"The Grand Academy of Seresval is where the best and brightest of the Kingdom go to further their knowledge, relationships, and ties with the next generation of rulers and generals, even the mighty Imperium sends its charges there so great is this small city inside the Capital, as do many other nation-states and dignitaries, of note is the miracle of arcane mastery by the Academy's founder Arch-Mage Seresval the Bold who made the Fields of Tho'th dan Thok (Later renamed to Fields of Seresval due to disputes over name rights with the god Thoir) Where Seresval together with the Goddess of Magic created a pocket realm where one could fight to the death without fear of death. To this day it is used to train the youth of the kingdom ensuring them battle hardness unmatched.
On the Kingdom of Vermilion: Tourist guide book Volume 4.
William stood in a daze as Kaine helped him undo the magic his mother had placed in William's many chests worth of baggage. It had been a mess getting the boy into the girl's dormitory as William had to explain he wasn't planning on doing anything improper (there had been incidents in the past) with Kaine which only got more complicated as reception sent his file to the woman in charge of the dorm and she nearly had a stroke when the Blessing list came up.
After a good 10 minutes explaining in detail, nothing would happen the woman nearly relented before getting a second wind and saying poor Kaine would peek at the many young women in the walk to Lucrezia's shared room which made William's brown twitch in annoyance. A small group of girls was watching in malicious glee as they gossiped about "the young duchess trying to sneak her boyfriend in her room" Much to William's despair and Lucrezia's annoyance.
Kaine on the other hand looked as bored as he could get, as always if the talk didn't involve magic in some capacity he just tapped out and tuned out after a few minutes in.
After a while the women relented and off they went, Kaine had triangulated the room's location and was ready to teleport into it but William found a waste of mana, and the aftershock could hit the roommate if the girl was already inside of the bloody room.
Which turned out to be empty anyway, while William lost the VIP room that would be the equivalent of a small house on Earth he was more than happy with this one, not as small as the one the player gets in-game due to being sent to the commoners' part of the dorm but not as big as the ones the sons and daughters of nobility enjoyed. Together with Kaine, he set up his wardrobe, bed, and working desk with the paperwork he would be doing for the Duchy while at the Academy.
"Your maid has a knack for disappearing Lucrezia, I have a 20-meter detection ward running at all times and she is yet to trip it," Kaine said then jumped when Saa'ryu made herself manifest in the room.
"Young master, Arch-Mage's son you may be but it will take years for your magic to get even a hint of myself" she smiled as Kaine laughed then turned to Lucrezia "Father has deployed a few of my sisters to the Academy. And he awaits you in the compound" William nodded, ah to fight the Owl! and learn how to do the magical parkour Saa'ryu and her family of assassins were so good at it. Nothing like god-tier mobility to boost one's ego!
"And the word in the streets?" William asked with dread.
"The Arch-Mage was half right, most of the lower nobility doesn't know yes but Higher Nobles have been made aware and since you are a now a Prince Killer they have deployed more Knights for security, the third Prince, in particular, has a whole detachment of Royal Knights with him." Saa'ryu said as she neared the window "Worse yet is that surviving Knights from the battle have been posted here and news have been leaked among their fellows"
"I... I know the girls from the 3 families Galius called" William said feeling more dread, Saa'ryu nodded and said "If my calculations are right it will take less than 3 days for you to become the talk among every social circle and clique here" she finished talking and began helping to organize the room, Lucrezia's side was in near-perfect state but the side for her unknown roommate was a mess and so Saa'ryu went to battle against dust and dirt.
"You don't need to worry about Arthur, he's a good guy at heart, and the few times he had the chance to meet after the fuck up with my parents and uncle Jinn he told me he distrusted Galius" Kaine spoke up "I am still on the dark regarding what the man did but judging from well earlier today..." Kaine shook his head "I won't spoil your first day in the Academy, Father will speak sooner or later anyway, now if you would excuse me. I must tend to my room as Father made sure to get me and Margareth a VIP one..." he looked troubled for a second but then smiled and said "If you need anything just call me via that spell I gave it to you" then he teleported away.
"Master Kaine looked worried for a second there," Saa'ryu said "His sister maybe?"
William nodded "Yes, likely carted off by his mother to a Church of the Redeemer for treatment"
"You are thinking of going there as well?" Saa'ryu asked.
"The night terrors have been... manageable so far, plus the place will be full of casualties we created. It would disrupt the peace the Redeemer's priests value so much" William spoke without looking at Saa'ryu, he was lying and he knew it.
Now that the Spirits couldn't protect him the effects of the horrors he witness and committed on the battlefield would unravel. Gabriel had given him potions for it but the effect would only blunt the damage, not stop it like the Spirits were doing it.
"Does the faculty knows about my affiliations with the Arch-Duke?" William asked to hope to change the topic.
"Yes, but those from the Royal Faction are afraid the Queen will try something. Besides that, the other factions are aware and moving accordingly" Saa'ryu stopped talking and immediately snapped into a combat position, William not missing the queue summoned his Magi-Tech arm and pulled his dragonbone ax from one of his chests. Two robed figured appeared inside the room as William recognized the symbol in their robes.
