"An intense flash in the skies heralding the coming of a divine avatar. Men and God bound as one!"
On Warfare tactics: Imperium and Its states edition.
William watched from the skies as his army of subjects prepared the battlefield with speed unmatched. Power flowed through him like an ocean and he finally could fly!
The first take-off felt like a dream, He blasted through the skies of Wulfgrem so fast he managed to create a sonic boom! only of course to have his magic shield break and crash like a rock in the snow as Saa'ryu ran after him.
"Damn you Lucrezia. Was the blessing that strong that you got a fire lit under your ass?! Do you know how worried I was when we grabbed your broken mess of a body from the snowbank? you should thank Wilson for his breakthrough in the shield spell because without him you would've been dead you hear me, dead! Gods bloody young people and their blessings!"
Lucrezia laughed apply in his mind when seeing her maid lose her marbles at him. Memories of her doing the same over the years as the young heir climbed trees, hunt for dangerous beasts, and tried to tame a "griffon" once only to realize she had brought in a starved Dire Wolf to her castle.
Good memories...If only they were truly his and not hers. William could now feel how strong the bound was. That of which tied him and Lucrezia so, if he had to put in a percentage it would be on the upper 60s. He had asked her multiple times if she was alright with it and the answer was always yes.
Didn't make the fact he had done the unspeakable both in the divine realm and in the real world...
"I think we are past being ashamed now William" Lucrezia spoke in his mind with mirth "This so-called internet is a well, I don't have words for it to be honest" she laughed cheerfully "I can sense you still have some reservations about this so I will respect your sensibilities for the moment... As it stands now our forces will be ready for battle yes? And the villages on the path to the capital?" Lucrezia asked.
"We have already laid the foundation for a network of tunnels to the two villages, the steel spikes were also deployed" William answered with a hint of pride in his voice.
Electromagnetism! To command, such a power was a blessing indeed. He knew that down south many a mage had an inborn affinity towards the fire element and his Ice Magic would be getting hard countered. Not now, with the power of thunder and lightning at his fingertips, he would become the good old all-rounder. Melee and Magic both serving him against the myriad enemies lying in the shadows.
The Steel spikes were born out of a drunken talk that ended in a dare together with Idun and Wilson. Using them William could command a strike that normally would take ages to cast and demand a reserve of mana even someone with 6 blessings such as he couldn't meet.
It shook the ground when after setting up the 20 spikes William called down the veritable finger of god. Erwin had even sounded the horn believing the Prince had begun his attack earlier!
He got another earful from that. Erwin sounding like his father was a sight William was not about to forget anytime soon.
It felt weird living through Lucrezia's memories of her parents, before they got corrupted they were the image of good people. Fair if somewhat harsh in their dealings. She on the other hand couldn't say the same for William's as his memories were tinged with many negative feelings towards his progenitors. An unhealthy attitude according to Lucrezia but one she wouldn't judge since she hadn't lived in those memories as William did.
Lucrezia wasn't afraid anymore. In her words, she made peace with the melding of souls if that were to happen. Of course, they were still going to learn Necromancy and Mind Magic to free each other from their bond but for her was ok if they failed.
William on the other hand couldn't escape such fear. It haunted him like a wraith, the idea that his entire being would become something else. Something other that wasn't him. That fear kept him awake for days.
"To think Raa'Tyrius's Sphere of Power would give such boons, The workers being capable of so much in such a short period. Of course, the drain on the food reserves wasn't been kind and Hraax had to supplement their diets with the produce of the sea..." Lucrezia pondered "Idun assured you this will be ready just in time his armies arrive yes?"
"That he did. Thanks to my Greater Blessing we can further tap into Earth's weaponry and the prototype bolt action rifle has passed the stress tests with flying colors. Idun has already made enough to field half the Army and the drills are happening as we speak. But the battery designs haven't translated super well and we will be unable to automate them."
William looked towards the massive bunkers shaped with magic and druid powers and spoke "Ardarite shells will pierce anything magical short of a company worth of high tier mages" He cast his gaze towards the smaller bunkers with the "Magi-Tech Autocannon MK8" made by Idun and fully automated "Those bastards better hold, I can't believe we had to go through 7 iterations for something so simple! Without those, we won't be able to weather the Mercenaries charges that the price will no doubt send it first to soften us up"
"And the trenches?" Lucrezia asked.
