Part 3: Deluded
The familiar smell of mold and mildew filled Vaddic's nose as he journeyed down into his tower's dark catacombs. He was greeted by the hungry sounds of his caged Dark-Fenne Hydra. The shriek-hiss of one of his most prized possesions put a smile on his face as he nearly-unconciously released a minor spell that activated the creature's cage to provide sustenance for it. Noises even worse and louder started up as the happy Hydra dug into the large bovine that was magically projected into its cage.
Waving his hand at the portal chamber's massive stone door, its rolled aside as he approached, and just as easily rolled back into place after he had passed with barely a vibration or noise to accompany it. He found his companions standing in the blue light of his Voltori Gate readying themsleves in the chamber's storage area, packing supplies and various maps for their journey to the Darkfenne.
The largest carry-pack looked heavy to Vadicc, but his Minotaur picked it up by its straps and hooked it casually over its white-furred shoulder. He then steadied himself by leaning on his massive Trident, its sharp base spike digging another hole in his Great Aunt Emeldar's favorite rug.
Remembering how much he hated his aunt, he let his smile grow bigger as he finally stopped next to his Familiar and scuffed his boots on the rug for good measure.
"Are we ready then? Do we need any further provisions or supplies?"
Perched on a crate nearby, the raven responded casually, "Yes Master."
Vadicc rasied an eyebrow at that.
"What? No 'I have a bad feeling about this' or 'My job is to warn you when you are sticking your neck too far out' stuff from either of you?"
The Minotaur and Raven looked at each other and back to Vadicc.
Vadicc lost his smile then as he stared at his Bodyguard and Familar. Norch was an unusual version of his species. Born weak and prone to sickness, he was an Albino minotaur with white-yellowish fur and red-tinged eyes that glowed vaguely in the dark. Minotaurs believe that strength of body, will, and spirit are their birthright and obviously live for the thrill of combat to test themselves. Vadicc was amazed Norch hadn't been sacrificed at birth to the Minotaur's "spirits" to prevent similar "weakness" from cropping up again.
Norch was truly different however, as he grew slower than his fellows and was always the weakest physically as a youth, but his mind and strength of purpose burned brighter than any other in his tribe, Vadicc had been told. Painstakingly, over years of training and work, his body finally became his. He became one of the strongest of his tribe, if not the most powerful one, and had yet to be defeated in their ritualized combat circles once he had reached his adulthood and competed. His endurance had been measured and found to be amazing to even Minotaur standards. The downside of course was that he was not as tall as most Minotaurs and was truly an ugly specimen of the species. Vadicc liked him because he had intelligence, youth and energy about him that was more than a common Mintaur bodyguard usually had.
His Familiar on the other hand was a standard raven however, rasied in the Familiar kennels by the Beastmasters of Straywood, he had been born and raised to be a Mage's Familiar. While he looked normal, the raven had a strength all his own. Most Familiars whined and griped on what they wanted or not wanted to do. Vadicc's raven acutally worried about his health and looked out for his well-being most of the time.
Strangely he also wouldn't tell Vadicc his name. All Familiars had a name, either chosen by the Familiar or given by the Beastmaster that raised them. Vadicc had taken one look at the Familiar, felt the Mana flow easily between them, and offered the Beastmaster double the cost for the raven immedately. He hadn't even been shopping for a Familiar. The Beastmaster had consulted the raven for a second, and replied with a grin Vadicc had only seen on a jungle-devil baboon once. A dead jungle-devil baboon.
"The price is fine, but there is a an additional cost."
Wary, Vadicc had eyed the Elf carefully, fully expecting him to ask for his Mage Staff or some other moronic addendum to the staggering sum he had offered.
"We will not tell you his name now. You must earn it from him."
Smirking lightly at what he thought was a bad joke he had replied easily in the affirmative.
Now he sighed heavily and looked on the namless raven Familiar and Albino minotaur, and wondered why he seemed to gather the wierdest companions.
"Time to go."
He waved a hand and linked himself to the great swirling portal, its effect centered in the Voltori artifact Gate against the far wall. The gate's motion increased steadily.
"Yes Master."
The dual reply had brought him up short, and he glanced back at the smiling minotaur. He looked at the raven too. Can a raven smile? He really felt they were almost plotting something, but brushed that off as he felt the portal steady upon their destination.
Turning suddenly, he tapped out a staccato beat with his staff upon the floor then pointed it dramatically at the portal.
"To the DARKFENNE!"
Blue-light swallowed him.
The minotuar and raven looked at each other.
"Should we stop him?"
The raven replied with weight in his voice, "The question Norch, is CAN we stop him. For now he needs this, so let's go."
Two more flashes of blue-light lit the chamber, reflecting off the distant scales of a happily dozing hydra.