A three-legged Jackal.
"At ease Saa'ryu, the King sent his best and it would be rude to greet them with steel" William spoke snapping back to his "ruler" mindset "Welcome to my humble abode gentlemen, I would invite you two for tea but as you can see, I just got here" he gestured to his things.
The Jackal operative to William's left spoke in a mechanical voice "A message to our ally from the north" He presented a crystal to William with both hands, William took it and bowed "My regards to the King" the men nodded and disappeared.
Saa'ryu clicked her tongue "Sloopy, too sloppy"
"Don't beat yourself over, Jackals have blessings from half a dozen espionage and stealth Gods" William spoke "The Owl getting near them via sheer will and training is a testament to his skills and so is your Saa" the maid blushed a little before saying "Thanks" in a low voice.
William sent a bit of his mana to the crystal and the record started playing. He saw King Jason in a dark room looking exhausted as the man's voice boomed from the Illusion "Lady Lucrezia, while I would've preferred to have this conversation in person, certain conditions would've been needed to be set for your safe passage to the palace as I am sure you are aware"
The man took a pause and said "I will not mince words here Lady Lucrezia, my wife wants your head nailed to the walls of the palace, and the only reason she hasn't burned half the Academy to the ground to get it is that Jinn outright said he would go as far as declaring civil war if she did so. You and I know that my wife is not a foe to be tested, less so provoked, yet she saw reason in his words and decided to not destroy a millennium of culture and history in a war to avenge a criminal"
The King sighed "Had it been me Galius would've been killed long ago, yet his mother always spoiled him rotten, and like my old friend Valtas I choose to remain silent and turn a blind eye towards his mistakes. A grave error as I am sure you would agree but the paternal urgers were yet strong at that time...nevertheless you have my word as King that Malphas will not retaliate, for now, she may not forgive you, and the upcoming winter celebration next month will be awkward at best but I will do my best to ensure your safety, For Jinn, Misato and Viviene"
The message ended there and the crystal became dust as William laid in his bed "I don't believe the King will be able to hold his wife for long, Malphas will do something sooner or later I can feel it"
"Then you must train harder, acquire new spells and abuse those blessings you got to the max to survive, the Queen is a demi-goddess, and very few people alive can go toe-to-toe against her," Saa'ryu said as she changed into her casual clothes who were Magi-Tech items handcrafted by Idun and him "Talk with Father, I am sure he will point you to the right people"
William smiled, Knowing full well the ones Owl would recommend. He nodded and got up dismissing his arm and changing into the Academy's uniform. On his jacket, the sigil of House Wulfgrem was embroiled as the head of a vicious Dire Wolf.
Classes wouldn't start in a week but he knew the protagonist was already in the Academy, likely in the commoner part of the dorm. But he had more pressing things to do as several in-game events happened in this first week and he would rush them as fast as possible to maximize time and gains. Before going out he cast a protection spell on his side of the room that would make anyone he didn't know unable to pass through it, of course, he left plenty of space for his roommate and a note explaining what the spell was.
And so with Saa'ryu at his side William walked towards the main street of the campus, young men and women of all corners of the know world mingling and chatting as he took in the air and exhaled with a smile on his face, his ears already picking up an oh so familiar sound.
Orcish drums and the grunts of battle!
t didn't take long for Kaine to teleport to his side, scaring a few of the students of the academy "I was wondering when you would call me but I guess you had other plans, so where are going today?" He had changed from his combat armor to the Academy's uniform, fancy silk cloth, and whatever else was popular with High Nobility this year. The embroiled dragon holding a wand and sword sigil proudly in his chest.
"Hear that?" William asked with a smile on his face.
Kaine pretended to listen before casting a series of spells "School Band playing for a fight? Well look at that Orthus Dur'va returned from the shogunate and is having a friendly competition to show off his skills! A funny fellow that one lives for combat. While most orcs play the serious warrior monk part he is more akin to a Grannarius folk hero, madly charging into battle while singing and screaming"
"Sent to the shogunate to temper his fire and bring him to be more in line with Orcish tradition didn't work, He's twice as wild as he left," William said with a smile recalling the first tank the game handed out to the players "What do you say about us having a friendly chat with him Kaine?"
Kaine rolled his eyes "If by talking you mean fighting for dear life as the next Supreme Warlord of Ynir'Duvat charges at us bellowing war cries then sure! I'll even teleport us to the arena!"
William smiled, his teeth bared.
"Oh for the love of the All-Father! what are you a-" Kaine stopped himself and muttered "Gods protect whoever is unlucky enough to date you" as they walked towards the arena where Orthus was. William laughed heartily at Kaine's dig but he could feel the Battle Lust building up as they got near it. The smell of polished weapons, combat gear, the sweat and blood in the air sang to him and he could feel his face going redder by the minute.
"I told you those days locked away with paperwork would come to bite us in the ass" Kaine complained as Saa'ryu moved to his side and said "Nothing you can do to take the edge off her Master Kaine?" the maid was serious and there wasn't a hint of jest in her voice. Kaine gave her the finger as he grumbled about gossip and maids.
