Chương 44: Chapter 43 - Mark of War

It's already the beginning of the second moon of the new Ter. Alex sat in front of a crate of the Grace Opus 357's, named by Aurora, 226 in total count. As long as she didn't see how long and when Elador took overtime, nor did he report it, she would look the other way. Aurora was standing beside her in the same tent while Witch Raven fiddled and cocked one of the guns.

"I like this…" Raven muttered as she had a smirk on her lips. Though it was curious as Alex originally designed the gun exactly to be the calibre that she liked. The guns in front of her were slightly different. The Director looked like he had taken the liberty to 'improve' its design. Normally, 8. 2 units of mana would run out immediately after 8 shots if not replenished by the heat. 1 mana is replenished due to the heat feeding back the Yin metal functioning as an air compressor.

The magic number here was 60, 000 PSI. That's what Alex liked about this newfound metal called 'Adamantite'. What she held in her hand was no longer just a pistol. It operated at the levels of a sniper rifle in compact form. Since the average joe schmoe in this land were all Awakened ergo having an average strength of at least twice that of an average mundane back on Earth, the recoil an average Nulfraen feel would be similar as a mundane shooting a. 357 magnum.

This was thoroughly tested by Elador and Yulka themselves as both came up with the magical PSI limit for the user rather than to limit it due to structural integrity. Alex laughed as she thought of the glorious freedom these weapons were about to bring to Nulfrae. Freedom has arrived.

"My Lady," Aurora said.

"If I may guess your All-Seeing Plan, do you plan for your subjects to use your artifacts in order to enact your will?" For a moment, Alex thought about what to say… mostly because what the hell was she even asking?

"Speak directly. No BS. What do you wanna know?" she asked.

"Yes!" Aurora shouted.

"As your artifacts grow in complexity and scale, the artifacts the Lady has created might breach the limit of the ambient Mana, as Elador stated. Will you perhaps, in the future, allow us to feed your artifacts with our mana to be one with your Path?"

"That would be inefficient, Rory-dear," Alex said. Aurora frowned, clearly disappointed in the answer.

"May I ask the reason you disallow such practice?"

"Think of the body as the mack trucks. What would happen if you were to remove the oil we've put in the engines and every moving part?"

"It won't run smoothly?"

"And it will break eventually." Alex said.

"Depending on how big the engine is, it'll need more oil, and that oil needs to be constantly replaced, understand?" Aurora nodded.

"What creates the power of the engine is the combustion, not the oil. The engine is your body. The higher stage someone is, the more oil it needs, and oil for the body is food."

"I believe we've plenty of fish—""The amount of fish a ranker or legend needs is substantially more, as you've seen with yourself and others. Food is also a form of currency. You and the C-Suite alone cannot power an entire city full of artifacts."

"This subject's will is at your command, my Lady. Should you wish for such a utopia where all the conveniences in the world are in our Path HQ, we shall grant you such scene!"

"But that's the problem. The average person is around 40 or 50 prowess. However, the break even point of food and amount of mana produced is around 400 prowess. Any less would mean we would be spending more on food compared to generating energy."

"Then shall we send the subjects to the labyrinth just like your C-Suite?" Aurora asked.

"Aurora," Witch Raven spoke up without tearing her eyes away from the gun.

"Would you think the minds of the average person be able to handle the soul crushing experience you lot have dealt with?"

"I… cannot say."

"Not everyone is equal, Rory-dear." Alex smiled.

"Their minds would break at the horrors they've experienced. That is one part why I chose you and the C-Suite to go down that path, knowing you will come back to me with your minds intact."

"As expected of the Lady's foresight and benevolence…" Aurora muttered.

"Besides, putting Harmonic stage Awakened as living batteries is extremely wasteful," Alex said. Back on Earth, there were less than 5000 Harmonic stage (4th step of Earth Awakened Standards) individuals. There were less than 200 Mystics in total as well. Forcing these highly valuable combat and or utility individuals to be a battery was no less than committing stupidity at the highest level. Especially when 3 factions fought never-ending wars against each other.

"Thank you for giving me a peek at the Lady's All-Seeing Plan." Aurora bowed her head.

"When we go back to Earth, did you already think of titles for them?" Witch Raven asked.

"Huh? Why not just use whatever the Spirit Sign gave them?" Witch Raven groaned.

"Will we be going back to the divine realm too?" Aurora asked.

