Duke Avantine

The Kingdom of Milos is weak. My fellow Dukes are to focused on the well being of their people to make the sacrifices required to create a better future for them. The King, is a fool, allowing one of his vassals to gather strength. My duchy now hosts 3 grade 7 mages, 3 grade 7 magic knights three dozen grade 6's and hundreds of lower ranked knights. Upon graduation the situation is clear for many, to either join direct service under the King or to be under me. It has taken many years to gain such power and at 40 years old I can't say for certain if I will live long enough to see the first grade 9 that enters my families service.

A grade 9 servant. Every year either one or none graduates from the academy. All without fail enter the kings service, but it wasn't that long ago that the same would be said for Grade 6's. Then Grade 7's. Times will change. I've groomed my firstborn son for proper rulership, showed him the finer points of it and demonstrated to him the rewards one can obtain of ruling with might. Still, even if that boy were to suffer an accident, he has two brothers no less competent and able to take place. As a last resort, I'm sure my two daughters could find someone worthy of continuing the Avantine name and to lead the family into its glorious future.

Its funny, I've spent so long building up the family after my predecessor had been prepared to squandered our advantages. As a youth, I saw the direction my father was taking the family and slew him for it. Indirectly, of course. Still, it's what I'm most proud of. Had it not been for this single action I have no doubt that by the time I inherited the role that our duchy would be inferior to the others and would have no hope of challenging the King.

Speaking of challenge, its a shame that Silos's military might was reduced by a necromancer. Having a vassal that keeps me on my toes and motivates me to get stronger was a positive challenge. Now, from what I hear he's a broken man and allowing a woman of all things to run his county. Job as well, has gone missing, presumed dead and his son, is a stark raving mad boy. I hear the county is more or less run by one of their court mages. Then Noel never dared to challenge me. Its a shame. Perhaps if I were to officially raise the court mage up he'd be ambitious enough to give me a challenge?

As I contemplate such matters I look out my chamber window to see a bird pecking at it. A parcel wrapped about its foot. How peculiar. I wonder who would dare to write to me without going through official channels. I allow the bird in, take the paper and read something that boils my prideful blood.

"Duke Avantine, tonight's your final night. May your rotten family be pruned from my lands and justice be served for your sins."

As I threw the parcel into my fire I turned to slay the bird when I saw a most peculiar sight.

A woman. One I recognized well, I knew she survived that night and attended the academy but once sources had told me she graduated as a mere grade three I lost all worry in any potential revenge. While i've never attended the academy, my mages and magic knights have evaluated me as a grade 5 mage who is on the precipice of grade 6. Few can dare to stand before me in combat. My affinity, storm, allows for battlefield wide destruction to be performed trivially compared to similar affinities such as lightning. Using such overwhelming magic within the confides of my bedroom is going to damage some of my luxury sadly, but still it'll be easy to emerge victorious against this pathetic attempt at assassination.

"Did you come back for seconds?" I taunt as I prepared my spell.

Raderius

Right now Lilly is busy facing Duke Avantine, I've attached a wraith into her shadow incase she needs emergency support and so I can keep tabs on her battle. I trust Lilly to defeat the Duke 1 on 1, but if the Duke should be supported by his subordinates then Lilly will be in trouble to say the least. Hopefully, the rest of my plan will work out and she can have her 1v1.

I invented a new spell that lets me see through the eyes of any of my undead. It wasn't difficult to create, all my undead possess an aura that for all intents and purposes is the same as mine. Latching onto my own aura and viewing its surroundings was a easy task.

As soon as Lilly transformed I unleashed 1000 wraiths onto the keep. I've refined animate dead to allow me to create the strongest possible undead from a corpse and refined my detect corpses spell to allow me to know the possible undead I could create from a corpse. These are just a couple of my newly increased strengths. The wraiths are unlikely to kill any of the Dukes powerful subordinates, but are strong enough to keep them occupied.

