-[Act 3 * Part 7]-

Once inside the Admiral’s cabin, Basil was shown to his desk and seated opposite to him. His two guardians took up positions standing to his left and right. They resembled two bruisers, staring with complete indifference into the background while their master conversed with the old dragon-kin pirate.

Razazil appeared to be lost in his thoughts, struggling with something. Perhaps it was the weight of the recent battle that burdened him so… or, perhaps it was the conversation to come? Either way, there was an air of tension forming around him.

“The name that you came for,” Razazil mumbled, “and the answers that I promised so long ago…

“I have found… something,” he finally said. The Admiral crossed his hands, “but nothing that will satisfy your curiosity, I’m afraid. Your father’s fate remains as much of a mystery to me today as it was when he vanished sixty years ago.”

Basil produced the Admiral’s letter from his magic pouch and placed it upon the table. “I knew the odds, yet I hired you to search for him regardless,” he said. “I paid a good fortune for your services and I won’t accept failure.”

“And yet, here we are,” Razazil answered. “Ten years into the contract and without an answer to satisfy anyone’s curiosity. As I said, I don’t know what happened to your father.”

Basil shook his head. “I know what you and your crew are capable of, so don’t pretend that you have failed me. If you had, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

The dungeon keeper pushed the Admiral’s letter across the table towards him. “Now, in your letter you said that we should meet to discuss our business relationship. Your service to my House in the capacity of piracy has never been an issue before, so I can only assume that you wished to discuss our private agreement.”

Razazil slowly nodded. Judging from his heavy motions, their contract was indeed the issue weighing most heavily on his mind today. “You are correct, Lord Doom,” he said. “I wish to discuss the results of my search. A decade of sailing back and forth across the Astral Sea in search of your father’s trail has been long enough, I reckon. It is time to bury the man and go on with our lives.”

Basil’s gaze narrowed as he peered into the amber colored eyes of the dragon-kin Admiral. “Do you mean to tell me that your search has failed to turn up anything? A man of his power and means should have left behind more than enough clues for your information brokers to pick up on.”

“Clues,” the Admiral said. “There were clues, yes. And I followed them. I searched the Astral Sea for ten long years, Basil, and I found no bloody or proof of his demise.”

“So in all this time you came across nothing that could shed light on his sudden disappearance?” Basil asked. “You have indeed invited me here to tell of your failure?”

“Not nothing,” Razazil said. “I found… something. Strange stories and rumors, told in private company.”

“Strange in what way?” Basil asked.

“Your father would have loved to hear them,” Razazil answered. “But for the poor fools that believe in them it is the matter of life and death.

“There are many stories being shared about him and his great deeds. Some of them pointed me to his shadow—worlds and places that he had visited before.

“Does Kumal’ar sound familiar?” the Admiral asked.

“A desert world,” Scarlet answered. “If memory serves, we led a short and bloody campaign on it. It was some one hundred and… twenty six years ago?”

“Twenty seven,” Schwartz corrected her.

The corner of Scarlet’s mouth twitched, but the woman did not reply.

“Well?” Basil asked. “Did you find anything there? Any signs of my father?”

“Only legends,” Razazil answered. “Apparently some of the locals have taken up worshiping him as some sort of a god of destruction. These fools believe in a prophecy that states that the demonic conqueror will return on a blood moon and then… war—apocalypse—something, something…

“Well they got a blood moon a few years back. Now their world burns alright, but at their own hands. The damned fools are slaughtering each other over the question of whether or not to simply surrender to your father’s second coming or to resist him.

“And no, from what I have gathered, he has never returned after the first time. The locals have simply gone berserk over the possibility that he might. It’s all just false rumors, I’m afraid.”

“That does sound nice,” Scarlet noted. “Traumatizing a population so badly that they keep jumping at shadows even a hundred years later. Warms my heart to know that they still remember us…”

“We did beat them pretty hard,” Scwartz agreed. “But I really don’t see a reason why your father would ever want to return to that world. Seems like a dead end to me.”

