"Lo and behold, faith and magic intertwined to power this marvelous Item! the work of monks learned men of the cloth, scholars, and mages from all races worldwide can now be distilled into a single focal point! and if you stick around after the end of the Lecture you will be able to see this marvelous artefact in action!"
Elven Archon and Imperium Legatus Gougar the Learned showing to the world the first set of Runic-Divine Capacitators, at the time considered a fancy piece of engineering, and nothing more until the Dwarves of Stenheim furthered his research to power their mines deep underground. On the Imperium and its people, a primer for tourists.
"Big ears, even for elves," Lucrezia thought to herself as she sat across two elven women, envoys from the moon who were in a special room at the cathedral of Saal'Xhir to finalize the moonbase deal and the final touches on her space station. Lucrezia thanked her lucky stars, and her many patron gods that her luck hadn't gone south for this project, everything was happening at a good pace and soon she would get ready for stage two of her rather daring plan to avenge the Spirits of this world.
Still, getting the proper paperwork done to raise that kind of army was a headache in the making...The All-Father's Warmaster would not be pleased with her, something that was becoming quite the common occurrence, Lucrezia thought to herself as the events of last week played on her mind once again, to think Kaine would go against his mother like that, right in the middle of the capital as well.
Scarier still was the sort of compulsion Malphas had used on Sophia, a masterfully done piece of necromantic and mind magic, on someone who Lucrezia knew was a lifelong friend..., she had Kaine place the very best of shields on everyone they knew, hopefully, that would deter the mad queen...
"I don't understand, Lady Wulfgrem, I honestly don't" the older elven woman, one called J'Kar spoke, Lucrezia had some knowledge on the woman from her better half, an old war horse from the days before the All-Father had claimed this universe, together with the elven watchers in the moon she was something akin to peacekeeping and diplomat force the All-Father had created, meant to spearhead nonviolent incursions.
"I fully understand the plight of the Natives, Creator as my witness I even managed to talk with the Ancient woman you found" J'Kar continued "But all of this is rather excessive isn't it? I've seen the plans and the materials Daughter of the North, you mean to raise an army on par with one of the Creator's Legions! to hunt a single divine at that! Never mind the fact you are in cahoots with Augurios, a single Strike Team would be more than enough to claim the head of that bastard" She tapped her fingers along the table, slender and bright green as the color of her skin shifted.
The other Elf, a nameless envoy who rarely spoke chimed in, her entire figure was clad in robes and only a slit in the robes at the eyes showed any emotion "...Usual methods of...transportation not possible...she hides in-between planes and supermassive black holes, this you know...not an army, an expeditionary force sister..." J'Kar sighed "...We thank you for this precious information...my family, and ancestors worked together with the spirits...for many, a year and their plight must be avenged... Had I the means I would offer my sword..." Silence fell at the table and Lucrezia nodded with grace, it was clear this woman felt as strongly as she about this issue.
"I was privy to the information as well In case you are wondering" J'Kar spoke "Still I believe it's a far better method than this ruckus you are causing...let's sign this so I can go back home already, the gravity here is making me quite sick" they signed the paper and bid each other farewell, J'Kar had a conflicted face but still Lucrezia felt she wouldn't cause any future issues... now to deal with more pressing matters.
"Saa'ryu, can you clean the table and set the projector?" She called out loud and a grunt came from the door as an answer, the Magi-Tech apparatus was still in a very early prototype stage, memory pebbles and the more magical items having a far better image and sound quality "We need more churches" she spoke to herself as the maid dragged the box in and placed on the table.
Lucrezia watched the fight against Sophia and felt a quiver of fear seeing a very European-looking sword being wielded by her beloved, they were being loose with gifts, and still, the All-Father hadn't come knocking so she prayed he wouldn't mind.
"Pray you never piss Kaine and his girlfriend off my Lady, because I don't think we could reliably take him out unless we had some strong support from Richard and Hope, and even then it was a toss of the coin" Saa'ryu spoke and Lucrezia nodded "And that's with Gwennarius still not getting enough faith, once the new churches are built and the priests and priestess are out there preaching the good word of She who rules over the River of Time..."
