Evolution: A Warlock’s Rise To Power

Lucan returned to the fortress and headed up to the top of the astronomy tower. When he stepped onto the top floor, it was like walking into a whole new world.

Plants covered the walls, trees had been planted and instead of a stone floor their was now soil and grass.

"Master! Welcome." Bud, the pixie said as he excitedly flew over to greet Lucan.

"You sure have done a lot up here." Lucan said. "It looks nice."

"I had plenty of help from Silent Night. I have also been growing a few plants for alchemy you could use."

"Thanks, but I don't know alchemy." Lucan said.

"Then you can have an alchemist make you potions." Bud said, not bother by his response.

"Where is Silent, did she leave?"

"No, she just fell asleep." Bud said, motioning for him to follow.

Lucan trailed after the pixie as he flew into an encirclement of trees that divided the room. On the other side, Silent was sleeping on a lawn chair. She had changed into shorts and a tank top while she soaked in the sun's last rays of the day.

He couldn't help but eye her long and slender legs before going over. He plopped on the ground next to her and took out a book on formations while he waited for her to wake up.

Only after the sun set and the air started to chill did she stir and open her eyes.

"Ah, your back." She said, sitting up and stretching.

"You look pretty relaxed." He said.

"Did you finish everything with Raze?"

"Mmm, it's all taken care of."

"Good, what do you want to do tonight?"

"Some of us didn't sleep through the afternoon. I need to head to bed in a bit."

"Oh, alright."

"You can join me." He teased.

She didn't answer but she also didn't say no.

Lucan headed back down to the central courtyard. Aniketos was laying in the grass with his eyes closed. The warlock passed him and went to his room. Silent didn't veer off but continued to follow Lucan into his room.

When Lucan got under the covers, Silent wasn't tired enough to fall asleep, he didn't mind and entertained her until late in the night. When he woke up, she was still in his arms. Even though there were many things to be done, he had no desire to leave the bed.

He pulled her closer and roused her from sleep. She didn't mind as they laid in the bed for another twenty minutes while Lucan's hands roamed around her backside while their lips stayed locked together. Thankfully it was a game world where morning breath wasn't a real thing.

Eventually Silent pulled away and started to put on her armor.

"What is the plan for today?" She asked.

"I want to complete the castle's formation. That way we can leave, and I won't have to worry about Shadowsweep."

"Okay, I will help, then we can continue on with your race change quest."

"Sounds good to me."

Lucan found his steward Oar running around the command room and took him to the vault to help carry the supplies over. The formation he was planning to set up was something he found detailed in one of his books. It was a true intermediate formation, unlike the formation around the fortress which was classified only as intermediate because it contained so many pieces, even though those pieces were all considered beginner level.

Before leaving, Lucan made the proper preparations inside the inner courtyard and informed Aniketos of his goal.

Arriving at the castle, Lucan was thoroughly impressed. The stone structure looked grand and imposing. He wanted to go explore every room and check out every detail but that would take a day or two. He couldn't afford to take the time off. He would slowly explore it when he had the chance.

The warlock passed out a set of plans to Silent and Oar. He then gave them each a familiar so he could oversee their work while he was doing his own.

"Wow Boss, Are you for real? This is going to be amazing."

"Follow the plans and ask if you have any questions. Little Brown will show you where to put each piece, there can't be any mistakes."

"Okay Boss, I won't let you down."

The three split up and began to place the objects for the formation. This time they were using the using the antennas of a mirage ant. They were placed in a circle surrounding the entire castle and a few were put into key positions within. By midday they had finished their work.

Lucan took out the formation object he spent the most money on and cut it in half. There was a spray of blood as the mirage ant queen's heart was split. Lucan directly consumed half while Silent took the remaining piece and rushed back to the fortress to follow the instructions Lucan had given her earlier.

The formation book he copied this from also provided the activation spell formula. He had already memorized the chant and followed the chart to weave the mana in the appropriate way.

After eating half the heart, he could feel a connection to the other half. He focused on that connection while he linked the antennas around the castle together.

Speaking through Adrestia, he ordered Aniketos to consume the other half and activated the formation still remaining idle in the courtyard. He hurried as the effects of the heart were starting to wear off. Before the connection disappeared, the formation activated.

***

The people of Shadowsweep turned to the castle to see it shimmering and moving slightly. It appeared to be under the effects of a heat mirage. They wandered what was happening as the castle finally became still, but the air around it continued to appear distorted.

A figure suddenly appeared in the hazy air around the castle. A silver dragon was circling up above. A few people in the town were frightened but the guards had been notified by Lucan in advanced and calmed them.

***

"Ha, ha, success." Lucan cheered. The formation in the courtyard connected to the castle and the heart that Aniketos consumed stabilized, maintaining the connection with the antenna of the mirage ant taken for the colony's workers.

The mirage ants were not the strongest beasts, nor did they have incredible power. But when working with their queen they were a force to be reckoned with. She had the ability to teleport her children to her side while leaving an illusion of them in their place. Her children could interchange themselves between the illusions and her side at will.

In essence, Lucan's castle was both inside the inner courtyard of the fortress and outside of Shadowsweep. Since the formation was set on a structure, anyone who entered the castle could walk out into the fortress or into Shadowsweep. If Shadowsweep ever came under attack and the city was about to be lost, the castle could permanently be moved to the fortress.

The same worked in inverse. If the fortress ever fell, the connection could be cut off and Aniketos could flee to the castle and remove it from the fortress, letting it stand in Shadowsweep.

Eager to test it for himself, Lucan walked out of the castle and into the inner courtyard of the fortress. He nodded in a satisfied manner. The space compression formation in the courtyard activated and was stable. Stepping to the side he eagerly looked at the miniature castle inside the fortress.

Returning to the castle with Silent, Aniketos landed before Lucan.

"Master it has been completed."

"Yes, you have done well. In the central courtyard of this castle you will find a grand hall. I contacted the builders after I had the idea to create you. It should be a fitting resting place for a majestic creature such as yourself. You may call it your home. The displacement formation around the castle will allow you to travel around Shadowsweep, just like you can travel around the fortress. Keep an eye on this place as well."

"Thank you master. I will not let you down." He said before taking flight in search of his new resting place.

"He, he, this is too amazing." Silent said.

Lucan smiled. "See, there is no need for us to have rooms in the fortress when we can just sleep in the castle. Raze was even kind enough to leave us service staff. And unlike the fortress, which is meant solely for conflict, this castle is more luxurious and comfortable."

"I can't wait to move my stuff in and set up my room."

"I made sure a nice one was built for you, but you could also move your stuff into my room if you want. I do have a large private bath attached to my room." He said trying to entice her.

Silent was feeling embarrassed as she stammered. It was one thing to spend the night in his room, but it was another issue entirely to move her stuff in there.

Instead of pressing for an answer, Lucan changed the subject.

"I have decided I want to try and get the planeshifter blessing. I am worried that if I go to the tomb and then try to kill a planeshifter I may be seen as an ally of the Ghost King and hated by the entire race."

"Okay, let's do that then. Do you want to try and go find the shrine?"

"Yep, that's the plan."