"On God-Killing, a primer for would-be rulers, masters of armies, and fools dumb enough to charge a divine being that works from beyond the mortal realm, in this book, we will discuss homegrown, do-it-yourself methods of effective slaughter for the God menace, with no need to summon Entities from beyond, Devils or Demons, which would defeat the whole purpose of the endeavor!"
Nameless Book banned by the Imperium, was reportedly used by the First King of Vermilion to fight against minor Gods working against him and his people to halt their exodus to the Kingdom of Vermilion.
Winter had come to the Capital, Lucrezia smiled as she enjoyed the cold winds up on the roof of the housing building, it was a shame that she could not enjoy it naked but the depravity of a certain Greater Blessing wasn't that strong.
Yet.
"Don't even think about it, Gods above and Devils below do not get naked" Saa'ryu said as she toyed with her new weapons, Magi-Tech made and forged here in the school by Lucrezia and Richard, whose first date idea was wholly turned over his head when mid-way through their walk to a recent library turned pub was stopped by the Forgemaster of the Academy, Kastrus Ironbeard and that Vampire woman who always had an eye on him.
Lucrezia knew what was happening here, ever since the battle in the Fields the demand to learn Magi-Tech increased tenfold, and so did interest in the Forges of the Academy, which in turn led to deals being cut, facilities being expanded, and lot of good rapport being built with the young Ironbeard, this, in turn, earned her great jealousy from the lady vampire who, now that Lucrezia was more attuned to her Greater Blessing of love, was madly in love with the young lad.
"Commander Silverbrand, Lucrezia!" Richard got a bit red when his nickname came out of the dwarf's mouth, It was a silly but endearing one he told her, the people of the Academy had often come to him asking for advice after his new fame, the Orcs more often than not as Richard was preparing himself for the Pilgramge of A thousand Woes, an ancient Orcish rite to legitimize him as the bearer of their Goddess Blessing.
And making him a "Royal" something he was not a fan of.
"It's good I have my trio, Rose deals with nobility like they are babies, good people those three even if they are sick of me saying that" he spoke with warmth about them, good friends were rare to come by and she was glad Richard had his own inner circle, she knew how much he prized being something more than a mere pawn.
"So good to catch you both here, we have an emergency in the First Magi-Tech forge, certain individuals insisted on meddling where they lacked the skill for it, and well..., if you could help me out I'd be eternally grateful.
Richard spoke first "Aye, lead the way Ironbeard"
And so he did, the Vampire saying no words as they made their way to the section of the Academy that housed the forges, on the way people stopped to greet and exchange pleasantries with everyone, Lucrezia felt like a celebrity of Terra, an extraordinary feeling given she was popular already.
Her better half no doubt, is acting up again...
"So what's the issue, why do you need us to solve it?" Richard asked the dwarf "Last I heard you can bellow a giant out of the room Ironbeard" The young dwarf sighed and spoke, his voice full of resignation.
"These aren't Vermilion noble scions Richard, these are spoiled brats sent from the Old Home" Kastrus had spite in his voice "Worse still they are Family" Ahh Lucrezia made a sound of understanding and so did Richard, the dwarf sighed heavily as his Vampire woman spoke.
"Family is always trouble, especially the long-lived ones"
"You can say that again, we have elves in the extended family and they are always furious when we make them visit for the gatherings, I don't know why given they really aren't that busy but yeah, Trouble," Richard said.
Lucrezia's mouth spoke before her brain caught up "Deep in the Rainforest of the Imperium there should be a patch of land with special berries, beans, and fruits, if you can safely grab them, store and transport them to your elven relatives they will be more Amicable to family gatherings"
Silence, a few blinks by Richard and Kastrus "Right, let me note that down" and so he did as Richard's hands conjured a small notepad and pen "There, something for mom to get busy to impress Uncle Riva"
"...Wealth of Knowledge indeed" Kastrus whispered and the Vampire nodded. Lucrezia felt her ears grow red with shame, damn this innate need to do every bloody side quest and errand!
