Vella, as the kids had introduced her, was quite stubborn and even more suspicious, though eventually she asked that the four of them be allowed to speak with the others in their village before deciding. Rex just shrugged at that and let it go. He acompanied the four inside their little village, and waited around untill the kids were gathered and they discussed the issue at hand. Rex was not idle though, his army of constructs moving ever forward towards the White Peak. He had enough info and maps to be able to do such a task with relative ease, thus, the blood tide washing over the Echlisiarchy continiued its path.
A while later, the four who Rex had met came out of their impromptu meeting hall, having come to an understanding. Vella once again stood in front of her younger compatirots, even more serious expression on her face. "We would like to take up that offer, no matter how shady I thing it sounds." She spoke with her ever furrowed brow, going even lower, making Rex wonder if the girl could even smile. Regardless, he had secured the kids and youngsters here, and would do just as he offered. Safe passage and jobs once they were in Blythe. He felt just a little bit of camaraderie with the young archons after all.
"Though we wish to witness your advance of the White Peak. However due to the likely nature of your actions there we have also decided that I can stand in for the rest of my brothers and sisters." Vella spoke now.
"Fair enough. Though I do hope you know what you are asking for. It will not be pretty. War never is."
Upon recieving a nod of confirmation, Rex told the remaining kids to go and gather the thiings they want to take with them, while gesturing to Vella to folow him. A few moments later Rex and the young woman were both on top of his palaquin serpent, as they moved towards the White Peak. During the hour that was necesaary for them to reach the destination they remained mostly silent, exchanging no words besides some extra tidbits Vella knew about Adriana.
X---------X
Dong! Dong! Dong!......
The sound of the bell resounded through out the White Peak, pulling everyone away from whatever they were doing up untill now. The scouts had seen the aproaching monster tide and rushed back here to warn the oracles a short while ago. As everyone scurried towards their posts, doing whatever they had been asigned to do in case of an attack. Adriana Arten stood in her tower as she too looked in the dirrection of the aproaching blood tide. She saw more than most people did when they looked in the dirrection. She saw a perfectly formed and controlled army, wasting no resources or energy as they aproached.
No, it was no mindless tide of monsters. There was a mastermind behind it all, and she felt it clearly that said mastermind had nothing good in mind regarding the fate of the residents of the Peak. Sure, they were heavily fortified in their position, sure the distress signal had already been sent to the leaders of the Echlisiarachy, and they only had to hold out for a while before they would be recieving assistance from them. Even still, she felt uneasy, having sensed a coming crisis a while ago, and now finally knowing what it reffered to.
She saw as the monsters came closer and closer, eventually stopping a few hundred meters away from their walls. Even as she gazed towards the endless army or blood red monsters, with a rather solemn look on her face, clearly worried about the coming siege, her thoughts were drifting in the dirrection of the archons she had spirited away and saved during her reign as the Grand Oracle. A position she had asumed a almost half a decade ago, after the death of the previous Grand Oracle.
Growing up as the daughter of one of the dukes had allowed her to avoid the heavy brainwashing the peasants went through, allowing her to see most archons as unfortunate souls who had earned the ire of their prophet way back, when the man lived. Thus, she had done her very best to secretly save as many of them as she could, earning a reputation as extremely ruthless n her ways, leaving not even corpes behind after she was done with the 'forsaken'. Of course, how could there be a corpse left if she had spirited them away and hiden them in a very secret and well hidden village in the cursed forest. Unfortunately, that was where the monster army had come from, causing her no small amount of worries. The kids in the village would be no hurdle for such an army. She just hoped it would have passed the village without noticing it.
"What are they waiting for?'' A question came from her side, the paladin commander in charge of the defences asked her, having come up just mere moments ago.
"Their commander perhaps?" She responded, thinking over the question, but before she could express any other possibility, a much larger serpent than the rest exited the rows of minsters and slithered towards the gate of the fortified monastery city. A rather large and regal looking palaquin was situated atop the giant serpents back, a couple of people sitting on its balcony. Less than fifty meters away from the walls the serpents stopped, then throughout the city a voice was heard, clearly coming from the people on top of the serpent construct.
"Adriana Arten and the leader of the White Peak, I await you in front of your gate. Lets have a talk before we commence. Might save some lives after all."
"They do not know your position as the ruler of the White peak, calling you by name and the position you hold by its title. What might be their purpose?" The paladin captain asked, a frown on his face getting more and more pronounced.