"Once the infantry moves in our soldiers will hold the line there. If morale isn't broken by the cluster payloads of the cannons of course" William responded. "Man-portable mortars teams will also help in the regard" With a smile he recalled something else "And the Magi-Tech horses for when we charge straight at the prince's camp, those contraptions will fear no magic and no steel as we trample his people down"
"And kill scores of good Knights who's an only sin was serving their houses...Steel yourself, William for this time the people you will kill are not blackhearted villains but good men and women who you spent time in the past" Lucrezia sucked up air and continued "We do what we must. To avenge those who were wronged and killed we too must commit the foulest of deeds. For it is our duty"
"And we will uphold it, no matter the cost"
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William was training with Wilson on new ways to manipulate his lighting powers when A orc dressed in Vanguard plate showed up. The huge man spoke nary a word as he left a plain steel box on top of William's desk and bowed.
"More weapons Lady Lucrezia? Gods above you are barely a noblewoman now!" Wilson laughed "Leanu keeps saying you will be bullied by the nobles down south next year in the Academy but I doubt it! Who would dare to mess with someone that can bend steel and summon forth Lighting from it!"
"Our cousins in the south are in for a treat all right my friend" William said as he opened the box.
Inside of it were two pistols. William in a rare bout of patriotic fervor had explained the time-tested design of the 1911 handgun to Idun and the smith was all but enamored with the weapon! So simple yet sturdy! A genius design that every the lowest of commoners could understand! Of course, William barely knew the inner workings of the damn thing but somehow his ramblings of half-forgotten Youtube Videos and late-night documentaries were enough for the Blessing to kick in and bless them with the weapon.
And now he had two of them! Black and White and with Lucrezia's name engraved on the side by Idun who also named the weapon after her! The young woman in question was quite pleased by the fact. Even after being reminded that it was a weapon, not a bridge or street.
It used mana crystals same as every other weapon Idun and he had made. Leanu had fashioned a special bandolier for William that was "all the rage with the High Elves" so it looked good, Lucrezia wasn't a fan saying it was too tacky for her tastes but William brushed that away as the north's sense of fashion was always squarely on the utilitarian side. She on the other hand told William that he was wrong and he only needed to look at their closet.
"Wilson, can you summon a target?" He asked after inspecting the weapon.
The mage who was reading a tome snapped his fingers without even looking up and an earthen target made itself manifest from the castle's courtyard soil. William loaded a pure Mana Crystal into the weapon who sucked the entire thing like a sink and fired away.
The projectiles were blue and punched through the target with ease! twice as strong as a regular Magic Missile. And William knew that loading Crystals from other elements would net him specific projectiles as well.
Without having to spend a drop of mana to weave an element in the Magic Missile spell William now had in his hands another game-changer piece of weaponry. And one of the mages of the world would take years to bridge the gap with their arcane mastery! All he needed now was to finish his nuclear program and have the perfect deterrent against retaliation from the crown together with his ties with the Arch-Duke.
God bless that magical mine! William thought to himself with glee as he loaded an Ice Crystal and a Lighting Crystal to each pistol and began firing away. Magical Ice enclosing the hole and spreading at an alarming rate as the lightning arced across the entire target and even zapped the air around it!
"Wilson, Fire Crystal" He spoke and the mage snapped his fingers again. A fire Crystal the size of a watermelon popped and William had his pistol suck the bastard hole.
When he fired, the projectile took a solid second to form like a ball of fire the same size appeared and went flying towards the target. It slammed against it and baked the early in a second flat! William could feel the infernal heat from his position. Wilson made a waving motion at the ball of fire and spoke "Bigger crystals make for Bigger projectiles huh, gotta speak with Idun later..."
William took a hard long look at his new weapons and sighed in relief.
Soon it would be time to put all of his preparations to work.
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"She didn't notice a thing. Stop being such a paranoid wreck, William! Gods above it's like you have a geas placed on your or something..." Lucrezia said as William and she jogged across the expanded soul space. The monolith now towering over the horizon as streams of ethereal mana funnel from the skies into it.
The Blessing Gate was known by necromancers as the divine manifestation of power inside the mortals they gave their boons to their chosen. Many a mage even those who didn't focus on soul magic tried to pry open its secrets but no one had even come close to doing it so.
"I saw her face Lucrezia. And I'm not a paranoid wreck! I am a healthy skeptic who knows when the goddamn field marshal of an entity that's above gods can sniff my Terran ass from half a mile! I'm appalled at your lack of urgency regarding this since it is twice as worst for you. If news gets out that we are dealing with those from beyond the stars we will be branded heretics"
Nevermind the fact that a thrice-damned angel had come to "aid" him. William simply couldn't process that particular fact still even after months in this new reality of his. Belief never was something enforced in his household after all. It was merely tradition from his mother's side without an ounce of faith or zealousness. A surprise for him as he learned fast the dire reality many of his peers in colleges had to go through thanks to it.
