One of the first clashes of Willem and his legion against the magical beings was also the fastest military skirmishes recorded in recent human history, thanks to the training of the humans and the magical beings not being prepared fully for an invasion.
The battle and subsequent occupation of humans in the Stinging Blood Tortoise took an estimated four hours, two for the battle and its aftermath; two to exterminate the nobles and current ruler of the newly named "Paradiso Rosso".
When the battle ended and the human's victory was guaranteed, some dark elf nobles decided to take their own lives instead of suffer at the hands of their kin whom they had used.
Despite being in a disadvantageous position where their full power could not be utilized, the dark elf army still inflicted heavy casualties on Willem's legion by use of poisons and special dark elf abilities.
Willem had assumed there would be some casualties, considering this would be most of the legion's first fight against enemies with a slightly different anatomical structure and unseen abilities. All in all, to Willem they were acceptable losses, and the legion had followed his instructions very carefully, which made recuperating those potential losses easier.
Anyone with lost limbs or other wounds were taken to the back of the battle, healed with the magic of the water Mages and the wounds were dressed with clean cloth and disinfectant made from one of the plants Willem had gathered. With this 'safe and controlled' mentality, the amount of humans that would have most likely died from their wounds during the battle dropped drastically.
After the battle, since the Mages had expended most of their magical energy, Willem healed anyone who still suffered with Darkness Healing. Though it was called Darkness Healing, it was more akin to a high speed regeneration to anyone that had the chance to look at it themselves. As Willem dispersed his magic among the injured, he used their cells to speed up the rate of recovery. Wounds that would normally takes months or even years to heal were repaired in a matter of minutes, with no scars to even show they were ever there.
The death toll was counted, and the legion had suffered two hundred casualties in total. Many of the soldiers in the legion understood that they may not be coming back from this battle, but to only lose two hundred soldiers compared to the thousands of dead dark elves showed just how effective the training and formations were.
If anyone whom had seriously doubted Willem saw what he had done, would they not hang their heads in shame?
Willem took from his Spatial Spell bags of food and water and clothing that had been prepared before they left the Bastion of Hope and handed them out to the soldiers with strict orders.
"Give these to the commoners, and make sure they do not eat too quickly." Willem gave the order. "Tell all the dark elves to gather at the spire, and anyone who is sickly or cannot walk is to be carried."
As the legion marched up and down the streets lead by Sir Gehrig and Willem, the dark elf commoners kneeled in veneration. To the common-folk of the Stinging Blood Tortoise, Willem destroyed the nobles whom had caused them so much suffering. The least they could do was show there appreciation, despite not knowing what Willem would do to them.
Willem's words were repeated thousands of times to the dark elves, whom could somehow understand human language.
As Willem continued walking closer to the tallest spire in the Stinging Blood Tortoise, the human soldiers handed out bags of food and water to the poor as well as healing salves and clothes, warning them not to consume the goods too quickly. This was Willem's plan to win over the hearts of the people and ensure that they did not rise up against him.
The humans that were rescued from the farms were given priority escorts with Willem to the spire, and the captured soldiers that had laid down their weapons and been shackled took up the rear with their own escorts.
The twisting path could have been considered an arduous journey for the weak or sick, but whoever followed in Willem's footsteps as he lead seemed to be carried by an inhuman vigor.
This was Willem's Darkness Aura, yet it had been modified from it's original purpose. Normally anyone who was inside the Darkness Aura would feel lethargic and have their minds attacked by malefic visions. With this Darkness Aura, the opposite effects happened, everyone had what felt like an unending amount of stamina and they could not help but feel like things would work out in their favor.
To Willem this was just another use of his abilities. His Darkness was originally meant to harm and ultimately destroy, but he had found that the true power of Darkness Magic was it's ability to become whatever he needed at the time. It was highly adaptable, and the only real limitation was the consumption of his magical energy.
Another unfortunate circumstance for Willem is that because his power was so dominating, he had not had any difficulties or struggles after it awakened. He knew his senses were dulling, compared to when he was a lost child in the Army Training Ground.
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Since he knew that his senses were dulling, he had sought out many challenges, but none of them were strong enough to even be considered an experience worth remembering.
The buildings around the spire were made immaculately, a testament to the understanding that comes with learning a profession for hundreds of years. To any kind of elf, finding something worth doing for a few hundred years could be considered very lucky.
The architect was one of the nobles whom had decided not to take his life and instead ask to be spared. He was a kind soul whom had not harmed his fellow dark elf brethren. Many of the commoners vouched that workers in his house would go to the slums and deliver foods and scraps.
Willem accepted this information from the commoners, and relied on them to tell him who could be considered influential or helpful.
