In a hidden cave within the small town.
With Sophia observing and assisting, Shapiro had finished constructing the magic array that would connect him to Sulpharlo in a secret chamber. The circle's design was extremely complex, but fortunately, Shapiro was very experienced with such things and managed to set it up in less than a day. Now, it was time to attempt contact with Sulpharlo.
Charles summoned his twin-bladed polearm, while Nymeria brought forth the greatswords carrying Eilinel's essence. Both waited in the adjoining chamber, ready to use Sophia's pre-loaded connection to probe Sulpharlo's location through the array.
Once everything was ready, Shapiro took a deep breath, lit the incense on the magic circle, and silently began to chant, activating its power.
Crimson runes flickered to life, casting eerie red light over the cramped chamber. Incense smoke gathered in the air, struggling to form the silhouette of a person.
But for a long while, the shape refused to become humanoid, hovering in the form of a large cloud.
Shapiro grew tense, sweat beading on his brow. He started to wonder if his last performance hadn't fooled his ancestor after all...
Paranoia crept in. To deceive someone so much stronger than himself was no small risk. He stood, barely breathing, anxiously awaiting any sign of a response.
Finally, nearly ten minutes later, just as Shapiro was sure the contact had failed and he'd need another chance, the smog abruptly swirled into the graceful form of a woman, and Sulpharlo's familiar voice issued forth: "Whew... Shapiro, what is it?"
She sounded tired, as though she'd just finished some strenuous task and was still trying to catch her breath.
Shapiro let out a slow sigh of relief and dropped to his knees. "Yes, ancestor, I humbly request your counsel."
In the next room, both Charles's twin-bladed polearm and Nymeria's greatswords began to emit a steady magical glow. Using the arcane line Sophia had set up, they started quietly probing Sulpharlo's location.
Sulpharlo was totally oblivious. "Speak, what do you need?"
Following their rehearsed cover story, Shapiro began, "I've managed to connect with Jarlaxle, but that dark elf... well, he sees I'm human and gives me nothing but arrogance. Everything's a ripoff, sky-high prices, totally greedy."
"We met twice and both times ended badly. Forgive me, ancestor. These arrogant dark-skins, I really can't handle negotiating with them."
Sulpharlo spoke with boredom, clearly not terribly concerned either way. "That's how all dark elves are. What can you do? They're the ones with the skills to make those powerful magic weapons, after all."
"They've got all the leverage, so we have to put up with it. Understand, Shapiro?"
Shapiro bowed his head further. "You're right, ancestor! Your wisdom is always correct!"
He was obedient, never betraying the slightest hint of rebellion. Sulpharlo was pleased and nodded, "Good. Keep working with the dark elf. I'm sure you'll figure it out and get him to rely on you. Eventually, he'll give you whatever you require."
Shapiro nodded, exhaled, and pressed on, "Uh, ancestor, I do have confidence, but I still don't fully understand something. We're dealing with this dark elf... but what exactly is our long-term aim? If we can't become equals right away, maybe I should start with simple deals and work my way up?"
Sulpharlo arched a brow. "Didn't I tell you already? There are certain things we can only reliably get through him—no one else. My experiments need rare materials, hard to acquire in the Underdark and heavily regulated on the surface. I can't wait years for you to build up your own network."
"Yes, but what, specifically, are we after?" Per their plan, Shapiro pressed on, "I'm thinking of brokering smaller trades first, then gradually building a deeper strategic partnership, to better serve your grand plan for the material world..."
He babbled at length, stalling for time so Charles and Nymeria could gather as much intel as possible. Fortunately, he didn't have to keep it up too long. Sulpharlo didn't seem suspicious. "That's a good idea. Here, I'll give you a list—"
She began listing rare components; Shapiro methodically asked for more details about each one, jotting everything down, always requesting clarification, all to drag out the call and buy as much time as possible for the team to probe Sulpharlo's magical resonance.
Minute after minute passed. Sulpharlo answered each question, her voice gradually weakening, her tone growing ever more irritated.
Finally, after about fifteen minutes, the fallen angel lost patience and snapped, "Enough, Shapiro! Use your own brain—I won't be the crutch you lean on for every triviality!"
Shapiro hurriedly apologized, kowtowing. "Forgive me, ancestor! It's just—these setbacks... I've never struggled like this before..."
"I've already given you plenty of guidance. If you can't work with that, I've made a mistake in trusting you. Next time, I only want to hear about your success, whatever it takes!"
With that, her smoky figure dissipated, leaving no trace behind. Shapiro wiped the sweat from his brow, doused the incense, cleaned up, broke key points of the magic circle to sever it for good, then turned to the others. "Priest Charles, what did you find?"
Anxious, he waited for the report. In the next chamber, Charles slowly opened his eyes, finishing his side task with Montport, and replied, "We've got the location. Come take a look."
Turning, he called to Hattie, "Where's the map? I need to mark this down."
Sophia produced a map from her Bag of Holding and spread it out. Nymeria opened her eyes and immediately reported her findings, "From here, slightly north-northeast... about nine hundred kilometers in a straight line..."
She pulled out a ruler and some coins from her Bag of Holding, checked the scale, measured, and drew a small circle on the map. "Somewhere in this region."
Charles also marked a small circle on the map, then nodded with satisfaction.
"Perfect. After we land, we'll be able to chart a course instead of blindly searching the countryside." A small smile tugged at his lips. "Tomorrow, we set out!"
...
Meanwhile, in Sulpharlo's hideout—
"Whew..."
After cutting her connection with Shapiro, Sulpharlo was left shaky, knees nearly buckling.
She leaned against the cave wall, breathing hard for a good while before recovering her stamina enough to stop trembling.
