Chapter 2

Lilly Tracked the kidnapper to a hideout, Lilly arrived a few hours after he did. Where he was speaking with The Cudgel and Dolga the Ritualist, two of The Betrayer's top Lieutenants.

The Cudgel was a mercenary that relished in whatever the hell The Betrayer was paying him, it was then that Lilly made the connection, that the man who kidnapped Alayna, Bore the Cudgel's emblem, the man Kidnapped Alayna for Money, all it did was enrage Lilly.

"Good work, here's your pay." The Ritualist said, handing the Kidnapper a bag full of gold, and the Mercenary left, Lilly could track him later, she pulled up her hood and prepared to reveal herself.

"The Girl will make an excellent asset… once she learns her manners." Dolga told Cudgel.

"While I do not care why you took her, I do care who you took her from. The Child's Mother is Very Dangerous." Cudgel warned.

"The Goddess of death and Chaos was very Dangerous, yet she went down in four Strikes." Dolga said, and Lilly froze, filled with udder dread, and anger.

"It was not by your hand." Cudgel replied.

"No. But how difficult can one measly woman be?" It was then that Lilly stepped out of the Shadows, Chillkiss at the ready.

"Oh, very difficult." Lilly announced, utterly pissed.

Dolga Immediately went and Grabbed Alayna and teleported away, Leaving the cudgel there to face Lilly alone.

"Your pal, where's he going?

"Why would I know? The only person who ever knows anything is the Betrayer." Cudgel replied, drawing his Mace, probably expecting to lose. Lilly sheathed Chillkiss in it's scabbard on her back and pulled out her bow, she would have to keep the cudgel at a distance because if her managed a Hit on Lilly, it was all over

Lilly knocked an arrow and fired it, it hit the Cudgel but bounced off his heavy armor. He was bigger than Lilly (Who was 6ft tall), and so she was forced to duck under his swing and through the cudgel's legs, she immediately stood up and Stabbedin the armpit with her next arrow and removed it, raising her Grappleshot, and fired it on a nearby edge, giving her the High Ground, and free reign with Jade's Lash. When the cudgel saw this, he shook his head.

"I'm not dealing with this shit!" Cudgel said, and turned to leave, and ran.

"Oh, no you don't." Lily muttered, and leapt off the ledge and followed after him, throwing her bow back over her Shoulder, and Drawing Chillkiss, and sprinting after him, and she managed to catch up, Lilly raised the Blade, and Slashed out the back of his knee, forcing his to the ground, his Knee also Froze up with frostbite from the blade's mere touch.

Lilly Kicked him over to his back.

"I'm only going to ask you this once: WHERE THE HELL DID YOUR PAL TAKE MY DAUGHTER?" Lilly exerted, trying to intimidate him

"Alright, I'll tell!" Cudgel replied, "He took her to a Clockwork dwarven Manufactorum, he's going to raise her there, turn her into a weapon."

"If you're lying, I'll break the other one," Lilly exerted in a rage and frustration, already planning her next move.

"The other wha-" Lilly broke The Cudgel's right arm and left him unconscious in the snow, on Hindsight, Lilly should have killed him, but she had more pressing matters at the moment.

Lilly then tracked the mercenary to an abandoned ruin where they had taken up camp. It was a whole mercenary faction. Lilly stealthed her way into the camp, and slowly began killing them off, silently with her Dagger, that was until she got to the final two. And brutalized the one who Kidnapped Alayna, leaving him in a pool of his own blood.

"Wait!" The Final one said, "I know why you're doing this, I didn't know we accepted contracts like that."

"And why does that excuse you from death?" Lilly asked.

"Because I don't approve of Kidnapping. And I know how to get into the records, and where the person who hired us to do that is operating out of."

"Alright, do it." Lilly said, and kept her bow trained on him as he led her to the commander's tent and used a special locking system to open the files.

"All I need is the name." The man said.

"Dolga the Ritualist, if his name isn't in there, try your boss's boss, or the betrayer." Lilly told him.

"Here, Dolga is operating out of a dwarven manufacturing plant three days south of Whitereach."

"Alright." Lilly sighed

"If it's all the same for you, I'd like to help." the Man said.

"What?" Lilly asked, Lowering her bow.

"I want to help you find your daughter." He said.

"Why?" Lilly asked.

"Because I don't approve of kidnapping. I wouldn't have joined this outfit if I knew they accepted things like that, especially stupid kidnappings from people like you." the man said.

"What do you mean people like me?" Lilly asked, as she was still angry that Xomera was dead, finding out where Amara was, was Lilly's next priority after saving Alayna. She needed to make sure Amara returned to her father, Zathor.

"Lilly Kakina Meya, right? You're famous for beheading the false prophet up north almost twenty years ago, not to mention you were briefly the chief Hospitaller of the empire when the Goddess of Death and Chaos took control of the empire for the Imperial reformation" The man said, "I want to help you because I want to make up for the Stupid decision the beheaded man at the desk made."

"Look, what's your name?" Lilly asked him.

"Goran, Greggory Goran." he said.

"Look, Greggory, I don't need help, I can handle this on my own" Lilly said.

"I happen to know my way around this particular Clockwork dwarven ruin, I can guide you through, at least."

"It's a good call to bring him." A voice that was familiar to Lilly, but she didn't recognize came from behind her, she turned around and there was a man in a black hood, standing there.