When they arrived at the arena William saw many NPCs who he knew by name or by title, all watching somewhat bored as the 7-foot tall Orc shoulder tackled a Knight to the ground making the poor man tap out, the drums were beating in typical orcish fashion as a wave of half-interested cheer left the crowd.
William also saw high above in the VIP seat of the arena 3 ancient Orcs. Those were the 3 Sages that lead the nation of Ynir'Duvat together with the supreme warlord, immortal beings of magic and faith who were there from the ancient times before the sea elves enslaved their people, to the war and defeat at the hands of them and eventual freedom brought by the first King of Vermilion and the eternal bond the two countries shared.
"No one else?! Come you blue blood newts! Test your mettle in the ring of honor or are you too scared of the big bad orc?! Hahaha, a bunch of babes all of ye!" Orthus screamed at the top of his lungs. Most of the nobles and early merchant scions scoffed at his brutish ways and no one took on his offer as the poor Orc sighed saddened.
William could see in his face, and he knew thanks to his time on the game that Orthus was a great admirer of Vermilion's history and how time and time again the kingdom stood defiant against forces that dwarf it, He knew it was naive to think the children of these heroes of old would have that same vigor, that lust for glorious combat and only their Knights could provide him a taste of combat he craved.
He had come to the Academy to meet heroes, instead, he found stuck-up brats.
Kaine spoke as they broke past the circle "Orthus, my friend!" the Orc looked at him with puzzlement in his face as Kaine's voice broke the silence "Do I have the challenge for you! you big bastard!" Kaine laughed as Orthus got angry.
"If it isn't the twig! Speak then! Who dares challenge the mighty, powerful, and unbeatable Orthus!" the Orc said as he laughed.
"Lu, what's with these two? didn't you tell me Kaine was a recluse?" Saa'ryu whispered.
"Childhood acquaintances, Orthus used to demand Kaine to summon powerful beasts for him to fight or try getting both him and Margareth to fight him barehanded" William replied fast as Kaine shot him a look of utter bewilderment "How in the hells you know that?!"
William didn't reply as he stepped into the arena, his ears picking up whispers in the crowd as he removed his coat and gasps could be heard from the people around him. His Magi-Tech arm glittering in the sunlight as Saa'ryu bowed and gave him his trusty Dragonbone Ax. He took a knee and grabbed the rough sand that marked the arena battlegrounds and coated his hands with it.
A presence akin to a Spirit focused on him, He looked up as the 3 sages stared him down and said in perfect ancient orcish "Kin of the snow beseech thee, grant thy blessing for this battle amongst comrades-in-arms" Orthus' eyes bulged as his head snapped to the position of the sage.
The first one spoke, his voice carrying the weight of millennia on it "Rare is the day one of the five sees our spawn worthy of a fight! You will have to forgive his manners, Childe of the Snow, for he is an unruly one" With a smile he finished "Fight if you must, you have our blessing"
William bowed and pulled his ax, he burned a bit of Divine Essence into his mana channels and spoke "Orthus! Son of the Supreme Overlord Ynir'Duvat! My NAME IS LUCREZIA SOMMER WULFGREM AND I CHALLENGE YOU TO BATTLE!"
William saw Orthus smile like a kid who got all the presents he wanted for Christmas, he then spoke in his normal voice "But first!" He pointed to the School Band who was being commanded by Professor Yuna who looked at him with a bored face.
"If the band could indulge for a moment, to provide a fitting background for this battle" Yuna spoke fast with the band members and said in a commanding voice "If it is your wish Lady Lucrezia, we would be glad to help" William nodded and turned to Orthus who was getting ready for the brawl "I was made aware you were training with the Shogunate's Sword Saints? then how about a tune from the far-off lands!" William snapped his fingers on his Magi-Tech arm as a small metal flute popped off and he began playing on it.
Orthus's smile grew bigger and wilder as Yuna and her band felt an urge unlike anything before, their eyes wide open as their musical blessings flared into being and the drums took on a tone that would make even the weakest of samurai raise his weapon and fight for his feudal lord.
As the drums began pounding the crowd felt it too, deep in their bones the prelude to the fight. William's face was red as a lobster as the Battle Lust begged for an outlet. He was pretty sure he would need a change of clothes after this fight.
Orthus picked his hammer and with a mighty roar exploded forward slamming the hammer near William's head. William didn't dodge but blocked the mighty weapon with sheets of solid iron as his halo blossomed into being. He jumped upwards and in an explosion of movement slashed Orthus in both his arms and legs, the Orc laughed as blood was spilled and screamed in pure joy as the musicians played their tune.
William moaned in orgasmic pleasure as the hammer connected with his stomach and he was sent flying. Oh, how the battle made him feel alive, free from any and everything as he honed into Orthus and slashed him with his halo and Ax. Orthus dodged out of the way and slammed his hammer on the ground. A mighty barrier of stone was conjured, William laughed as he burned his mana and flew upwards. He pointed around the barrier and his Halo sent a rain of long thin rods into the soil.