And if the other pantheons were real as Lucrezia had implied they were would William receive assistance from his part of the family? According to his grandfather, they had ties all over Europe from France to Siberia. Never mind the fact his grandmother from his mother's side had told him once they had ancestry all over Mexico and other Central American countries.
All these deities were of course under the watchful eye of the All-Father and the other higher beings of his level who locked Earth away. Why? William wondered as his thoughts came and went in a stream of consciousness that made him zone out as he jogged through the forest that Saal'Xhir's dragon was.
"As I said before you oaf, she probably mistook it with the Rage. All-Mother is known to dislike its users so we are fine, trust me on this" Lucrezia said with a spring in her step. William's deeper connection with her told him that she did believe her words and thought that he was being way too paranoid. After all, no god had even noticed their melded soul in the divine realm, right?
Right.
William was still waiting. For the why of it, why bring him here of all people? why Lucrezia as his host and why meld the souls instead of just placing his own in her body? There had to be a reason. Any reason for it right? Gods willing the answer for that question would be a yes and he would finally face the puppet master behind this whole mess. That is if the All-Mother didn't sniff him out and delete him outright.
Still, Lucrezia wasn't wrong. The game lore backed her claims enough that his "Taint" of the Rage-that-Dwells would be enough to mask away any sort of leftover Earth residue if that was even a thing. According to the in-game books, All-Mother personally led legions of her favorite dragons in the first series of battles against the entity and saw everyone besides her being butchered like rabid animals.
Given how much she spoiled the dragons. It made sense the Goddess would hate the Entity remains on her home planet. So William decided to dial down his DEFCON levels towards that particular front and went with Lucrezia's words.
"See, you know I'm right! That's right William just relax. The mother of dragons won't bother us as long we keep helping Kallista and eventually her brother in the capital. That is if you make it through that dungeon of his. Heard many a noble die in its dark halls and all that crap" Lucrezia said as they stopped in a clearing. William sat down with the grace of a clown as Lucrezia plopped down sighing in relief.
"It feels weird, hearing you speak like me, with Earth's lingo and all that..." William spoke as he looked to the "skies" of his realm. The Gate was a constant sight as it pumped mana to the Monolith.
Lucrezia's face blocked his view as she stared right into his eyes. Her azure gaze ever piercing and inspiring.
"You on the other hand could use a lesson or two of speaking like proper nobility you know? You talk like a merchant who is starting to rub shoulders with the high nobles for his first time" she giggled as she backed away.
"You don't have to hide it so much you know?" She said as she sat down near a tree "I can feel your emotions just as well as you can mine William"
"Just give me a few more days to...Adjust to this ok?" He said sighing "Its a bit much as I'm sure you know now"
"Yes. At first, I thought you were a prude but now it makes sense, Terran culture is weird in the strangest of ways" Lucrezia whispered. She raised her hand as in to touch the skies and spoke "But I can see how this is bothering you still so I will give you these "days" you want so much. But know this William, we are now in league with Saal'Xhir and I don't want my body to be wrecked when we visit her main temple in the Capital.
The young man sighed, things were getting too complicated now he thought. Still, he would make this work.
Somehow.
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William and Wilson were in one of the courtyards of the castle with a large cadre of acolytes. Handpicked after receiving their blessings and being tested for mana reserves large enough to be able to employ full flight spells like William. Even if he was cheating by having multiple Greater Blessings according to his court mage.
All went well. William didn't even crash once! as they trained in the air to air and air to ground combat. Some could only cast basic magicks such as the ever-present magic missile and its variants. Wilson was working on a low-power version of the Magical Blast as a way to soften targets from above but according to him, it would take months for a prototype spell.
"A pity the Goddess of Magic didn't see fit to bless you, My Lady. The speed of progress in the Magi-Tech field has been staggering so far and a few of my senior colleagues are green with envy!" He laughed as they finished training. Indeed William thought, that would be a great blessing to have and make him the ultimate all-rounder build wise. Alas, he had to make do with her son's Greater Blessing.
Not that he would complain. After all, he was meshing science and magic! If he couldn't summon a tempest of fire tornados via the arcane all he had to do was work hard enough to make a Magi-Tech contraption that did the same thing!
It was with these thoughts that he went to the dining hall together with the Acolytes who were talking about Hideo's part in the battle for the castle. The young mage was not used to being the center of attention but he did a good enough job, William only talking whenever someone asked him about it.
