39 - Chapter 38 - Day 1825
“All right.” said Adya. She was not going to compound the issue by rushing in. This situation could easily be a trap for her. “What do we know for certain, and what are the assumptions?”
“We know that the trade caravan is late.” replied Parth. “We have received reports from others about a potential attack. We have sent out our own people to validate the reports.”
“So actually we don’t know anything yet.” replied Adya, “Apart from the fact that they are running late. I am assuming they will send out someone to tell us about the hostage situation and demand a ransom?”
“If that is what has happened, then yes.” replied Parth, “If it’s something else we may not find out until it’s too late.”
“Ok, how many days for us to find out more?” asked Adya. This was all sounding fishy to her.
“Even at their best speed,” replied Parth. “We will not hear anything back for a week to 10 days, maybe even longer.”
“So this is not something that can be resolved fast.” replied Adya. “Can you send some people to see if Jarel and Thomas are still here. They were with me just before I came here, and they were going to pack provisions for their trip.”
Parth tasked multiple guards with finding the two cultivators, who immediately went off to search.
This situation made Adya keenly aware of the absence of what she considered basic technology. There was no easy way to communicate, even at a local level. Forget about instantaneous communications over longer ranges. Her todo list was increasing, and if she could create devices or artefacts to cover the gaps, she would bring about unprecedented change. It would also increase the risk she would be under.
It all came back to securing backing in the short term, and gaining enough power in the long term. As Adya was lost in the musings, one of the guards rushed back to report that Jarel and Thomas would meet her in her suite in a few minutes.
“Let me go and see if I can get some help,” said Adya. “Parth, please give me the up to date report on the caravan situation.”
She took the report and returned back to her own suite.
“So the situation is this.” said Adya, once she was back in her living room and had secured the door. “There is reason to believe that my family’s main caravan has been attacked, and it’s possible that they are being held hostage. I need information, here is the full report.”
She handed the report to Jarel. He quickly read over it, then handed it to Thomas.
“We can get into the area within a day to see what is going on. What would you like us to do once we find these bandits.”
“That will depend on the makeup of the group that was stupid enough to target us.” replied Adya. “If they are all non cultivators, then simply kill them all while ensuring that nothing happens to my family or our retainers. If they are cultivators, then that will depend on their numbers and composition. In that case, one of you should stay to keep an eye on the group, and the other return for further orders. If we can turn our enemies into assets, then I will not be disappointed. However, we will not take any action that will jeopardise my family or retainers.”
“That is clear enough.” asked Jarel. “What about our existing mission?”
“If you can do both, then do so.” replied Adya. “If not, prioritise finding out about what happened to my family. We can go back to the mission straight after this issue is dealt with. How long till I can get a report?”
“If we leave now, then one of us can return with news by the day after tomorrow.” replied Thomas.
“If you are ready, then be on your way.” replied Adya. “And be careful, this smells like a trap to me. Everything points towards it. Prioritise getting information back to me, rather than getting into a fight. Now if you are packed, you should be on your way.”
With that they both left, leaving Adya to go back to her training. There was not much more she could do without information. She decided not to tell the rest of the family that she had tasked the 2 cultivators to go after her father. It should have been impossible to target her family without insider help. The question was, whether the support was external or internal.
It seemed like their family really had been targeted and thoroughly infiltrated. She had Parth accelerate the timeline to have thoroughly vetted the rest of the staff and all spies identified.
This did leave her more work in terms of soul marking the guilty, then having to spend some of the time to interview her new adherents. The two days passed quickly with no additional information reaching the family.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
On the morning of the third day, Jarel returned accompanied by a female cultivator. He repeated the setup he had with Thomas. The three were soon seated in Adya’s private parlour.
Once seated with refreshments, Adya distracted the new cultivator. “So Cultivator,” she asked in a deferential tone. “What brings you so far? How may house Gurg help?”
As the woman went to answer, Jarel leaned forward, making it look like he was going to take some refreshments, and swiftly attached a talisman to her back. This caused her to collapse, though it was obvious that the talisman was not as effective as it had been against Thomas.
