Harlan made his way to the stage which had suddenly appeared and Sepul with it.
He had been moving around the room keeping an eye out for people bothering Harlan’s friends and family before now.
The king’s throne was right behind the stage, he already knew what would be happening, so he wanted to just watch the reactions of the people present.
“I, King Yggdra, 15th of my name, present to you a device that shall change the world. It would’ve been impossible if not for the tireless work of both Archmage Sepul Dust, and newly appointed High Mage Harlan Fomoria.”
There were murmurs in the crowd but Harlan had never heard of the title before so it had no real impact on him.
He knew that there was a mages guild, which was partly run by independent mages and partly run by the kingdom, but he didn’t actually know what they did other than support talented mages and send them out with local forces for purges.
“No longer will parchment and quill be the way of words, no longer shall orders arrive late, the messengers dead from bandits or wildlife. No soldier will go months without hearing the words of his loved ones, no noble will need to take journeys a day's travel away just to finalize a simple deal, leaving their lands in the hands of others. This is a revolution for the low man, the high born, for all of us. This shall stand as a beacon for what can be done when we allow the grievances of the past, and the setting aside of our differences. Sir Fomoria, Archmage Dust, demonstrate the items in question.”
“Of course, your majesty.”
Sepul opened a gate reaching Wyrmhold, one of the few proper cities in the frontier, and another, to the black sands of the great desert, where a research base was set up.
“Who among you would like to be first to try these?”
There was some talking back and forth, but the first to raise their hands were Willow and Claude, to the disapproval of their parents.
However, this was the king’s presentation, to back out would reflect poorly on them.
Harlan gave a small explanation to them and they touched their amulets to Harlan’s before walking through the gates.
Then they closed and there was a little shock through the crowd.
Then there was a great shock when the amulet in Harlan’s hand let out a faint glow and the voices of both children came through it clear as day.
“Is it cold in the desert at this time?”
“It could stand to be warmer, but the moon on the sands is a beautiful sight.”
“And Wyrmhold, is the wall as impressive as I’ve heard?”
“Yes, it is like a great beast circling the entire city, guarding it from attack.”
The wall in question had been sculpted to look like a massive white Lindwyrm.
For stupid creatures like orcs or goblins, it was real enough that they fled in terror at the sight of it.
Sepul could see that they got exactly the effect they wanted, and as proof that they were exactly where they said they were each came back with something from the area, for WIllow, a vial of blacksand, for Claude, a flower that was local to the region and didn’t keep well.
“Would our allies in the confederate states like to take part in this demonstration as well?”
Bojana’s mother had a wide grin as she raised her arm and elbowed a Minos until he raised his arm as well.
They repeated the process, though in this case the Minos was sent to one of the southern states of the confederacy and Valda was sent to the north.
Everyone felt the bone chilling cold that came through the gates.
After they returned Valda had snow on her and the Minos came back with a pear which he ate.
The king raised his hand to quiet the room down before he spoke again.
“Now that you have seen what has been made, you can all see what can change with this. As of now, these devices will be distributed with a fee for them. We will also be setting up stations where the common people will be able to speak with stations located in other cities and military camps. These shall be a small cost to open and I shall be subsidizing them. We cannot forget that while we have held these titles and positions for centuries, each of us was a simple man, soldiers, farmers, mapmakers. Were it not for a boy raised by a farmer and born of an enemy, we would not have this here and now. He among others has proven that birth high or low means nothing in the face of talent and drive.”
Faces distorted in disgust and envy for the boy praised by the king, who held top spots in nearly every class he took, and through his work had ended a thousand years of war.
“And it is for this reason, that I grant him the honorary title of count, without the responsibilities, yet with the annuities and power that comes with such a title. We should all hope that he uses these gifts of his to continue to improve all lives across this kingdom, for without my people, I would be no king, and without your subjects, you would be no nobles.
It was not lost on those here the difference in phrasing, my people, vs your subjects.
After seeing how his father, the highest man in the kingdom, was reduced to a bank and party planner for these so called nobles, gradually, he grew to hate them, he hated the entire system.
Yet it was this same system that gave him the power to change it as he pleased.
