2 more chapters or so after this one until the end of the first arc. I'll try to get them done by tomorrow night. No guarantees though.
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Garnet had managed to get the domestic production started just a little bit thanks to her marketing of Wild Boar Meat. There were now hunters, butchers, leather workers, and restaurants that benefited from it. Because all of it was hunted locally, there were little taxes that was levied on the production. The real problem were the tariffs. They were very high and discouraged trade with other cities. Trade was needed in order for an economy to grow.
Until Duke Wellington could acquire enough power and influence over the other nobles, there was little that Garnet could do. However, there were several problems in achieving this goal. First, Duke Wellington would need to acquire enough power over the other nobles that they would have to submit to his authority. Second, he would need to secure his position by meeting the qualifications to take the throne once King Caligula passed away.
Garnet headed to the castle's library in order to see if she could learn more about how another noble inherits the throne. To her surprise, Duke Wellington was there. He waved at Garnet. "Hey over here!" shouted Duke Wellington.
"What are you doing?" asked Garnet.
"I'm looking up information about how to improve the wall," said Duke Wellington. "I never knew there was so much you could do to it."
Garnet looked as Duke Wellington flipped open a small book. It contained notes about defensive mechanisms like archer holes and pits where invading soldiers could be stabbed at from a passageway above the gate entrance. Duke Wellington was researching different ways to mount a strong defense.
"How about you?" asked Duke Wellington.
"I was going to look into ways to-," said Garnet.
Duke Wellington put his hand over Garnet's mouth. "You never know who is listening, pick your words wisely," said Duke Wellington.
Garnet nodded as Duke Wellington removed his hand from her mouth. "I was thinking what I could do about the situation to improve your power and influence over the other nobles," said Garnet.
"I see," said Duke Wellington. "So you plan to use me to improve the city. There are some methods, but right now, none of the conditions are met."
"Can you tell me what those ways are?" asked Garnet.
"I want you to do me a favor first then," said Duke Wellington.
Garnet grew suspicious of the Duke. He had his own plans as well. "I want you to meet Ruby," said Duke Wellington.
"My daughter?" asked Garnet. "How is she important in this?"
"In order for me to inherit the throne, I first need to seize power," said Duke Wellington. "But in order to secure it, I need a family."
Garnet realized what the Duke meant. He needed her to be his family. "Why not just marry another noble?" Garnet asked.
"Many of the nobles are out for power," said Duke Wellington. "Sure they will marry their daughter to me, but that's because it secures their own power. What I need is overwhelming power over the others by myself and you are the only one who can give it to me. Then, I can do what is needed."
Garnet thought about it. Duke Wellington had influence over his territory, but she was unsure of how it was being done. She wanted to see what his rule was actually like, so seeing his manor and his lands would be a good way to start. "I accept then," said Garnet. "I will meet Ruby."
"Really?!?" said Duke Wellington. His expression immediately changed from a serious one to a happy one. He grabbed Garnet and hugged her. "Thank you so much."
"I have my reasons," said Garnet. "When do we leave?"
"I can leave in three days," said Duke Wellington. "Do what you need to before you leave, but it will take about three days to reach my manor."
"Alright," said Garnet. "In three days, meet me in front of Zedd's Workshop."
In less than a week, Garnet was going to meet her daughter and see the Duke's manor. She wanted to see what the rule of Duke Wellington was like, but she was nervous. She had a daughter that she was going to meet for the first time. But there was one thing that bothered her even more than that. If she was going to secure the Duke's position, she would need to have children with him. A part of her wanted to seeing how the Duke treated her, but a part of her was still suspicious of him because he seemed too good to be true.
That night, Garnet headed out under the cover of darkness. She wanted to get stronger before she left. She had no idea how strong the enemies at the Duke's region was going to be.
New Skill: Shadow Walk (Level 1)
Allows you to hide under the cover of darkness without being recognized. It can be broken by someone with high dexterity or night vision. It is more effective than Stealth at night.
She was still discovering new skills and abilities, but what was most important was that her skills could change and evolve. There was one thing she wanted to try more than anything, applying magic to her hand to hand skills. Her physical strength had developed a lot since fighting the wolves, but it meant neglecting her magical. She needed to find a way to apply both at once.
"Call: Skeletal Hounds!" Garnet re-summoned her upgraded dogs. She had let them out to search for new enemies the previous night. Now was the time to see what they found. "Show me where," she ordered.
