What else was Evenson supposed to do?
Charge them head-on?
That wasn’t bravery.
That was suicide.
He might lack real combat experience, but he’d never lacked self-awareness.
After countless visits to Felscar Rift, he had a solid grasp of how the Burning Legion measured strength.
Even against Agatha, a Shivarra Matron stationed in what amounted to a forgotten backwater far behind the Legion’s front lines, Evenson estimated his odds at no better than fifty-fifty.
One mistake and she’d flatten him.
The women standing before him were on an entirely different level.
These were Kil’jaeden’s personal lieutenants.
The Eredar Twins had followed the Burning Legion across countless worlds.
Worse still, every suppression array he’d painstakingly prepared had become an expensive snack for Sachiel.
If a fight broke out now, there were only two possible outcomes.
Either they’d beat him into the ground...
...or they’d stomp him into the ground.
The distinction mattered.
Hooves looked painful.
The truly unfortunate part was that the decision no longer belonged to him.
Even if he wanted peace, the twins had no obligation to humor him.
Maybe...
Maybe he should just teleport away.
Before he could make up his mind, Sachiel floated cheerfully toward the sisters.
"Well, well."
"If it isn’t my delightful apprentices."
"Alythess. Sacrolash."
His grin was positively malicious.
"When the eredar guards hauled me away in chains, you two were among the last to flee."
"Your loyalty was truly inspiring."
"Master Sachiel?"
The twins looked at one another in unmistakable surprise.
They completely ignored the sarcasm.
Finding the Skull of the Man’ari here had clearly been the last thing either of them expected.
Watching the exchange, Evenson suddenly had an idea.
A terrible idea.
Which meant it just might work.
He stepped forward.
"Forgive the interruption."
"My name is Evenson Richter."
He offered the twins a respectful nod.
"And as far as I’m aware..."
"I’m the only warlock in this world."
He paused dramatically.
"...who remains loyal to the Burning Legion."
First things first.
Pick a side.
Preferably the side currently capable of turning you into paste.
The twins smiled.
Neither smile contained the slightest warmth.
"A warlock loyal to the Legion?"
Sacrolash tilted her head.
"And how exactly do you intend to prove that?"
"Or are you simply saying whatever you think will keep us from killing you?"
"The proof is standing right in front of you."
Without attracting attention, Evenson quietly slipped the Skull of the Man’ari back into his personal storage.
Sachiel knew far too much.
Leaving him floating around was asking for disaster.
"When I learned that the Council of the Black Harvest had imprisoned the two of you..."
"I risked everything to free you."
"I’ve gone to extraordinary lengths to rescue the Legion’s greatest servants."
"Surely that demonstrates my loyalty."
"Does it?"
Sacrolash narrowed her eyes.
"I distinctly remember you attempting to enslave us."
"A misunderstanding."
Evenson answered without missing a beat.
"You have to understand."
"Powerful demons are... rather tempting to warlocks."
He coughed lightly.
"Attempting to bind you was little more than professional reflex."
"Besides..."
"I never actually followed through."
"That’s true."
Alythess acknowledged the point.
Then she smiled.
"But I suspect the only reason you stopped..."
"...was because you realized you couldn’t win."
"Unfortunately," Sacrolash added, resting one hand on the hilt of her blade, "that still doesn’t prove your loyalty."
Judging from her expression, she almost seemed disappointed that she hadn’t found an excuse to attack him yet.
Evenson noticed her fingers tightening around the weapon.
He remained perfectly calm.
"Perhaps."
"But surely the Skull of the Man’ari raises a few questions."
The sisters exchanged another glance.
They’d been wondering about that from the beginning.
As far as they knew, the artifact had originally belonged to the dreadlord Mephistroth.
Later, the Council of the Black Harvest had stolen it.
Then...
It vanished.
Even after the twins themselves fell into the Council’s captivity, no one ever discovered where the artifact had gone.
So how had it ended up here?
"How did you obtain it?" Alythess asked.
Evenson drew himself up with practiced solemnity.
"When I discovered that the Council of the Black Harvest intended to wield artifacts stolen from the Legion against the Legion itself..."
"I couldn’t stand by."
"I infiltrated them."
"I stole those artifacts back."
"I paid a heavy price doing it."
For a brief moment, genuine regret flickered across his face.
That part, oddly enough, wasn’t entirely an act.
The three warlock artifacts had ultimately come into his possession because of the price Ryan Mercer had paid with his previous life.
The circumstances differed from the story he was telling...
But the cost had been real.
Sacrolash gave a slow clap.
"Very heroic."
Alythess remained unconvinced.
"The Council stole more than one artifact."
"Where are the others?"
A mysterious smile spread across Evenson’s face.
"With me."
He opened his personal storage just enough to reveal its contents before closing it again.
Only for an instant.
Long enough.
The Scepter of Sargeras.
Ulthalesh, the Deadwind Harvester.
The Skull of the Man’ari.
All three legendary artifacts.
The twins’ expressions changed immediately.
They lowered neither their guard nor their suspicion.
But caution replaced aggression.
Neither sister believed Evenson could unleash the full power of even one artifact.
Yet forcing him into a corner was another matter entirely.
If desperation drove him to activate all three at once...
Even they would pay a terrible price.
More importantly...
Ulthalesh and the Skull of the Man’ari both possessed the means to imprison souls.
If they died here...
There might not be another resurrection in the Twisting Nether.
That possibility alone was enough to make them hesitate.
Sacrolash spoke first.
"We’re beginning to believe that your loyalties lie with the Legion."
Alythess finished the thought.
"But doubts remain."
Sacrolash smiled.
"So we’ll verify your story..."
Alythess nodded.
"...the simplest way possible."
The sisters spoke in perfect rhythm before finishing together.
"We’ll ask someone who already knows the answer."
...
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