Razazil nodded in agreement.

“What about the other leads you mentioned?” Basil asked. “You said there were several.”

The Admiral sighed wearily and opened one of his desk drawers. He pulled out a small stack of notes and went through them one by one.

“Sightings of Lord Doom on Malanar—rumors spread by a lich king to keep the locals out of his lands. So that’s another false clue.

“I believe that you will be happy to hear that my crew purged his phylactery for appropriating the name of House Doom. His captured soul now powers street lights somewhere down in the 3rd Hell.

“Then there were the sailors claiming to have seen him near an astral rift, fist-fighting a kraken—the legendary beast in question was still alive when we found it, thus proving the story false. I lost a ship looking into that one…

“More rumors here,” he said and put aside note after note. “Rumors, legends and lies. Nothing with any substance to it whatsoever…”

The Admiral shook his head and flung the notes off his table scattering them. “I have searched, Basil, I have searched far and wide and I have found nothing.

“I am sorry, but I cannot continue on this fool’s errand any longer. I have a pirate outfit to run and I am no longer willing to risk my crew or my standing with the Guild over chasing your father’s shadow. I wanted to help, but there are lines even I won’t cross…”

A glint of malice appeared in Basil’s eyes. “Please, explain it to me, Admiral,” he said. “What exactly does the Guild have to do with any of this?”

The old Admiral held in his breath as he searched for the right answer. Basil’s ferocious gaze clashed with his own as the two monsters wrestled over the direction of the conversation.

“I want you to forget about this,” Razazil whispered. “You are a grown demon now, and you have the full power, wealth and confidence of House Doom behind you. There is no reason to throw it all away on a wild chase for answers that weren’t mean to be found. Instead, be the Legacy that you were meant to be. Don’t go after your father—follow in his footsteps instead. It would be the best course of action for all of us.”

The dungeon keeper ran his hand across his chin expressing interest. “So you invited me here to deliver a warning?” he asked. “I’ve never seen you like this before. Tell me, Admiral, what has gotten you so scared that you would risk angering me.”

The Admiral growled expressing his disapproval of the dungeon keeper’s statement.

“You are too much like your father,” Razazil said. “So much power, but such little regard for the lives of others… What makes you think that there is even the slightest possibility that whatever fate befell your father, it would not end up consuming you as well?”

“Because I am not my father,” Basil answered.

Razazil shook his head. “You are just as cruel and calculating now as he was when we first met. I used to respect that about him, but now… now I see that it was not only the source of his incredible power, but also his ultimate weakness. He did not know when to quit.”

“I am not my father,” Basil reiterated calmly.

“Do you really think that you can overcome his shadow?” Razazil asked, “That you can surpass him in any meaningful way?”

“I do,” Basil answered, “And I will. Even if it kills me.”

“Well, you can certainly try to die better than he did,” Razazil said. “If he did…

“I mean, look at you! You are parading around the Nine Hells accompanied by minions that on their own could purge this entire port of its residents. The clothes on your back are worth more than this ship! What more do you want, Basil? You’re already at the top of the world!”

The Admiral nervously tapped his fingers against the table.

Basil allowed the old dragon-kin pirate to think the matter through.

Razazil leaned forward in his seat. “Listen,” he whispered, “when you came to me all those years ago, asking to find the grave of you father, I was happy to help. In spite of our differences, we were friends, he and I. But don’t expect me to go looking for him beyond the boundaries of Guild space. I’m old but I’m not senile. Even we pirates are not crazy enough to navigate the Astral Sea beyond the charted bounds.”

“So there is something that you haven’t been telling me,” Basil said. “You have found a clue that points to something beyond the borders of the Guild.”

Razazil looked to be once more grappling with himself. The Admiral then sprung to his feet and walked over to a wall mounted safe. He then withdrew from it a small adamantium lockbox and brought it over to the table.