Harlan’s invention of golems now meant that he could have an army that was perfectly loyal in the case of insurrection, his soulsmithed items allowed him to be a mage in an instant so long as he knew one that was willing to put their spells in them, and lastly, his communicators would let his spies instantly give information on people.
He had lost many spies already, their information buried with them.
“But enough of talks and gifts, this is still a gala, and now with every guest having arrived and the presentation over, a dance is in order. Mingle with those across borders and you might find you have more in common than you once believed.”
When Harlan stepped off the stage he moved with purpose and vigor through the crowd, finding Adina standing near her father, yet he walked right past both of them.
“Grand Saint Fragile Peace, may I speak with you?”
“Yes. I hope we might finalize more details on our deal at some point.”
“I hoped to speak on another matter actually.”
“Very well.”
“What kind of nation are you making? What do you want your people to be? The actions of your guard earlier would make it seem that your people might not understand whatever message you have given, so I wanted to see if you could tell me.”
All eyes were on them, both parties were still children, yet one was the ruler of a nation, and the other had invented a world changing item.
“I would like a nation where all of my people might live without bloodshed, yet we retain our sovereignty.
A separate nation, but one still connected to the other nations of this world. I must apologize for the actions of my guard again, he was far out of line with his comments.”
“Yet what of those who would shed blood out of your country? What about those who have left your country? My maid is one such person, her father was killed as a result of the policies of your predecessors. Would she be safe to see what was once her home?”
“We would need to review each person as they come, traitors could never return, but I see no reason to punish the children of those same traitors. You have my word that there will be no seeking of retribution on those who have left us peacefully and without trading secrets from our side to yours.”
“Thank you. I do hope your word is as powerful as I believe it is.”
“My word is law, only a fool would do something which I have expressly forbidden, especially if it harms another without just cause, at that point they would not be one of my people.”
Harlan had a wolfish grin, he got exactly the reaction he wanted and her words had been heard by many near her.
“Thank you. I should have an improved prototype ready for use in 1 month, the original design is quite rough and I would like to put some effort into something elegant for you.”
‘Of course. I shall have my people retrieve it from you in 1 month's time.“
There was really just one more person who he wanted to talk to.
“You must be Malachi, otherwise known as the Eyes of Judgment.”
“That I am.”
“Then this must be your daughter, Adina, I see her during my healing classes.”
“I’m sure that you do.”
It was clear he didn’t want to be talking to Harlan.
“Adina, would you like to share a dance?”
“She is betrothed to another, he has the right to her first dance.”
His eyes turned a maelstrom, but he did not let it reflect on his voice or actions.
“Of course.”
Harlan stayed around them, waiting to catch a glimpse of whoever it was and to see if he could learn anything about her family.
She had 2 brothers, both of them were here and speaking among the Cato family.
Despite what their grand saint might’ve wanted, they had no desire to mingle with anyone outside of their country.
Meanwhile many dukes and royal children spoke with the grand saint.
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Eventually a boy came near Adina and asked for the dance, at which point Harlan found Sable, so he could stay near them on the dancefloor and eavesdrop.
She wasn’t exactly happy once he started talking during their dance.
“I want to stay near Adina and the boy who is with her.”
“That is why you asked me?”
“I never did get that favor, how about using it for this?”
“Why not just be happy to dance with a beautiful girl, budding into a woman?”
Harlan gave her a look, he did not believe she was as mature as she thought she was.
“Would you rather I lied to you instead? I also could’ve asked Yara, or Ximena. Yet I still chose to dance with you.”
“If you are trying to manipulate me I will be cross with you.”
“You will just need to forgive me like I forgave your mother.”
He didn’t like doing it, but a simple change of subject to something personal for Sable and a bit of empathic flexing to lower her anger was enough for her to forget all about his own transgression.
“For what?”
“Just ask how my fight with Jet happened, press her on it and she will probably tell you and be angry with me. Also, while we are talking, I don’t like how she looks at me.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. She became more interested in you and me being a couple when she heard you threw yourself on a blade just to catch an assassin alive. My father started their relationship in a similar way.”
“How do you feel about me then? If you don’t mind me asking.”
“This is as close to private as we will likely get so I’ll answer. I barely know you, I know what you’ve done, and my mother keeps tabs on you, but I don’t know you.”