"You should train your aim better!" Orthus laughed from his barrier as William's mind was too busy trying not to drop down and spasm in the ground as the pleasure rolled in wave after wave. The rods grew as William closed his hands in the skies and conjured a huge quantity of mana, The drums did their final piece as a lighting bolt crashed into Orthu's position, the sheer power of it knocking the Orc flat on his face.
William flew down as he heard Orthus roar and scream "The princess has teeth! But this isn't over Lucrezia! Not yet!" He dashed forward as the drums came to a stop and lost his footing, earning a kick to the nose from William.
He looked at the band who looked exhausted and sweating. Professor Yuna was about to speak as William began singing the rhythm from another song he held dearly in his heart. And once again the band and its teacher felt the call of their blessing, the call to compose something truly unique that came from a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
And they just had finished their first one.
Violins swapped drums, a choir was quickly set up as they worked overtime to provide the right background music as Orthus and William let themselves be enveloped by the song. William picked his ax and said "Come Orthus! Let us dance to the sound of ringing steel!"
Both dashed forward and struck true. William's newly conjured Iron Halo drew blood as Orthus's hammer nearly bent his Magi-Tech arm! With a sidestep dodge William kicked Orthus in the ribs with both legs and landed in a roll as the man staggered backward, He then threw his hammer at him and dashed forward, as William tried to dodge the weapon he grabbed him by the ponytail and slammed his face against a stone pillar of the arena.
William felt the world ring as the pain and adrenaline. fueled his Battle Lust. He felt Saal'Xhir's sigil burn in his womb as he gave a very non-noble-like moan. With a jump backward he got some distance from Orthus.
"Battle Lust!" he said as he spat on the ground "Don't you dare try anything weird on me, you Saal'Xhir Fiend! this is a holy place of battle. Immaculate!" William had forgotten that for all his furor for combat, Orthus was very much a prude.
"No promises big guy," He said as the orc recoiled. The music reached its crescendo as William spoke again "Time to end this" he started to tap into his divine blessings again as Orthus did the same for his. the Orc once again summoned a mighty barrier of stone but this time it became a dome.
William threw two vials he had on his person and watched as the soil around the barrier transmuted into solid steel. Gabriel's work that one and something William was going to abuse for alpha strikes in targets like Orthus who could outheal his attacks. William slapped his hands and with a motion pulled them back towards him, he felt gravity and mana mix into one as 3 huge steel spikes rose from the ground.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
With a clap, he released another potent lighting strike. Orthus grunted as he went to his knees after his dome fell around him and said raising his hand "She wins, I am at my limit" William felt a bit let down, hoping that he would keep on the fight for a few seconds more as his Saal'Xhir blessing gave him spike upon spike of unrelenting pleasure. It took 2 solid minutes for him to center himself and return to a normal state.
Kaine, Saa'Ryu, and Orthus were waiting for him together with the Sage that had spoken with him before the fight, he smiled and walked over.
It was time for the spoils!
The sages bowed as they all summoned the three items William was after it. A ring of orc strength blessed by their Goddess Kaal'Duvat, A shield made out of the bones of a nameless sea elven God the first King of Vermilion killed when he became the first non-orc blessed by Kaal'Duvat, sealing the pact between nations and granting the King power on a demi-god level. And last but not least a circlet of magic empowerment that boosted magic damage over 40 percent in-game. That damage also scaled with stats but alas he lacked a blue screen and character sheet.
"Kaine, Catch!" He tossed the item to his mage friend as Kaine's smile turned into a wild grin the second he placed the item on his head.
"Hm, one handing the ax mighty take some time to get used to..." William said as he placed the shield on his Magi-Tech arm and tried a few stances Erwin had reached him, the sages smiled as he practiced and William even heard some cheers and whistles from the people who remained at the arena, he wanted to turn and give them a show but Saa'ryu quickly cast a spell to clean his person, hiding the mess his Battle Lust had left his clothes in.
He muttered thanks to his maid as Orthus dusted himself off and said "Color me surprised! and here I thought our allies in the north had all become soft babies! may Kaal'Duvat bless this day for I was granted a battle worth remembering!" it was hard not getting infected by Orthus boundless enthusiasm when it came to the martial arts and combat. William quickly set the shield in a raised steel platform together with his ax and got ready for the orc hug.
And hugged he was, the big bastard even took William off the ground as Lucrezia whelped in his mind "Stop him!" William tapped Orthus in the back of his head and the orc immediately dropped him asking "How did you know about that?"
"I know many things my friend," William said trying to sound a little mysterious, only to hear Kaine wheezing in the background, he shot the young man a glare but that didn't stop him.
The sages called Orthus and spoke with him in private as William and his crew began to make their way to the cafeteria, they joined a mass of bodies laughing and making merry, some followed by Knights, others by personal maids like William. Saa'ryu tapped on his shoulder twice. A signal for potential enemies.
"Who?" William whispered.
"Knights" Saa'ryu fired back as William's shoulder sagged, he sighed in defeat as his mind went over the events of the battle for Galius's head and the many men and women he had to kill to avenge Viviene.
The scars of that fight were still fresh for some it seemed.