“Your father had some crazy ideas back in the day,” Razazil explained as he ran his nervous hands over the lockbox. “Foolish notions, like exploring the Astral Sea beyond the boundaries set by the Guild. He said it was to look for answers, but I always suspected him of simply seeking more glory.”

“Did he share any of these plans with you?” Basil asked.

“Yes,” Razazil admitted. He glanced briefly at Scarlet and Schwartz. “Why else did you think he needed a fleet? Hmm? Why else would he forge a relationship with a young pirate captain? I was ultimately an investment to him—admittedly, one that he learned to trust—but a tool none the less. Just like everybody else in his life.”

Basil looked to his minions. “Did you know about my father’s plans to explore the worlds beyond the Guild’s boundaries?” he asked.

“We… did,” Schwartz reluctantly answered.

“And did you conspire to keep them secret from me?” Basil asked. The dungeon keeper maintained a calm demeanor as he questioned the intentions of his servants, but below the surface tension was slowly building.

“We did not,” Scarlet answered. “If you had ever inquired about your father’s plans for the exploration of the Astral Sea, we would have told you, but—”

Schwartz picked up the conversation. “—But it did not seem appropriate to discuss your father’s failures with you.”

“His failures?” Basil asked. “What exactly did he fail to do?”

Both Scarlet and Schwartz hesitated to answer.

“He wanted to find an Alpha world,” Razazil said. “He wanted to be the first to conquer a realm that even the Guild’s most daring explorers had been reluctant to interfere with. I suspect that in his mind it would have forever marked him in the Guild’s Hall of Fame. But, if you ask me, he was grasping at things that were never meant to be touched.”

Basil leaned back in his chair and placed his hands together as pondered the idea.

“Did he find this ‘Alpha’ world?” he asked the Admiral.

Razazil shook his head in denial. “Not that I would know. Your father spent several centuries purging the worlds in the far east of the Guild space. Damned near every second assignment he took was in that area of the Astral Sea. I always suspected him of using these assignments as a cover for his exploratory activities, but I was smart enough not to ask.”

“And he didn’t use any of your ships for this?” Basil asked.

“No,” Razazil answered. “The Astral Sea is completely uncharted beyond the Guild’s boundaries—to be the first one to sail it blindly would spell certain doom for the ship and its crew. He probably knew that I would not agree to the request. Besides, it would have looked strange to find one of his sponsored pirate outfits operating in the middle of nowhere. The Guild would have picked up on our activities sooner or later.”

“Did you two know about this?” Basil asked his minions.

“We suspected,” Scarlet said.

“But it was not our place to ask,” Schwartz said.

“Your father wanted to protect us,” Scarlet said. “And, later, he wished to protect you from the prying eyes of the Guild.”

Schwartz nodded. “Ever since you were born, we began to see less and less of the old master. He kept to himself and he kept well away from the Mansion. He never told us where to or why he disappeared, only that you were to be kept safe in his absence. We have carried on in that capacity to this day.”

“And we shall keep our promise to him,” Scarlet said.

Basil pondered their words for a moment before turning to the old Admiral. “So, you have found something?” he asked.

Razazil slowly nodded. He pulled out a key and unlocked the box. The Admiral then turned it around and pushed it over to Basil’s side of the table.

“I have to warn you before we proceed any further,” Razazil said. “The coordinates that are contained within this box have never been properly explored. Only one man returned from scouting the world and he died soon after from his wounds. A terrible curse consumed him—a curse that no healer could mend.

“I have not had the courage to travel there myself to confirm it,” the Admiral said. “And I won’t send anyone else to that horrible place. I am done with it.”

Basil took the lockbox in his hands, but was hesitant to open it.

“So the coordinates contained within—they will lead me to the last known location of my father?” he asked. “Are you certain of it?”

“I don’t know,” Razazil said. “All I can say that this secret facility beyond the Guild’s borders is where he spent his final moments before he disappeared.

“Does it hold the answers you seek?” the Admiral asked. “Maybe. Maybe not… But if you ask me… Well, I don’t believe you should risk your life to find out.”