Each of the hounds pointed in different direction with their heads. Each of them had apparently found something different. Garnet just chose the one in front of her and tapped its back. "You, show me," she said.
The hound began to walk forward and Garnet followed it. The hound circled around down South along the river.
New Quest: Slay the Giant Bear
A giant bear has made the river south of Antium its home. This has caused panic among the people there like the Giant Wild Boar to the East. See to it that this threat is removed.
Reward: Experience, Fame
"No new skill," thought Garnet. However, hope was not lost. She could still use Blood Absorption and perhaps get something from it.
As Garnet headed South, she noticed the carcasses of Wild Boars. They had been eaten. "The bear?" thought Garnet. She began to be cautious. "Protect me," Garnet ordered her hounds. The three hounds formed a triangle formation. Two in front, one in the back. This way if she was attacked from any direction, the hounds would be able to spot it. Even though the hounds were undead, they showed some kind of intelligence at least.
There was still a few Wild Boars alive. Garnet killed one. "Blood Absorption!" The Wild Boar exploded into a pool of blood and entered her body. Nothing happened. "Does it not work on all enemies?"
Garnet followed the direction of the boar corpses and saw a giant shadow drinking water from the river. It was the Giant Bear.
Giant Black Bear
Level: 10
Class: Beast
Sub-Class: N/A
Stats: ???
It was roughly the same strength as the Alpha Wolf, but its abilities would most likely be different. The Alpha Wolf was fast, but something as large as the bear was definitely going to be slower, but physically stronger. But, this also gave the opportunity for Garnet to try some new things on a stronger enemy. "I have to be careful still," she thought. She remembered how dangerous it was fighting the Giant Wild Boar and experimenting on it.
"Do not interfere unless I am in mortal danger," Garnet ordered her Skeletal Hounds. The three of them stood aside and watched her.
Garnet poured a huge amount of mana into her finger tips. "Lightning Bolt!" A powerful burst of electricity instantly connected her finger tips to the Giant Black Bear.
Level Up: Lightning Bolt (Level 6)
New Skill: Chain Lightning (Level 1)
A bolt of lightning hits the designated target and then connects to nearby targets as well. Each target can only be hit once.
MP Cost: 50
ROAR. The Giant Black Bear made a loud noise as it fell. BOOM. It was stunned by her Lightning Bolt.
"The new skill is useless!" thought Garnet. She was only fighting a single bear at the moment. It was nonetheless a new skill that would add to her arsenal. She quickly closed the distance between her and the bear and struck it with the palm of her hand infused with mana. BAM.
New Skill: Palm Strike
Use the palm of your hand to strike a target. This attack can be infused with mana to deal magic damage or magic for an additional effect.
MP Cost: 30
Garnet quickly infused mana into her other hand and used Palm Strike with wind magic.
New Skill: Wind Palm (Level 1)
Strike the target using the palm of your hand. The wind magic provides an additional knockback effect.
MP Cost: 30
BAM. The Giant Black Bear was knocked onto its side from the force of the punch.
There was finally proof that her magic could be infused into her attacks. However, it required her to use hand to hand. Since she had been fighting with a blade, it was not possible other than using it as an off hand attack. Now, she needed to find a way to combine this.
ROAR. Garnet quickly backed off once she heard the roar. The paralysis of the Giant Black Bear had ended as it got back up. It now faced Garnet with an intent to kill. Garnet kept her sword in one hand and prepped for a charged Fire Bolt in her other. The Giant Black Bear began to run towards her. It was slow. Much slower than the Giant Wild Boar.
"Fire Bolt!" Garnet fired the bolt of fire in her arm right onto it. BOOM.
Stat Increase: Intelligence +1
ROAR. The Giant Black Bear was hit by the explosive force of the Fire Bolt and knocked over once more. BOOM. The ground shook as the Giant Black Bear hit the ground once more. Garnet ran up to it with her short sword. "Double Slash!" Her sword slashed diagonally downward at the Giant Black Bear's head, then vertically upwards.
Level Up: Double Slash (Level 2)
Stat Increase: Strength +1
ROAR. The Giant Black Bear rolled back over. Garnet backstepped as she saw this. The Giant Black Bear slashed its claws, but caught only the air. Garnet had already increased the distance between them.