"I heard the pork chops here are to die for, you want some Lucrezia?" Kaine asked as they picked up trays served by the stone-faced kitchen staff. William smiled as he spotted Head chef Amarout, the man had a series of quests dealing with stolen supplies to assassinations attempts that earned the player powerful food buffs late game. He made a mental note to help him later and get those buffs as early as possible.
Without thinking, William took a seat at the table the protagonist would sit every day in-game. He watched as his fellow students eyed him with distrust before realizing that this was the "commoners" zone of the cafeteria! of course, there were very few commoners and merchant scions around. Their noble counterpart far outnumbers them as very few came to the Academy early unlike the nobles who wanted their children to make connections and ties as soon as possible.
Yet William spotted a familiar face shyly walking away from his position. He locked eyes with the boy as he nearly jumped in fright as William got up and marched towards him, Kaine nodded as he devoured the food with gusto, the academy's food was considered real good by the entire capital and Kaine shared that opinion. William felt Saa'ryu sneak out to his left as she remained alert for threats.
"Richard? Richard Silverbrand? Gods I finally get to meet the son of Catarina! Lucrezia Wulfgrem, it's a pleasure to finally meet you" William extended his hand as the boy gulped and froze for nearly 5 seconds.
"I think you just scared the poor boy to death William" Lucrezia laughed in his head "Look at him he's red up to his ears! Oh gods this is too rich" William rolled his eyes and grabbed Richard's half extended hand, with a thought he sent a small jolt of ice mana that crawled over his arm to his neck, snapping the young man from his stunned state.
Richard stared at his hands who were already pale white took a shade a priest would call bordering on spirit possession, his blue eyes went glossy as his dark red hair spiked. He snapped back and ran his hand on his face while saying "It's a pleasure Lady Lucrezia, my mother often tells me of your exploits" William nodded and said "Come, let us enjoy the meal together" as he walked back to his chair with Richard in tow.
Surely the boy couldn't be scared right?
Lucrezia's laugh was his answer.
Richard's eyes focused on Kaine as he was just finishing polishing the dessert plate as he and William took their seats, his eyes darted between the two of them as he spoke "Are you the Arch-Mage's son?"
Kaine grunted in response, not in the mood to talk mid-eating.
Silence descended on the table for a while as William and Richard ate their food in peace, the young man was starting to ease up when Kaine spoke "Who are you? by the speed Lucrezia snatched you from the crowd I had thought you were some secret lover or something" William nearly choked in his water at that bad joke "Oh don't you start, the Duchess rushing forward to talk with a... merchant kid? the nobles over there are already gossiping about it. Maybe they won't bother me now that we have the new guy"
"Hey! Don't be rude he's the son of a very important friend of mine" William fired back as Richard cleared his throat to get their attention.
"I am Richard Silverbrand. As Lady Lucrezia said beforehand I am the first son of Catarina Silverbrand who is the commercial contact for all dealings with the Wulfgren duchy around our Kingdom" he bowed mechanic as William was used to seeing back in the game.
"Kaine Antewood, Chronomancer and not interested in dealing with anything not magic related" Kaine extended his hand towards Richard who this time didn't freeze and shook it with a firm grip.
"The stories do you justice Lord Kaine, curt and to the point. But Chronomancy? is the news mom sent me right and you have managed to establish contact with Gwenarius?" William smiled as Richard began to get back to his confident form, now that was the guy he used to know from back in the game! One ear is always to the news and ready to make a deal.
"Yes, that oaf of a Goddess demands a church for her powers and our mutual friend here will assist me in building it, given she's the head for the Magi-Tech one already," Kaine said as Richard's eyes glowed with naked ambition "And please, no need for the whole lord thing. I don't need to see the future to figure out Lucrezia has plans for you and we will be around for a good while, just Kaine is fine I am no noble snob"
A nod came from Richard "Kaine to a healthy friendship under the eyes of Lady Lucrezia then" he toasted with his cup of water. Kaine smirked and did the same. William knew that Richard was likely a recent arrival sent by his mom the second the Arch-Mage took him from his castle. So he wouldn't have access to his network of informants and spies yet but soon William would have his finger on the pulse of every happening in the Academy.
"So, did the Matriarch cut Catarina a good deal?" William asked.
Richard smiled "Yes, for the first time in nigh hundred years someone from outside the inner circle of the clan will have executive privileges. The merchandise you got us Lady Lucrezia is selling like, I can't even put in words the sheer amount of cash it has brought to the clan's coffers" He narrowed his eyes "And yet I've heard reports of my mother's people buying land at a premium around multiple cities of the kingdom, tell me what is your plan?"
Sharp as ever William thought.
"Like our rude friend here said, I am helping him build a church for Gwenarius, but as the papers, you no doubt saw told you that's ample space for more than a single chapel" William pulled a small chain with the symbol of Raa'Tyrius "I also seek to expand the sphere of my God, and bring upon a revolution of untold proportions to the kingdom!"
Richard stared in awe "I have, I have heard the effects your weaponry had when you crushed the morale of Galius's punitive force... All-Father above if that becomes commonplace the carnage it will bring will be massive!"