Wraiths. Their physical power is equivalent to a 4th grade magic knight with passive magical auras that are on par with 5th grade mages. These auras suppress the will to fight, torture their foes with images of death and slow down the enemies reflexes. Thus, one needs to actively use their Rert constantly to fight off the effects of the wraiths auras while in combat with them. I've observed the enemy mages and magic knights it seems that maintaining two spells at once is something that only grade 4's and above are capable of. Meanwhile, its only once you reach Grade 7 that you'll meet foes maintaining three spells at once. Thus, one must be Grade 4 to even a stand a chance against a wraith, and Grade 7 to guarantee victory 100% of the time.

I admit, I had a good laugh at this. It was years ago that I surpassed the limits of a grade 7 mage and now I can maintain six spells at once. I estimate that by the time the night is over i'll have lost half the wraiths that are attacking the Dukes Keep and that dozens of grade 4 and 5 mages and magic knights will be slain, perhaps even the odd unlucky grade 6. Of course, any Grade 3 or lower that thinks to play hero and save their lieges life will be casually slain. Since the grade 3's don't live inside the Dukes Keep, I can't estimate their casualty count. The civilian casualty would be immense if I hadn't placed a strict bind onto the wraiths to not attack anyone who lacks hostility and a certain amount of magic power.

Of course, the wraiths are just a disposable distraction. The real stars of tonight are my shades, the third most powerful undead I can create, but the only ones other than wraiths that could achieve this assassination mission.

Shades, their physical prowess is comparable to a Grade 6 Magic Knight, their mage abilities are grade 3, but what makes them so fascinating is that if one manages to move through you, they attack your soul. I doubt there are many out there who can recognize their own soul and protect it with Rert. My death affinity has made the soul plainly visible to me, but the same can't be said for the other affinities. The Dukes Children each have a 6th grade guarding their chambers. Two seventh grades guard the chambers of the Duke and his firstborn son. I possess twelve shades. I send four to combat the Dukes Grade 7's, four to combat the ones guarding his son and the last four each move to slay the Dukes other children, their bodyguards and then rendezvous with either the shades facing the Dukes Guards or his first born sons guards depending on the situation.

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I regret that I can't personally partake in the assassination and utilize my two newest spells, but my appearance stands out and my presence is required within Violeta, I can't yet afford to leave the County. Still, I believe in the results of refining my animate dead spell and I believe in Lilly.

Duke Avantine

My rooms ablaze, it reeks of burning wood as each of my spells is met with the resistance of nature.

How?

Nature mages should require nature to operate their advanced magic. Yet, out of thin air this one is able to create trees. Terrifying enough she tried to create one within me, I felt it. My Rert killed the spell before it could be completed, but the fact Lilly can even perform such a spell is terrifying. Such refined power is the sign of a Grade 7.

I grit my teeth.

How?

If it weren't for my affinity having an advantage against hers I'd already be dead. Frustration threatens to overwhelm me, only the knowledge that giving into that frustration would result in my death holds me back.

Why?

Where are my guards. Why haven't they barged in to assist me! I hear noise outside the room, surely nothing that a grade 7 mage and a grade 7 magic knight can't handle!

A branch pierces my shoulder. Damn it. Can't take my eyes off this vile bitch for a single second.

I will destroy her and out of spite i'll have my way with her again! Living or dead! I'll desecrate her.

Lilly

It seems Raderius has done as he promised, he's managed to give me my 1v1. More importantly, he's unlocked my strength and ability to face evil. As I deflect the storm of magic coming from Duke Avantine I grit my teeth in determination. I'm stronger, but the affinity disadvantage has leveled the playing field. So far I've only landed one good blow on the Duke and he's landed none against me. The Duke is at least Grade 5 and thus can't be overwhelmed by an internal growth spell. That'll only waste more of my aura on the creation process than he will on the dispelling.

I think back to when Raderius faced Lavislava and Silos how he had to absorb a blow in able to win the battle. I hate pain and I don't want to feel any pain from this man, but still, I have no choice.

I create a gap in my nature defenses, one that Avantine is quick to take advantage of, however as he moves to cast his magic into my imperfect defence I create a tree to his side.

Lightning strikes me. I feel like I'm going to die even as my magic works to heal me.