Stat Increase: Agility +1
Garnet prepared another Fire Bolt in her hand. The Giant Black Bear focused its attention on Garnet. It dashed towards her once more. Garnet could feel the ground beneath her shake with each step of the bear. She began to run sideways. The Giant Black Bear turned towards her attempting to chase her. Garnet began to run to close the distance and stay at the Giant Black Bear's side so that she was never in front of it.
"Fire Bolt!" Garnet fired a Fire Bolt at close range into the Giant Black Bear's sides. ROAR. The Giant Black Bear cried out as it was knocked over again.
New Skill: Explosive Palm (Level 1)
By infusing a Fire Bolt into an attack, it releases an explosive burst of power that can break defenses.
MP Cost: 30
There was still one more element that Garnet needed to try. She infused a Lightning Bolt into her palm and struck the Giant Black Bear once more. BAM.
New Skill: Lightning Palm (Level 1)
A Lightning Bolt infused punch that can penetrate the defenses of an enemy to stun them. Ignores armor.
MP Cost: 30
She then drove her sword into the stomach of the Giant Black Bear. SHLUCK. ROAR. The Giant Black Bear roared out in pain. It was still alive but bleeding out. The beasts that Garnet had fought recently were all incredibly tough. This Giant Black Bear was not as fast as the Alpha Wolf, but it was incredibly durable. She had used numerous attacks on it and it had still not fallen. Garnet backed off once more as the Giant Black Bear tried to move.
The Giant Black Bear struggled as it got up on its feet. It was trying to crawl away. Its blood was dripping onto the ground. Either way, it was going to die from its wounds. Garnet charged mana into her hand. "Fire Ball!" It was her new spell. The recoil from the spell was higher and Garnet could feel the knockback as her arm moved upward from firing the spell.
BOOM. The Fire Ball struck the Giant Black Bear with incredible force as it was knocked down once more. There was a small crater where the attack had landed. The Giant Black Bear tried to move, but it could not. Garnet watched as it bled out.
Quest Complete: Slay the Giant Bear
Reward: Experience, 10 Fame
You have leveled up!
Garnet poured all of her new points into Intelligence. She needed to hit that 5000 maximum mana so that Zedd could teach her the skill. Unfortunately, she was not even halfway there.
"Blood Absorption!" Garnet used her skill to absorb the corpse of the Giant Black Bear. The Giant Black Bear exploded into a cloud of blood and entered her body.
Level Up: Blood Absorption (Level 4)
Stat Increase: Strength +5
Stat Increase: Vitality +5
It was a major boost to her Strength and Vitality stat. It was worth two whole levels in stats. There were still at least two other major enemies left for Garnet. If she could defeat them as well, she would gain an incredible amount of power. "Maybe it only works on special enemies?" thought Garnet.
"Where is the next one?" Garnet asked her Skeletal Hounds. The two remaining hounds pointed in different directions. One back in the direction of Antium. The other in the direction of the forest. "Show me," Garnet said as she tapped the hound pointing to the forest. Garnet headed into the forest.
New Quest: Slay the Blue Tiger
There is a tiger with blue fur in the forest to the east. It is a threat to nearby travelers. See to it that this threat is removed.
Rewards: Experience, Fame
The three dogs continued to form a triangle shape around her to protect her. ROAR. It was the sound of another wild beast, but it was different. It did not sound like the bear, the boar, or the wolf. It was something different. Garnet followed her skeletal hound as it led her deeper into the forest. It was there that she saw a small pile of rocks that had fallen from the nearby mountain. On top of it was a Blue Tiger.
Name: Blue Tiger
Level: 10
Class: Beast
Sub-class: N/A
Stats: ???
It was roughly the same strength as the Alpha Wolf and the Giant Black Bear. As Garnet observed it, she tried to figure out how strong it would be. It was more muscular than the Alpha Wolf, so it was not as fast. It would most likely be much faster and weaker than the Giant Black Bear, but stronger and slower than the Alpha Wolf. With this in mind, she prepared a strategy against the tiger.
"Go!" Garnet ordered her Skeletal Hounds to attack. The three of them approached the tiger.
ROAR. The Blue Tiger roared out in an attempt to get them to back away. When the Skeletal Hounds did not, the Blue Tiger faced them ready to attack. It leapt forward attempting to slash one of the Hounds. The first hound jumped backwards while the second headbutt the Blue Tiger from its sides. The Skeletal Hounds were working together. The Blue Tiger was at least as strong as the Alpha Wolf, but not as fast. Her Skeletal Hounds were each almost as strong as the Alpha Wolf already. If they leveled up, they would be frightening monsters to deal with.