"And you are?" Lilly asked.

"Just a weary traveler." He said, "In search of food."

"And how does that have any bearing on the conversation me and Greggory, here, are having?

"It doesn't, I was merely giving you a suggestion to let the former headmaster assist you, otherwise things will not turn out how you hope for one of those you care for."

"Former headmaster?" Lilly asked, looking back to Greggory.

"I used to run Dragons Landing, until an actual dragon landed there, killing a child, and two staff members, burning the school down in the process." Greggory explained.

"If you told me that from the get-go perhaps, I wouldn't be as apprehensive, when the sisters elita were reformed we sent all of the Below fifteen sisters there for proper education. That was Xomera's call, not mine, and it was a good call." Lilly explained.

"Well, dear headmaster, next time you open the place, might I suggest you build the place out of stone, rather than long-dead wood?" The Hooded Figure said.

"You seem knowledgeable, what can you tell me about the Clockwork ruin we're about to save my daughter from?" Lilly asked.

"I can," the Hooded man said, a smile flashing across his face, "But I would like something in exchange."

"What do you want?" Lilly sighed.

"A bowl of soup." The hooded man said, as if he recited this several times before speaking to Lilly. "I hear you make good soup, Cannoness Hospitaller."

"A bowl of soup?" Lilly asked, shocked at the rather low price, but angered at the mocking of Lilly's old positions from the sisters elita.

"Like I said, I heard you make good soup, and I would like to sample it." The hooded man said, Lilly looked back at Greggory, as if he had something to do with it, but only got a shrug from the Giant.

"Alright." Lilly gave another sigh and set aside the next twenty minutes to make some of her specialty soup for everyone, including Greggory, using the food the mercenaries had lying around.

"The place in the ruin you are looking for is going to include a cage and an office. The cage that holds Alayna, but foolishly on the Dark Captain's part, Alayna can fit through the bars, something that will work in your favor." The Hooded man Explained.

"Okay, so, this Manufactorum, where is it?" Greggory asked.

"Just Northeast of Whitereach, on the western side of the Griffin's throat." The Man replied.

"That Manufactorum's overrun with feral, and corrupted elves." Lilly said.

"Correct." The Man replied.

"So, I don't see why the ritualist would hold up there." Lilly explained.

"This isn't your first rodeo, Lilly, you know his intelligence, or lack thereof." The Hooded man said.

"I suppose that's true. The man is not smart enough to look behind him when he's wailing on someone. Usually, he gets Zathor's blade as a reward." Lilly sighed. "Why do you care enough to help me find my daughter, anyway?"

"Hmmm your daughter will go on to important things that affect the world as a whole" The Hooded man responded. Lilly didn't like that answer.

"What in the name of the Gods do you mean by that?" Lilly asked.

"Not God's someone else's" The man said, giving a chilling chuckle. "I mean that your daughter is special and is needed for something grand"

Lilly's angry glare remained, unblinking, it would have been more effective if she had her hood up, but putting it up, just for the stare, would be comical. No, Lilly was indeed Highly pissed, and considered beating the Hooded man for what he meant by that. She had a lot on her Plate: Her daughter was kidnapped, her best friend had been killed, Knowing Zathor, leaving her best friend's daughter to fend for herself, and Lilly was about ready to unleash hell upon the Betrayer, The Ritualist, and their cruel regime, and Lilly was also considering including this Hooded Figure in that.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Zathor will get what is needed soon. As for the Betrayer and Ritualist, well you'll see them rot in a special hell for a long time, but the best part has yet to come. Now then I am almost done with my soup and Greggory is getting more and more lost so that's a cue to leave." The Hooded man said, either out of fear, logic, or simply the Urge to leave Lilly in a Confused and Angry state. After he said that he quickly finished his bowl of Soup and disappeared in a puff of Magic Lilly recognized too well.

"Xelina, you continue to piss me off, even with other people." Lilly said. The Man had time traveled, and the only person with the authority to allow that was Xelina, the Goddess of Time and Space, and Patron God of the Sisters Elita Order of the Temporal Dragoness.

"Well, our best lead is that Manufactorum, it'll take us five days to get there, four, if we take a shortcut under Dragon's landing." Greggory said.

"Explain this shortcut." Lilly said.

"It was meant as an escape route should the place be attacked. But it went to four sides of the hill, and had additional passageways used for storerooms, Geology, and even Paleontology Classrooms, you could enter the North Passageway and get to the East or west passageways in under a half hour. And from the north to the south in under an hour.

"It takes longer to go around entirely?" Lilly asked.

"It's a massive hill. I built a college on top of it." Greggory replied.

"Okay. First, we're stopping in Whitereach and grabbing Mara. I don't give a Damn if she's about to leave for an Assassination job, then we're using your Passageway. And then I'm going to Brutalize Dolga the Ritualist, but not after I know if he Banished my best friend to another plane or not." Lilly said.

"How are you going to get that?" Greggory asked.

"Oh, I have a very special poison, one I don't use often. I personally consider it pretty extreme, but my best friend doesn't, and right now, neither do I." Lilly said.

"Truth poison?" Greggory asked.

"Truth poison?" Lilly Chuckled, "Greggory you think too small, this poison has the Ability to destroy an Individual's soul."

Lilly saw the discomfort flash on Greggory's face.

"Come on, let's go." Lilly said, and motioned for whitereach, and they began in that direction.