William scoffed "Magi-Tech isn't just weapons of war, it is progress, new ways to heat and cool homes, vehicles that can work without magic or animals, grand machines capable of storing every book ever written! This and more I will usher upon the land, starting with my lands in the north and spreading all over Vermilion" William got a little excited as he finished explaining his plan to Richard.
Richard on the other hand looked sad, and crestfallen as he spoke "That does sound grand Lady Lucrezia, but I must ask you this. Why are you telling me this? sure if you want to support and network capabilities of the clan my mother will be more than happy to assist you in this endeavor, as she will for the son of the Arch-Mage" Richard said a bit fearful of the backlash he could get from the young woman sitting in front of him.
William smiled, used to this particular little speech from old Richard. It was weird in a way watching his body language explain just how low he saw himself, of course, the game's animations and voice acting could convey a lot of it but sitting here, watching the person himself as something different. William saw the shadow of Catarina looming over the poor dude, how much he struggled with making something for himself and being remembered as more than "Catarina's son"
It was hard, with this new dimension of a character being exposed to him. Someone he had spent countless hours with and felt for his struggles as they mirrored his owns back in Earth.
"Inspire him, William give him that push to strive for ambition, you can see it you have seen it in the game! give him the words so that he might become the Richard we know"
William thought over Lucrezia's words, in the game the protagonist didn't inspire Richard with words but actions. When she stood up for the nobles bullying her and the other non-nobles in the school. Richard respected that, a part of his mom that rubbed off on him was the weight he placed on actions and deeds instead of words so how could he who was masquerading as a literal Duchess, second only to the godsdamned Royals even begin to understand where he was coming from?
In his eyes and William didn't take long to piece this together given the boy was trembling in his boots, Lucrezia was a maniac. A bloodthirsty demon from the hells who would stop at nothing to fulfill whatever plans she had going as low as killing royalty and her flesh and blood!
So he choose the second path, one only those who bothered to romance Richard in the game knew (William had romanced every romanceable character so he knew them all) he would tease the competitive spirit that lay dormant inside the Silverbrands, and Richard's would be a roaring bonfire.
"Tell me, Richard do you wish to live under your mother's shadow for the rest of your life? become her puppet as she pawns you off to some noble as part of a trade agreement for the clan? Forever knowing that the world will only remember Catarina Silverbrand as the one who was there first to usher the revolution I and my people will bring in the next 10 years?"
"Or do you want to be the one who stood with me as the forerunner, who paved the way to glory and riches untold and have your name engraved in the halls and books of the kingdom, not as the son of the great merchant Catarina who lived and died in obscurity as his mother took over the Matriarch and lead the clan but as your person, someone who together with me will do things not even the Gods could predict!" William felt the heat rising inside of him as the speech came to its climax, he saw Richard's eyes dart around but underneath that he could see it.
The flames of Ambition, the blessing every merchant worth their salt had. It roared in defiance and rage for even being implied it would lay down and die. Richard closed his eyes and hands into firsts as his anger made him tremble slightly, Kaine looked at both of them and smiled as Richard spoke in a low but very firm tone of voice.
"You think I don't know? How she plots my every step and wants to sell me like a piece of meat to those accursed nobles!" he spat on the ground "I know! godsdamnit And I tried, All-Father as my fucking witness I tried to improve my lot but she just keeps Winning!" he slammed his first into the table and said "Promise me Lucrezia, Promise me you will keep your word and by the gods I will help you, you crazy woman"
"Crazy?! Oh, he wounds me William" Lucrezia spoke in mock outrage.
"Then we seal this deal as my forebears did centuries past," William said as he snapped his fingers and a blade of black ice manifested in the air, with a practiced motion William made a tiny slash in his hand as Richard's face lit up in surprise.
"A blood pact?! Gods above you northerners still do that?" he asked.
"Sometimes," William said as he passed the blade and Richard did the same fast as lightning, as they clasped hands William felt a little tick deep inside his soul, the blood pact likely affecting the Monument as he tied his fate together with Richard's.
"You are lucky I had a barrier of privacy up when you started talking big Lucrezia, had the kitchen staff seen you spilling blood on their floor things would've gotten ugly, and not even your Duchess status would've been enough to prevent them from giving you a stern talking," Kaine said as he got up "Your maid is waiting outside looking concerned with something"
Probably mad at being left outside William thought as he drank a potion to heal his wounds and passed to Richard who did the same, the barrier went down as Saa'ryu marched towards the table, Orthus in tow.
The orc somehow managed to talk over the chaos that was the cafeteria "Lucrezia! you left so soon I had to track your whereabouts!" he sat down as William gave Saa'ryu a small sorry, the maid waved him off with a tired smile after having to deal with Orthus likely retelling of the fight while he was doing the blood pact with Richard. the Orc dropped his tray that was loaded to the brim with food and began eating with surprisingly good manners.
He laughed as Kaine stared at his form "Broke the character did I not? Haha, I am a prince at the end of the day little mage! Mother would march from the capital if she heard I was eating like a savage" he pointed his fork towards Richard who was still coming off from the blood pact "high" and said, "You. I do not know, yet Lucrezia's body language shows great interest and focus on you, Who are you?"