Garnet walked in to close the distance. Her Skeletal Hounds were perfectly capable of taking on the Blue Tiger, but she did not want to entirely rely on them. ROAR. The Blue Tiger had spotted Garnet and ran towards her. BAM. One of the Skeletal Hounds headbutted the Blue Tiger. CHOMP. Another bit on its leg to stop it from moving. ROAR. The Blue Tiger struggled to move, but it could not with the strength of two of the Skeletal Hounds on it. The Skeletal Hounds had disabled the Blue Tiger on their own. CHOMP. The third Skeletal Hound bit on the leg diagonal to the Blue Tiger. It was completely immobilized now.
The Blue Tiger's injuries were superficial. Even though it could not move, it was still barely hurt. It tried to struggle, but the Skeletal Hounds had a tight grip on the Blue Tiger's legs. It could not move at all. The last Skeletal Hound attacked it head on, headbutting it, followed by biting down on its head. The damage was very small. Despite the incredible strength of the Skeletal Hounds, the Blue Tiger had incredible endurance. Garnet carefully approached the Blue Tiger. "Explosive Palm!" Garnet hit the head of the Blue Tiger with her new attack. BOOM. The explosive force knocked the Blue Tiger loose from the Skeletal Hounds. The Skeletal Hounds reformed around Garnet. Two of them were each carrying one of the Blue Tiger's legs.
Garnet watched the Blue Tiger as it struggled. It could not get up with two of its legs missing and now bled from its wounds as well. Garnet closed the distance and finished it off with a Horizontal Slash, cutting its body and killing it. ROAR. The Blue Tiger let out one final roar before it fell over.
Quest Complete: Slay the Blue Tiger
Reward: Experience, Fame+10
Level Up: Skeletal Hounds (Level 2)
Level Up: Skeletal Hounds (Level 3)
Her Skeletal Hounds became even stronger. However, it was not enough experience to level up though. She at least could absorb it. "Blood Absorption!" Garnet had gotten used to seeing the bodies of creatures explode into blood and enter her body.
Stat Increase: Dexterity +5
Stat Increase: Vitality +5
Stat Increase: Agility +5
Garnet had made significant progress with Blood Absorption. It was indeed a frightening power. It allowed her to take in the stats and abilities of powerful creatures that she defeated. What she wanted though were additional Summons. The Alpha Wolf only evolved an existing one while the others increased her stats. In the past two nights, Garnet had made more progress than she did training for a week against weaker enemies.
Satisfied with these results, Garnet decided to head back to Antium for now. "Go find more enemies for me," Garnet ordered. The Skeletal Hounds dispersed once more into the darkness. The Hounds would search in the day, then Garnet would hunt them at night. The results of their work combined with Blood Absorption was amazing. "I need to see if I can fight Kirk now," thought Garnet.
As Garnet left the forest, she felt a headache and rested against a tree. "I must be overdoing it again," thought Garnet. She had little rest these days when selling Wild Boar Meat and sneaking out at nights to go hunting with her Skeletal Hounds. "I'm going to take a day off today," she thought to herself.
Garnet snuck back into the city and headed to the market. Clark was no longer the only merchant. There were others now. "How's business?" Garnet asked.
"Very good," said Clark. "We have someone selling the tanned leather from the Wild Boars and someone who prepares th meat. I just sell now and I get a share."
"That's good news, but I wonder if it is enough," said Garnet.
"Of course not," said Clark. "We are only a few people, it takes a lot more than this to change the structure of a city's economy. What you did do was encourage a few people to get involved and get started at least."
The city's economy was no longer as bleak. Even though item prices were low due to avoiding tariffs and the fact that there were very little taxes to be collected, few people other than Baron Gray even cared about what they were doing. As a result, they had established a market that was not being taxed yet.
"I just worry if this market gets too big," said Clark. "The nobles might pay attention to us then."
"Persuading them is not easy," said Garnet.
"It never is," asid Clark. "The nobles that do care are too busy managing their own regions and the ones who have influence in this city only care about maximizing profits."
"It's at least a start," said Garnet.
"Yes," said Clark. "I'm glad I did not give up, and thanks to you, there is at least something that resmbles a marketplace again."
"Why did you keep selling anyways?" asked Garnet.
"My family is here," said Clark. "What little money I make, I usually give to them."
