Devil's Game

Prologue

Abbreviations:

a/n (apprentice name)
h/t (hair texture)
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The day was just...peculiar. The aura of the city put them off, and they felt uneasy most of the day. A/N had spent so long trying to help Julian, help him find his evidence, help him find the cure for the plague. And little was being covered. Then Ilya had remembered, the dungeans. A/N, Ilya, and Asra were making their way into the dungeons with care, trying to avoid being caught by Valdemar.
"It should be in that office, my notes and scribbles from when I was ill." Julian said hushedly, A/N nodding and attempting to get over there. Julian urged them to stay back, in which they scuttled back behind the table when they heard Valdemar, those eerie boot clicks...it was terrifying.
Their hums echoed, they seemed to be carrying a jar filled with beetles, and the admired the little scuttling creatures like a prized treasure.
"Ew." A/N murmured to themself, not making a sound, just watching, waiting.
"My dearest little friends, you worked hard today." He said, throwing some small smiling black thing in there. "My leech!" Julian said, almost too loud, Asra slapping his hand over his mouth to shut him up.
But it was too late, Valdemar had ears that coukd hear an ant fart. They were too powerful.
"Now, did I upset you, Dr. 0.69..." Valdemar said, in their deep, eerie, and cold voice. "Why are you here? It has been a while." They started to turn around, and Juliab attempted to play along.
"I left a book in my office, a very saucy romantic book...the librarian won't be happy if I keep it any longer." He said, sweat glistening on his head. That was smooth. Wait...he was reading smut?
"Well, then...I certainly won't keep you from your...vile writing..." Valdemar shrugged and turned back around. Julian looked down at Asra and A/N, the both of them gesturing him to go get the pages. The lenky pirate made his way into the office, picking up the book, that actually did exist, and stuffing it gently with the scribbles of the night of Lucio's murder. But there was a problem.
"Now, Doctor!" Valdemar called to him. "Don't think you'll be heading out so soon. Not with those precious pages. I hate yet to meet your friends!" Valdemar popped in the doorway, staring at Ilya with those beady blood red eyes. Julian, holding the book with deaths grip, tried to run out the door, but Valdemar tripped him. "No, No, No! I might just wanna read that book!" Valdemar said, attempting to take it, but just sensing the fear and suspense from the other end of the room. "My, I almost forgot about our guests." They murmured and let Julian go, waltzing over and picking A/N up by the collar. "I didn't think I would find rodents in my dungeon." Valdemar grinned, A/N squealing and wriggling in their grip, Asra shooting them with a ball of energt and knocking them into the wall, catching the apprentice. "Ilya! Get your flat ass up and GO." Asra shouted and dashed out the door with A/N in his arms.
Julian did asAsra demanded and started to run too, getting them in the elevator, before Valdemar ran to the elevator doors, arms on each edge of the wall, giving them a creepy smile.
A/N was pale in the face, mortified, scared out of their wits. But Julian and Asra were celebrating. "We got it! We gotthe papers!" Asra grinned. "And my book! A two for one!"
A/N's mind was running, racing, they were so scared of Valdemar, to a point of curiosity. How on Earth did they end up so..,Demented.
~
The very morning after their break in and theft of papers, A/N was packing things, but only a few things. Magical crystals and items, and their athame. They were ready for a mission, a mission full of questions and hopefully answers.
They snuck through the hallways, as Nadia and Julian and Asra were all talking on the balcony, it still made them worry if this was selfish...Just to get answers about the courtiers, rather than help to prove Julian's innocence.
A/N enterred the library, and pulled out that small brown book, unveiling the red and eerie elevator, and traveling down it.
These tunnels were terrifying, as they walked they flinched at the smallest sounds, before they were met with something far more scary.
"What are /you/ doing here?" Valdemar asked, cocking their head to the side. A/N froze and started to hyperventilate, but Valdemar grabbed them by the collar again. "Rodents, so easily frightened." They tsked and glared at A/N more. "SPEAK, RAT." They demanded firmly.
"I have questions!" A/N spat out.
"About what? You assume I have answers? You are most likely right." They chuckled and set then down. "What do you want? And why should I help?"
"I-I...I have questions...about you and the others..." A/N said vaguely. "Why are you the way that you are? So demented and scary? So...inhuman..."
Valdemar let out a laugh, almost genuine and not made for scary affect. "That is a question I can answer. But why should I tell you?"
"I just wanna know, I have no intention of sharing, and I can even put a spell on myself to make it so I don't tell a soul. I just wanna know." A/N breathed, and stared up at the lenky figure. "Fine. Come with me, rodent." They said and dragged them to the dungeons, shoving them into a chair. "My, My,My...what a looong story..." Valdemar grinned broadly, and took off their gloves. A/N was in for it now...