"Yeppers. My employees always stay with me." Aurora began tearing up.

"Thank you, my Lady. We knew of your temporary stay in Nulfrae. To think you've already thought that far for our sake."

"Uh…. yeah. Definitely for your sake," Alex said. It was definitely not because she wanted to clean house and replace all the shitty corrupt employees of the Path on Earth.

"Will we also be getting new titles?"

"Its a different kind of title, Aurora," Witch Raven said.

"Everyone above Mystic gets a title."

"Does General Witch Raven have a title?"

"Witch of Ravens…"

"I see…"

"Boss, I really think we can give them better titles. Should I come up with titles for them so you don't have to?"

"What's wrong with my naming schemes?" Alex asked.

"Seriously, Witch of Ravens? Witch of Embers? Witch of the Mouras?!"

"Bitch, those are amazing titles!" Alex suppressed her own laughter. Frankly, she didn't even care how it sounded. The titles were just some Neutral Grounds bullshit that came about during the industrial revolution.

"I believe Witch of Ravens is a valiant title, General Witch Raven!" Aurora shouted.

"Ugh…" Witch Raven groaned. Alex clapped once.

"Enough small talk. How much ammo did we create?"

"16000 rounds and 600 magazines." Aurora gestured over to the four crates at the other corner of the tent.

"As the Lady has requested, these are simple pellets of iron metal forged into cylindrical shapes which can be inserted into the magazines 7 at a time. Each Tsubian equipped with a Grace Opus will be able to hold at least 3 magazines." Alex whistled.

"Raven. When are you ready?"

"Boss, one question."

"Shoot me." Aurora's hands twitched, but both other women ignored it.

"Who's going to take Snowy and Greenie for a walk?"

"Huh? Why can't Itzae do it?"

"I'm afraid to remind you, but, Itzae has taken scheduled supply runs to and from Stormbringer and Dukedom of Tanison. She is busy—""Alright! I get it!" Alex grumbled.

"What about Elador?"

"I'm afraid—""Nevermind! Not Elador." Alex grumbled again. The old man-turned-young only wanted to be cooped up in his lab all the time.

"What about Sanders?"

"He is also busy…" Aurora said in a low voice.

"As its mandated by OSHA, I shall volunteer to 'walk' both Greenie and Snowy, my Lady."

"Alright! Aurora, you take the lead on that until we can find someone else!" Alex said with a gleaming smile.

"Now Bitch Raven! Gather up the crates and head to Dukedom of Tanison for sail!"

"Aye, aye, boss."

"Enact freedom on these savages!"

"For freedom!" Aurora shouted. Before Witch Raven could close the lid on the Grace Opuses, Alex levitated 26 of the guns out of the box and then closed it herself. Without asking why, Raven floated all 5 boxes in the tent behind her and exited the tent.

"Aurora, how long will it take for Raven to get from Port City of Kite to the Tsuba islands by ship?"

"Based on normal circumstances and if no monsters attack the ship, she will arrive at the island at the beginning of the 3rd moon."

"Let's just hope it doesn't take 13 years this time…" Alex sighed. Given that Raven learned from last time and that she was more experienced now by a couple of hundred years, she couldn't even guess what the timeline would be nor how much mess she'd have to clean up. All Alex prayed for was: 'please let the Witch's mess not be too big to clean up'.

"Aurora, gather up 20 able-bodied persons. Recruit them from Villipente. We're recruiting more 'heads' for the Security Personnel. Have them ready and in HQ in 2 weeks."

"Understood! I shall gather them in 2 weeks time!"

"Don't bother me for the rest of the day. I'll be taking a nap."

"Enjoy your nap, my Lady! May the future be shown within your vision!" ☕︎ ☼ ☕︎ ☽ ☕︎ May Lallemant bit her nails. In her usual reception room sat just her and Seraphine who had spread out a few scrolls on the table. She saw the news of corrupted mutants entering the lands of Marchioness Sarazzin, and the anxiety grew in her at the unprecedented turn of events. There was the 'opportunity' that presented itself in the Hadstead mountains last Ter, but just before the turn of the new Ter, Grumir had exploded.

Rumours of diplomats running to and from between Pandor and Dragus were also seen just last moon. There was nothing she could do about it if Pandor and Dragus joined together. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. The board was changing too fast, and the Kingdom of Lyra had the least number of Rankers and Legends out of all 3 kingdoms in the continent of MIr.