Richard's face got a bit red as he said with newly gained conviction "Richard Silverbrand, Prince Orthus it is an honor to make your acquaintance" he bowed his head as Orthus narrowed his eyes "A merchant from the Silverbrand clan? a curious friend you made Lucrezia but one who's strong in other ways than that of war and magic, as the sages often say "The orc whose mind is a tunnel will often find themselves ambushed at the end of it"
As the first real tank, Orthus was also known as the "carebear" for noobs who just got into the game, constantly droning on about simple game mechanics at the start to ease those people in. William found harmless himself since he would just tune the character out but many others hated the poor orc and missed out on his end game rewards that William had earlier gotten.
"I see you already have the ring on your person! But where is the shield?" Orthus asked.
"Stored away," Saa'ryu said from the background earning a jump from Richard "Don't worry you get used to it, I have 5 detection spells running at all times and the woman can somehow sneak past all of them. At this point, I am sure she does this for entertainment" Kaine spoke from his seat as Saa'ryu shot him a nasty grin.
Orthus locked eyes with Saa'ryu for a moment but didn't speak his mind, William knew he had figured out she was a stealth specialist and likely an assassin of immense skill, and that would be a poor thing to reveal in the middle of a public space like the one they were in. The maid herself gave the orc a little bow.
"Richard," the orc said "I have a feeling we will be often together so I would ask of you to not refer to me as the prince or your highness. This place of learning was built on equality so you can just call me Orthus" he extended his palm towards Richard who took it without delay and they shook hands, Richard smiled as he spoke "To be honest I am not good enough when it comes to licking noble boot so I appreciate the non-formality Orthus" the orc gave him an enthusiastic nod "Well said my man well said!"
William smiled seeing his new old friends bond over, it was hardly smooth but at least it worked and he had a tank, the soon-to-be-formed information and later merchant network, and the strongest mage in the game armed with end-game items. A part of him asked himself why was he bothering with all of this since now that Lucrezia wouldn't form the Coalition with the other two villains in the game they would likely not raise hell against the protagonist.
"Do not tempt fate William, we do not know if Melantha Silverstring and Nimue Appastas will not band together even without "me" to fund their illegal activities against the protagonist, or even if the said protagonist will get together with Prince Arthur in the first place" Lucrezia said in his mind "To think the clan of one of the 4 relic weapons would fall so low as to let the Sacred bow to be used in an assassination attempt, or that the esteemed mind mages of Appastas would see their magic be used to nefarious means on the Academy grounds" Lucrezia finished as William thought over it.
It was Lucrezia who got the two other Villains together and did much of the groundwork to finance the goons and many other enemies and tribulations the player faced in the game due to her contacts and money. You only fought Melantha and Nimue at the tail end of the mid-game section in a gauntlet type encounter that tested you to the limits and acted as a gate towards the end game that took place in the Wulfgrem duchy.
The most accepted theory was that Lucrezia was the one who corrupted the two, you still end up killing them anyway but they were pawns so to say for Lucrezia's machinations. After the player first defeats Lucrezia at the end of the early game unlocking the Rage-that-Dwells from Lucrezia's fight she takes a more background role in the story with the other two girls acting as the new big baddies.
Only for the player to find out a corrupted Lucrezia begging for forgiveness in the wildness of Wulfgrem and put her out of her misery, finding out even the mastermind of all their woes in the Academy was but a pawn in someone else's game.
A grim end.
"I doubt it Lucrezia but the words of the sages are true, I will have preparations be made in the case the two become threats to us," William said "Still I do not wish to engage in a fight against Silverstring, that bow was made by several gods and she used a goddamn poison so strong only direct divine intervention could halt it. Either we take the Sacred sword from the twat who's holding it and pray the Spirit of Artoriel let us wield the damn thing or we rush to the ends of the world and try to find the Sacred shield"
"The spear is the Imperium's empress personal weapon and I don't think she will lend it" Lucrezia finished William's thoughts "Let us hope this doesn't come to pass William, I know you will get emotionally involved with the protagonist and likely do another of your heroic theatrics, at any rate, we must prepare for anything. Who knows what sort of mess we created for the entity that was commanding Galius and who else it has under its command"
William noticed the table was staring at him and asked "What is it?"
Richard spoke still a bit red "You kind of went silent for a long period, is everything Ok Lucrezia?"
Kaine waved him off "She does that from time to time, pay no mind to it" Orthus shrugged saying "We all have our moments of deep introspection, Lucrezia here likely can fall into it far easier than the rest"
What a perfect excuse William thought! "Insightful as always Orthus" the table accepted his theory and they moved on to other topics as William explained Magi-Tech to Orthus who demanded a set of armor and a huge greatsword to be made (he would pay later of course) William was more than happy to oblige as Kaine talked him over his gear and even showing him the staff Lucrezia had made for him.
The orc was deep in the Magi-Tech talk when Richard pulled a little green book from his back and said that he was a fan of Lucrezia's "writing" asking when the next of the trilogy would be released "Soon" William replied with a cheeky grin as Richard told him a bit about himself. As a foodie and know pub crawler he told him how much impact the conflict up in the north had down in the south with Bards singing of his exploits and Surviving Knights talking in hushed whispers or loud angry shouts.