"He will be powerful indeed" Lucrezia smiled in satisfaction seeing her friend being this powerhouse she knew from her game memories, it felt good knowing the best mage alive was on her side.
"I have news from Idun, there's been a surge of Magi-Tech components being supplied to third parties associated with us, by themselves it's nothing major, but once he put the first parts together it was...quite something he told me" Saa'ryu spoke "progress in areas we had stalled a bit, especially regarding long-range communications and broadcasting are now at full steam ahead, same for weapons and armor systems for our troop carriers"
Saa'ryu tapped on the table "It's the same individual who helped us at the battle, Idun confirmed it" She raised her gaze to Lucrezia "Why do they refuse to show themselves? surely we could work together and properly compensate for their work, hells can you believe the Duchy has garnered quite the reputation for being a luxury destination for craftsmen? we even had to deal with a few jealous Elves and Dwarves thanks to it" The maid laughed and waited for Lucrezia to respond.
"Let them be Saa, it is clear they sided with us and if they wish to remain incognito then so be it, it is by respecting their wishes, and the wishes of our workforce and citizens that we won that reputation you mentioned" Saa'ryu nodded in agreement "Still to think we will be able to broadcast my radio stations across the entire kingdom this fast, marvelous isn't it? music to the entire nation, news, and more at an affordable price and without having to deal with mages who might outright refuse to deliver them, I can't wait to see how the Magical Gods will reply, to this race to achieve a status quo with our new technology is something else" Lucrezia felt fire in her belly and had to take a second to calm herself down, Saa'ryu snickered at he sight, so common nowadays especially when Richard was involved.
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"You are pushing me hard these last few days Lu, what's digging into your hide?" Hope asked after knocking Lucrezia on her ass twice with some Speed, Parry, and Dodge combination with her Blessing, the "build" so to say was terrifying to Lucrezia. Still, her best friend refused to switch from her preferred set of War, Magic, and Time, which to be honest, was also a terrifying and powerful combination to be employed by one blessed by the All-Father.
It helped the Gods Hope picked were also on friendly terms with her, Faith flowed through her onto them and in turn their power into her, It was a marvelous thing to behold Kaine had told them once, being able to pierce the veil for a few minutes and watching Faal's masterwork of Divine Magic. The feedback sadly proved too much for him, and this was AFTER he had runes etched into the robes he was using and wards cast by Castra-Cam and her mother to pierce the veil of body and soul fully.
"It's the duels, you know of this already" Lucrezia spoke as she dusted herself off "I need you to be faster, stronger, more in tune with your incarnations and divine miracles" She paced around the arena they were using inside the Academy, few people around them as they saw the markings of a privacy ward cast above the arena, and most deciding to give both women their space.
Of course, the few who got close were greeted by a weak shocking spell meant to spook small animals, and if they wanted to listen, Lucrezia would be dealing with those personally.
"You understand how strong you are, Lu? The level of hurt you can level on a one-on-one encounter is something not even I could take lightly if you meant to deal damage, I understand wanting to push me to my apex, trust me Arthur, and Kaine are also doing the same. The opportunity to become as strong as Malphas is something I will not waste, but this? this is nothing Lu, you are paranoid even if what Kaine told us could happen..."
Hope sighed as she beheld Lucrezia's stony gaze "Even if the River of Time is in flux again! surely we don't need to do all this at this pace right? Lu I'm having actual Gods call me in my dreams most of the days now, some of the lower pantheon of War are worried I am getting too strong too fast, and that's not even account for the rage!" Hope sighed, Lucrezia didn't reply.
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"Look at me" Hope dropped her weapon and walked towards Lucrezia, grabbing her face with her hands and leaning right into her, Lucrezia could feel the warmth of her breath, see the eyes shining with power in a rainbow of colors "Look at me you stubborn woman, don't make me kiss you again" Hope spoke and Lucrezia locked eyes with her "Nothing will happen you hear me? nothing, we are powerful! It would take god knows how many tricks and foul play for anything to happen Lucrezia, you have me, you have Richard and Vivienne, even Arthur, so please relax a little"
It felt good, being held like this Lucrezia thought, knowing that the woman in front of her, whom she had raised to be a deadly, the deadliest fighter in the world would go this far to assure her nothing would happen, for a moment she wanted to lose herself in those warm feelings, but her better half taught her better than this, her paranoia ran deep and even if she had to give Hope a break from training, she wouldn't stop until the conflict was over, and her enemies were dead.