The Admiral crossed his hands. “So, I am giving you the coordinates to your father’s secret lair in the far east of the Astral Sea, knowing that he most likely isn’t there. Furthermore, going forward, I am distancing myself from all knowledge of its existence. I don’t remember the numbers and I don’t want to have anything to do with any Alpha worlds.

“There are many reasons why the worlds beyond Guild space are considered off limits,” he said. “There were good reasons why your father never did try to conquer them, and I could give you a hundred more as to why you shouldn’t… but I know that you won’t listen.”

Razazil shook his head at the realization of what he had done; of the things he had set in motion by giving Basil this information.

“Your fate is in your own hands now,” the Admiral said. “Do what you must…”

Basil glared at the lockbox before him. Something powerful stirred within the dungeon keeper at the sight of this new challenge. For the first time in decades he had found something to strive towards.

“I would advise against launching an expedition,” Scarlet said. “Your father would never have left such a facility undefended. We all know of his power—to try and break into it would be dangerous beyond belief. And besides, the Guild would never sanction a search for an Alpha world anyway.”

“For once, I agree with her,” Schwartz said. “This is a fool’s errand. Nothing good will come of it.”

Basil looked to the old Admiral. “Thank you,” he said. “I will treat this piece of information with utmost care and secrecy. I will remember your loyalty, Razazil. I wish you good fortune and calm seas in the years to come.”

“Yeah, well, it sure feels like I am betraying someone else,” Razazil said. “Don’t make me regret this.”

Basil gestured at his minions. “Can I ask something of you, Admiral? I apologize, but could you please leave us for a moment? We need to discuss our path forward, now that the question of my father’s legacy has been raised.”

Razazil nodded. “Take your time,” he said and walked out of the room.

“Just a little longer, miss,” the Admiral told Elnora as he joined her in the hallway. “Lord Doom wants to consult his servants in private.”

Razazil twirled his whiskers between his rough fingers. “Now, tell me, my dear, what has brought such a blossoming flower like you to this dark corner of the 9th Hell?”

***

As the door closed behind the Admiral, Basil was left alone with his minions to discuss their next move. According to Razazil, the box contained the coordinates of his father’s last known base of operations. Whatever horrors or secrets dwelled within it were sure to bring answers, so the dungeon keeper was eager to explore it.

To launch and expedition, however, was not a simple proposition, as the Guild forbade any exploration of the Astral Sea beyond the charted boundaries. The punishment reserved for such a transgression was the ultimate expression of Guild authority—excommunication and a tabula rasa protocol. Even a dungeon keeper was not immune to such laws. Should Basil be found guilty of straying beyond the Guild space, he and his household would be erased from history, both, metaphorically and physically.

“I hope you are not considering it,” Schwartz said. “There is no merit in holding on to such dangerous information.”

In defiance of his servant’s advice, Basil opened the lockbox and pulled out a single page with a string of numbers written on it. It was a sequence of numbers twenty four digits long, indicating that the coordinates were extremely accurate and not merely the location of the world itself. With just the first half of the sequence he could venture a blind jump and end up somewhere on the world, but with coordinates this specific he was looking at a designated point of arrival—a teleport platform perhaps. If this was indeed the location of his father’s lair, it was likely that he would be delivered straight to its door.

“This is good enough to jump the core,” Basil told himself. “But I will first need to set up some contingencies in case that the Guild comes snooping around... Yes, a shadow dungeon…”

“We would be wise to discard this knowledge,” Scarlet said. “If the Guild finds out that you have been searching for an Alpha world—”

“He could never do it,” Basil mumbled. “For all of his achievements, this one eluded him…”

“It is not worth it,” Schwartz said. “Be reasonable about this. Even your father was not so headstrong as to attempt it.”

“You are right,” Basil agreed. “Today we learned that even my legendary father was fearful of something. That there actually was a feat that he could not accomplish.”

Basil placed the coordinates back inside the lockbox and closed it.

