Royal Blood

XXI: The Eight Relics

Adelaide was gone for a while, and Caitlyn had begun to think she was never coming back. Caitlyn stood up from where she sat. “She's not coming back.”

“Give her time,” Nadia drawled. She had sat down, too, only farther from Caitlyn and Mark. “It's a castle. A big one, at that. Who knows who she's looking for.” She looked over at Mark, who was unsurprisingly eyeing her warily. She gave him a look. “I'm not going to hurt you. Yet.”

“Just being cautious,” he said.

Voices came from the passageway, growing louder and more clear the closer they came.

“... Just hear me out.” That was Adelaide, they decided.

“I really do not have time for this.” It was a voice that sounded like Mark's, only more sophisticated.

“That's Darkiplier,” Nadia clarified when she saw Mark and Caitlyn's confused faces.

“I didn't even know that that was a entrance to the catacombs.”

“Seán,” She stated.

“It stinks down here.”

“That's Antisepticeye,” Nadia clarified again. “No duh, Anti! It's filled with dead people!” She directed the remark towards the opening of the passageway. Then, a demon dressed in all black walks into the cavern with a smile on his face.

“Hey, Red. Why're you...here…” He trails off when he catches sights of the relics.

“You know him?” Asks Mark.

Nadia sighs. “Unfortunately.”

Shortly behind Anti was Adelaide, Seán and Dark. Dark went rigid when he spotted Mark. “You.”

“Uh oh,” said Caitlyn, pulling Mark to his feet. “Go on, say hi.” She shoves him forward and Mark's only a few feet away from the angry, red eyed demon.

“Adelaide… He's got murder in his eyes.”

“Nah, that's just how he is on a daily basis,” Anti commented as Adelaide pulled Dark back by his hand.

“No one's killing anyone right now,” Adelaide insisted. “Nadia.”

Nadia got to her feet. “What?” She asked defensively.

“That means you.”

“Yeah, yeah, sure.”

Adelaide turned to Dark. “Did you know about this?” She points to the relics.

Dark looked shocked for a moment before the shocked dissolved into anger. “Why would you accuse me?”

“Well for one, you seem to know about anything and everything that goes on around here. Like for instance, you and Anti knew that who I thought was my father wasn't my father at all.”

“What?” Caitlyn, Nadia and Mark asked in shock simultaneously.

“Don't drag me into this!” Anti exclaimed. Seán was regretfully staring at the ground. Adelaide noticed.

“And while I am slowly forgiving you,” she started. “It was still an abysmal thing to do.”

“I assure you, I hadn't the slightest clue of...this.”

“Hey, Anti, I'm not sure if you want to do that,” Seán advised. “There's probably a ward around them.” They all looked there Seán was looking and sure enough, Anti had strayed from the group and was reaching out to to touch the Dagger of Draven.

“Let him touch it,” Nadia said. “If it shocks him it might knock his cockiness down a peg or two.”

Anti scoffed. “I'm not cocky. He's cocky.” He points to Dark, who rolls his eyes. “I'm just… imprudently arrogant.” He latches his hand onto the grip, which had a silhouette of a woman Tangled in what looked like vines engraved in it. “See? I know what I'm doing.” Anti yanks the Dagger out of out of the pedestal's pull and nothing seems to happen.

“Which is a rare occasion, really,” Nadia retorted with an eye roll. Her eyes land on the Sword of Fery, and she's instantly drawn to it. “Couldn't hurt...right?” She asks herself, loudly enough for the others to hear. With both hands Nadia grabs hold of the sword’s brass grip, the pommel and the crossguard glows with variations of turquoise, cobalt and azure blue hues. She pulls, and the sword is released with ease.

Adelaide steps towards the pedestal with the Necklace of Rikmai floating on it. “I'm taking this back.” She takes the necklace and puts it back on. “And there's nothing you—” she locks eyes with Dark. “Can do to stop me.”

“Don't tempt me,” he grumbled.

“Well if everyone else is is taking one…” Mark trails off and grabs the Shield of Gabrien. “This one's been calling to me ever since we got down here.”

“Nah,” Caitlyn disagreed. She took hold of the Enchanted Bow of Maria along with a handful of ornate looking arrows to match. “This is so cool.”

“Come on,” said Adelaide as she offered Dark the Scythe of Or'as. It was a black staff with the head of a dragon attached on the top. Not real of course, it was made of metal. And the blade of the Scythe protrudes out of the dragon's mouth. It glowed red but was translucent; Adelaide held it up and looked through the blade with an eye closed. “I'd think you'd look better with it.”

Dark gives Adelaide a look and hesitantly takes the Scythe from her hands.

“Great. Everyone has their own mystical weapon that was supposed to be anywhere but here. Can we go now? It really stinks down here.”

“I think we could all agree that this day has been, well, extremely confusing,” Dark said. He glares at Mark, who subtly adjusts himself so that he's standing behind Caitlyn.

Caitlyn rolls her eyes. “Sure, let me get mauled by the King of Servilia, who also happens to be one of the most powerful demons in the world, just so you can play sissy.”

“I am bravely cowering,” Mark argued with a nervous laugh.

“Right.”