Dragonfire II: The Twilight Invasion

Chapter 7: A Pact in Secrecy

Goltač approached, taking a seat at the table. "The artifact offers a path to one's greatest wish, entirely for free. One only needs to know how to unlock it. But such a path is attached to great risks and even greater consequences. The artifact must not be opened by anyone, regardless of how noble or kind their intentions may be." He said, "That's all well and good, but I gotta ask...who the fuck are you?! I don't remember letting you into our chambers!" Albedo asked, "Names hardly matter in the end. It will all fade away with time." Goltač answered, "Th-That's not really an answer!" Albedo exclaimed, "You may refer to me as 'Goltač.' It is the only title I possess." Goltač responded. Albedo was flabbergasted. She had no idea of what to say. In her silence, Goltač continued. "As I suspected, it seems our goals align yet again. All of our goals." He said, "What are you suggesting?" Kei asked, "The artifact must be destroyed so that no more war can come of it." Goltač answered. Everyone at the table fell silent in thought. If the artifact were to be destroyed, then Moona would no longer have a reason to stay in Ravania. There was a chance she would leave after, or simply offer to maintain their peace. "I agree. Even if it doesn't end up dealing with our Twilight Covenant problem, at least no more damage can be done by the artifact..." Gabriella said, "Grandmaster?" Goltač asked. 

Albedo was still shaken up, though she quickly came to her senses. "W-Well, if there is a way to destroy the artifact, then I think that would be for the best. But how are we going to reach it...or destroy it, for that matter?" She asked, "We need only find the artifact. I can handle the matter of destroying it. But finding it is the issue. We know it's in Celestia, but so does the Twilight Princess. We have no way of knowing who else has clues to its whereabouts. As of now, I'm afraid we'll need to improvise." Goltač answered, "Alright...maybe Moona has a way of finding it, and we can somehow work off that? Either way...I'm with you in destroying it." Albedo said. Kei nodded. "So am I." She said. Gabriella looked at Lucille, then back at Goltač. "You have our blades." She said. Goltač nodded. "Then henceforth, we are allies. Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Goltač of Imperium. An order that seeks the destruction of the artifact, and all that resides within. As we are now allies, do not hesitate to call upon me if you need my services." Goltač responded. Albedo nodded, and Gabriella spoke up. "If any of us finds anything, we'll tell the others." She said, "Agreed. We'll all need to stay vigilant." Albedo responded, "For now...I think Lucille and I should go seek allies elsewhere if we're still planning to go through with that." Gabriella said, "Just the two of you?" Albedo asked, "Mhm. It would look less suspicious, seeing as Arvan is supposedly free of the Twilight Covenant's control. It would just look like we're going home." Gabriella answered. Albedo nodded approvingly, and they continued planning for a little while. Once they were finished with the specifics, the Arvanians left the chambers, followed by Goltač. 

Albedo and Kei remained, side by side. It had grown late and was time for bed. They returned to their room and took a bath. It went by silently, as they were both in thought. It was a stressful situation. Neither of them truly felt that they had any words to say. Only thoughts to think. After their bath, they got into bed. Their minds swirled around the Twilight Covenant and what they would do about the artifact. Finally, the silence was broken. "So...do you ever wonder why Reptile-People have thumbs?" Albedo asked. It was silent for a moment before Kei let out a rather expected response. "...What?" Albedo shifted to her side so she could look at her. "You know...reptiles don't have thumbs, so why do Reptile-People have thumbs?" She asked, "I...don't know. I mean...they're Half-Human, right? So...wouldn't that give them thumbs?" Kei pondered, "Well, kinda. But not really. Humans came from monkeys, right? And Mermaids came from fish. And Yatagarasus came from birds..." Albedo said, "'Yatagarasus?'" Kei asked, "Yeah, you know...three-legged crows? They talked about a big one in history class when I was a kid...I think her name was...ah...what was it? Tsuki? No...that begins with a T..." Albedo answered, "Suki doesn't begin with a T." Kei said, "Huh...? Yeah it does." Albedo responded, "No it doesn't. It's spelled S, U, K, I." Kei said, "That's...incorrect. It's spelled T, S, U, K, I. There's a silent T." Albedo replied, "Is there a source for that?" Kei asked, "Uh...I'm smart...?" Albedo answered, "I disagree, but okay..." Kei said, "Oh really? And why is that?" Albedo asked, "Because you never learned how to spell..." Kei answered. Albedo let out a small laugh. "Agree to disagree." She said. Kei let out an approving grunt, and they rested in silence for a few moments.