They sat down to eat exhausted and began chowing down the food. William watched in sheer horror as half his Cadre dipped their pizzas in their coffee cups. He turned to Hideo was doing the same and asked without showing his panic where this "trend" had started, according to him some young mage dared a friend of hers to do it and they both ended up liking it, word spread like wildfire among the acolytes and now it was a common sight.
I'm glad no Italian will ever see this sight He thought to himself only to hear Lucrezia giggle. Seeking to distract himself from the culinary war crime happening right in front of him he zeroed in a pair of female Acolytes to his right who was talking about the Flight lessons.
"...I don't get it If a knight's Ki works on basically the same rules as Mana, with the only difference being it draws from the Individual's life force first and only a smidgen from outside. what's stopping them from getting a Necromancer License, learn the Drain Nature and Mana Conversion spell to have infinite Ki, and allowing them to fly? The Arch-Duke's Griffon groups wouldn't need their war beasts for example!" Said one of the girls.
Her friend rolled her eyes as if she had heard this more than once "How many times I gotta tell you this you blasted Airhead. Even if everyone has access to mana that doesn't mean everyone can learn a school of magic, never mind something as hard as Necromancy! it takes at the very minimum 5 years to have a solid grasp of that ghastly school to employ its spells that way. And you would still need 2 more years to learn the intricacies of the soul to be able to manipulate Ki in that way" she sighed "Many a noble tried and all they got were dead Squires and abominations that had to be put down." the other girl drank deep from her cup and continued "You want flying knights? either tame Griffons, ask the Red Dragon for drakes, or pray to the All-Father you get an entire Squire Cadre that has huge Ki reserves"
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"Rude as ever Vitra, no wonder Mika broke up with you and made her entire Cadre turn against you, I was just talking! No need to blow up on me like that!"
William watched as the now-named girl raised her hand and apologize to her friend. He got up and walked towards their table.
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Vitra Stoneson was having the worst day ever since the Duchy she called home went to war against herself.
She still remembered the sounds of fighting coming from the streets as the Duchess led her people to butcher the guards. Hidden away by the arcane powers of her grandmother and father they watched from their house as the fight eventually died down in the city streets only to pick up some major happenings in the castle grounds. According to her grandmother who was blessed with the uncommon gift of seeing mana currents the air in the castle was akin to a mighty river.
Still, that was the past and she didn't want to dwell on it. She had made it to the big leagues, after all, studying under the new court mage himself and being promoted to one of the more promising Mage Cadres!
It had been a wild 3 months, from getting top of the class spot to even having training sessions with Master Wilson himself. Vitra had even managed to find love! No doubt thanks to the sudden flux of Saal'Xhir devotees after the Duchess was blessed by the Goddess of Love herself, For a while, it was like she was living the perfect life. Everything she ever wanted made real.
Together with her girlfriend Mika and their newly formed Cadre they even had the chance to meet with the Dragones's brood mages and the underwater arcane masters! Vistas she had never seen before now cherish memories among her comrades.
So when she went to wake her loved one yesterday morning for their daily run around the castle she was certainly surprised when she found Mika in bed with some dopey-looking Acolyte in all his naked glory.
Vitra never was one for subtlety. She lobbed an overcharged version of the Hammer. A blunt variation of the Magic Missile made for nonlethal takedowns. The man was knocked out cold as Mika woke up screaming bloody murder and lobbed an honest to gods fireball at her in the middle of the corridor. Vitra's shield flared up as her mind was awash with anger. She lobbed more Hammers at Mika only to hear the cry of the raven by the window and suddenly both she and her girlfriend went down for the count.
They woke up in Adarite chains. Two faceless goons standing over them as the personal maid of the Duchess entered the room and questioned them both. After a while, she was satisfied with their testimony and permitted them to leave, because if another "incident such as this" were to happen again they both would get throw off their cadres.
Vitra found herself walking to one of the meditation rooms the mages used alone as she received a floating letter from Mika hours after the incident saying they were done and she was not to talk with her or her cadre ever again. Rumors were already flying among the other Acolytes as a quirky girl sat beside her in the room.
Ryne Wraith-Walker was a half-elf girl that everyone knew. Crazy as a mad villain and an airhead to boot, many avoided her as she tended to talk about insane stuff such as having mages implant themselves with Magi-Tech wands to replace their arms. Or wings from dead dragons to fly without using mana (even when dragons did use no small amount of mana for flight)
Throughout her training, she came to form a strange friendship with the young woman. As she would often question people on the most inane topics and for some gods forsaken reason Vitra had the answer for the questions. One time they ended up launching the Defensive Magic class in an hour-long debate on the proper usage of the basic shield spell and how the more esoteric-minded mage could turn it into more than a simple tool of defense.