Scarlet let off a sigh of relief.

“We should destroy it,” she said. “It is too dangerous to have such information in our possession.”

Schwartz nodded in agreement and drew one of his daggers. The blade, once unsheathed, set aflame and let off a strong presence of warmth as he positioned it to stab at the lockbox.

In response to Schwartz’s actions Basil moved his hand over the container to shield it. He then picked it up, rose to his feet and stepped back far enough that both of his minions could see him face to face.

“Why are you here?” he asked with cold sincerity.

The two minions exchanged confused looks.

Basil repeated his question. “Why are you here?”

“We are sworn to serve House Doom,” Schwartz answered. “We served your father when he was the head of the house and now we serve you.”

“Why?” Basil asked.

“It is a life debt that we carry,” Scarlet said. “We swore eternal service to your father.”

“But why are you still here then?” Basil asked. “For all we know, my father is dead. That bond should no longer exist. Yet here you stand, professing loyalty to me and my house, all the while questioning my decisions even before I voice them.”

Basil closely examined the two. “You do not trust me. I demand to know why.”

Scarlet and Schwartz kept silent. The two exchanged long looks, trying to compel the other to speak, but neither ultimately did. Thus, the question remained unanswered.

“Shall I spell it out for you?” Basil said. “You don’t believe that I am my father’s equal.

“Well, this,” he said and presented the adamantium lockbox to his minions, “is my one and only chance at greatness. This ‘Alpha’ world that everyone seems so afraid of—it is the one thing that can prove to you that I am indeed a worthy master; that I am truly the Lord of House Doom. And I am not going to throw that chance away just because you fear the consequences.”

“This has nothing to do with bravery,” Schwartz pointed out. “It is foolish to try and go against the will of the Guild. It was a bad idea back when your father had it and it is a bad idea now.”

“It would be madness to embark on such a journey,” Scarlet said. “We have no way of preparing you for it.”

“Oh, I remember our training session well,” Basil said. “I embraced the challenge you presented; different in so many ways, the two of you. Every fight was filled with new tricks that you played on me. But I learned to overcome them; I learned to overcome you.

“Every challenged throughout my life I have met head on and won. Was my father any different?”

“He was not,” Schwartz admitted.

Basil nodded. “Looking back at all the power, wealth and splendor that he has left me with, I have only ever desired one thing,” he explained. “One thing and one thing only: to be my father’s equal. But I have always dreamed of surpassing him.

“Would you advise against it? But, more importantly, do you actually think that you have any chance of stopping me?

“Chronos, Gaia, the two of you,” Basil gestured at Scarlet and Schwartz. “You have spent all this time mentoring and educating me on matters of war and peace. Why? So that I can be like the rest—a tool for the Guild?

“No, I reject it.” Basil clenched his fist in a show of passion and reached towards the widows at the back of the Admiral’s cabin. “Out there, I can hear my destiny calling for me! I desire to be more than just another dungeon keeper among the thousands. I yearn to go where no one has gone before. I thirst for a conquest of a world that no one has ever set their eyes upon! And I will accomplish this task with or without you by my side.

“Make no mistake; this is the moment where you must choose whether or not to follow me, because I have already decided to take our House forward. And the path ahead leads to glory!

“Are you with me, then?” Basil asked in a heavy voice. “Or do I thank you for your service to my House and we go our separate ways?”

Scarlet and Schwartz stood in silence for a moment, contemplating Basil’s demand for submission to his will. They then gave their answer by kneeling before their master and bowing their heads to him.

“Then this question has been settled,” Basil declared. “I will have no more hesitation from the two of you. Is that understood?”

Scarlet and Schwartz replied in unison. “Yes, Master.”

“The time has come for me to lead this great House towards its destiny,” Basil said. “I will drag you towards glory, if I must. And whatever feats my father accomplished to earn your respect—I will outshine them and show to you that I am worthy of not only continuing his legacy, but surpassing it.

“I am Basil von Doom and I will have no equal.”