Traversing the Red Death is extremely dangerous and requires a careful hand, a skilled caster, and a powerful protection spell.
The Red Death drains mana over time, weakening whatever barrier conjured to protect yourself.
Teleportation without the use of a coffin is ill-advised. In my experience, teleportation without a coffin results in the user ending up somewhere they did not intend to be.
Flying is possible, but mana consumption is inefficient and does not prevent dangerous encounters.
The skies are teeming with monsters that spew magical attacks, which would normally be foreign to their species.
That leaves ground travel, which is by far the safest.
Invisibility is often pointless; the creatures can sense your presence long before you know of their existence.
The best way to travel within the Red Death is slowly and with alertness.
Do not go beyond your limits. A few moments in the Red Death without any mana will leave you as a pile of bones and ash.
Written notes on his travels through the Red Death by Whisperer Kindread.
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The doors to the gardens flew wide. Dozens of guards escorted students out of the gardens. Rodrick rushed in to assess the situation.
"The Wintumnos Dance is over!" The Dean shouted as the crowd was led to the exit. Half the students rushed towards the exit, and the other half wanted to confront the twenty-fifth Chosen One.
"Everyone out!"
A voice echoed like a bomb, students instinctively ducked for cover, and even a few of the guards wore a concerned expression.
A woman pushed people out of her way. She stood about a head and a half over every elf in the gardens. Her scarlet curls became a tangled inferno of red flame, hissing and crackling like lightning.
"Sister… what are you doing here?" Artero asked.
Strangulation Ignored her younger brother and pushed her way right to Gwynevere Grim.
"Why is the King of Terror trying to contact you?" She hissed.
Rodrick stood between them.
"Calm down, General, she has nothing to do with this."
Strangulation stared daggers at Gwynevere.
"How do you know? How do you know she hasn't manifested her power and she's working with the enemy?"
Everyone was silent for a moment.
"I know she isn't. She has barely left any of our sides." Elise cried out.
"Do you think this is some joke? If she is relaying information, taking his side…"
Gwyn felt shame. She did not know why; she hadn't done anything wrong. At least not intentionally.
"Sister… Why are you…"
"Are you aware of the devastation that happens beyond the walls? The endless hordes of the King of Terror's minions? The number of soldiers I witnessed die and be revived? Manaless husks, driving our people to the brink of insanity and exhaustion?"
The lecture sucked all the fear out of them, and they were almost ashamed for trying to enjoy themselves. A grim, dark reality was being displayed before them, their noses were being stuck in it, and they did not revel in the reminder.
"I'll do whatever you need…" Gwyn said quietly.
"What was that?" Strangulation asked.
"Big sister…" Artero shrank before her. "We have options, we can look into this event—"
"We do not have options, Artero!" Her face turned as red as her metal casing. Sweat and grime from the frontlines stained her armor. "Gwynevere Grim, are you working with the enemy?"
Gwyn couldn't possibly shrink further.
"I'm not…"
"Liar," Strangulation swore and grabbed Gwyn by her dress. "You hide your truth, your desire. You wish to be beside the King of Terror."
"I don't…"
Tears began to stream down Gwyn's face.
"General, I think that's—"
Rodrick was silenced by a spell that sent him flying across the gardens and crashing into a wall.
"What is your plan, Gwynevere? Kill all the elves? Fuck the King of Terror and become his bitch!"
Gwyn was out of breath. She wasn't sure if Strangulation was choking her on purpose.
"We've just been searching for wishes… one of his Whisperers told us about them."
"Wishes!" Strangulation laughed and pulled Gwyn, so she was only a breath away. "Wishes do not exist." She snapped, tossing Gwyn to the ground, tearing her dress in the process. "I thought you were smarter than this."
"It wasn't her idea," Elise interjected. "It was mine."
General Strangulation narrowed her eyes. She crossed her arms, towering over everyone present.
"What caused you to have some grandiose idea such as this?"
Gwyn struggled to her feet.
"Time is one thing I don't have. There is a limit to how long I can live here. I am trying to make the most of it, but if such a thing as a wish exists as we believe it does, then it is the onlyway we can fix everything."
General Strangulation doesn't even acknowledge Gwyn.
"You do realize the King of Terror killed Elise's mother in cold blood? Attacks our people relentlessly? He tried to vaporize you on your second day. Have you lost all common sense, girl?"
At being called a girl, Gwyn feels frustrated with the General.
"I… I know that just…"
Gwyn looked towards Elise. The Princess didn't appreciate the crass reminder of what the King of Terror did to her family.
The General lifted Gwyn into the air.
"Why does he contact you?!"
"She doesn't know!" Artero shouted.
Strangulation stared at her younger brother as if he were an ant, and he addressed Gwynevere.
Rodrick put his hand on the General's shoulder. Blood leaked from his skull.
"Drop her."
"You command me?"
"I am sworn to protect her, General. She does no harm to our people, of that, I am certain."
The General's face was that of stone. She looked between the bloodied knight and the pathetic Chosen One, whose makeup was now smeared from her sweat and tears.
Strangulation sighed and set Gwyn on the ground, and all of her friends immediately surrounded her.
