[color=f7976a][b]“Status reports!”[/b][/color] Archivald barked at the sodiers as they exited the burned out building. Their report didn’t surprise him. They were dead, all of them. The bodies were counted, the numbers matched and that was the end of it. Archivald simply wanted a simple breath of fresh air. That is why he had chosen to do this particular job himself. This wasn’t even North End, eliminating rebels here wasn’t even really his job. Then again, Chaos wasn’t really that active in North End to begin with. These days, all he seemed to do were the mundane jobs: checking up on the soldiers’ training, maintaining the spy network and investing time in his arcane studies. Archivald needed to use his magic. What good was it to know, but not use it? Then again, this hadn’t been a very satisfying expedition either. The sentient chicken, commonly called a harpy, getting in the way did not even have a part to play In that. No, Archivald had simply killed. He missed the thrill, some actual resistance. How did Azura manage it, with her activities as an elder? Did she not have the urge to destroy? 

A sudden sound broke his train of thought. The cry of a crow, his familiar. Badb Catha, the crow, descended upon his shoulder and softly pecked at his helmet. She spoke to him and told him the tales of the happenings of his homeland. Badb had been Archivald’s partner ever since he left home. Her eyes were beady and seemed to carry a soft red hue. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that, much like Archivald, this crow wasn’t exactly normal. After all, it was Archivald’s crow. Today she had a message for him. Archivald listened with great attention, even though no words could be heard. The soldiers just stood there, watching the dark armoured man observe the crow pecking at him in silence. Suddenly Archivald started to chuckle slightly, softly petting the crow with one finger. [color=f7976a][b]“Really now? Interesting. Head on home now, Badb.”[/b][/color] With that, the crow flew off. Archivald looked back at the soldiers. He wasn’t sure if they were still waiting for new orders, or if they were just amazed by the man talking to a crow.  A few seconds of silence were followed by a sigh of Archivald [color=f7976a][b]“Dismissed, I’m handling the report.”[/b][/color] Normally the warlock would’ve just let the soldiers handle a tedious job like that, but he had business with the elder anyway. He’d just report it directly to her.

Archivald rose his arm and whispered  a few words in a foreign language. In the old days, this spell would summon one a steed to traverse the land. In this day and age, however, that was not the most practical way of travel. Archivald had taken the liberty to alter the spell, instead creating a vehicle that was more suited for today: a hover bike. A steed truly appropriate of the modern mage, one should say! There were those that took insult to the alteration of the spells of old, but not Archivald. He was far too practically minded  to concern himself with such petty squabbles. If a spell had aged beyond its point of purpose, it would be altered. The fact that magic allowed one to do so, meant that change was in the nature of magic itself. To not alter magic that has outlasted its welcome and throw it away like an used rag, that, Archivald would argue, was an insult to magic in itself. And this spell served him well every time he raced through the streets, dodging cars left and right. It only took him minutes to exit the east end and return to his familiar turf of north end. North end was his turf. He may not be the elder, but it felt as much his as it was hers at times. This was a place where he had become familiar with its every nook and cranny over the last thirty years. This is where he had his seat of power. As right hand of the first elder, he was arguably the second most important person in the entirety of north end. The elder’s mansion loomed in the distance, easily spotted by its sheer size. And that place was also his own home. 

Azura’s mansion was enormous. With its sheer size and exquisite decorations it only further helped to mark how powerful the elders were. The mansion itself was used to also house many novice soldiers, trained on the large amounts of land that surrounded the mansion. Sometimes Archivald wasn’t sure why he didn’t just get his own mansion. He had amassed enough riches during his service. However, he had to admit that living here made things so much easier at times. Azura managed the entire mansion, which meant he didn’t have to. Not to mention, the dog had a nose for picking out the best people, which included her servants. Not only were they capable, the maids were often pure eye candy. And this was something that Archivald gladly used to his favor time and time again. Then there was also the fact that living here meant that his workspace was literally one step out of bed. Furthermore, he actually had to admit to liking her taste in aesthetics. Upon his arrival, the guards at the front door saluted him, stepping aside to provide access to their superior. The guards, along with the rest of the elder’s army, was one of Archivald’s responsibilities to manage. Archivald scanned the guards, then nodding in approval of their form. He actually didn’t give a damn about their form itself, but this was a matter of them showing respect for him. He had to at least play as if he cared, otherwise they wouldn’t care either. 
Archivald stepped up to the closest guard, noting the man’s gulp as he did so. The man seemed to think he was in trouble, as did many of Archivald’s inferiors if they were approached directly. The half-demon wasn’t known as a kind soul. His punishments were often described as brutal, soul-shattering, but never unjustified. He gave the guard a good-natured laugh as he stood before him and asked [color=f7976a][b]“Has Azura returned?”[/b][/color] The guard answered in a loud voice [b]“Yes sir! Elder Rosethorn returned not long before you.”[/b] Archivald nodded [color=f7976a][b]“Thank you, stand down.”[/b][/color] In the meantime, two servants had opened the large doors of the mansion and bowed as he walked in. Upon entering, his armour vanished into thin air. Bound to him as it was, he could dismiss it on a whim. Archivald looked at the one on his right [color=f7976a][b]“Please send word to Azura that I would like to speak to her. I will see myself to her quarters in about half an hour.“[/b][/color] The servant nodded.[b] “As you wish, sir Bel.”[/b] 

Before visiting Azura, Archivald wished to visit his own quarters first. The mansion’s halls were as lavishly decorated as the outside.  On his way, he was saluted by several guards and bowed to by the servants. Every one of them seemed to regard him in a completely different way, judging by their glares. Many guards respected him, but there were about just as many that were scared to death of him. The male servants usually hid their gazes. It was no secret that most of them  hated his arrogance.  This was very different from the views of the female servants, which were much more varied. Some hated him, others loved him. Archivald had a bit of a mixed reputation in that regard. It was no secret that he had slept with a fair number of them. Archivald couldn’t help it! Azura’s taste in maid uniforms was just… a little too much for him. 

Archivald was saluted by the guard posted in front of his door before he opened the door  for him.  Archivald’s room was among the largest of the mansion. It featured a king-size bed, a desk, a wardrobe and multiple closets and shelves. Many of these closets and shelves were filled with either books or artifacts. It was one of Archivald’s hobbies, the collection and restoration of magical artifacts.  Other than that, there was  a large desk that featured large stacks of books. Most of these books featured information on arcane knowledge. Several were written in the infernal language, nearly indecipherable to anyone not demonkind or practiced in the tongue. This was where the warlock spent most of his days. Next to the desk was a large double door that led to the balcony. On the other side of the room was another door, locked tightly. This room was reserved for some of Archivald’s… private matters. What was inside there was conjecture among many servants. Archivald took place at his desk and picked up the book he had left open when he had left. The book detailed the magic used to create portals between two remote locations. He was fervently scanning the pages, looking for information that corresponded to a broken artifact that he had left next to the book. Somewhere in these pages he hoped to find how to make this tick. But thirty minutes were not enough to figure this out.  

Half an hour was all that needed to pass for the afternoon to near its end. With three loud knocks the guards announced Archivald’s presence to Azura. Now he was just waiting to be let in.