Heleion Archives

17^th of September, 401^st of NDE. Ang-Osomi, The Lotus District.

            After two day pondering, Selindrae decided to take the job offer and looked up the address on the card hidden by high grade magic – which for a moment wavered her. The pay was definitely good as most jobs offered to Seekers reached only the 50k mark, while most jobs in this reward range went to either the Black Rose Order, Snow-Scaled Host and such groups or to high-prestige Seeker or Adventurer groups within their respective unions.

She also had doubts about the pay itself, but those doubts were swept away the moment she looked at the six floor mansion of a modern style of blending Hoshigawan pagoda roofs with the thick, wooden looking walls of vibrant shades of mauve and golden. In each of the myriad windows, she saw that life was busy within the gaudy, imposing walls. Although the high grade glass used for the windows prevented her from seeing anything other than vague silhouettes – even after she enhanced her sight with a medium grade spell.

The only doubt she had – even as she sat in one of the probably many waiting rooms for guests, surrounded by members of the staff – was if her clothing was appropriate for the meeting. Though at least her boldly angular bob cut hair of deep raven black shade could fit in as it was a relatively popular style amongst the upper echelons of nairenthian society – she heard it at least from Juan.

The staff members themselves varied in what they wore. Those clearly specialized for protection wore a fine set of suit made of some silken with a magnificent luster, a high collared shirt buttoned up completely and paired with a slim neck tie of different shades, while all their shirts were pristine, almost snow white. Then those of the service staff wore a combination of a silken shirt with the top of the collar pressed out and a mauve and golden kimono over it with a large sheet of mauve with a tinge of mauve wrapped around their waist, a large bowtie at their back.

Some were aelfriths or feyfolken of different kin, some were dwarves or humans of northern kin, some were male, some where female. Overall a varied bunch compared to what she remembered from other houses she visited while her mother was on duty. Yet they all plastered their faces with a calm, emotionless mask as they stood still while a few other maids and butlers entered with a tray of steaming hot tea.

Even when she kindly thanked them to the best of her manners, the servants remained eerily calm and even seemed to ignore her even after clearly bringing the hot beverage to their mistress’s guest. It creeped Selindrae out a bit more and cursed Juan a little as he was the one who convinced her after she told him of the price for the job.

Her mauve eyes moved from one staff member to another as she searched for the mysterious stygian who offered the job – even though she knew that said stygian was probably high up in the echelons of the mansion. Either the Head-Maid or the Head of the Bodyguards.

Subsequently as she took a slow and silent sip from the cup, the ornated double door with two praying onis on it opened up. “Hope you did not have to wait long.” Said stygian appeared in a fine suit with popped out collars around the shirts’, her hair bundled into a double bun fitting her better Selindrae thought to herself. “No, though I may have preferred with less… companions.”

“Regrettably, this much is needed even in such cases as yours. But let’s not dawdle anymore, come my Mistress’s is waiting.” With that Selindrae with a little regret placed the cup back onto the tray and followed after the Stygian.

“Could you at least now tell me your name? You probably know mine.” Selindrae asked as she followed after her while surrounded by at least six of the security staff. “Kiri.”

**

Strangely – to Selindrae – the closer they got to their destination, the less bodyguards she was surrounded by. Though she could not sense them, she had the correct hunch that there were certain, veiled protective measures placed around the spacious hallways they passed through, while in the garden she spotted a few carnivorous plants which were shrouded by inscriptions clearly controlled by hired mages hidden in some section of the vast mansion.

She was also surprised by the fact that they entered what appeared like some gilded gate belonging to some age old vault instead of heading up the wide stairs decorated with flowery diamond etchings and entering a large office enveloped by a silencing field. Though the later applied to the vault as she felt her power, her confidence wane gradually.

For a moment she looked back and thought of running away as she felt she stepped into the lair of a dragon – with a really eerie fetish. The vault itself spanned far and wide, the floor white marble plates with some black ones sprinkled in amongst the rest, yet they were hardly visible thanks to the objects placed over them. Which were partly the reason why she felt creeped out in that moment – more than when she spotted the Dead-Sculptor.

