Evolution: A Warlock’s Rise To Power

The group managed to leave the forest, up ahead they found the road and the yellow river again. Fortunately, the fog containing the devourers was nowhere in sight.

"How much further?" Lucan asked. He didn't want to end up following the river for a whole month before they reached the Ghost King's castle.

"Don't worry, we should reach there by tonight. I chose a good place for us to enter."

They kept to the moving forward, around lunch time they encountered another group of abominations. This time they weren't nearly as strong and didn't have a terrain advantage. Squid-like creatures were swimming through the air. Instead of having their mouths between their tentacles, they had two sets of jaws on top of their heads.

The creature's tentacles were covered in sharp barbs that flailed around as they propelled themselves through the air, their skin was gray and covered with a slimy film.

Silent fired an arrow and pierced straight through the first one. Lucan followed up with his spells and finished it off. They ran from the creatures while attacking at a distance. They were able to kill off all five of them before they had a chance to get in close and retaliate.

[Congratulations! you have reached level 115]

[You have gained the passive ability: Danger Sense]

Lucan's new thief ability let him sense danger coming from unknown locations. He was thrilled to gain this new ability. Silent smiled as he was bragging about what he received and didn't have the heart to tell him that it was an ability that every rogue eventually learned. She decided that she would tell him tonight when they were about to go to sleep. He was always distracted then and shouldn't become too embarrassed. At least that was her plan.

In the evening they could see a city on the horizon.

"Ah, the haunted city. The biggest city of ghosts and specters. My castle is just on the hill behind the city." The Ghost King said when they laid eyes on the city in the distance.

They slowly closed in on the city ahead.

With Lucan's enhanced eyes sight, he noticed something troubling.

"We may have an issue."

"What is it?" Silent asked.

"That planeshifter ship that passed us right after we arrive, is anchored right outside the castle."

"What! How dare they try to occupy my castle." The Ghost King said in a fit of rage.

"They may have people in the city. It is best if we detour around. It will be impossible for us to blend in with ghosts. Who knows if they have any people in the city."

The Ghost King only grunted in agreement.

"Let's make camp for now. We can rest and try to sneak in when we are at full energy." Silent suggested.

"Alright." Lucan said as he started to prepare the formations.

An hour later they were sitting down for a meal. Afterwards, Lucan poured some wine for him and Silent. She gladly accepted it, knowing they would have a fun time in the tent tonight. Right when they finished the bottle and were about to head in they saw a familiar figure ride up to the formation on the back of a white Fox.

"Food lady!" He called out. "I want more food."

Silent quickly opened the formation and dragged the blue goblin in. "Shh. We are hiding from some people right now." She said to him.

The white fox followed the goblin in, it gave off an icy aura that sent a chill deep into the bones. The goblin didn't seem to mind it.

With a wave of his hand, the fox spirit turned into ice and then melted, diapering to wherever spirts go when they aren't summoned.

"Food lady, I am hungry." Said More Food.

"We don't have any food for you." Lucan said, annoyed with the goblin.

"Don't be silly, we have plenty." Silent said, taking a few more sandwiches from her bag and giving them to the goblin.

"Silent nice food lady." The goblin said, taking the sandwiches with a toothy grin. He then looked towards the warlock. "Luran mean."

Silent laughed which left Lucan unable to punish the damn goblin.

After eating his fill, the goblin sat with his back against a small rock and patted his bulging stomach with a satisfied expression.

"More Food, we are going to take a nap. We have to work in a bit and want to be in our best condition. Don't make any trouble and you can have more food when we get up." Said Silent.

"More Food keep watch. I make sure no one sneak up on you."

Lucan rolled his eyes as he telepathically commanded Adrestia to perch herself on top of Silent's tent and keep watch over the goblin.

Knowing they would be busy when they woke up, Silent suggested they head straight to bed, she felt uncomfortable fooling around when the goblin was trying so hard to be a proper lookout. Lucan grumbled and took her into his arms and tried his best to quickly fall asleep.

***

"What do you mean you can't find him!?! I told you I want eyes on that damn warlock at all times!" The cloaked figure bellowed.

"I am sorry my Lord. We don't know where he is or what he is doing. We know he visited the nine hells for a brief amount of time, our mole reported he came back unharmed and seemingly in a good mood but then the next morning he vanished. I reached out to all of our people and they cast the locating spell and confirmed he is not in the same plane of existence as they are."

"How can you not know anything. USELESS!!!" The cloak figure screamed. "I thought you said we have people on every plane of existence."

"We do my Lord. I can only think that he found a minor pocket dimension or perhaps he found a new realm. It has always been speculated that there are more realms that still ne-."

"I don't want to here speculations, I want facts!" The cloaked figure pointed his hand at the subordinate who was reporting to him.

From his sleeve a horde of insects flew out and surrounded the man.

"Please sir, it is not my fault."

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!!!"

The insects covered the man and quickly devoured his flesh. In seconds all that remained was bone.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, is that Lucan Quilldrake really so important to you, Plague Baron." A player asked, walking into the chamber and directly stepping on the bones of the man who had been previously reporting. The player seemed to take joy from crushing them under his foot.

"5 years to track the source, 6 months of planning, 3 months of work to build and prepare, then the day before my agent is supposed to take action that damn bastard waltzes in and kills my man, rendering my efforts useless. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO FEEL! He needs to die again, and again, and again until I am satisfied."

"It was just one necromancer. Besides, our man inside the fortress has reported that there are no signs of excavating in the dungeons, and the passage hidden beneath the church is still sealed. He likely has no idea what lies under his own fortress."

"Do not take him lightly." The Plague Baron warned. "Do you really believe it to be a coincidence that he took that fortress when he did. No matter what great plan I try to enact to break the seal he is one step ahead of me. I hired those bandits to steal the prototype wand from Avalon because I believed it would be able to destroy the barrier under the fortress. One day before my men arrive to gather it from the bandits, he goes in and kills every single one of them and retrieves the wand. I hired a man to commission a sword crafted with true heart from one of the shadow realms finest retired craftsman. A sword capable of slicing through the barrier, I even had the man I hired silence the craftsman but three days later he ends up headless and the sword is gone. My men can only report once again that that DAMN LUCAN QUILLDRAKE STOPPED MY PLAN AGAIN!!!"

The player didn't say anything, he only poured a cup of wine and passed it to the fuming mad Plague Baron.

"No matter what I try, he is there to stop me. I am beginning to think he was aware that I sent assassins to kill him in Shadowsweep and he played along just to lull me into a false sense of security. But I won't buy it. He is always one step ahead of me, He is always waiting to foil my hard work. I can admit that he is the craftiest opponent I have ever faced, perhaps he is even my archenemy. But I will not lose. Oh no, I will not lose, just you wait Lucan, wait to see what I have planed this time. Let's see if you can stop me."

***

The clueless warlock in question was holding his girlfriend tightly while dreaming about stomping on a stupid goblin who kept interrupting his private time with Silent, completely unaware that he had foiled the Plague Baron's plans so many times.