When the group had finally reached the spire, Willem took the throne while he waited for everyone to gather. Despite the entire population of the newly named 'Paradiso Rosso' being in the throne room, there was still enough room for everyone to move around comfortably. Such was the difference between the wealthy nobles who hoarded their resources and the poor people. Willem understood all too well the discrepancy between the rich and poor thanks to the similar situation in the Bastion of Hope.
Dark elves and humans alike walked into the throne room, the soldiers standing off to the side with their weapons holstered and a look of reverence on their faces. Willem had lead them to a complete and utter victory against the magical beings that had always been like a plague upon the Bastion of Hope and it's people. Sir Gehrig lead the battle, to be sure, but Willem provided the equipment, training and resources that allowed them to survive.
Everyone had finished gathering, and Willem could finally see everyone staring at him, hope and fear and confusion all amalgamated into one expression.
"To everyone who is here, I commend you both for your bravery and your strength. You whom have survived under the tyranny of people who treated you like nothing more than ants to experiment on and cheap labor. People who would rather you die in the street instead of give you their scraps."
Willem stood from the throne and the soldiers kneeled in unison. The dark elves and humans followed suit and kneeled.
"From the moment I first laid eyes on this place, I could think of it as nothing but a paradise. Ultimately what this place becomes is up to you people here today, for future generations. If we work together, we can create a utopia that is safe for humans and magical beings, where everyone is equal. I firmly believe that." Willem's eyes had no look of hesitation, only conviction to see his mission through.
If he succeeds here and expands the influence of the humans, he will be able to find the pendant that much sooner.
This clear and concise belief bolstered the trust between Willem and the dark elves.
"Today, we mourn our lost and dead, and we celebrate their lives and who they were. In the next few days, I will bring in people I trust to make your lives here easier. Among the dark elves, you all will select a representative to speak of the problems you face everyday. This person will directly report to me. Now, architect Jura." Willem motioned for the architect to approach him.
Jura stood up quickly but his legs could not hide the fear he felt from Willem. They shook a small bit while he approached the throne. When he was within five feet of Willem, he again kneeled.
"For the work you have done until now, I commend you. For the people you have protected, even while under the scrutiny of your peers, I commend you. You will lead the construction of housing and buildings throughout 'Paradiso Rosso'. Anything you need in order to ensure the safety of these people, it will be yours." Willem nodded toward Jura and waited for his response.
"I thank you, Master Grandia. We are eternally grateful for you protecting our people and for your leniency in the battle to minimize the casualties. I will do my best in order to create your vision." Jura bowed his head deeply, sweat dripping from his brow. For such a tall, slender man, his frame while kneeling was diminutive.
"You all may leave, and I do not mean just this spire. None of you will be detained against your will. If you choose to further distance yourself from the Stinging Blood Tortoise, I personally guarantee none of my men will stop you." Willem motioned for the human soldiers to remove the shackles from the magical beings whom had fought in the battle.
With their freedom guaranteed and the looming threat of death gone, the fear had disappeared from the eyes of the dark elves. The younger elves did not really understand what was going on, but the older elves whom had fought before understood the intention of Willem and accepted it gratefully.
"If any of you have special circumstances when to comes to death, we will do our best to accommodate you. In two days, we will begin fixing the houses and buildings and co-ordinate with your chosen representative. Any immediate concerns can be directed toward my soldiers and we will do our best to help." Willem raised his hand to show that he had finished speaking and the crowd of elves dispersed, to begin preparations for funeral services.
The humans who had been in the farms all this time looked to Willem as if he was a God's messenger, sent to free them from their torment. After all the suffering they had gone through, they had finally been saved from the monsters that stole them from their homes.
"If any of you choose to stay here, I will do my best to make it a comfortable stay, but considering what you all have been through, I can understand wanting to return to the Bastion of Hope. There is, however, a third option available to you all if you so choose. You are all invited to my Private Sanctum, beyond the reach of man, where you will be welcome with open arms. Within my Private Sanctum, you will be given food, clothes and a bed as well as work depending on what you want to do. The only families left in the Bastion of Hope that I have not already contacted can be considered the reason the Bastion of Hope is doomed to fail. I will support any decision you make." Willem told them the blunt and honest truth, now that he knew that he possessed the ability of the "Thousand Eyes Clan" to perceive past and future events in dreams and meditation.
The Bastion of Hope was doomed to fall, according to his dream.
"I will stay."
"I, I want to go to your Sanctum."
"I just want to see my brother again."
The majority of people chose to go with Willem to the Private Sanctum, with only a dozen choosing to stay and fewer still choosing to go back to the Bastion of Hope.