"My Princess, shall I read out the successful launch of Star Cubs in the Dukedom of Valentin and Tanison?" Seraphine said.

"Please," May said.

"In the first two weeks after its grand opening, it has only earned 5 gold and 20 silvers. while the Dukedom of Tanison's location earned about 4 gold and 87 silvers." Seraphine shook her head, obviously in contempt against the sum that she saw.

"Although we keep about 72. 5% of the revenue, we are still paying for the cost of goods. The compensation for their 'baristas' are too high at 1. 7 gold per Ter. I'm afraid we are left with little coin compared if we just buy the ingredients she has directly and make it ourselves."

"The business has just begun. Word of mouth will spread and more customers will come by the day. How many customers did the Dukedom of Tanison earn on its first compared to the 14th day?" May asked.

"14 customers in the initial day and by the end of the 2nd week, they were at 67 daily customers…" Seraphine said.

"That is not to say that Valentin has a rather wealthy population and it has barely even scratched the surface."

"If I could be so forward with my words, I'd like to note that the compensation for the barista is not a problem. It is the fact they cannot serve during their 'after work hours'. The establishments would gather more coin should they be left to operate during hours of which taverns run."

"Then would you rather have taverns lose their business?"

"I believe the taverns will still be able to compete through food against Star Cubs."

"And when Fish-Fil-A comes as part of Star Cubs, what then?" Seraphine didn't answer as May already knew she couldn't. Taverns and the Path's 'subsidiaries' do not compete with already established businesses within the lands of Nulfrae. It is its own thing to serve a different market. Star Cubs, for one, was more for its drinks energizing those that drink it. However, due to the warning in its store fronts, customers are only allowed 4 drinks maximum per day.

It was a weird warning, and it must've come from Lady Alex herself. The warning was the only thing that would hinder its future potential sales growth. At any rate, Lady Alex must know what she was doing, and May wasn't one to test why she had put that warning by drinking more than four a day.

"How is the Star Cubs in the Marchioness Sarazzin location progressing?" May asked.

"About that…"

"Go on, Seraphine."

"The Marchioness' territory has survived an outbreak of the corrupted mutated demons. Due to the onslaught, the construction has been delayed by a week." A corruption outbreak in the centre of the continent already? May clicked her tongue. This scenario was unheard of, though, everything about this cycle was vastly different from recorded history. Maybe the omen of the dark birds were true, but as fast as the thought appeared, she scoffed at it immediately.

"How had the Marchioness' territory survive?"

"It seems the territory was saved by a passing recluse legend that hurls lightning and turns to one in the shape of a sphere…"

"A sphere?"

"Yes. Recounts of the soldiers spoke of a lightning god descending into the field where the corruption's forces gathered. He appeared in the form of a sphere between armies, and hurled his wrath against the taint."

"A ball of lightning… a legendary lightning vanguard, and a recluse. How interesting…" May muttered. It was too odd of a coincidence to pass up. This recluse must've been within the ranks of Lady Alex.

"A lightning vanguard, Princess?"

"Nothing. It is just tales of the past, nothing more." May smiled away the question.

"Has the foothold of the corruption reached outside the walls of Hatir?"

"Normally, the average ranker dare not take foot near the stronghold. However, few bards spoke of tales of a being protecting the Stormbringer capital. A man heard him speak of his sword given by the goddess of justice. Inadvertently, this has suppressed the foothold from spreading further out from the centre of the continent."

"Another recluse, or maybe a legend of the former kingdom of Stormbringer."

"Stormbringer hadn't had any legends within their ranks. However…" May trailed off.

"Yes, my Princess?"

"It wouldn't be so far-fetched to say their rankers have reached the status of legends after their queendom's fall." May turned her eyes to the road just outside of the Royal Castle's wall far away through the courtyard.

"Seraphine, what say you of what the Lady calls 'Mack Truck'?"

"They are highly efficient and able to carry heavy loads to which horses cannot handle. I believe they are necessary for long range expansions of singular 'brands'," Seraphine said.

"Although true, is it not a question mark that Lady Alex could create such perfect artifacts rivaling those of labyrinths, dare I say even the grand labyrinths?" Seraphine's mouth gaped for a second before finally responding.

"May I ask for elaboration on your idea?"