“Thank you for your honesty.”
Their conversation ended there.
Harlan only heard bits of conversation between Adina and the boy.
She didn’t say much, he was a talker though.
Name was Saul, son of some high saint household, he was there so the houses could form a bond and she could give birth to children with the family bloodline ability.
That last part made Harlan’s eyes shift and his mind wander until his bloodlust spilled onto Sable.
“What are you so upset over?”
“Nothing to worry about.”
“I disagree. Are you not supposed to talk with people about things like this?”
“Let me rephrase that. It is a personal matter, one which I have shared with exactly 1 person. I am not telling you, and it isn’t your problem. You said it yourself, you don’t know me.”
He was having a hard time keeping his abject scorn out of his mental tone, yet it had the effect of shutting down the conversation so he didn’t mind it so much.
The dance went on and from left to right in the room partners were being switched around.
Harlan moved quickly to get in position and Adina could tell from the sound of his footsteps that he was nearby.
Sable with Saul, Harlan with Adina.
“Are you ok?”
“Yes, I was taken back home almost as soon as you left, I think they knew you might react… poorly.”
“You felt different when you came here, I’m sorry.”
“You couldn’t have changed anything. I’m just happy you are here now.”
“As soon as we get back, I can make you a vassal, anyone who came after you would need to go through me from an official channel. They couldn’t take you away again.”
“I can give you an honorary title, it would tie you to me without actually requiring anything from you.”
“Are you allowed to do that?”
“I’ve been talking with people about how to bring you over for months. I am not interested in just getting you out and then ending up in some ridiculous legal battle where my influence wouldn’t hold as much weight. As a vassal you would be almost part of my family, under my umbrella, you would be close to a noble. It would give me the legal weight to get you out of that marriage, if not…”
There was a clear tension as he snuck a peak at Saul, he used no empathic ability or magic, but the boy could feel his sixth sense telling him a beast was looking at him.
“Thank you. I wonder how everyone will react.”
“Our friends will be happy, our enemies will be upset. Anyone who tries to act on that will end up in the medical ward or a shallow grave. I’ve never stopped thinking about revenge on the Catos, I’ve just put it off until they act up again.”
She thanked him and then they danced in silence until there was another partner switch.
Harlan ended up with the youngest princess who used no subtlety as she moved her partner over to Harlan.
He kept the chat polite and avoided serious topics.
She was younger than him and more interested in what things he had made than anything else.
She was very interested in forging items, and, as it turned out, somebody who he was working with to design his golem armors had loose lips.
Unfortunately for Harlan, word had also spread, though only in a minor way, about Ava’s armor.
He wouldn’t be able to hide what he had made for very long, yet after his talk with the king earlier, he believed that he could get away with it by just saying he wanted to test out theories before he presented it to the king.
Both sides would know it was a lie but wouldn’t mind, without the war constantly going on the need for such a thing would be greatly lessened.
It might even be enough that he could learn about the ancient gate system and why it failed.
Another switch, Harlan didn’t know the woman he was dancing with and it was a little awkward due to her being taller than him, but he followed her lead and it worked out.
Finally the dancing was done and Harlan asked a man standing near the throne to give a message to the king.
He wanted to just get it over with, he had actually been using semi-sentient souls for some testing, though the one with Ava’s armor was actually quite a lot more advanced than these things.
Even that one didn’t confirm his worst fear, that they would grow into real people, so if after a few months it had shown not a single change to make him believe it would grow then it was probably fine.
He wondered if there was an arbitrary amount of soul that it had to cross to make something a person.
Harlan spent the rest of the night drinking (non-alcoholic drinks of course) and eating and talking.
He thought about speaking with Saul, but decided against it, there was no good that could possibly come from it in his opinion.
The few foolish enough to make moves on his sisters or in one case, his mother, found Sepul nearby, he didn’t need to say a word for them to understand that they were treading a dangerous line, fewer still kept speaking to them anyway.
He had to admire their bravery, or their lack of any sense of danger.
The night was winding down, almost everyone was gone at this point. Sepul brought his family back home safely and said he would come back for him.
Then the room was just Harlan, the staff, a few people waiting on their gates, and the king.
He was called to a nearby room for a short chat.