"I see," said Garnet. Despite the poor conditions of the city. Some people had reasons to not leave. For Clark, it was that his family still lived in the city. "Why doesn't your family leave Antium?" Garnet asked.
"Believe it or not, it can be dangerous outside of the city," said Clark. "Few people are willing to take the risk to travel to another city after such an enormous attack on the city."
Clark was referring to the invasion. People did not feel safe for a while after something like that, so they wanted to hide within the walls of the city at all costs. Areas close to the large cities were sometimes attacked, and it was not worth the risk to the people.
"I see," said Garnet. Protecting the city was not enough. They had to protect the roads too, but some of the nobles were doing a poor job of it. "I won't be around in a few days," said Garnet. "I hope you can take care of things from here on out."
"Of course," said Clark. "Low prices to force demand. I'm going to keep that up for a little while longer."
Garnet headed back to Zedd's Workshop. Kirk and Klarth were standing outside with a worried look on their face. "What's wrong?" Garnet asked.
"You have a visitor," said Klarth. "An important one."
Garnet headed inside. There was no one there. "Where?" Garnet shouted.
"Your room!" Kirk responded.
Garnet headed to the room in the back. It was Duke Charles Wellington. He was wearing very plain clothes. You could not tell he was a noble from the grey clothes he had on. It was very different from his usual appearance. "What are you doing here?" Garnet asked.
"I came to ask you out," said Duke Wellington.
"Like a date?!?" shouted Garnet.
"Just for food," said Duke Wellington. "Though if it was a date it would be nice."
"I don't feel well, let me sleep," said Garnet.
Duke Wellington put his hand on her forehead. Then, he put his other hand on her stomach. "Do you feel anything?" asked Duke Wellington.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
"There was a little pain in my stomach earlier," said Garnet.
"There's nothing wrong as far as I can tell, but I insist that we go somewhere," said the Duke.
"Fine!" shouted Garnet. "Let me get changed," said Garnet as she pushed Duke Wellington outside.
Garnet changed into the clothes Zedd had gotten her. She rarely wore this anymore since she was always out hunting or working at the market. "I'm hungry too, so lets go," said Garnet.
The two headed outside. Kirk and Klarth followed. "You two stay," ordered Duke Wellington. Kirk and Klarth immediately turned around and stood back outside the workshop. They did not dare to disobey him.
"They're only ordered to protect me," said Garnet.
"It's fine," said Duke Wellington. "I'm stronger than both of them put together."
Garnet had remembered when she first saw Duke Wellington's stats. He was not only level 60, but had two classes and a sub-class. He was truly someone strong. The thing was that Garnet never saw him fighting before.
"So where we going?" asked Garnet.
"Just follow me," said Duke Wellington. The two walked around to the North side of town. Duke Wellington led Garnet to a small restaurant by the North Gate. "We're here."
It was a restaurant that served potato stew. "For a moment I thought it was going to be something fancy," said Garnet.
"Do you like fancy?" Duke Wellington asked.
"Not really," said Garnet. "It's nice once in a while, but it's not something I would like to eat all the time."
"I see," said Duke Wellington. "While were hear though, call me Charles okay?"
"Alright," said Garnet.
Duke Wellington ordered a large bowl of beef potato stew. It had many pieces of beef, potato, and carrots. The price was a single gold coin. It was very expensive compared to the food at the market. Garnet only had some silver from helping out Zedd that one time. Since then, she had skipped on her earnings in favor of helping others. She watched as Duke Wellington took his bowl and scooped some out. Garnet was reluctant.
"You need to eat," said Duke Wellington as he scooped some out for her.
"I have no money," said Garnet.
"This is my treat, now eat," said Duke Wellington.
Garnet scooped some of it into her bowl and ate.
"By the way, did you check for bleeding from down there?" said Duke Wellington.
Garnet immediately spat the soup from her mouth back into her bowl. "What are you saying?" she said.
"You described your symptoms earlier and I immediately knew what it was, didn't you?" said Duke Wellington. "That's why I brought you here as well."
Garnet had remembered. The headache on her way back. The pain her stomach. She was having her monthly cycle. She had not gotten it since she arrived in this world and had forgotten about it because of everything else that she was trying to do. "I guess I forgot," said Garnet. She made a mental note to start keeping track of it.
"It happens sometimes," said Duke Wellington. "I sometimes forget to do things as well, but I just want to know that you're okay."