"The Lady Alex has talents of artifact creation, one that rivals grand labyrinths as those places are just one big artifact. The corruption in the north subverted the northern walls and attacked directly at the centre of the board. Do you not find it odd these two events coincide with one another?" May asked, chuckling. She saw the young woman in front of her turn into deep thought.

"Perchance, does the Princess think the divine is at play… or maybe Frae herself intervened in this cycle. Is Lady Alex the personification of Frae?"

"Nay, she is not the personification. Perhaps Frae knew the corruption was different this time, or perhaps not. Without the recluse rallied against the current cycle, Marchioness' territory would have failed. The question we should be asking is: why has the corruption targeted Lyra first?"

"Why?" Seraphine asked. May simply smiled, and stood up.

"Come, Seraphine. I shall tell you the answer in the presence of the prisoners."

"Yes, my Princess!" Seraphine stood up as well. Both women exited the reception room and walked through the hallways. They walked down the stairwell, exited the first floor, and then through the side entry of the castle walls. Through there, they climbed down the steps until the light from the door could no longer be seen, replaced by torches on the wall at even intervals that lighting up the steps.

Once they reached the bottom of the steps, they passed through multiple corridors of prison cells with guards scattered about, patrolling. Finally, they reached the end. Two guards stood on either side of the prison bars while the 5 individuals sat lazily in one cell, 3 men, and 2 women, all sitting down on one side and on the floor with their backs against the wall. From the design of their armours alone, mixed in with leather at mobile joints, May already knew they were from Pandor.

The craftsman tried to hide it, but if there was one thing May could smell without err, it was money and their equipment smelled of it.

"Allen, Sword Hero of Pandor. Have you made up your mind?"

"Look, Lady Princess, how about 5 gold instead of 10 for Adric's plans?" Allen raised his hand.

"Lady, can we get some water, please?" Vivian asked.

"Why can't we just defect to Lyra?" Mira asked.

"Yo, Justin made the one vape last months. He's out bro. He's having withdrawals. That's dangerous right. We need some help. Princess Lyra, can we get some healers over here?" Kevin asked.

"Silence! You Pandor scum should be grateful the Princess hasn't killed you yet!" Seraphine shouted.

"Enough, Seraphine. It is not with their choosing that they are part of Pandor," May said.

"So we got a deal or what?" Allen asked.

"2. 5 gold for the information. Then, I shall release you from your cell for 2. 5 gold."

"Deal!"

"How is that a deal?!" Mira asked.

"Getting released from this cell wasn't even in the bargaining table, Mira. Think!" Allen said.

"It seems this cycle's Pandor heroes are smarter than the last, at least according to the tales," May said.

"That doesn't answer why we can't just defect," Mira said. May's smile turned sharp.

"Look, Seraphine. We've already gathered so much information just from their bickering alone." From all the annoying banter this group has presented, it seems Adric had kept them in the dark for way too long. She didn't even need Allen's information if they just willingly argued with each other.

"I understand, Princess. If my guess is correct, Adric has not told these fools the meaning of being summoned?"

"Lady, what do you mean by that? Are we like slaves or something? That's kinda kinky." Vivian held herself.

"Vivian, just please stop opening your mouth," Mira said.

"But I don't open it just for anyone—ow! What was that for?"

"Just. Shut. Up."

"Well, you're right on that one. King Adric dude has been manipulating us from front to back. But that doesn't mean we don't got info." Allen asked.

"We spill all the beans as long as the deal still holds up?"

"How uncouth. To willingly spill food…" Seraphine muttered.

"The deal is still present," May said.

"Hey Lady, can you please answer my question?" Mira asked.

"We can just defect to Lyra instead of having to do this deal."

"Mira, that's already not gonna work," Allen said.

"She would've already offered us that option if it was."

"I apologize, Pandor summoned heroes. Allen is correct on his deduction. Defection is ultimately not possible due to the mark of the summoned connecting you to the Pandor Kingdom's gem. Otherwise, I would've bought you 5 the moment you were in my prison."

"So are we like slaves?" Vivian asked.

"Certainly not. The Kingdom cannot bind you as they need you to hold off against the corruption. However, should you desert, you will no longer be able to take advantage of the accelerated prowess growth. You shall become average and live a life in hiding against the predator all Nulfraens fear."

"What if they kill us and try again or summon new ones?" Allen asked.