They walked in silence for a few more minutes, Arriving at the Forge's checkpoint which was guarded by Kastrus's own personal security nowadays, the dwarf getting a bit paranoid after the battle due to the popularity of his haunt.
Guards armed in Magi-Tech gear, Vanguard made, Richard nodded and the guard nodded back "The Vanguard must've made quite the impression, but then again those dwarves weren't just for show in the battle"
"Aye they did Commander" Kastrus replied "So much so even the more Progressive factions back in the Old Home are starting to import the stuff, which in turn leads to this fuck up we are heading to"
Two dwarven women and a Half-Elf man stood among forgers, their garbs with the Symbol of house Ironbeard floated in the wind, all of them looking angry and at the end of their wits.
"Kastrus" the taller dwarf woman spoke and Richard immediately went to his right side, the atmosphere shifted as the young man flexed his Blessing, he knew a bully when he saw one and wasn't about to let Kastrus be talked down in his presence.
The Half-Elf placed his hand on her shoulder, his eyes locked on Lucrezia as the words left his mouth "Kinslayer" the other dwarf woman, of smaller stature and kinder face looked at Richard and spoke "Orc's chosen"
Lucrezia saw the tall dwarf back down faster than she could get a quip out, like a puppet having its strings being cut she deflated, spatting on the ground in impotent rage.
Kastrus smiled "Right, that's the attitude issue dealt with" he clapped "Fia, Nortrua you two are under Lucrezia and Richard for today, Calleb you can stick with them or make yourself useful around the forges.
He turned to Lucrezia "Calleb's a good guy, when he's not chasing skirts and boozing up, I'll keep an eye on him...this went faster than what I had imagined so yeah, make sure to put those two spoiled scions to work Lucrezia, I have shit to do" and he was off.
Calleb smiled as he walked up to Lucrezia and Richard "A pleasure to meet you Kinslayer, I am Calleb Ironbeard, these are my sisters Fia and Nortrua, if you don't mind I will be joining you to "make myself useful" as our dear cousin so aptly said"
"She has a name" Richard said and the half-elf raised his hands in surrender "Apologies, I meant no offense, Tradition demands me to call you that Duchess Lucrezia, you see the killing of a family member in the Old Home is a very hm how can I put it..."
Fia spoke "Extremely Heretical, against all that is sacred for men and divine, and yet the history of the country is marked with enough kin slaying that you could float a barge full of iron and copper with it"
Contradiction born out of good intentions, Lucrezia smiled to herself as Fia went on "Forgive my brother for any offense Ser Richard, as a Half-Elf he has to crank the tradition dial to 11, lest the dwarves call him a knife-eared freak"
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"None taken" Lucrezia laughed as she started walking to the Magi-Tech forges set up by Kastrus after the battle, one item in particular being the dwarf's focus point of late, that interesting contraption given to Lucrezia by her mysterious benefactor.
"Impressive feat of engineering, may we take a closer look?" Fia said and rushed into the stand "Meant to pull...Nort take a look at this, using the Masty Coe...." The two women got lost in technical talk Lucrezia could barely keep up,
"I'll get off your hair, I saw axes being forged just in the other section and I must check that out," Calleb said clearly not wanting to share a room after getting Richard riled up, the couple let the man go, and silence fell around them.
"Let's get to work then shall we?" Richard said and started bringing materials to the big table Kastrus had placed in this particular forge "A pity your Ra'Tyrius didn't deem me fit for a Blessing, all I can do is regular stuff thanks to the Greater Blessing" He said as raw goods, crystals of multiple elements and bits and bobs fell into the table "Still a fascinating thing to behold, I was talking with Kastrus the other day and he told me that with an ungodly amount of elbow grease, even those not blessed can work Magi-Tech"
"Indeed, it takes time and effort, and no small amount of skill but you can learn if you are willing of course...there's no better teacher in the realm than me" Lucrezia felt her ear tips grow red, Jesus what the fuck was that? a teenager could've come up with a better line than her! and she had a Greater Blessing of Love!