She shouldn't have lost patience with Shapiro—he was her most reliable cat's paw on the surface, after all. But before the call, she'd been conducting a critical experiment, burning through her reserves of energy, magic, and stamina—she was already close to collapse.
She had no wish to show her weakness before her pact-bearer, so she'd chosen to end their magical call sooner rather than betray any chink in her armor.
"Whew..."
She took a deep breath, pushed open the door, and left the narrow hidden chamber.
Outside, two Malenas sat on the couch, both with noticeably swollen bellies, whispering quietly together.
One slowly read from a book, teaching the other how to read. The student's face was pure and beautiful—untainted by experience, innocent as a child—awkwardly repeating the lessons about the material world.
It was clear: the reader was the real Malena; the other, a perfect clone—one of Sulpharlo's Dark Angels.
Watching them, Sulpharlo smiled.
She then walked over to the first Dark Angel, knelt beside her, and pressed her ear to the girl's swollen abdomen, listening intently, as if savoring the masterpiece of a great artist.
Malena stopped the lesson, worry showing on her face. When Sulpharlo was done, she spoke gently, "Ancestor, please don't push yourself. You're the linchpin of all of us—if anything happened to you, we'd all be lost."
Sulpharlo gently stroked the Dark Angel's hair, replying softly, "But I can't rest until I see the results of my great experiment. I want to see if she can give birth to one truly identical to herself..."
The world's very first Dark Angel, now showing signs of pregnancy, was Sulpharlo's own project. She'd run the girl through endless tests: strength, agility, stamina, flight, magic affinity, even battle instincts—perfection on every front.
Except for common sense, they were born ideal warriors: fast-flying, clever fighters, and adept spellcasters. Sulpharlo was delighted—the Dark Angel was a flawless blade.
Now, only her ability to reproduce remained untested. This is what Sulpharlo was fixated on now: Could she really mass-produce herself, giving birth to perfect infants in crystal amber orbs?
She'd even used Divine Power to accelerate the process, the real reason she'd been so drained earlier.
Malena put on her most gentle face, softly urging, "But you shouldn't rush. You're what matters most here."
Sulpharlo nodded, fatigue weighing on her once more. "You're right... keep teaching her, I'll rest now."
And with that, she drifted out of the small room.
As soon as Sulpharlo left, Malena's smile faded. She turned to the Dark Angel beside her, gently resting a hand on the girl's belly. "How are you feeling now?"
With Malena's own face, the Dark Angel pouted. "It's heavy. I'm tired. It hurts."
She clung to Malena's arm as if it could make everything better.
Sulpharlo had designed the Dark Angels with inherited combat techniques—just like dragonkind. They knew battle from birth...
But she hadn't bothered teaching them emotional maturity. In adversity, these girls were as fragile as children.
How could one not pity them?
Malena sighed, softly stroking the Dark Angel's hair. After so many days together, she couldn't help but treat the innocent, naïve clone as her own daughter. Now, seeing the girl so exploited, Malena's heart broke for her.
But what could she do?
"Healing Word." Malena whispered the incantation, casting a 1st-level Healing Word—one of the few spells Sulpharlo allowed her. She had good spell affinity and could cast it twice a day.
A soft white glow bloomed, easing the Dark Angel's pain, and she relaxed against Malena, looking even more docile.
Malena hugged her, as if she were holding her own child. But thinking of the identical child inside the girl, she grew anxious.
These lives were innocent. They shouldn't be forced to suffer for Sulpharlo's ambitions, to become her weapons!
They deserved the chance at a normal, human life—the choice to take up arms or not, to decide their own fates—not to be born as sacrificial pawns!
They deserved freedom and hope.
Malena stroked the Dark Angel's head and whispered, "If, just if, one day I asked you to run away with me, or if I needed you to hurt someone—even someone like me—could you do that?"
The Dark Angel's eyes widened, then she hugged Malena's arm tighter. "I'd never hurt you. I like you. You're good to me."
She pleaded, "Can't we run away, just us? I don't like the ancestor, I'm scared of her, and my belly hurts because of her..."
Malena ruffled her hair and soothed her, "Shh, be patient—it'll be okay. One day, we'll all be free."
Her eyes shone with hope.
She was waiting—waiting for the opportunity Sulpharlo had hinted was coming.
Now that the first Dark Angel felt such disgust toward Sulpharlo, it was clear what would follow; with Sulpharlo's reckless experiments and harsh treatment, more and more Dark Angels would think just like this.
And since Sulpharlo pushed herself so close to exhaustion, maybe one day, Malena could lead these poor girls in rebellion...
Malena had never planned such a thing before, but for herself, her unborn child, and all those innocent Dark Angels, she knew she would do whatever it took.
Bang—
Suddenly, the door burst open. Lost in her own thoughts, Malena jumped at the sound. Sulpharlo entered and Malena stammered, "A-ancestor, you're back? Is something wrong?"
She worried that the "treasonous" talk had been overheard and Sulpharlo had returned to punish them.
But to Malena's surprise, Sulpharlo didn't seem the least bit angry. Her eyes burned with excitement, chest rising and falling.
"Good news, Malena!" she said. "In at most ten days—maybe as little as five—the Twin Moons Night will be upon us!"
"Our time is almost up. This is our chance, and we must seize it—one way or another!"
Malena blinked. "Ah… C-congratulations. That's… that's wonderful."
The coming of Twin Moons Night had always been unpredictable. She'd never imagined it would arrive so soon!
Fate was giving her no time to prepare. Her own child wasn't even born yet; soon, Sulpharlo's lab would be filled with hundreds of rapidly-aged Dark Angels. The sudden crisis left her panicking inside.
Everything was about to get far more difficult...
~~~
Get early access to 370+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
https://patreon.com/TransFic
~~~