp on her abilities before she could determine anything. Maybe these intruders will be able to give me the answer. Goblins hardly count for anything. She channeled magic into her staff and she willed forth from the depths of her shadow a raven, cloaked in black mana. Even though I can feel the intruders, it will be better to see them first before I decide anything.

Bisque clutched Elise's hand tighter.

"You don't need to worry about anything, Mother Shadow. Bisque will defend." The queen took a deep breath and exited the castle with the golem who represented Sloth. The cool air of the forest brushed against her skin and nearby crows whistled to each other.

"We'll wait here, and when the raven is in position we'll go." She channeled her magic again, casting [Eye of the Raven]. Her vision suddenly shifted into two separate screens. One of them was watching the graveyard in front of her castle, and the other was watching the forest from above. Black wings flapped lightly over the air, and it continued on until she spotted the group of soldiers from above.

She could tell from a glance that all of them wore armor that wouldn't have even made it past the early game in GEO besides one, and he was still pathetically weak. Nonetheless, she landed on a branch and got a closer look. She saw a map spell hovering in the air as mages channeled their mana together. Their faces grimaced from the strain, and Elise could hardly believe her eyes. They don't even have enough mana for something this simple?

The head of their leader flickered towards the raven, and she couldn't imagine what was going on beneath the helmet. However, her heightened senses could see the way his leg shivered slightly. She saw the grip on his sword tighten, and the sanguine queen grinned.

"Alright, Bisque, we're going now. I will take care of this little problem." The raven shed its feathers as Elise channeled her magic, and the world around her and Bisque warped and folded. Within in instant, the two of them swapped positions with the fallen black feathers. The two of them stood there, and none of the group of soldiers had even caught on.

"They haven't noticed us, Mother," Bisque whispered with a twinge of excitement in her voice. Their leader's head snapped towards the sound of the golem. The grip on his sword became even tighter, and the shaking was more visible when his eyes roamed over her form. Maybe it's his first time seeing a beautiful woman? I know, I spent hours in the character creator, but you don't have to gawk so hard at me. Might make a girl blush.

"Stay back, vampire! I am with the Order of Dawn!" Elise's hand twitched slightly at the name of the order. I've definitely heard that one before. Is it just a coincidence?

"The Order of Dawn? That sounds vaguely familiar. You can either become my thrall and enlighten me more, or you can choose death." The words left her lips so naturally. It was as if she was back inside of the game role playing for her enemies. If this were a player, there would certainly be a thread about this incident. I don't really detect any danger from them, but I will get ready just in case. She pulled out a pocket watch as he stood there without answering.

It was the [Watch of the Occult] that she'd gotten from a band of cultists in the game who worshiped an evil god. A black rose wrapped around the thing, and the gears moved the black needles which appeared like thorns. The watch ticked, and she smiled.

"Time is ticking." Her eyes glanced towards the man's feet and they noticed a small movement. She saw the way that the mages stopped their spells and prepared for combat, but all of it was so painfully slow. She felt as though she could make a whole pot of tea before they finished their motions. I should still take this seriously just in case. She readied herself by casting [Aura of Death] around her.

It was a spell that was useful for role play and making her appear like the demonic vampire she was, but it also amplified all of her abilities and was crucial to start with in combat. Everything else could be applied afterwards for a multiplicative effect. Though, the entire group in front of her collapsed and started frothing at the mouth. Even the paladin at the front of the group who she'd been wary of fell over. Her eyes widened, and she checked their life force.

"Huh? Nothing?"

"Mother," Bisque said with a voice that was less drowsy than before, "you went overboard. For mortals like that, you didn't have to use your aura."

"Wait." Elise walked forwards and knelt next to a corpse, checking his vitals the old fashioned way. Sure enough, when she pressed her fingers to his neck she detected nothing. They're all dead? From just that!? Bisque leapt onto Elise's back.

"I want to ride like this on the way home." Elise glanced between the corpse and Bisque. None of this effects her at all? Well, it's not like it really effects me either. She poked at the paladin's body, flipping him over with her staff, but the moment she did, a letter fell from his suit of armor. She picked it up and read the name of the recipient, her glowing red eyes going wider. Tiberius Oolathil? Is he related to that one near our castle? Looks like I will need to summon Atlus.

The sanguine queen grinned and prodded at his body with her staff.

"Don't think that just because you died immediately you've escaped."