From articulated aegis to stacked elemental shields. To the magic, the Shogunate employed where the shield was part of the many offensive spells they had thanks to their local Gods. Thanks to many interactions like that Ryne would often hang around Vitra. Not enough to raise a fuss but every off day of the week she would eat with her and talk about stuff Vitra couldn't make head or tails about.
And so after all that had happened, she found herself eating together with the mad half-elf after their big all cadres involved Flight training together with the Duchess herself.
Vitra often lost herself staring at the young woman. There was a sort of otherworldly beauty to her that went beyond the base desires of the flesh. A want to devour, to lose oneself in her as they spiraled into sheer euphoric lust.
The Greater Blessing of Saal'Xhir was doing its work, and she didn't doubt for a second that many more were enthralled as she was. Men and women both.
Every once in a while Vitra would catch the sight of her azure eyes. Intense and full of barely restrained rage, calling everyone that beheld them to the fires of war as a different form of lust took over, one for the chaos of battle and blood.
She sighed and stared at her only friend left "Look I'm sorry Ryne. it wasn't my intention to get angry at you, it has been one hell of a day for me OK?"
The Half-Elf gave her a sad smile and said "Tis fine my friend. The woes of the heart aren't mended in a day. If you need a shoulder to cry then I will volunteer mine-" She clamped up as her eyes bulged from her sockets and her ears went up. Vitra was about to ask what happened when heard a chair being pulled and someone sitting beside her. Vitra turned to say that the place was full when she finally looked who was with them at the table.
Ryne almost got up saying "My Lady! forgive my manners" as she was preparing to bow only for Lucrezia to wave her hand and say "There's no need for formality here" she put her plate down and asked "Your names?"
"Vitra My Lady" Vitra said as her face went red up the ears. What in all hells was the godsdamned Duchess doing here?!
"I'm called Ryne Wraith-Walker My Lady, this here is my Friend Vitra Stoneson. Pray what bides you to our humble...table?" Rune gave the Duchess a bow while sat down. Vitra wanted to facepalm but she held it in.
Lucrezia smiled and said "I overheard you two talking about Knights flying with Ki and couldn't help but want to join in the conversation. Now that Necromancer combo Lady Wraith here mentioned is a genius move but only for a once-in-a-century genius who can both manipulate mana and Ki at the highest level. You would also need to factor in Illusion and even a bit of Healing magic as Ki takes its toll on the user" The Duchess launched into a complicated and if Vitra was being honest with herself crazy explanation of how to mix and match Schools of magic to make a Knight fly.
Vitra couldn't believe her ears! The Duchess was as mad as Ryne! the Half-Elf in question looked like she had just won a vault full of gold as she began spilling her half-crazed ideas.
10 Minutes in they were talking about converting mana currents into beams of energy and Vitra couldn't take it anymore as she said "That's crazy talk! Did you forget the Gwenarius-Malhar Equation? you would need half a planet's worth of mana currents to punch a hole in regular plate armor, A siege weapon would...Gods take half a star system to be viable."
Nevermind the fact few even cared to study the universe and how mana currents ebbed and flowed from the core in its center Vitra thought "I'm pretty sure there's some God bound decree to not weaponize currents at that scale at any rate, so unless you wanna get razed by the All-Father's secret elite God unit I'd suggest you drop those ideas" Vitra didn't even notice as she slipped into "Talking Ryne out of her latest crazy plot" mode.
They stayed there talking like the Duchess was s old friend twice as crazy as Ryne. Her ideas were nothing short of insane thanks to her Magi-Tech Blessing no doubt. Vitra felt her worries melt away and she basked in this warmth.
Lucrezia smiled and Vitra felt her heart skip as she pulled two feathers and gave one for Ryne and the other for Vitra saying "Contact me via this if you two have more to share, who knows you might get a Magi-Tech device named after you" she winked as she went away.
"Well, would you look at that my dear friend, someone who appreciates my ideas in this frigid land? What a day, what a wonderful day!"
Vitra could only laugh at her friend's sudden outburst, What a day indeed.
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"Lady Lucrezia we have news from the Owl, Galius has begun mobilizing his troops. In 2 days he will make landfall on the Highway's entrance" Saa'ryu gave William a pair of crystal recordings showing the prince and his army of mercenaries going through a city while people threw red roses at them. A symbol of good luck for the royal family. No Royal Knights by his side as far as the recording could show.
