"Inscription was a bit more popular with the old regime, Asmodael kept me around," said Xannos.
"You two already know each other?" asked Lilae.
"Yes, we had the pleasure of meeting. Mori here is my apprentice," said Xannos in a bright tone.
"Oh, interesting," said Lilae.
Xannos entered the room, dropped a heavy bag on the table, and then sat at it.
He cracked his neck, sighing in relief.
"So, what are you guys doing here?" asked Xannos.
"As we had planned, I'm back with Mori who's made a move."
Xannos arched his eyebrow.
"So... You're the one behind all of this?" he asked.
"Yes."
"I had a hard time believing we were talking about the same Mori, I guess you were indeed capable of it..."
Xannos stretched backward, extending his arms and legs as far as he could.
"Asmodael isn't coming," said Xannos.
"What?!" replied Lilae.
"Yeah, I know. He suddenly left the city, so I returned to tell you that."
"He's the one who put this plan in place... He's leaving us now?! When we're so close?"
"Alright, I'm leaving," said Mori getting up.
"No, no! Wait!" Said Lilae, pushing down on his shoulders. "Sit, sit, let's figure this out..."
"What is there to figure out? Your leader is a coward."
A loud slap resonated through the room, Mori's face thrown sideways as his cheek connected to Lilae's palm.
Mori loudly sighed, while Aura's nails grew, ready to pounce.
"It's fine, Aura."
Lilae had a serious look on her face, which quickly changed for a slow realization of what she had just done.
She held onto her hand, almost surprised.
"S-Sorry. Whatever the reason he's not here, it must be important. Ever since we saw you arrive, we knew we had a chance to take back Dustriver, for him to leave now means something is up..."
Mori shrugged. "Regardless, here or not, it changes little for me."
"With Asmo gone, you're our new leader, Lilae," said Xannos.
Lilae started pacing around the room, biting her nails.
"No, not at all," replied Aura.
Xannos promptly stood up. "We have to leave."
His expression had suddenly turned serious.
"It's one of his artifacts. They're the reason we're having such a hard time."
"We're leaving, what a waste of time," said Mori.
"The entrance is trapped already, I can get us out of here," said Reaper.
Mori's gaze went back to the Reaper. "You're dying. Nothing you do or say will change that."
"How about we delay my death, huh? I get us out of here, and instead of right now, you kill me later?"
Mori sighed deeply, rubbing his forehead. "You're all the same. It's sickening."
"You can brand him," said Aura.
Mori turned around, facing Aura.
"You know, if he can tell Jeff is above us right now, it means he knew when the siblings were murdered. And he did nothing about it, did he?"
Mori turned again, facing the others.
"Matter of fact, you have all been doing nothing those past years. I'm not sure any of you should even see the light of day again."
"And what have you done? Those past years? What did you accomplish, while we were getting fucked in every way possible?" asked Xannos.
Mori's fists tightened, his fiery eyes staring at Xannos.
Mori walked forward, grabbing Xannos by the throat and dragging him backward.
He reached Reaper, grabbing him by the neck as well. As he held both of them, hexes swirled around both his arms, tightly engraving themselves on their bodies.
He let go of both of them, as they held onto their new marks. Reaper's expression was one of concern, while Xannos was mostly amazed.
"This is amazing..." muttered Xannos.
Lilae pointed toward her own mark, showing Reaper they were all in the same boat.
"Thanks," said Reaper kneeling again.
"Your death was only delayed. Now get us out of here."
"Where to?" he asked.
The ceiling above them started rumbling, dust falling from the ceiling.
"We'll deal with Jeff later. By any chance, do you know if he has family or friends in this city?" asked Mori.
Reaper's creepy smile ran across his face, his shark teeth showing.
"I know exactly where to go," said Reaper.
Slowly, a magic circle traced with dark mist was drawn on the floor. Everyone stepped on it, Xannos quickly grabbing his bag as it started swirling upward, taking in everyone.