"It matters little at this point. I might as well meet them, hear what they have to say to me. We need to stall them as long as possible, for I doubt we can weather the assault of the force before us as we are right now."
"Nonsense Oracle. With my paladins and the assistance of the oracles there is nothing we cannot overcome. Sure, the numbers seem somewhat high, I agree with you there, but we have more than enough power within our grasp to overcome this challenge." The head paladin reassured, overly enthusiastic about the chance to prove their military superiority in front of both the enemy and the oracles living here. Which paladin did not desire an oracle as a mate. Both as a prestige as well as the potential the possible ofspring might have. The fact that oracles, for whatever reason, also tended to be notably above average in the looks department only sweetened the possibility further.
"Be it as it may, I am not willing to discard an advantage when I am given one. We might just gleam a weakness or two of the man leading the monster horde during the talk." The oracle made her stance clear, as she turned and quickly descended her tower, though not before sending a message towards the gate. And so, during the twenty or so minutes she needed to reach their would be assailant, Rex had been informed by a brave guard regarding Adrianas late arrival. Something Rex did not begrudge the woman, though he was suprised to hear the woman was quite important in the fotress city. Still, his goals remained as is and so he waited.
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"My apologies for the wait." Adriana spoke with a slight bow in the dirrection of their would be attackers, now more than just wary of the duo opposite her. Upon her arrival, they had dismounted their palaquin, and sat in rather comfortable chairs in front of a rather well crafted table, all pulled out from one of the storage rings they had. She too was now sitting in a similar chair, a courtesy of the enemy as well. Though the paladin captain was left standing behind her back, his jaw clenched in anger for the obvious disrespect he had been showed. Though Adriana reasoned the palading was more enraged by the young womans existance at the table, seeing as she was an archon. Even more startling was the actual identity of the archon girl. After all, Adriana was very familiar with Vella, She herself had spirited away the girl from one particularily nasty inquisitor, under the guise of her desiring to purge the filth herself. The pile of ashes due to her going overboard a little had not only fooled the inquisitor, but also caused the man to praise her for her zeal and determination to cleanse the world. A praise that Adriana felt sick of recieving.
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Still, the facts were right in front of her. To her horror, the army in front of their fortress had found the hiden village, but it seems only Vella was spared for whatever reason. Still, it did not mean Adriana could show her concern openly, not in front of the palading who's ears were pricking up, hoping for any signal to make his move and attempt to kill the master of the horde, or so he asumed the cloaked man to be for this army. Thus she kept a neutral expression, though her eyes were glued to Vella, inquiring of her wellbeing and condition, as well as the fate of her new frieds.
"Whats with the insect? I am sure I required your presence alone. No roaches were called for." The masked man spoke in an indifferent tone, displeased, but ultimately not caring much abut the paladins presence. He was destined to die this day, there were no questions in Rex mind, especially more so, after he revealed the enourmous hatred he held for the archons, no matter the cirmumstances. The pure hatred in teh eyes and the clenched jaw was more than enough for Rex to understand the issue, thus came the question.
"My apologies, but he insisted I am escorted, lest I be taken advantage of." Adriana responded. "Apologies for that too, though I am not too pleased with the presence of your army at my doorstep, if I may be blunt. What is the reason for seeking me specifically out, and the reason of your military presence here?"
"Well, i did not expect the Adriana I was told about by Vella and the kids would also happen to be not oly the ruler of White Peak but also the high oracle of the Echlisiarchy. Though seeing how shocked Vella was, neither did she." Seeing Adrian tense up when Rex was linking her to the archon kids, and the small glance she shot towards the seething paladin, who was still boiling in his own juices, having failed to connect the dots. "Still, that does change little where it matters." Then he looked towards Vella "That her?".
"Yes undoubtedly, though she seems way more tense and tired than ussual." Vella responded and confirmed his question.
"Noted." Then he returned his focus to Adriana. "As for why I am here, with an army no less, is rather simple if you think about it. The White Peak will fall, and the oracles within will be enslaved, their bodies used to atone for the sins of their nation. You however, get a light pass, what with your benevolecce towards the hunted kids and all. You will still be a slave, like the rst of your sisters. But noatonement through flesh for you. A small mercy I know, but the best you can hope for."
The palading did not even get to rage as he tried to draw his weapon for the insult, but was blasted away by a powerfull strike from Rex aura.