The families of Lucrezia's on the other hand were all there. Their Knights marching proudly by the prince's side. Men and Women who knew nothing of his sins.
"A letter for the arch duck has arrived, He will not give us any support but the groundwork for you not getting trialed for treason after killing him has been laid. The Queen and King will not move as long we remain in his good graces" Saa'ryu took a breather and continued "Operation Sastasha has been a success as my Sisters and the people I trained here in the duchy managed to silent dispatch of most of the Prince's faction leaders" Saa'ryu showed William the heads of the people he had given the order to kill.
"Together with the Umbral Priests and A Chosen of Friede we managed to raid numerous facilities where they held illegal drugs, slaves, and even artifacts for the terror beyond the stars" she finished
"What's this about a Hell Knight I read?" William asked leafing through the report.
"She assisted one of our teams, at her master's bidding she was hunting a cult for a Terror and we found their main base in a safehouse that belonged to the people the prince is allied with. It was raided and burned to the ground"
William nodded, Rare for one of those to be walking in broad daylight but it wasn't his issue so he filed the thought away in his mind.
"The battery and bunkers are all set. Most of the army has been trained with the new bolt action rifles and man-portable mortars. The platforms are ready and shielded from any divination unless they summon a God for it. The train" William picked a map and placed it on the table "Has suffered some setbacks, we can get the thing to go fast but with no armor. Idun told me we would need to expand Raa'Tyrius's sphere a thousandfold to make the train both fast and durable" He finished bitting his lips.
"Which means we will deploy troops who are sitting on a death trap, good enough mages can nail it with a fireball and that's it. A whole battalion goes to flames. So we reworked the thing as a mobile weapons platform with twice the cannons from the bunkers. All automated via Magi-Tech" William pulled the blueprints for the new tank and showed Saa'ryu how it worked.
"And the trenches Lady Lucrezia? Will they withstand the cavalry charge of the mercenaries?" Saa'ryu asked "I know the grapeshot ammunition is more than enough to stop most of them but not all"
William nodded and said "Barbed wire and explosives every 30 paces. Plus enough fire and manga overcharged crystals to make into bombs thanks to the underground fortress. Those mercenaries riders will wish they didn't charge first" William pointed to the map of the trenches "But the Knights who might come in a second wave if we don't break morale fast and hard enough will have their Miracles and Ki to protect themselves and their horses from the explosions" He finished.
Saa'ryu nodded "I've drafted the plan for the support packages. As we have plenty of coin to support it I believe the families of those who fall in battle or are otherwise unable to return to civilian life" she looked up towards William and said "Unfortunately we have received no reply from the church of the Unbroken, your plan to aid in healing the minds and souls of the survivors will have to be delayed"
William tsked "We donated enough rare minerals to buy a small barony, Bloody liches and their tendency to take their sweet ass time on getting shit done" he spat on the floor and grimaced "Forgive my language Saa, It's just-" He was about to finish the phrase as Saa'ryu raised her hands and cut him off.
"It's ok Lu, I understand" She spoke softly.
"The people barely tasted freedom and peace and now I'm sending them to war once again. It is a bitter pill to swallow but that man must die, and God's willing it will be by my hand. This much I promise you, Viviene" William hissed in anger.
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Arch-Duke Jinn Autumnflower watched from his Mansion in the capital as Griffins were trained by his new batch of Squires. The man cut an impressive figure at nearly 6'2 feet tall. sharp dark hair and golden eyes, a mark from ancient Imperium nobility.
His face was the very picture of calm and collected but inside he was anything but. For a year now he nursed a deep-seated desire of revenge against the crimes committed against his daughter by the First Prince and the blind eye cast by the Queen and King, who in their youth together with the current Arch-Mages and his wife made for one most famously adventurer bands of the whole new world.
His wife had grown cold to life, a more potent variant of the Silent Sickness afflicted her mind and soul as she barely talked these days, her body moving akin to a dwarven automaton who only ate, bathe, and slept.
And yet he found himself without allies. His own faction was powerless against both the Royals and the newly formed Galius faction who had amassed a wealth of power unheard ever since the kingdom's founding.
Arch-Duke Jinn was forced to watch his wife waste her life away and see his daughter locked in a hellscape created by foul arcane and dark miracles brought by the Fallen. For all his power, for all his titles he couldn't move a finger without losing it all. Including his family in the prince's own words after his goons dumped his daughter in far off village in Granarius after they were done with her.
Every day he begged, he prayed, he cried in blind fury for the Gods to deliver him the justice that was denied. And all he got was silence, madness took over as he even attempted to contact All-Father's firstborn via one of the people the Fallen had created who he knew her place of hiding.