“Did you hide another invention behind your back? Perhaps that armor of yours? My youngest seems quite interested in such a thing, turning even a child into an instant mage.”
“I am not talking to you about the armor itself, but rather how it works. What if I said I have been testing in secret, the next step for soulsmithing? Items that can truly cast a spell instead of casting a single variant of that spell, armors and weapons that can shapeshift on command, that could act even when the wearer is sleeping. Yet they pose no risk of going against their wearer like my original shield had.”
“Then I would say to keep that secret.”
Harlan looked at him with a dumbfounded stare.
“There is a balance of power between the people and the state, in this case, me. If a revolutionary only needs sets of armor, ones that could be hidden under normal clothes, to have a battalion of trained mages, things get dangerous very quickly. Some day I might ask you to make these items, and you are free to make your own as you see fit, but right now we are in no state to introduce anything more to the world.
In 6 years time I will be dead of natural causes, maybe I will be dead before then. When my child, whoever I do pick, gains the throne and the power that comes with it, they will gain my secrets. If they have those souls that you can make, they could forge an army unlike anything the continent has seen since the old empire, that could lead to dangerous ideas of conquest.”
“Thank you. May I speak freely?”
“Of course.”
“I want to know why you are paying in part for the extra stations that let normal people use the communicators?”
“Is this not what you have asked for? Sepul said how upset you seemed over your failure to make them a household item, so I’ve done the next best thing. Each building will be full of rooms attached to a large relay system that will hop from relay to relay until it finds the person that the call was meant for. We have been moving past your original designs for some time already to see what else we can do with what you’ve made. It did help that an archmage said that she knew what we made and she wanted to improve on it if possible.”
“Who?”
“I hope you’ve not spoken to so many people about what you made that you cannot think of who it was with just the information of being a female archmage.”
“I suppose that does narrow it down to only a single person.”
“Good, now, do you have any more revelations or requests?”
“I intend to make Adina my vassal. Since the paperwork is just waiting for her to sign it and she has your approval, I hope there aren't any issues I should know about before I make this official.”
“You would be better served to make her your wife, it would make everything afterwards much easier. You don’t need to worry about me picking a bride for you, think of it as a benefit of being a count in name.”
“I am not sure if I want to do that, she could still find somebody else.”
“Do you think I married my wife because I loved her? That I had no mistresses on the side? I have 24 children, how many are bastards? How many bastards do I have outside of the public sight. You are truly still a child if you can’t learn how to use something like this for your own gain. Now, we’ve exhausted our time, I’ve need of rest.”
He thought for a second about that wife, the king had not had a queen for quite some time already and he had heard nothing of remarrying.
Harlan knelt goodbye and Sepul was waiting outside to take him home.
“I hope you’ve not done something you’ll regret.”
“No, he rejected what I would’ve given him. I am glad for it though.”
“He has as much power as he needs.”
Harlan was back in the academy after just a short walk to a gate room, while Sepul could force his way out of the castle, it would be no easy feat and would actually have consequences.
The academy was a marvel of magic, yet it didn’t have the secrets and deals that were involved in making the royal home.
As soon as he stepped outside of the gate office a ball of void formed and out stepped Coronach.
Sepul took a form of pure light with a sunring behind his back and a crown of light on his head,
Harlan’s skin tingled from the sheer power coming off of him.
“Come now, the boy made a deal. I am just here to pick him up.”
He stretched an arm towards Harlan and Sepul fired a beam that turned the ground into a splash of molten glass.
Even the shadow seemed to brighten, revealing the writhing flesh underneath his shell.
Yet while he recoiled in pain, he made no more movements.
“Sepul, I am going with him.”
“You have no idea what he even is, I will not allow you to go anywhere with this… thing.”
The words of Coronach ended the conversation.
“The deal is not with me, you might be able to kill me, but then you would need to deal with her.”
There really wasn’t anything else to be done at that point.
Sepul returned to his disguised form and Harlan walked into the ball of void while other archmages arrived to find the fight was already over.
Coronach was never supposed to step on academy grounds and the new and improved wards and arrays put in place by Sepul to keep him out meant nothing since it was The Darkness who actually cast the spell to bring him in and out, he was a champion, but he was no god.