Feeling her face start to go red she did the old reliable trick, cycling ice mana through her entire system from toe tips to the hair strands at speeds never seen before, thanks in part to her training under Kaine to better maximize mana output, with a mind clear and face nearly blue she snatched an out of this embarrassing situation "...If you are willing of course, I am aware you have one too many duties now"
Richard beamed her a smile "Oh thank the gods, I was hoping you would offer! when I asked one of your priests they told me to piss off and talk to you! Can you believe it? those old farts even laughed at me...At any rate, yes! I'd love to"
And so did Lucrezia, smitten by the smile start to teach the basics of Magi-Tech to Richard, starting with a favorite of his, the staff imbued with healing and offensive magicks, not wanting to be left behind he too applied himself in the matters of the Arcane, how to weave and shape raw mana into one of the 3 schools of Magic that governed their world...
"Miracles I don't know, we tried with Velkarius before but the Crystal, even after being supercharged with her divine energy didn't take to the miracle, resulting in catastrophic failure" Lucrezia explained to him after a question was spoken.
"It's due to your God's sphere of power" one of the dwarven girls spoke from the other table, deep in notes after looking into the apparatus "One of the reasons we were sent in this punishment duty was due to the fact we spoke about it, Ra'Tyrius will grow in power faster than any Smith or Ore God ever and the Traditionalists are worried"
"Worried about what?" Richard asked before realizing his cluelessness.
"Holy War" Lucrezia spoke and the room grew cold "It happened before in Steinheim, and He has plenty of motives to demand an army to march down the old road and put every single dwarf that banished him and Idun to the sword"
"The Kin" A slap from Fia made the other dwarf change her tune "Lady Lucrezia is right, as mighty as we are I doubt the Old Home could withstand an assault that would no doubt dwarf the little fight you had with your queen, we have seen your weapons of war Woman of the North, and believe you me, they made the old guard feel their blood run cold"
The sisters went off towards another bench as silence fell in the room, Lucrezia sat down and began tinkering with her weapons, the Magi-Tech pistols showing signs of wear and tear, she heard Richard pull up a chair and do work on his own gear by her side.
It was comfortable, in a way, no words said no reading between the lines and facial expressions or body language. Relaxing even.
"Weird isn't it? and I don't even have the blessing to truly comprehend the nuts and bolts of this fine weapon" Richard spoke as he took apart a particular staff he preferred, capable of casting an array of spells he learned with Kaine.
"Shame we couldn't get to the pub, the cook had something special planned today" Richard laughed "It's been quite the riot in my usual haunts you know? from a gloomy patron that liked to chat up regulars to the pride of the pub, number 1 friend of Knights and Mercenaries alike"
A warm smile, reaching all the way to his eyes bloomed on his face "Could do without the teasing if I must be honest"
"I am not helping as well," Lucrezia said with a giggle "But..."
"There's no need to rush your feelings, It was hm foolish of me making such a scene but the circumstances demanded it" he paused "Hope also spoke with me about us, and told me you are still under heavy emotional turmoil and I won't be the one to make you blast through it" Richard held it there, waiting for Lucrezia to speak.
"Thank you, I know it can't be easy" She smiled as he looked into her eyes and nodded "We make do dear, well minus Hope and Arthur well..." he closed his eyes and ran his palm through his forehead.
"Ah, you found out about their hidden side didn't you?" Lucrezia laughed "Yes I knew, and Kaine too I wager"
"Look, It's understandable when nobles are less than wholesome within their ivory chambers, but Hope? That shattered my image of the woman, who would've thunk such a prim and proper lady was that much of a well, you know" he fidgeted "Ugh I am still shy about these things, Mother was right once again"
Lucrezia knew Richard was teased by his mom for having a "prude" view on relationships, the boy only having dated one girl before as he believed it was only right to dedicate one's life to your one true love.