"Fine. I will allow myself to be fooled. For now."
Everyone checked and consoled Gwyn, who stepped from them and stood before the General.
"I want to help in any way I can."
"Your desperate attempts do not please me. You can't help and get back to your father if you are dead, idiot." She looked off towards her soldiers. "I have seen what the King of Terror is capable of; they are not some half-assed mage. They're the most dangerous caster in the entire world. The only thing that is keeping us from destruction is the barriers we have erected, nothing else. I suspect this is part of his plan to lure you in. To kidnap you," she paused and grimaced. "Or worse."
Gwyn swallowed hard.
There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment. A sly smirk crossed Artero's face.
"Well, if we know it's a trap going in? Why don't we account for that?"
Strangulation's frown wavered.
"What are you getting at?"
"Set a trap of our own. Scrying, a bomb, a spell, something, to get an advantage over him," Artero said.
At this suggestion, Strangulation appeared to be lost in thought. The opportunity to confront the King of Terror face to face had been seldom, at best. Although Strangulation has killed the King of Terror many times, he remains.
Yet, maybe they didn't need to kill him.
"I think you may be onto something, little brother." Strangulation was now clearly planning something. She turned to face Gwyn. "Are you a traitor?"
"I swear on my life I am not!" Gwyn pleaded with all of her heart, trying to be as convincing as possible.
The General still looked skeptical.
"I'll do whatever it takes to prove that I'm not a traitor!" Gwyn shouted.
By this point, most onlookers had cleared from the gardens, and it was only Gwyn, her friends, and the General protected by her knights.
Strangulation stood tall and nodded.
"You'll do anything?" The General appeared pensive for a moment. "Then strip, right here, right now. In front of everyone."
"I'm sorry?"
Gwyn perfectly understood her meaning, just not her intention.
"You've done it enough for the Royals. I need to make sure you haven't manifested your special ability. If you hide nothing, then your friends seeing you naked should be the least of your concerns."
"Sister…" Artero spoke, but she immediately shot him a look he knew meant not to interrupt her.
"I haven't manifested," Gwyn said quietly.
"Prove it," Strangulation said coldly.
Artero went to place a hand on his sister, but thought better of it.
"I assure you, Sister, Gwyn hasn't manifested."
"I'm sure you'd know that, being between her thighs every other fucking night." Strangulation looked down on Gwyn. "She could always be like that goblin who never manifested."
Could she mean Mr. Keeper?
Fear overcame Gwyn.
What if I never manifest? What would become of me?
"I'm waiting," Strangulation said impatiently.
"Can we go somewhere private?" Gwyn asked.
Strangulation shook her head.
"It's this, or I strike you down where you stand."
Sweating, Gwyn lowered one sleeve of her dress. She then removed the other half. Her heart was racing. She shimmied some of her dress downward—
"Stop," Strangulation commanded.
Gwyn stopped undressing.
"Huh?"
"You. The little freak over there that's drooling."
Teddy wiped his face.
"Who, me?"
"Yes, short one. I have a better idea."
Teddy saluted.
"Yes, Mommy! I mean, ma'am."
Strangulation gave him an incredulous stare.
The gardens went quiet. They seemed to be conversing silently. Moment by moment, Teddy's face grew in horror. He was suddenly looking towards the exits like an animal trapped.
"What are you doing to him?" Artero asked.
"Guys, I don't think I can do this…"
Teddy collapsed.
"What, what did you say to him?" Astrin asked.
"I cannot discuss the details further. For now, follow the guards I am assigning to you."
Several Knights who were present the entire time had removed their invisibility and now stood in front of everyone in their white armor. They all slammed their fists to their chest. It sounded like thunder.
Each knight carried different weapons, suggesting they specialized in different forms of combat.
"Ready when you are, General Strangulation," one knight said dutifully.
"What's going on here?" Gwyn asked.
The knights were stone-cold professionals. The fact that no one noticed them until they revealed themselves told most people what they needed to know.
"You will be under our protection for the time being."
"Protection?!" Elise blurted.
"Yes," one knight said plainly.
"I can protect them, General Strangulation," Rodrick said.
Strangulation held out her arm.
"No, I am going to need you for what's next."
"And what's that, Sister?"
"Little brother." Strangulation's long, wavy hair rippled into a wave of fire. Her voice was that of a monster. "I cannot discuss anything further. There are potential traitors among us. Send no messages. Do not leave where these knights lead you until further notice. Do I make myself clear?"
Artero gritted his teeth.
"You don't trust me to know?"
"That is exactly the reason, little brother," she said condescendingly. "Our enemy is a psychotic, murderous monster who will do anything to eliminate our people. I am trying to protect you, and to protect you, you must remain in the dark."
Everyone stood in silence, not daring to challenge the General.
"You have your orders."
Her arm grasped Rodrick, and they vanished.
The knights in their white armor approached the party. Only now was it noticeable how stained their armor was with blood. They surrounded them with weapons drawn.
"Don't move, or this could be painful," One of the knights said coolly.
Teddy whipped his head.
"What'd he say?"
A flash blinded them, and all but the knights were sent to the floor.