"What do you mean?" asked Garnet. "Why wouldn't I be okay?"
"Well, in two more days, you're going to be moving and you're going to meet your daughter for the first time in over four years," said Duke Wellington. "It's a lot to take in and I just wanted to make sure that you were at east for such a thing."
"Thank you, Charles," said Garnet.
"I know that you're suspicious of me as well," said Duke Wellington. "I would be too, but I want to show you that there is nothing to worry about."
Garnet had been suspicious of him. He was doing a lot of things for her without a second thought. Her memories of him had been wiped from her mind, so she had no idea about their relationship. However, he was the only one who was seriously trying to do things to fix the city. For that alone, she was grateful. "Listen," said Garnet.
"What is it?" asked Duke Wellington.
"If I am satisfied with the way you run things, then I agree," said Garnet.
"Agree to what?" asked Duke Wellington.
"I will marry you as long as you agree to my conditions," said Garnet.
"What are the conditions?" asked Duke Wellington.
"First, I want to be able to travel if needed," said Garnet. "Second, I want the ability to see my child. I do not want to be blocked off from her for any reason. Third, I wish to have input regarding important decisions."
"I agree if you visit me and our children at least once a year," said Duke Wellington. He did not even take a moment to think about it.
"So fast?!?" said Garnet. "Don't you need time to think about this?"
"I already have," said Duke Wellington. "We also had this discussion years ago."
"What do you mean?" asked Garnet.
"It was not too long ago that you were still a slave," said Duke Wellington. "When you were, you convinced me that only those with power can change a system. And if the people at the top do not change it, it is those at the bottom that will force that change. I fear that if I do not at least try to begin making changes, there will be a revolution soon."
"So what does this have to do with me?" asked Garnet.
"I used the information you collected while you were working at the brothel to consolidate my power," said Duke Wellington. "Now, I have a small advantage over the other Dukes, but what I need is an overwhelming advantage."
"And how are you going to do that?" asked Garnet. "Are you going to fight them?"
"Of course not," said Duke Wellington. "A civil war would be extremely damaging and further divide our already messed up country. I'm going to give them a just cause to join me and fight against anyone who is against change."
Garnet took a look at the mark on the back of her hand. The flower with five petals. The mark that she was a slave. But, she did not want to be taken advantage of and neither did he. "Is there any way to get rid of this?" asked Garnet.
"Not that I know of," said Duke Wellington. "It is a very powerful spell and it cannot be removed by anyone except the person who made it or by a magician that is as strong as the original caster."
"I mean slavery as a whole," asked Garnet.
"That is impossible," said Duke Wellington. "Many nobles own slaves and it would be impossible to have them get rid of it immediately, but it is possible to have some regulations so they cannot abuse slaves without consequence. For now, I can at least guarantee that slaves will at least be protected from others, but not their own masters."
It was impossible to get people to abandon something. Change required time and the mentality of people to change. "Do you know who made this one?" asked Garnet. "The symbol clearly belongs to someone."
"That is the crest of the Duchess of the East, Duchess Kiko," said Duke Wellington.
"A woman is a Duke?!?" said Garnet. She did not know this. Most of the leadership so far were men and that was what she expected in this kind of society.
"Yes," said Duke Wellington. "She is the only female Duke, we call her the Duchess. She even has an elite squad of female soldiers."
"Does she have female knights as well?" asked Garnet.
"Except for their leader, no," said Duke Wellington. "The Duchess knows what happens to female prisoners, so she was reluctant to employ any but a few and only the very best."
"I see," said Garnet. "That makes sense."
"Do you want to get it removed?" asked Duke Wellington as he pointed to the crest on her hand. "I know someone who can get rid of it for you."
"No," said Garnet. "It serves as a reminder of who I am and what I am."
"And what is that?" asked Duke Wellington.
"It is a reminder that I have a duty that I must complete," said Garnet. "It was entrusted to me by Zedd and he is counting on me."
"I understand," said Duke Wellington. "May I ask what he asked you to do?" The Duke's expression changed.
"Just to save some people," said Garnet. She could not tell him that the Garnet that he knew now only existed in his memories now. Although the old Garnet's memories greatly influenced her, she was a different person, but she also did not want to completely abandon the old Garnet either. She had a life before Riley merged with Garnet to create the new Garnet. She wanted to at least live a life that would make the old Garnet happy in some way, hoping that the memories of the old Garnet would be satisfied with her choices and accomplishments.