Nihrium was the name of the ancient race he had created. They fought for him in the wars of conquest of the All-Father but after losing scores of his children he grew disenchanted with war and in mad fury decided to strike All-Father down.
While many of the Nihrium decided to follow their god in his banishment, some remained in the mortal coil hidden away via powerful magicks.
After weeks of begging the woman relented and performed the ritual in a dark cave deep underground in one of the forests that surrounded the capital. Jinn knew from ancient lore that this place was the site of a mighty ziggurat for the Mad God and thus was more likely to get his attention.
And his attention the Arch-Duke had gotten. A man with tattered clothing and a wooden stick showed in front of him and he spoke "Mortal blessed by my younger sister. Commander of men and women proud and true to her Crimson Kingdom. I ask of thee why you call me?"
Jinn explained his woes to the Mad God who listened with the patience of a saint and once he was done he spoke once again "Absolute Justice...My banner once flew high and proud the world over, My children hunting these vile fiends before they could even act against the less well to be" He looked upwards with a bitter smile "Mortal, I can not help thee, your fate and the fate of your daughter is not mine to weave but I know who will, when the skies burn look up to them and pray once again for the one who will deliver you to justice will surely hear thy prayers"
The Nihrium Woman bowed as her God left with a sad smile on his face. Both made their way back to civilization as Jinn gave her enough money to live the good life for the rest of her days.
Ever since then Jinn stood to watch waiting for the skies to burn. A year had gone by and the memory had almost faded away as his hopes neared the breaking point. He was beginning to feel like his Wife now, food and wine tasted like ash. There was no joy left in him. He came to hate being awake but every night he was plagued with nightmares that further made him spiral down.
Until that is one day at the dead of the night both he and his wife were awoken by a tiny raven. Its beak was red with blood.
Jinn felt his mana flare like the thing was trying to eat him alive, He had told his wife about his encounter with the Mad God but she barely reacted, But Jinn had fought battles through thick and thin with his Wife.
Deep within her eyes, right where the barrier between flesh and soul met he knew Misato Autumnflower had ignited the spark of hope. And a thirst for the blood of the vile fiend who defiled her daughter.
The tiny raven cawed and flew towards the balcony and they both followed it.
The summer wind made both of them shiver but they stood there as the raven sat in the railing watching the skies. When Jinn had nearly lost hope for the signal he saw a sight very few had the privilege of seeing.
A Spirit of Summer walked in the skies. Together with him A figure clad in snow-white garments.
"...A Spirit of Winter..." His wife spoke, her voice barely a whisper.
Both Spirits raised their hands and the sky flared up in blue flames, which turned blood red only to become pale white. They both stared at the Arch-Duke before becoming mist in the night sky who no longer burned.
Arch-Duke Jinn felt tears in his palm as his wife sobbed, His heart beating fast as the promise of vengeance had been fulfilled.
On that night he prayed and a day later a falcon hailing from the north arrived with a letter. Its sender someone who he knew as nothing more than a little spoiled girl whose parents were good people before getting involved with Galius. In that piece of parchment, he read a story many would dismiss as insanity incarnate but not him, for the Gods had sent him his deliverer. His instrument of revenge who would right the wrong that was hidden and buried by the Royals.
Kinslayer, Bringer of Change, Heretic of Uumaries.
Lucrezia Sommer Wulfgrem. Last of her line and Herald of Velkarius. And in something the Arch-Duke had never ever seen in his long life: Allies with the commoner's avenger God Friede.
Months had gone by ever since that day, Arch-Duke Jinn kept in contact with the young woman ever since and found in her a friend he needed. It was like she understood him and his wife to a deeply personal level. Wise beyond her years and always cheering both him and Misato.
Once his wife began sending her own mail to the newly minted Duchess, the spark Jinn had seen so long ago became a roaring bonfire. Long were the days of her moping about lifeless like an undead. Now she was in the training yard halberd in hand training with her Arch Griffon who found her master's newly found vigor a sight to behold. Jinn knew the beast was smarter than many a man and they formed a deep bond with their riders.
His own Arch Griffon kept going feeding on his feelings of vengeance. But it was the Arch Griffon of their daughter, the first progeny of both Arch Griffons who suffered the most after seeing her master being left to rot. Jinn read the letters from Lucrezia to it and in a miracle, the beast regained its vigor.
Or perhaps it wasn't a miracle.
The Arch-Duke couldn't move his troops without an order from the king. An ancient law from times past he was bond to sadly. The same law that made it impossible for Galius to move the Royal Knights against Lucrezia. A small Silver Lining in this bloody affair.