"That is impossible. It takes decades to gather materials. Not to mention, the Kingdom gem can only be connected to one group of summoned heroes at a time."

"Sounds a lot like a catch-22 on both sides," Kevin commented.

"No it's not…" Mira commented as she rolled her eyes.

"Is there a way to break this mark?" Allen asked.

"Slay the corruption's core," Seraphine said sternly.

"Great. We're back to square 1, and we can't even do our jobs because you took us to this prison."

"Is that not why I offer you release?" May asked without breaking her smile.

"Thanks…" Allen forced himself to say the single word.

"Seraphine, do you see the answer I've questioned you?" May asked.

"I do not understand, my Princess… I apologize." Seraphine bowed her head.

"It's ok, Seraphine. I do not mean to test you." May laughed slightly as she lifted Seraphine's head up by the chin.

"Do you not see the difference in the summoned heroes of past compared to these ones before you?"

"They are… different. Much different from the historical records that speak of valiant heroes that charge head on to the front line."

"Correct. We've also yet to see the Dragus summoned heroes. They should've arrived within the Lyran territory moons ago for the novice labyrinths, yet they have not. Shall we say this is also an anomaly within the current cycle?"

"It very much is. But that could be attributed to the lecherous greedy Reinglas and pompous Haestus."

"Do you know who my saviour was on the day of Dragus' summoning?"

"Don't tell me… it was Lady Alex?!" May's smile disappeared.

"It was. Now tell me, Seraphine. Why has the corruption targeted Lyra first?"

"There is also an anomaly within the corruption. It has grown smart. Am I correct, my Princess?"

"You are very much correct, Seraphine. The corruption is compelled to march towards kingdoms that have summoned their own heroes. Since Lyra has held off summoning, we shouldn't have been the first target, yet it somehow still invaded our borders."

"Was this slip caused by Itzae?"

"Perhaps. But it does not matter as the stronghold has already fallen."

"What does that mean?" Allen asked. May turned towards the Pandor summoned heroes.

"It means you summoned heroes are much more valuable in this cycle than cycles of past. Your strategic importance cannot be underestimated by King Adric."

"So are you going to let us go freely?" It would be much easier to send them off freely… However, May had other plans. The corruption's spread was already being held back by 2 strong recluse, and she wasn't one to miss an opportunity for more money. After all, the Lazarus incident's extortion didn't net her as much gold as she wanted.

"We shall wait for King Adric's reply," May said.

"For now, I shall hold you at the royal castle. Should you try to escape, bad things will happen."

"Is that a threat?" Mira asked.

"It is not. Have you not been listening to what I said?" May smiled again.

"The corruption looms. Your safety is not guaranteed without an escort by your own kingdom." May nodded towards the two guards, and then walked back through the corridors of the Royal castle's prison. Seraphine followed her without much of a word. Glancing back, May saw the darkness in her assistant's eyes at what could only be interpreted as deep contemplation of Lyra's future. Who or what was inside this cycle's corruption had a clear understanding of the power dynamics between the three kingdoms.

Attacking the weakest was, after all, a classic move of any warlord. That thought itself was a dangerous one. A single being able to rally the corruption… it was the product of nightmares when all 3 kingdoms were in a perpetual state of cold war. All hope was not lost on May, though. The Dragus Heroes, or in this case, their Mage Hero, might be the only hope Nulfrae has.

"Princess, I'm afraid, through the scrolls I've skimmed, we haven't heard of any news from the Church of Frae on the status of the Stronghold of light," Seraphine said, her head lowering even further. The usual smile on May's lips disappeared. Specifically, the Stronghold of Light was in the northern unnamed continent, simply described as the 'Northern Wilderness', manned by the Church themselves.

"It could only mean the corruption has sneaked past the stronghold and information hasn't travelled that fast yet. A reply would take more moons as well," May said simply, knowing full well: the corruption understood that speed of information wins wars.

"Seraphine."

"Yes, Princess?"

"Tell Kalaiser to prepare a letter of warning to both Pandor and Dragus."

"Yes!" Seraphine shouted.

"What shall the contents be?"" The corruption is rallied by a warlord. Do not let your guards down," May said as she took the first step of the stairwell.

"That is all."

"What if they ignore the warning?"

"They cannot. Dragus' stronghold has fallen. Pandor doesn't have their summoned heroes. Neither have the luxury, and I believe Adric and Alizia are smarter than that."

"Understood…"