"Is that all?" asked Duke Wellington.
"That's all he told me," said Garnet.
"I see," said Duke Wellington. "He's probably hiding something."
"I know," said Garnet. "But I'm not going to push it since he seems to be trying to help me."
"Is there anything else you want to ask?" asked Duke Wellington.
"I want to know more about you as well," said Garnet.
"Let's see, where to begin..." said Duke Wellington. "Well, you know I was born into a noble family, my father was Duke Charlie Wellington and I was named after him. My mother inherited the title of Duchess after her marriage."
"That's not what I want to know about," Garnet interrupted. "I want to know more about you."
"I thought this wasn't a date," Duke Wellington replied.
"It doesn't have to be to get to know you," said Garnet. It had become a date without her realizing it. She was interested in what type of person the Duke was. He knew a lot about her, but she knew little about him. Without others around, she would be able to freely question him without interference.
"Well, I value the opinion of others," said Duke Wellington. "But I must insist on having the final decision. I don't mind objecting to the rules of others, but I need to have power behind me to back that up in case they try to threaten me. I believe that a ruler is only as strong as his or her weakest supporter."
"That's not telling me anything other than your ideology," said Garnet. "What do you like to do?"
"I enjoy spending time with Ruby," said Duke Wellington. "But other than that, I haven't had much enjoyment in my life."
"Why's that?" asked Garnet.
"I'm often preoccupied with managing my territory and my free time is spent with Ruby making sure that she is happy," said Duke Wellington. "I don't want her to end up without parents."
"Did you lose your parents at a young age?" asked Garnet.
"My father died about six years ago and I inherited everything," said Duke Wellington. "He taught me that a good leader needs to earn the respect of his people and that has been what I have been trying to do. Unfortunately, it is much more difficult to do."
"Is that why you want me to meet Ruby?" Garnet asked.
"Yes," said Duke Wellington. "She wants to meet her birth mother. Even when she gets sent to a school, I want her to know that she has a family that loves her very much and that a good leader is more than just about being strong."
Garnet realized the Duke was not doing this because he wanted power. He wanted Garnet to be in Ruby's life. Even though Duke Wellington benefited from marrying Garnet, he was not doing it for himself, he was doing it for his daughter. To him, Ruby was what mattered the most.
Spoiler :
Name: Garnet
Level: 8
Class: Dark Mage
Sub-class: Temptress
Stats:
HP: 690/690
MP: 1740/1740
Fame: 20
Strength: 20 (+5)
Dexterity: 11 (+7)
Intelligence: 40 (+22)
Vitality: 20 (+5)
Agility: 17 (+7)
Charisma: 19 (+10)
PROFICIENCY: Weapon:
- One Handed Sword - 6
Magic:
- Fire – 4
- Lightning – 5
- Wind – 1
- Summoning – 7
- Blood - 3
SKILLS: Weapon (One Handed Sword):
- Horizontal Slash (Level 3)
- Double Slash (Level 2)
- Crescent Slash
Weapon (Hand to Hand):
- Palm Strike
- Wind Palm
- Explosive Palm
- Lightning Palm
Class (Dark Mage):
- Fire Bolt (Level 5)
- Lightning Bolt (Level 6)
- Chain Lightning (Level 1)
- Light (Level 1)
- Air Bullet (Level 2)
- Mana Strike (Level 2)
- Mana Shield (Level 2)
- Call: Skeletal Hounds (Level 3)
- Recall
- Dismiss
- Enhanced Mana Regeneration (Level 1)
- Blood Absorption (Level 4)
Sub-class (Temptress):
- Enhanced Body (Level 2)
- Captivation: (Level 2)
- Mind Read: (Level 1)
- Drain Will (Level 3)
- Sexy Walk (Level 1)
- Stealth (Level 1)
- Shadow Walk (Level 1)
Tradeskills:
- Hunting (Level 3) - Hunter
- Cooking (Level 4) - Cook
- Inspection (Level 1)
- Inventory Expansion (Level 2) Passives:
- Hand to Hand (Level 1)
- One Handed Sword (Level 1)
- Reflex (Level 3)
- Speed (Level 6)
- Physical Resistance (Level 2) Unique:
- Hero System (Passive)
- Otherworldly Knowledge (Passive)
- Golden Tongue (Passive)
- Mana Compatibility (Passive)
- Quick Learner (Passive)
- Channeling (Passive)
- Charging (Passive)