Evolution: A Warlock's Rise To Power

Chapter 24: Quilldrake Estate

Lucan and Silent sat down to have a drink with Bloodfirst and the others while waiting for SuperSleuth to return.

"You guys can come too if you want." Silent Night said to the other 3.

"What, are you a Hand of Raze now?" Lucan asked her.

"Shh, you were going to invite them anyway."

"Ha, ha, nah its alright." Bloodfist said. "Van and I are going to be busy tomorrow and the next day."

"I would like to visit the Shadow realm." Lucy said. "If the offer stands?"

"Sure, it's no problem." Lucan told her.

"Okay, Avalon transfer point in one hour?" She asked while standing up.

Lucan nodded.

"Good, I will see you shortly." She said leaving the Guild.

***

Lucan, Silent, Lucy and SuperSleuth left Avalon.

"It's a bit off a walk, but it's the best I can do right now."

"We are going to walk to the shadow realm?" Super asked.

"Yeah, it is not to far." Lucan said as he led the way into the cave.

Lucan led the way through the archway made of shadows. He used his magic to enhance the tunnel as he went. From enhancing the tunnel twice already it had noticeably widened and now there was a faint light emanating from the trail beneath their feet.

"Wow, how did you find this tunnel?" Super asked.

"I suspect he made it." Lucy answered.

"Mmm, that's right." Lucan added.

It was a boring walk, but they emerged in the Shadow realm just over 6 hours later. During the trip, Super decided what abilities he wanted and had Lucan take 100,000 experience from him.

Standing on his front porch Lucan spoke to the others. "I will contact my Master, in the meantime feel free to use my house or look around while we wait. Don't leave the village, there is nothing close."

Super nodded while walking down the steps to the street to take a look around.

"So, this is where you and Lucan spend your time." Lucy said to Silent.

"There is a forest a day's ride away that is a good hunting ground for our levels."

"The shadow mana here is so rich. I don't think my holy magic will be as effective, but my shadow magic should become more powerful." The priest said with a smile.

Lucan turned to the two women. "There will be someone to pick us up in an hour."

He sat down and read about formations while Silent and Lucy talked about the Shadow realm.

An hour later, Super had finished chatting with the local villagers and returned to Lucan's. A large creature was flying through the air in their direction. As it got closer Lucan could see it was actually a carriage pulled by 4 winged horses.

The carriage flew closer to the town and swooped down along the main road. The villagers moved to the side as the carriage came to a stop in front of Lucan's house.

An older but agile man hopped down from the driver's seat. "Lord Quilldrake." He said taking a knee. "The Supreme Ruler has sent me to collect you and your guests. If you would take a seat inside, we can depart for the capital." When the driver finished speaking, he got up and opened the door. Motioning for Lucan to enter.

Lucan and the 3 others entered. The carriage was well furnished and cushioned. A small table floating in the middle separated the two benches. Lucan took a seat at the back looking forward. Silent slid next to him while Lucy and Super sat in the front, facing backwards.

The driver snapped the reins and they were taking off into the air. The floating table remained perfectly level inside the carriage. Lucan was impressed by the bit of magical engineering that kept it floating and level.

He pulled on of the bottle of liquor off the wall and poured himself a glass, taking a small sip before setting it on the table and watching. Lucan was impressed to not see a single ripple in the liquid as the carriage soared through the air.

"This is nice." Lucan remarked.

"This is so exciting." SuperSleuth said. "Do you do stuff like this often?" He asked Lucan.

"Nope, this is a first for me. So do your best not to embarrass me in front of my Master."

"Yes, I will do my best." Super said while straightening up his posture in his seat.

"I find it hard to believe that the capital of Raze's territory won't have anything to help out a shadow priest. I imagine this will be a great opportunity." Lucy spoke.

Silent smiled to herself. "Maybe the shadow mana will be even stronger than in the forest." She mumbled excitedly.

"How can the capital of the Shadow realm not have the strongest shadow mana?" Lucy asked.

Silent nodded eagerly. "That does make sense."

During the ride, SuperSleuth spilled all the information he knew about Hellfire.

They flew at an incredible speed for nearly 3 hours. It would have taken them over a month to make the journey on horse. Through the window Lucan could see a grand city that put Avalon to shame. He guessed the city must have been at least 50 miles wide. The carriage flew over the city, towards the center and began to make its landing.

It landed in one of the palaces large courtyards. Over half a mile of well manicure grass spread from wall to wall. The carriage came to a stop in front of a small group of people.

The driver scurried down and opened the door. The other's made their exit, followed by Lucan.