Sadly, his ex didn't agree with the sentiment and they broke off, amicable if memory served Lucrezia right but she knew the whole ordeal stung him still, a difference in world view from what was standard protocol for Vermilion culture when it came to youth and young adult dating.
Young Richard thought the first one would've been the one for the rest of his life.
"You know, moments like this when you get the look on your face are easy to spot once you know" Richard laughed as Lucrezia shot him a puzzled look "The others know as well in case you are wondering, I guess even you gotta put the nogging to work every once in a while, given how much you know about well, everything"
Lucrezia laughed "I only know what I know dear, nothing more nothing less" She worked on the repairs for her weapons more, ideas flying for improvement as silence made itself known again.
"More of those Uumaries pillars have been found, Mother told me you are buying them, what for?" Richard asked.
"A project in the Wastes, has to be done without the prying eyes of the divine and those pillars still work to keep the gods from randomly finding the site we are working for, you must've also seen the other supplies I am buying I am guessing?" Lucrezia spoke, knowing she could trust him.
"Aye I did, Mother was very angry at the fact and even, thought I would rat her out, the woman forgot I am also a merchant and we care a great deal for our client's privacy" He smiled "An ingenious way of making use of everything you can squeeze out of Uumaries huh? I've seen the new unit you employed in her Cathedral's demolition, fearsome machine" Richard sounded awed.
"SR-X One codename "Lockdown" Heh" Lucrezia had a nasty grin on her face "Vivienne helped us with the design, her own Magi-Tech tool of destruction, as a gift to her and the Arch-Duke given they granted me a weapon when I first came to the capital" The Katana was in her room sadly, otherwise Lucrezia would've summoned for dramatic effect.
"Fearsome, thunder of the Duke's Daughter" Richard nodded "Vivienne talked with me at length about many a thing you know? told me I am a great listener for a merchant, which to be honest is a skill many a merchant in this city lacks but I digress, she mentioned something I wanted to ask you about as it involves that rotten business with the First Prince and the cure for her ailments" Richard's voice trembled a little, afraid of asking no doubt.
Lucrezia made sure to transmit positive body language and nodded him to go ahead, the queue was rightly caught on by the young man who relaxed a bit as he spoke the words.
"Vivienne tells me of strange dreams she often has, it's her fighting against shadowy figures, sometimes she wins, other times she loses when that happens and she is on the verge of dying inside the dream, an odd figure appears, a teenager boy, barely 17 summers old, tall and with silvery hair" he paused for a second "in her mind that boy is you Lucrezia, he is the one who vanishes the evil that yet remains even after the treatment with the Draconic Relic"
Lucrezia felt her pulse quicken but she didn't let that show "A curious side effect of the relic, I often communed with Kallista to see if usage on humans, or the other races would have any ill side effects, but according to her and the other dragons that used it, nothing but dreams will happen after the Relic does its work, mayhaps she sees in a male figure strength? and some of my characteristics bled into that notion?"
Richard's face had a puzzled look, he was consolidating information hoping to arrive at a good conclusion "Hvtial told me something similar, being Dragonborn himself he was aware of dragon physiology and neurology better than most and lacked access to the actual scaly bastards he was the best source for info"
Lucrezia laughed "We can always beat the dungeon you know? He would welcome the chance to fight us again I'm sure of it" She laughed as Richard shook his head, his face going through many emotions.
"Don't, the last thing I need is the Red getting angry at me because we defeated his little maze only to ask him questions, I'd rather wait for the summer vacation and visit your Lady Kallista, she was very pleasant to be around as well"
"Tell you what Richard, I'll ask her for a tour of her realm, you gonna like it, her horde is lovely now that we have proper trade routes with them again" Lucrezia spoke and the young man's face lit up "It's a deal then, what's a date at a pub when you can visit one of the realm's most reclusive individuals!"
Both laughed as the wind howled outside, flakes of snow falling from the skies as the temperature dropped, the Summer Spirits ready to take a break.