Lux in Tenebris

In short, she felt extremely uncomfortable.

The armor Thomas gave her fit well enough, but that wasn’t the problem. Daeris didn’t belong here, and she knew it- she was a spy, trying to seek out other spies. She reassured herself slightly with the thought that it was for a good cause, and she was seventy-eight percent sure she wasn’t being led on by this Darkon fellow. Sighing, Daeris placed the recruit helmet atop her head and then stopped.

Shit. She forgot about her horns.

Swearing under her breath, the hero placed the helmet back on her bed and hoped that the armor would be enough. It felt clunkier than what she normally wore, and the color scheme was definitely not something she’d wear to a Swordhaven fashion show. A swift glance in the mirror later, and Daeris strode out the doorway, anxiety sprouting in her breast. She tried to follow Thomas’ advice, “Act like you belong here” , but it was easier said than done. As she passed by the other recruits in the hallway she gave each a nod in greeting, which thankfully they returned. She was on an exploration ‘mission’ from her sponsor, with the goal of getting her sense of this place. It was rather confusing, but the walk gave her a better idea of just how much the Seraphic Order must be suffering. Marble that once must have shone was dull and crumbled at the edges, and long marks were etched into the wall- delivered by many a variety of blade in battles long past.

She was halted in her adventure by a tall oaken door. Daeris hesitated to open it, but it made no difference for it just would not budge, even as the hero nearly threw her shoulder out trying to un-budge it. With a huff and a puff, she turned back the way she came and began the trek back to the main entrance where Thomas awaited her.

“Have you received our orders?” The hushed whisper sounded upon Daeris’ sensitive ears, and she quickly flattened herself behind a pillar, out of sight of the two Paladins walking her way, sharing in what must be a very secretive discussion. They glanced side to side before continuing, but Daeris was well-hidden. Hidden enough, at least.

“Yes… Sent by Envy. Does Lord Dage think our mission low enough that he will not give us word himself?”

Daeris quickly sucked in air through her teeth, trying to smush herself closer into the shadows. Dage… Oh, Avatars, was that the darkness Darkon was talking about? Shit. And to think, she had just had a mug of moglinberry juice with the Dark Overlord not but a week ago… Ah, the life of an Evil-aligned hero. A mental prayer of forgiveness went through the hero’s mind before she leaped out of her hiding spot, shadows revealing a very angry draconic woman. She clocked the leftmost recruit in the jaw and he went down with a dull thud- Daeris prided herself in her punch- as his companion attempted to draw a dagger. Close, but not close enough as Daeris elbowed the opponent in his wrist, the joint unprotected by armor, and he gasped in pain. The weapon clattered to the ground, too loud for her tastes, before Daeris managed to get the recruit in a chokehold.

“Now, tell me what you- oo f!”

The recruit returned the favor with a sharp elbowing of his own to her stomach, and Daeris doubled over. He followed with a knee to the face, a sharp crack was the surefire sign of a broken nose which he was surely going for, and the hero hit the floor next to the unconscious form of the other recruit. Her breaths were shallow, and blood dribbled down her cheek onto the white floor. A boot was placed unforgivingly on the side of her head, pressing her down and making her much more familiar with the ground- it really was quite dirty-, as its owner leaned down towards her ear. “Tell you what now ?”

“Tell me why-” Daeris gasped, pausing and glancing up at the visor that blocked her view of her opponent. “-you weren't expecting this !” With the hand not pinned under her body, Daeris drew her own dagger from her waist and buried it deep into the man’s ankle, in between a gap in the small plates of armor. He howled loudly in pain, falling to the floor, flat on his ass. Daeris wiped the blood from her face messily, and kicked the recruit in the face. “No one touches this pretty face, jackass.” She muttered, kneeling down to his level. “As I was saying…”

She grinned, and removed the helmet that revealed the trademark glowing blue eyes of those loyal to Dage the Evil. “ Tell me what you know .”

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Blood smeared the marble floor in a large puddle as Daeris walked away from the crime scene, as calm as could be. As calm as someone who just stabbed two people, that is. She knew that leaving them alive would bring no luck to her, so she left each with a makeshift dagger-holder in their skulls. She’d let Thomas clean up the mess while she did whatever he wanted her to do next. A minute or so later she arrived back at where she had began, and nodded to Thomas, who gave her a half-concerned, half-terrified look.

“Ignore the blood. I got what you needed- Dage the Evil sent some minions to infiltrate your Order, and figure out how to take it down.” Daeris stated, rocking back on her heels.

“Hmmm. I'm concerned by what you've discovered. Very concerned…” Thomas trailed off, pacing back and forth across the room, the hero’s eyes following him step by step. Stopping suddenly, he glanced up. “Have you any idea what they know?”

Daeris reached into her pack, and revealed two rolled parchments of fabric, which she handed off to the man. “I found these scrolls on ‘em, along with the Legion sigil which I expected, but that’s… about it. She then shrugged.

Thomas glanced from her, then down to the scrolls, confusion masking the lower half of his features. “But… I don’t understand. Only members of the Order carry these scrolls, and they were certainly spies…” He trailed off once more and unfurled the scrolls, reading over them quickly as Daeris uncapped a health potion and drank the draught down. A few minutes later, Thomas sighed and rolled them back up, depositing them in a pocket. “These scrolls have changed since I last saw them! I wonder… just what else - or WHO else - has been altered while I've tried to keep us pure?”

“That doesn’t sound ominous at all, pal.” Daeris ran a hand through ruffled hair and leaned back against a marble pillar. “So- what next?”

“I’m afraid I have worse news, obtained while you were gone. The Order members are accusing you of being the spy!”

“What!?” The hero exclaimed, about to refute the sheer notion when she paused. “Actually… that’s a totally rational rationale to have, when I think about it. I mean, I just showed up, stabbed some guys, and-”

“No, that’s not their reasoning. Go seek out more spies, or even recruits if you have too, and find out who exactly is behind this!”

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Exactly ten Legion corpses later, and she had her answer.

Adventus.