A shadow elf spoke for the people gathered. A man with silver gray hair and dark gray skin spoke. "Lord Quilldrake, we welcome you to Vertshadow on behalf of the Supreme Ruler. My name is Ash, my men and I will always be nearby if you need anything during your stay. First let me show you to your accommodations. The Supreme Ruler is hosting a small dinner this evening and the main festivities will begin tomorrow. Tomorrow evening there will be a formal reception which your guests are permitted to attend along with many notable figures from Shadow realm. The following morning, we will bear witness to the challenge."

Ash led Lucan and the others across the grass to one of the 6 buildings surrounding the open area. Lucan noticed on one of the courtyard walls there were 3 flags hanging. One for the Duke that showed he arrived, one for the Queen that said she was preparing to depart, and his was being changed from 'Traveling' to 'Arrived'.

"This is your residence inside Vertshadow. It has been named Quilldrake estate. If you need anything or would like to go anywhere just inform me." Ash said as he entered the first door inside the building to reveal a small office.

Ash and his team had been assigned to guard and assist Lucan while he was visiting the city. They would be available any hour of the day.

Lucan and the others took a look around. The first floor had a grand kitchen, dinning room, several rooms to entertain. Out back was a decent sized pool and patio. The second floor had a common area with several bedrooms off of it and a bathroom. The third floor was smaller but was home to the master suite and large bathroom. Lucan was amazed by the crystal chandeliers and extravagant furnishings. Paintings of various styles hung in each room. Landscapes in the hallways, epic scenes and portraits in the room. All though it was a bit over the top and a tad gaudy, Lucan would have decorated it similarly if he had been given free reign.

The others had chosen their rooms and gathered back downstairs.

"We should take a look around the city. You have a couple hours till your dinner thing. Do you want to?" Lucy asked.

"Sure, let's check it out." Lucan said, going to get Ash.

"Sure, I will show you around the city. Is there anything you would like to start with?" Ash asked the group after Lucan informed him of their intent.

"Like typical tourists who don't know any better, we want to check out the weapon and magic shops." Lucan said while Silent and Lucy nodded.

"Okay, no problem."

Ash lead them out of the palace and out onto paved streets. The level of development in Vertshadow surpassed Avalon's cobblestone streets. The buildings looked more solid. On average the NPCs seemed to be higher levels. Even the commoners here were over level 100.

There were more players here than Lucan expected. Not a lot but he still saw one every 2 or 3 minutes.

When they arrived at a series of shops and were about to go in Super approached Lucan. "I am going to break off for a bit. Char and Fari are going to introduce me to some people." He said motioning to 2 of Ash's subordinates.

"Sounds good. Let me know if you get in a jam."

Super nodded before heading off into the city.

He had been very busy so far. All his subordinates became acolytes of Lucan and he was taking full advantage of the 100,000 experience he had to spend. He bought enhanced telepathic abilities and telepathic nods for his subordinates. Combined with a few other spells and abilities, he built a real time 'Operator' system. His workers would call in their information requests to the group and they would fulfill the order in seconds and be on to the next customer.

Super bought a few things to enhance his memory and turned himself into a vault of all the information he obtained. If he didn't remember, his interface recorded and categorized everything and included keywords to make searching easier. Lucan was happy to see him go out and gather more contacts.

If he did well and Super was willing to give him a bit of loyalty, he would make a great direct warlock to Lucan. His information network would become very valuable in the future. Then there was also his day job as a reporter. It also helped that Lucan liked him as a person.

Lucy and Silent went separate ways and entered shops on the other side of the street. Before entering, they both took a look back at Lucan. He decided it would be best to enter neither, even though he hopped to visit both. As Ash chuckled to himself Lucan spotted a store that sold Relics and Artifacts. He made that his destination.

Lucan browsed the shop while waiting for the girls. He didn't make any big purchases; he did buy a set of formation flags. These small 10-inch flag were a beginner's tool to help with formations. They were like training wheels. They wouldn't let him do anything awesome and took away a bit of his control, but they insured he didn't fall over.

After his purchase, Lucan circled the inside of the shop 3 more times before making sure both girls were outside, then he went to meet them.

"Find anything good?"

"Yeah, I made some good purchases."

"Yes, I found something I didn't know I needed."

"Great, I need to be getting back. Are you 2 going to stay out?"

"No, I will head back with you." Silent said.

"Yes, Quilldrake Estate seems very cozy, I could use some time to read my new spell books." Lucy said.

"Then I shall take both of you ladies home with me." Lucan said.

""

""

"You know what I mean?" Lucan said while stomping back to his place.

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