TBATE: Let The Truth Be Known {Completed}

Chapter 12: Two Meetings; Two Meanings

My nasal voice eeks out through my possibly dislocated jaw, "Understood."

"Good. You'll be released soon. I have a job for you," he informs before turning to leave. His footsteps echo off of the cold stone walls. The opening and subsequent closing of the thick iron door at the end of the hall is likely the last thing I'll hear today other than my own voice.

I move my nose back into what I would assume to be the correct position before slumping myself against the wall.

A job, huh?

It'll probably be my last.

ARTHUR LEYWIN

"The stench must dull your senses quite a lot, Arthur. It took you long enough."

My head whips around to behind the door I just entered through. My panic and combat-readiness leak over into Regis.

'I'm coming!' he exclaims as the door bursts open again.

My blood relic armor covers my body in my panic as an aether sword forms in my right hand. Staring intensely and releasing my aetheric intent at the door, I find myself with a familiar face.

Sitting on a bench behind the door, I find the figure I was expecting. My armor and sword dissipate as my heart rate begins to settle.

"Jumpy are we? You're late," I hear.

Standing from the bench, a tall, thin woman with pearlescent hair and two curved onyx horns emerging from her forehead begins to walk toward me.

"I may have been expecting you, but you didn't need to scare me like that, Scythe Seris," I angrily spit.

"Oh, and feisty too. Consider it vengeance in the name of my precious student," she replies. "Now, let's get to business."

Get back to Cecilia, Regis. I know she felt my intent, so go tell her everything is fine.

'Got it,' my companion complies and exits through the still-open door.

"Let's. I need your protection as you could expect. I'll be taking Cecilia into the Relictombs to see my family, but I need you to take care of my ascension relic. It's stationary and allows me to go to and from the Relictombs. Can you do it?" I ask.

"I can. However, I need you to do something for me in return," she demands.

I observe her blank face, looking for any twitch that would indicate what she may want.

"It's nothing absurd, Arthur. Don't rule it out without hearing it," she says again.

"Fine. Hit me, but make it quick, we need to get going," I reply.

"Good. I need you to come back in 5 weeks' time out here. I've set up a meeting with someone you'll want to hear from. Take your time with your family, but I advise you don't dawdle too long. You're going to have a lot of issues on your hands if you take too long to ascend to that god-like level you'll need to achieve your goals," she answers.

Meeting... great. Knowing her I'll be thrust into some crazy scenario as a consequence of her meeting. The last time we met, she tried to bring attention to me, hopefully, that isn't her plan this time around too.

"Any insight into who I'm meeting?" I ask.

"None. You don't need to know yet. Telling you would only make you anxious and begin to question my motives," she replies.

"Telling me that last part does exactly what you don't want me to do," I point out.

"I know. It adds to the mystique as well. Grab your companions and enter through your relic here. I'll transport it to my estate and keep it in a secure location away from prying eyes. Is that sufficient?" she asks.