“No reason to be afraid.” The lady of the house, Hertughiel Ilsarei said in calm voice which reached her clearly even though there was several hundred meters at least between them, and she wore a creepy white porcelain mask which clearly had its roots in the Hoshigawan Archipelago.

“As long as you deliver what I ask of you, as long as you don’t wish to take my life, there is nothing to be afraid of Miss Selindrae.” She continued as Selindrae and Kiri headed towards her.

Surrounding them were hundreds of statues of lifelike people sculpted – or more aptly transmuted – into golden forms. Some were stripped naked, their arms bent above or behind their backs, bound with a variety of restraints like rope or cuffs. Some were gagged with sealing tape, others with spherical gags which often led to their saliva freezing into a gilded eternity as it dripped down at the corners of their mouths. Selindrae gulped silently as her eyes locked onto their faces frozen in maddening pleasure.

“Excuse my behavior my lady, its just the weakening enchantments. First time I felt this weak in a long time.” When they reached her, Selindrae bowed and lied – partially.

“No need for such excuses. It is quite an uncomfortable feeling as I got it from others. But let’s not dawdle, time is not on our side I’m afraid.” Her infernal eyes behind the mask remained calm then they turned around and started walking amongst the statues.

As they walked between the statues, making turn after turn, Ilserai explained that she wished to get her hand on three special vials currently held in the local headquarters of the Black Rose Order. Three vials which contain their special blend in its purest form which allegedly grants an eternal beauty comparable to the late Black Rose’s herself.

“So you want me to enter the headquarters?” Selindrae asked when Ilserai stopped speaking. “No. For that I could hire the Godborn thief Rhommi. Plus they would most definitely track them back here.”

As they continued their stroll, they reached back to the entrance where Ilserai turned back and crossed her wrists behind her back. “Today, they will load it up in a cloaked truck of theirs to take them to their outpost in the Hvitnaforu forest. You and three more we hired shall attack the truck midway and I expect you and one another to disguise yourselves as the drivers.”

“So we still head to the outpost itself. Excuse me for saying this, but is it a good idea to walk into the belly of the beast?” Selindrae said with a pensive look.

“We thought of it as well. But our agent who scouted the place out learned that they expect the truck. This way, we bring ourselves a bit of time before they notice the goods missing. Also bringing the truck back to the city is just as foolish as each has a tracking device now built into them.”

Ilsarei stopped for a moment and snapped her fingers. The Stygian right hand of hers reached into her lavish suits’ left pocket and pulled out a small blackish disk device with a concave top. “With this, you’ll be able to hijack the teleportation circle and bring them here.”

She stared at the device, thinking on if she has a chance to decline, although because of the payment this thought quickly faded and another question surfaced into her mind. “What about the uniforms?”

If Ilsarei’s thin, lipless mouth could have formed into a smile behind her haunting, eastern mask, it would have. “We shall provide them ourselves.”

Somewhat satisfied with that answer – that she won’t have to waste time hunting – she scraped her forehead before the next question while they walked towards the entrance. “Who are the other three?”

Ilsarei rhythmically tapped her mask’s chin. “I think you only are aware of Dhurmac the Tall. The other two just moved to this city a few months ago, but they are skillful enough by our estimations.” Dhurmac, the Tall was a dwarven Seeker of great fame who defeated a northern black dragon nested below the city of Uzlorom in the Noyachny heimrad. Though it did cost all his limbs, which then got replaced as a bonus to his actual reward.

The gate slowly opened up, letting natural light in which made the statues bathe them and the vault in a golden glow. “Kiri shall take you to the rest.”

**

To her surprise, instead of just giving her an address, Kiri drove her to the location of where the others of the team were located. They drove in a magicraft car of common design without any outstanding features. A small, gray car with an angular chassis of low-grade metal with a few inscriptions woven into the windows, which from the outside made them completely pitch black.

