Darius awoke some time later, feeling his own mind now his own and a sense of renewed
strength after being taken over by a powerful spirit. He gripped the stone, its power still
radiating and almost hot to the touch he placed it back in the pouch he held onto for the last
five years but he also felt that there was no purpose no mission to complete he for the first
time felt empty without cause but he turned to gaze around the room when he saw a pale
body next to him, long red hair flowing like fire. She moved and Darius had not seen this
kind of beauty before “Ah so you awaken from slumber” she was nude but her voice was like
silk “Who?” Darius stood up and retrieved his pants quite quickly “My master ordered me to
lie with you so you would keep warm as the nights here are almost freezing” she smiled and
her fangs were now revealed, a vampiress but it was odd that her body was warm but from
what Darius had remembered about the lore surrounding vampires is that they are perpetually
cold but she was warm “What is with your body heat?” Darius asked “I am a living vampire
like my master, are you heated enough sir?” she asked with zero hint of sexual attraction “Y..
Yes thank you” replied Darius, she smiled and like a ghost she vanished in the single blink of
an eye. Darius left the room and walked down the dark hall his only guide the light at the end
of it, he walked into the throne room where Zurgad and Haldrith were laughing about times
past waiting for Darius “I see you have awakened, I do hope the young lady I sent was quite
warming in terms of body heat and welcoming” the old vampire smiled “She was” he paused
to find the words “Quite striking” he finished, Zurgad chuckled “I find myself without
purpose, I have no motivation to continue I just want some peace and quiet for once. These
last few months have shown nothing but a harrowing sense of self discovery while finding
out some ancient creature wanted to use me as his personal carriage” he sighed “Perhaps
there is a small village out of the way somewhere where I can find a small cottage where I
can live out my days staring absently at the ocean?” he asked, Haldrith gave him a long look
but let out a sigh of his own “Sadly young Darius we are not forwarded such a luxury, Virtus
has made his move in the Eastern Reaches nearing the Domari Republic, the damage he has
caused has made the locals very scared but not in terms of damage to ones house or home but
to their coin purse, the Domari Republic places a heavy foundation on the transfer and
counting and collecting of coin but their greatest and at the same time their most disgusting
values are placed on flesh” there was a sour and bitter tone in Halrith’s voice “Flesh?” Darius
now curious asked “Aye, they sell people to be servants and slaves for their houses, their
entire civilization is built on the backs of the ones they treat lesser than they are” the venom
was starting to build but Haldrith calmed himself "Why you should you be allowed to judge
what their masters do? I’m pretty sure in the templar kingdom Lord Haldrith you use serfs as
basic laborers how is this any different from what you do to your serfs? It is in a name or is
the conditions? I’ve seen your so-called Enlightened citizens spit and kick aside serfs as if
they were sub human and you stand there judging another people for their treatment of their
own people? How dare you” Darius had a point “Forgive me for my judgement, however I
myself have never owned serfs or other people for that matter but what these people do is
beyond reproach, if a slave speaks out of turn they are beaten and sometimes crucified and
killed” Haldrith said with sadness in his eyes “I have no feeling about it either way, say what
you like about my past transgressions but this is a second chance to ignore the world and
never interact with another soul as long as I exist” he was acting as a child would “There will
be no peace for you Darius, I have been informed by my spies that Virtus knows you are out
and about, he will hunt you to the ends of this world and beyond if he has to” that sparked
another interest in the situation “What exactly is he then? From my understand from the
memory fragments I have the man I knew was not a power hungry monster” said Darius
“That is where you are wrong, Virtus himself is not exactly a man or a human for that matter
he is a X’en’fal’nal a parasite of utter condensed magical energies he burrows his way into
you and you become his willing puppet as he manipulates and destroys everything around
you then just the put the final nail in the proverbial coffin, he eats your soul” Zurgad said “So
what is it that I can do then? If peace cannot be mine then what can I do?” Darius asked
“Fight” was all Haldrith said with a sense of pride “Against Virtus? Are you mad?” he replied
“Quite the opposite, what you need Darius is allies, you have two standing here and now but
you also need armies, the larger the better” Zurgad said smiling “We would fight a protracted
battle against someone we clearly underestimate?” Darius asked “Not protracted no, we
would fight a single war that would end Virtus for good but there is an issue, during the last
Manifestation War he had some very bad things in the mix of it, you for one Darius. Since his
power has somewhat dwindled since then he may be vulnerable to attack but he will see you
as a direct threat and a direct target because of the object you have in your possession and
that could muster a force strong enough to actually kill and disperse him but we need more
concrete evidence” Haldrith said “Not only that” Zurgad added “The largest and most
dominant force is the Domarian Republic, their Dragoon Legions are second to none in terms
of warfare but there are the Fel Mages to consider and the Muspel Varia who remain quite
secretive not may know what they look like but they may prove a worthy ally” Zurgad
finished “And what if this battle has an ocean counterpart? I can’t navigate the ocean to save
my own life” Darius said now thinking strategically like he had done so many times in the
past. With some measure of purpose Darius decided to head to the Domarian Republic with
Haldrith and Zurgad to see if they would join in the war that Virtus had started some years
ago so they could finish it once and for all.