He was confident now that Lucrezia had gutted the First's Prince faction a day before he moved out that his own would be able to shelter the Duchess. They had ample evidence of his crimes and now all that remained was the judgment. Brought by Fire, Steel, and Magi-Tech. With Lucrezia as Executioner.
Jinn wanted to kill the bastard himself. Alas, it was fate that Lucrezia would be the one to perform the deed.
He recalled one of the letters the young woman had sent to him early on. In it, she recounted her exploits in earning the White Dragoness support and thus claiming the ancestral rights to rule the land as the Wulfgrem of old did. Right at the end was a passage saying "...The treasure I earlier mentioned is a potent cure the dragons use for their troops in the eternal war of conquest All-Father makes them fight. With it I can bring back Viviene from the brink Jinn, I can save her once and for all, and I promise you this. With All-Father as my witness, I will save her..."
Deep in his soul, he felt the Mad God's words ring with power, after all the anguish he and his family went through there would finally be a reckoning. Revenge brought with the blood of honest men and women who knew naught of the crimes from the prince. Jinn recited a small prayer for the Knights the houses who were allied with him had sent. And one for the mercenaries he had hired.
For they would all be dead at the end of the week.
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William stood on top of the south gate of his city. Below him was a vast army with every race that called his lands home. Humans, Beast and Magi-Folk. Elves and Dwarves. Together with Orcs, Mermen, and Kallista's brood.
Behind him a solitary flag flying high in the wind.
Close to him, the spectral forms of the six gods hovered. their shapes invisible to all but William. and by his side the Winter Spirits who called this land their ancestral home.
A great shadow passed by William and the army. A mighty roar came from the skies as they grew dark for a second before a giant dragon, her scales white as snow took a nest in a tower to William's left.
She roared again and her brood roared back. The sound meaning one thing and one thing only.
It was time for war.
The Northern Raiders banged their shields with their axes and swords and roared in fury as well. The Soldiers of the first legion all formed up and with the butt of their spears began pounding the ground beneath their feet. William also saw the elves of Granarius far behind the Imperial soldiers. The one with the bow raised his weapon to the skies and let an arrow fly upwards.
William saw his Knights, most mounted in their Dire Horses but a selected few on the Magi-Tech ones he and Idun had build. They didn't utter a word as they trotted forward. Erwin leading the charge together with the Half Kitsune Half Succubi Sigrún.
He saw Serkj leading the newly minted Army with the precision of a veteran commander. Hraax and her elites and Idun together with his Vanguard.
The stage was set.
Saa'ryu made herself manifest, Dressed in her Assassin garbs, and said "The Enemy's army has taken camp in the first Village. The Spirits storm made them halt their advance as expected. The water well and Food supplies were poisoned with the laxatives as ordered"
William nodded and snapped his fingers. The noise died down on the spot as he addressed his army.
"Brothers and Sisters. My fellow citizens of Wulfgrem. For the longest time, you have been under the heel of my parents. You Begged, Prayed, and Cried TO THE GODS! TO UUMARIES! only to be met with SILENCE!" He paused to breathe and then continued " Four mounts ago I asked for time, and that time was brought by you, the strength of my arm, pillars of our dreams for a better Wulfgrem!"
"TODAY, THE ENEMY BEHIND ALL YOUR SUFFERING, BEHIND THE VILE MACHINATIONS AGAINST OUR LANDS COMES!" He exploded using magic to further amplify his voice. "The greatest crime I committed with these hands of mine! KINSLAYING! And now he who orchestrated the sins of my blood comes! he comes to kill us all and Kill me! So that his crimes are not brought to Light!"
"In WEEKS we built the vengeful arm of the north! in HOURS we will break their will and the soil will drink of their blood as we destroy their formations! together not even UUMARIES HERSELF can stop us! Fury and Rage will guide us in this hour of revenge. For the people, we lost and for the people, his conspirators killed far beyond our lands!"
William channeled the divine energies of both Gods of War and spoke one more "My people! Years from now we will tell our children of this very day, where we stood against darkness, against that of which abuses our ancient traditions to hide their sins from justice! Where our ancestral allies stood with us for the first-ever since the kingdom was founded and fought under one banner!"
He raised his hand and finished the speech saying
"The fate of the entire duchy lies in our hands! For our children and our children's children, we will fight, we will die and we will never surrender! GIVE YOUR HEARTS, YOUR SOULS FOR THIS WILL BE THE FINAL BATTLE TO SAVE OUR FUTURE!"