"Stay down dog. Adults are talking." Rex sneered as he returned his attention to Adriana once more.
A heavy sigh escaped Adrianas mouth, then she spoke "Your army seems mighty indeed, and while I do believe you capable of taking our home, enough time will have passed for the rest of the Echlisiarchy to come and deal with you, so why not abbandon the idea all together. I can go as far as not to chase after you and yours."
"Ha, ha ha ha ha." Rex laughed at her counter proposal, glancing towards Vella as he did so.
"You did not say she loved to joke around as well." he spoke as his laughter subsided. "There is no help coming, I havbe made sure of that, and your home will fall. Day or two later, it matters not. Hell, you can even go and join the defence of said home. It will all fall and then, they will all become slaves, and there will be nothing you can do to stop it. And Vella here, along her friends from teh small village will get you to look after them in their new home."
His words caused Adriana to stiffen up and bite her lip in frustration. Sure, she was happy that the kids she had saved might find a home among other people, but the danger looming over the oracles was more pressing and much greater in scope. Though she still doubted the strangers ability to actually make his words a reality.
"Its okay Vella, she will be going with you after the siege is over. She has quite a lot of reasons to do so. After all, should she decide to end her life or something, I will make it a point to create a rather extensive and unbearable torture plan for her oracle sisters." Rex spoke as he saw the young woman next to him start to fidget in worry about their friend and benefactor.
"Why? Why would you even consider to go to such lengths against people who have not slighted you in the least?" Adriana then asked, both curious and buying every second she could. The sheer confidence and calmness in the way the man spoke caused her to become more and more uneasy. The longer she stayed in his presence the more she came to believe the man was not speaking out of his ass, but actually had the ability to pull off whatever he was promising.
"After my birth, I survived your customs " Was the only answer he gave as he removed his hood, revealing another archon, then he added another comment.
"Besides, since the kids were housed in a secluded village just for archons I am assured tha tthe people here, you not including, are the same as that paladin. Thus they deserve no leeway from me. We are done here, so go back to your fortress and prepeare for what is to come. Unless of course you are willing to surrender yourself right here and now. Save yourself from a bit of pain."
Seeing the woman justshake her head in denail, Rex sighed, shaked his head but did nothing to stop the woman from rising up and leaving their conversation table, returning to the safety of the walls.
"Heh, safety." Rex smirked at the thought. "If only they knew."
He then waited another twenty minutes before his constructs moved as they began their charge towards the thick and fortified walls keeping him from his prize. Numerous oracles were waiting for him on the other side, and he refused to not realize his dream of a high class establishment by the name of Neo's Holy Whores. It simply brought a smile to his face every time he imagined it. Ahh, good times to be had.
Rex was also more than aware that this here endeavour would expend quite a few of his blood serpent constructs, The place was heavily fortified, loaded with casters and paladins, and quite absent of regular civilians, thus there were no real suppy of the material needed to make much more new constructs, though the few he would create would no doubt be top of the line in quality. Due to the method of crafting them, he was sure he could get not only innitial level S class constructs, but even some mid to high tier S class. Those he did not have in near large enough quantities for his liking.
With Vella back on the palaquin, far away from the actual fighting, Rex could also get his blade slaked in blood. Something he could feel his sword craving for. He was sure the countless lives ended on the blade had started to crystalize the weapon into a demonic balde, not only strenghtening the weapon itself, but also elevating its sharpness and making it lighter as well. There was no inherent evil in the sword, nor would it start to corrupt the wielder into more and more of a slaugtering psycho. It just was a way the blades could grow with the user. And so, Limitless, being a high quality magical wapon had slowly started to go through said evolution.
Still, his blade worked like it always did, cutting through anything in its path like butter, and Rex had no reservations about utilizing the blade for its intended purpose- to kill things. Rex had reached the walls in record time, causing a slight panic at the point he arrived on the wall, immediatly getting to further his blades evolution. With his unreasonably elevated strenght and speed it had been no problem to reach the top of the wall, gaining access to paladins defending the place. How silly was the palading commander to think his side had even a sliver of hope not only stopping, but eventually wither and overcome the assault of his army and himself. Annoyingly, they did create the sitiuation where Rex was slightly bothered, namely the zealous state of the paladins who had entirely fell under the paladin commanders command and battle cries. Though Rex was sure it would not last for long.