All-Father willing, that dark future Kaine beheld would not come to pass.
They wrapped the the training and went on their ways, Hope was beyond the need of Lucrezia's constant helping hand after all, nowadays the young woman was a force to be reckoned with all by her lonesome, streams of news both from what Lucrezia knew about the game, and things that she had no information off came from various sources, often from Hope herself as well.
A fancy teleport from Hope and Lucrezia was alone near the gym, having already done her morning routine she figured it was high time for food, later classes would be a very boring affair as the Academy began its many tests, be it written, or via magical and physical might, theory and everything else, coupled that with the tournament and the entire place was a hive of activity, something she was more than glad to let wash over her right now.
Not exactly fair, I know all the answers for the written tests anyway, even for the classes I am not in... the young Duchess thought to herself as she walked the long corridors down to her old haunt, the Caffeteria which as always was a hive of noise and pleasant smells, she noticed the cooks were working with more enthusiasm today, it made sense after all the students, especially those who would do the more physical tests had to be properly fed.
With the plate in hand and food ready to be eaten, Lucrezia sat alone at her usual table, on her way to it she was hailed, saluted, and even had someone take a knee, these few days she often forgot her exploits, and acts that made the good people of the Academy, be it Noble or Peasant respect her in a way very few had before, a small part of her feared abusing that trust and respect...
"Frowns ill suit your face dear" Lucrezia heard Richard's voice and raised her head, the young man already sitting down and forking eggs down with enthusiasm "I see Hope didn't agree to a faster tempo to the training. A shame but one I knew would happen" Lucrezia raised her eyebrow in puzzlement "Ah but I speak too soon on matters that are bothering you, my dear, forgive me" Richard cleared his mouth with a napkin and extended his hand for a shake.
Lucrezia smiled at the antic, shaking his hand and kissing it "Worry not, It's true Hope blew me off and I have been pushing her harder these last few days" Lucrezia rubbed her temples, sighing softly "Those visions Kaine had Richard...they weren't good" she tapped her fingers on the table in a rhythm, hoping the act would take some of the stress off her mind.
"It's not often you fall into these fatalistic moods Lucrezia, but once you do it is plain to see in your face, the way you speak" Richard spoke "It reminds me of the time we first met you know? Mother always told me a man shouldn't get involved in the emotional woes of his beloved but if you need me, you know where I am" Richard held her hand with force, it felt good.
"I can't, I can't talk about it yet" Lucrezia whispered, her voice cracking "Maybe one day..." she saw how Richard narrowed his eyes, trying to pierce the meaning of her words with his intellect "If you can't talk about it, then we won't talk about it" a smile and nod came and she smiled in turn "But I'll say this, don't be too hard on yourself Lu, the odds we are against are dire yes, but we pulled through worse, you should try to relax a little, a high strung bow can do more harm to its user than the enemy..."
Richard looked confused "That makes more sense in Ancien Orcish, I swear"
The couple ate in comfortable silence, or as much as it was possible within such a place as the Cafeteria, sometimes friends or known associates would hail, or make small talk but people respected their small silent time together surprisingly well Lucrezia thought herself as she finished the plate, she and Richard had trained these people well she thought with a laugh.
"I was thinking, by next week we should have a free weekend yes? So Mother dearest managed to sneak me a couple of invitations to this rather elaborate debate with quite a few Fatih figures for a ton of Divines out there, and even a few Outsiders who are on good terms with the All-Father if you can believe, Sadly the Hivemind refused the invite, what you think? wanna go?" Richard spoke in a low tone, still forking down food "Honestly I think she meant to give it to you first but I was the fastest way of getting those tickets out of her hand, she loathes these types of gatherings" Richard finished with a flair of his fork.
"Do you wanna go Richard?" Lucrezia asked, making sure his mother wasn't forcing him.
"I don't mind, if I must be honest I've always found these debates soothing and they put me fast asleep in a way very few "rooms full of people talking" can do" Richard smiled "But I do know you are interested in them so as long you don't me snoring mid-way through in the upper rooms it's fine by me really" the young man rubbed his chin, Lucrezia noticed he wasn't keen on letting a beard grow, apparently he was told by his father that it just wouldn't look good on him.
