"Hey!" a voice called out. "You ain't dead in there, are ya'?"
Heitr stirred, sitting up from his sleep and rubbing his temples. "No." he replied flatly.
"Oh…good," the voice said. "Breakfast's ready downstairs if yur hungry."
Footsteps faded down the hall.
Heitr exhaled slowly.
"stop searching."
His jaw tightened.
That warning alone was reason enough to continue.
Who was the woman who had worn his mother's face? Why was his old comrade hiding something? And just how deep did this rot go?
He swung his legs off the bed. "I'll get to the bottom of everything."
The tavern was quiet when Heitr descended the stairs. Morning light filtered through dusty windows, illuminating plates of simple food laid out on the counter.
"Hey," the tavern owner said, glancing up. "Look who finally decided to wake up."
Heitr smirked faintly and took a seat. "Owner," he said, picking up his utensils, "do you know where I can get credible information?"
The man paused mid-wipe. "Credible information? About what?"
"Old friends," Heitr replied calmly, taking a bite. "and their locations."
The owner scratched his chin. "Well…there is someone that comes to mi—"
"Get down!" The shout barely left Heitr's mouth before—
BOOM!
The tavern exploded inward—glass shattered and tables flipped—A gaping hole tore through the wall as debris rained down. Smoke curled through the air.
"Drahkt warned you," a feminine voice said calmly. "But just as he said…you were too stubborn."
A towering figure stepped through the dust.
Seven feet tall. Dark red Numa clung to her like molten armor.
Ignoring her entirely, Heitr rushed to the tavern owner, helping him to his feet.
The woman clicked her tongue. "Hey," she said irritably, reaching for him.
Heitr rose slowly, cracking his neck as his disguise dissolved. "From your mannerisms," he said coolly, "you're an ogre."
"Partially correct," she replied with a grin. "I'm something more."
Recognition struck him. "…A demon ogre." His Numa surged.
She snickered. "Aw. Is the little human upset—" She never finished the sentence.
The demon ogre slammed into the ground outside New Eywilis, carving a crater into the earth.
Heitr descended moments later, landing effortlessly before her.
He looked down at her broken form. "If Drahkt sent you," he said, gripping her face, "then he still thinks I'm that weakling from the battlefield."
She laughed weakly, coughing blood. "Heh…Lord Drahkt will deal with you himself…"
Heitr placed his palm against her abdomen—his Numa shifting.
"Palm of the Transcendent."
Deep within the mountains outside New Eywilis, a knock echoed.
"Lord Drahkt," a maid in glasses said nervously, "may I enter? It's urgent."
"Enter," Drahkt replied, his back turned. "What is it?"
"Miss Nyssa…" the maid swallowed. "She was killed shortly after reaching her target."
Silence.
Then—
"What?" Drahkt snarled, black and green Numa erupting across the room. "She was one of my strongest creations! How did he kill her so quickly?!"
The maid trembled, bowing deeply. "S-Sir—"
"Shut up!"
The dark Numa swallowed her whole. She collapsed lifelessly to the floor.
Drahkt stared at the corpse for only a moment before turning back to his lab table.
"Someone clean this up." He said coldly. "And bring me more test subjects" He paused, "…Including that damned tavern owner."