Adya wasted no time in using her skill to apply the formation to the woman. She did not feel comfortable until the usual prompt came up.
The person you are trying to soul mark (loyalty enforcement formation) is bound by an existing loyalty formation. The formation is ultimately controlled by a tier 10 entity.
You are unable to override or break the existing formation.
This was followed by the next prompt.
Scion protocol activated.
Highest rarity class identified as tier 9. Scion protocol temporary boost applied.
Scion protocol disabled tracking and reporting associated with formation.
Options
1, Override the existing formation, replacing it with your own.
2, Break the existing formation while allowing failsafes to take effect.
3, Break the existing formation and suppress all failsafes.
She selected option 1. The last prompt of the series appeared.
Override of existing formation attempted. Please select one of the following options.
1, Leave formation in place, making all its effects inert.
2, Leave formation in place, and replace the formation controller with Adya Gurg.
In both cases the soul mark will still be created. The soul mark will take precedence over the formation in all situations.
She again picked option 2. Massive amounts of mana and willpower drained out of her body just as it had last few times, except it took a lot longer this time. It took over an hour and emptying her resource pools before the process completed. Just from that she could guess that this woman was at least a tier 6.
As they waited for the woman to completely go through the process, Adya asked Jarel for a report.
“The cultivator is a tier 6 called Eveline.” replied Jarel. “I know that she was also looking for you. Though I have not managed to work out which group she is working for.”
“What of my family and the caravan?” asked Adya.
“She was hidden in another bandit group, though one that is much bigger and better funded.” replied Jarel. “I am not sure of the details, but we do believe that this is the group that captured your caravan. Thomas is still looking to learn more about the current status.”
Since Jarel was unable to provide any more information, then Adya returned to her practice while waiting for Eveline to return to consciousness. Adya was happy with her progress and the speed with which she could now mark even a tier 6. If they were able to catch them unawares, it may be easier to build out her team. Still Adya was not in the mood to take any risks with her future. Without adequate strength behind her, a tier 6 would be able to kill her entire family and take her prisoner with ease. Still with a tier 6 of her own, it would give her some protection.
It took a while before Evelin started to stir. She was quick to get back to her feet, and look around her for the threat that had knocked her out.
“Calm down and take a seat Evelin.” ordered Adya. “You are not to attack anyone without my express permission. Now what were your orders and how long has it been since you were sent on your current assignment.”
Evelin was astounded when she was forced to comply with the absurd orders of a child. She tried to resist, and even question what had happened to her, but that just left to suffer from debilitating soul pain. The pain ramped up and up until Evelin started to answer the questions, and then the pain vanished as if it had never existed. Even as she answered, she could not work out how she had ended up in this situation.
“I was tasked with finding a child, and securing them,” replied Evelin through gritted teeth. “I received my orders around 2 months ago on my regular check in with the council. How are you doing this to me?”
“Are you aware of the formation that council gave you?” asked Adya.
“I am, what does the augmentation have to do with this?” asked Evelin even more bewildered. “And how do you even know about that?”
“Interesting, they never told you the true purpose of the formation.” mused Adya. “What do you mean by securing the child?”
“I was told to bring them under council control by any means necessary.” replied Eveline. “Who exactly are you, and what true purpose?” She was getting more and more confused in this conversation.
“Well the formation is actually capable of taking control over and compelling your actions.” replied Adya. “Since I have now taken control over it, you are now my indentured retainer. Don’t worry I am not as cruel as your former masters. I suggest you take a look at your status screen before we continue.”
“You also may not plan to betray me, or my family.” continued Adya. “Nor may you take any action or inaction to cause us harm.”
Evelin was left stunned. As a tier 6 she was usually the strongest in any setting. How had she managed to get herself captured, and how did this girl control her. She had a hard time believing anything she was being told. It made no sense. She had been told that the formation was to augment her abilities and would be required for her to progress. She had felt the boost that it gave her. As she was going through the options, she decided to look at her status. There was no point in being subject to that pain again for such an innocuous request.
As she looked at her status screen, her face paled. Not only was there a new entry there, but it was unlike anything that she had ever seen before. Just who was this girl and how had she managed to mark her. What did this mean for her future?