The tree slams the Duke, it sends him flying out the window I had come in from.

I jump after him, to guarantee his death.

The Duke tries to focus his magic into a flight spell, before it can be cast he looks up at me with a look of terror.

I smile.

Twenty piercing branches all from different angles approach.

He blasts apart eight of them as the other twelve pierce his flesh, his mouth, his eyes, up his rear, his unmentionables, they pierce and ride through him I cast a regeneration spell to extend his suffering.

Even in his agony he tries to conjure magic to destroy the offending branches.

I pierce his heart and dispel the conjured trees.

Before me is the Dukes corpse his face contorted from the pain he went through.

It wasn't enough for me.

I kick his corpse.

"Murderer!" I think of my brother.

I kick his corpse.

"Monster!" I think of what he did to my subjects.

I kick his corpse.

"Rapist!" I think of what he did to me.

I kick his head sending it flying.

"Die and never come back, suffer in hell you sack of shit!"

I kick his corpse, it explodes in a shatter of a gore.

I realize i've been breathing heavily, not from the exertion of the battle, but from the emotions overwhelming me.

"Mother, father, brother. Its over. It's finally over."

I look back to the Keep. My personal mission may be accomplished, but I need to make sure my lieges mission is accomplished.

As I enter, I'm greeted by a sight that should fill me with horror.

Hundreds of dead magic knights and mages, from the intel it seems they're grade three. The odd grade four and five mage and knight corpse adorns.

However, most peculiar though these men and women have nothing to do with me, merely serving the man I hated, I feel nothing at their deaths. Instead one emotion is all that my mind and heart focus on.

Adoration.

Raderius, you've turned the Dukes home into such a beautiful work of art.

I smile and laugh as I move among the sea of the dead. It's a shame Raderius isn't present to raise them.

I find the wraiths engaged in combat and aid them in their battle. Every wraith I can save is one more Raderius will have in the future. As I fight my heart, for the first time feels light and I begin to sing.

"The tree of life protects its children."

I turn a magic knight into succor for a newly conjured tree.

"The tree of life defends its family."

A magic knight rushes me through with his sword. I regenerate the wound.

"House Neiros, inheritor of the tree"

I grab the knight, fill him with nature energy. His senses are overwhelmed, he must be feeling like a God. I gingerly slash his throat with my blade.

"House Neiros, your duty its upon thee"

I see a shade exit a room, a high ranking mages corpse nearby and inside the room, the Dukes firstborn son.

"Your duty, to the citizenry!"

I laugh as I rampage through the castle.

Raderius

I look through the eyes of my undead and am greeted with a unexpected sight. There's no more fighting. Everyone in the keep is dead, the citizen staff fled, the mages dead, the magic knights dead and; I smile as I see through a number of eyes, the Avantine family, dead. I order the retreat. Lilly, I see a beautiful smile adorn her face. She notices the undead withdrawing and transforms into a bird. I detach the wraith from her shadow, it looks like that insurance wasn't necessary. I'm glad, her vengeance will mean more if in the moment of truth she accomplished it all with her own hand.

The next day, after the young Count Violeta made a particularly foolish order, even for him. I declared my intention to dethrone him publicly and to be named Count. That I would take no last name and be Count Raderius. The citizenry clapped at my proclamation. Violeta was released into the public for his people to decide what to do with him, though I should have expected they would show him no mercy. He was buried within hours.

Over the next month news had spread of the tragedy that has befallen the Avantine family. None of the nobles within Marktos wished to claim the county, all were terrified of the sights they saw within the keep of their most important city. Thus, a council of two counts and a countess; witnessed by a hundred barons was held. A large show was made of reaching the eventual conclusion. The decision to name me Duke of Avantine and Count of Marktos. That it would be to my discretion to find a baron suitable to raise to the title of count and provide him with Violeta.

The barons were in an uproar, but surprisingly, Noel stepped up and calmed their wrath. Perhaps seeking to ingratiate himself to me. Amusing. Thus, I ascended and became known as Duke Raderius.

I wonder if I would have let events play out the same if I knew what was coming next.