"Guess we have a date then!" Lucrezia cheered with some glee in her voice "Now finish your food, we got shit to do"
"Aye aye, My Lady!" Richard spoke with fake gusto and both couldn't help but laugh at the scene.
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"And your mother had an actual Spectre inside her Soul? you do understand that would be catastrophic if we would confront Malphas yes?" Kaine heard the tired voice of his father as he tapped on a complicated array of sigils, runes, and words of power, both men were working on a country-wide divination spell and had burned through enough capital to sink a small state to do it.
"Yes dearest Father, I am keenly aware of the fact, which is why Mother dearest is eavesdropping on us from across the room right now" Kaine pointed his finger to Kaede and the woman began chanting silently, the runes flared for a brief second but went inert "We need to thin the reagents in some of the runes Kaine, otherwise this won't work" she spoke and he nodded, pointing to a section and saying "Dad if you would"
Kaine saw his Father shake his head "For all that's worth Kaede, I apologize for my Wife's rude behavior towards you, And I want you to know that I am deeply happy my son found a loving partner who shares his thirst for the magical and arcane" Valtas bowed towards the Kitsune and she blushed. Kaine sighed and Kaede spoke up "Don't sigh like that, It's not his fault and we all know Arch-Mage Sophia had a sailor's mouth!"
"Your efforts to forgive and forget are not necessary, if anything she wants some contrition from you, from all of us really" Kaine waved his hand and Kaede huffed "Mother if you would make your case, please? I can't have my beloved mad at me due to your bad behavior"
Kaine saw the once proud and haughty mage wake, her had low and face flushed red "Bastard of a son, you are lucky we aren't at home otherwise I would've had you spanked" she spoke but there was no steam to her words, it was like seeing an actor go through the motions.
"Why do you need Ley-Lines anyway Kaine, you have plenty of mana already, same for Divine Energies now that your churches are being built by automatons," Valtas asked his son with genuine puzzlement, Ley-Lines were not often tapped anymore, especially since they were too deep underground or guarded by contraptions put in place by Fallen Gods who needed outside sources of power to not lose their Spheres.
"Mother's spell is plan A, this is Plan B to Y" Kaine spoke low and fierce "Z is the alternate timeline I showed you earlier, Father" the Arch-Mage gulped, the images he had seen were still fresh in his mind, and the fear he felt too, Unlike his son Valtas had seen wars on that level, the carnage of fighting and the fallout that took years to fix, and he readily agreed in helping his son in this rather time-consuming endeavor.
"All Vermilian Ley-Lines are safe from outside protections, they are just too deep underground for mage use thankfully" Kaine spoke "Now about the issue with the queen..."
"Fuck can we do son? Do I look like I can just waltz into the palace and beat that cunt down for a few minutes? she won more than once and I don't wanna be further humiliated by her anymore, for fuck's sake I trusted her with my life for years on the road! how could she have done this time, whore..." Sophia said with some fire but once again lost steam at the end, she sat down outside of the array and waited.
"It was the First Prince's death, she likely messed with you as soon as the word was out Lady Sophia, a contingency in case..." Kaede sighed "In case you were to fall for Lucrezia's charms, she has quite the effect on powerful people" The Kitsune laughed at her joke, knowing the woman herself had that effect even on the Divines.
"Mother, while I respect your wish to make amends, I really can't help you right now, if you are willing we can talk, as a family later, Kaede included, and set the record straight, is that ok with you?" Kaine spoke, sometimes he envied Lucrezia's people skills, the woman would've dealt with this ages ago...
"Ok, ok you bastard," Sophia said with some relief in her voice, Kaine smirked at the sight, maybe the rude woman had some shame after all "Now let me help you with this, your father is a klutz with Runes and I don't know why you had him help with it, here's what we gotta do, get closer Kaede you must know this as well!"
From the other corner, Valtas watched as his family mended a bridge he long thought was burnt to the ground, he smiled even at the small slight his wife threw at him, they had done plenty of bad alright but maybe, maybe they could finally do some good.
Gods knew he wanted to.