In less than an hour, they arrived to their location in the industrial district of the heimrad’s capital, namely to a towering gray structure with the usual pagoda on top as expected from most buildings within Ang-Osomi. As she learnt on the way here, the building itself belonged to a local guild specializing in construction secretly funded by Ilsarei, though it did belong once to her late-husband – who passed away two decades ago in mysterious circumstances.

Many suspected her, but in the end an assassin was caught and swiftly tried who allegedly worked for the Noyachny Heimrad’s criminal family. Though many doubted his testimony as the criminal family had little to gain by killing her husband, but in the end, no one really bothered as they concluded he became the victim of the usual powerplay between members of the upper echelon.

The two parked down in the building’s underground lot and headed for the singular elevator in the center which swiftly brought them up to the top floor. Stepping out Selindrae got surprised by one of the members, but she quickly gained clarity on why she was picked up.

Over at the singular window looking out at the city stood the yoefrith whom she saw in the club, clad in a long leathery trench coat which spread far down to her ankles without only a few creases appearing as she turned towards her. Under it a yellowish gleaming matte blouse hugged her curvaceous body accenting her ample elven breasts while the collars covered her whole neck while fondling her jaws while a ruffled corset pressed it against her abdomen while also juggling her chests.

Her fingers ornated with rings crafted with lunar motifs held a half-burnt cigarette as she looked at Selindrae with a predatory delight in her eyes.

“Selindrae, this is Unomnus, your partner so to speak.” Kiri did not waste any time to introduce the yoefrith to her and the two locked eyes and wrists as a greeting. For several seconds they remained locked together, and various sensations coursed through her body before they let go of each other. “A pleasure to meet you.” A smile curved onto her own lips.

Similarly, Unomnus’ usually calm, expressionless face was adorned with a captivating smile which made Selindrae’s heart race. “Same. I heard a lot about you.”

Before she could ask what, footsteps approaching them diverted her attention to the corridor. “Here I thought she would chicken out in the last minute. Glad to have you!” A tall, handsome man with a peculiar beard and short, slicked back hair sheared on the sides in a military style entered the room with a dwarf on his side of nidrorh kin reaching almost the same height while making whirred steps.

“Come on Vratislav, unlike you she probably has a brain.” Dhumrac said while he walked past him with a large cigar in his mouth, almost an extension of his braided beard.

“Dhumrac you probably know, that handsome gentleman on the other hand is a recent upcomer from the Noyachny heimrad, Vratislav.”  Kiri said quite affectionately as she walked beside the tall naurdian man of a rigid build with a long scar diagonally decorating his handsome visage.

A series of light thuds’ came from somewhere within the apartment. “Oh yeah, probably asking in vain, but did you bring the cleaning guys?” Unomnus asked before Selindrae could inquire on the source, although she had a guess.

“No, they should have arrived by now.” Though she still gave in to her curiosity and followed the sound until she arrived to the singular doored room.

“Just a heads up, they don’t hear or see anything.” Unomnus said as Selindrae opened up and faced the two naked Black Rose Vordriars sitting in the room. The source being the tall orc with long blue hair with tinge of gray bound with quite the thick set of enchanted ropes all around her sleek grayish white body banging her feet against the single wooden box in the corner.

And just like Unomnus said, the orc seemingly continued bashing her feet against the thick wooden box hoping to attract someone’s attention to it not expecting her own captors. Unomnus passed by Selindrae and procured a bottle and a rag. “Hold her leg for a bit please. Thanks.” Selindrae followed her instruction and watched and listened to the orc’s groans muffled by the wide strip of black tape wounded across her face with slight elvish mutations.

“Now let’s place her beside her partner.” The two lifted the naked and trussed up orc vordriar beside the oily deep olive skinned sraurdornian who still seemed to be asleep as her blindfolded head were hunched down over her ample breasts.

“I guess even their uniforms are hard to get by.” Selindrae noted cheekily as the others entered. “You could say so, but it is also less suspicious in the long term.” Kiri added as she leaned against the doorframe.

“Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll have to make some calls. The two of you should change then we finish the plans once I get back.” With that Kiri left masking her slight frustration quite well while the two elves looked at each other and Selindrae left Unomnus alone to undress.