Richard also said the High Elves of the Academy were in a schism about the book, half thinking it was hogwash garbage made by a Grannarius sympathizer while the other Half thought a grand tale that put them in a far better light and would even help improve their relations with the other races. He told William to expect an envoy from them sooner rather than later as William groaned.
"Why?" he asked to the air as Richard replied "Everything, from the names to how religion and their lifestyle works. You must remember Lucrezia most of the works that have High Elves on them are of Grannarius making and those books and plays either turn the fair folk into one-note villains or unfunny boorish prudes who live on trees and talk to animals, rare is the book that portraits them in a good light especially from a human"
"But Vermilion is barely in peace with the Mad King, surely that has- Of course, we also have books made by our own who massacre the fair folk just like the Grannarius folk have..." William said in defeat as he eyed Saa'ryu and nodded. The maid on the other hand got up and stood by his side with an alarmed look on her face.
"I got 5 on the 70-meter detection spell, 3 women and 2 Knights, Knights are alerted and ready for a fight" He finished as he got his weapon back from Orthus and readied himself. Orthus looked with narrowed eyes and said "Richard if you cannot fight, hide behind me" Richard nodded but didn't get up from his seat.
To avoid any conflicts inside the cafeteria, William got up and placed his coat over his shoulders. Unsummoning his Magi-Tech arm he decided against untying his hair from the ponytail it was in and walked towards the trio he was expecting to show up sooner or later.
Lucrezia was pacing about and he could feel her fear and trepidation mixed with anxiety and longing.
It felt like the world was pressing him back but he knew he had to confront the consequences of his actions, no doubt leading to a healthy dose of drama but he had to do it. Not only for him but Lucrezia as well.
"Neptune, Kassandra, Sapphire..." Lucrezia said as the childhood friends of Lucrezia marched towards him from the noble side of the cafeteria. But his eyes were not on the fair figures of the beautiful young women who once were thick as thieves with the former owner of the body he was in. No, his eyes were on the two men behind them, clad in steel and with the symbols of Houses Uthe'Zie and Farkas.
The Knight from House Sakkar was nowhere in sight.
As he walked up he felt the fear and trepidation leaking through their auras. Ki flashed around them as he and Saa'ryu stood in front of Lucrezia's friends, seconds slowly passing as the Knights relaxed and saw that William wasn't here to finish the job he started months ago in that ghastly battle.
Willaim saw how Neptune stared at her Knight, he knew out of the 3 she was the one who cared the most for those working to protect her while her two friends saw them as common servants. Neptune was trained in their ways and she could also feel their fear from the Ki leaking through them, her eyes searched for an answer as William stared at her Knight.
"Were they not told about the events that happened in the past year Knight?"
The man steeled himself and said "No, they were not Furiae" the title caught the girls off guard as the other Knight stared at his companion "Fool! We have orders to-"
"She will tell them anyway Marcel! You were not there! You didn't see what I saw!" the Knight who namedropped William spoke as William's mind went back to that horrible day and he tried to recall who was the man speaking in front of him.
"His weapon" Ahh William remembered one of the Knights together with Farkas who slashed him as he impaled the Commanders. Marcel on the other hand William could infer by the earlier talk was not in the battle.
Neptune finally spoke as her two other friends were caught completely flat-footed by this exchange, they weren't used to their Knights speaking to one another much less talking about orders to keep them in the dark from something that Lucrezia had done. "Fray! What is the meaning of this? What did Lucrezia do? who's this Furiae?" The Knight, now named Fray stood quiet as Neptune's red eyes bored into him. Her green hair fashioned into two drills bobbing up and down as she spoke faster "Speak with me, my good man! Gods above what sort of reaction is this?!"
Kassandra's hand trembled as she pointed towards William's torso "Lu, Gods be Gracious what happened to your arm!" She was taken back by William's missing arm as the Knight Marcel placed his hand over her shoulder "My Lady I think it would be best if we would go back to your table"
Fray spoke his voice a bit shakey "Gods protect us if Arandel comes back now..." William recognized the name, it was the wife of the elven Knight Commande he killed back in the battle.
And so William followed the trio and their escorts as he breached into the belly of the beast, Eyes darting and a few fingers pointing towards him and his "Friends" as he felt a ping inside his mind. A message spell from Kaine "Anything happens, fire the flare gun I just teleported to Saa'ryu, Orthus and I will join in a flash" his voice faded as William found himself at a fancy table surrounded by expensive deserts and other bits and bobs the girls kept around.
They all took a sit as William decided it would be best to summon his Magi-Tech arm back again, the sound it made was enough to set Fray off as the Knight tensed up his muscles and leaked Ki again.
William felt the stares of the three girls bore on him as Lucrezia spoke in his mind "Please, be kind. They might be spoiled rotten but..."
"It's ok Lucrezia, I understand, I won't be harsh with them, trust me," William said in a soft caring voice.
It was time for a long talk with the 3 stooges.